LDN Blue

I liked him higher up the pitch, I think he added stability there. I'd forgotten how good Mikel was in these park-the-bus situations. Well done lad.

Time to move on.

Has to be Hazard. Must be. If so, let's move for Nani/Valencia!

"They are a good team. But when they come to Stamford Bridge we will make their life difficult." - Di Matteo on Napoli.

I don't think (hopefully) anyone here's under any illusion that Lampard, Drogba etc are still cracks within the team. I don't think anyone will suggest they should be here next season either. (hopefully).

"Chelsea created EIGHTEEN chances today (Mata 5, Kalou 5, Lampard 4, Terry 2, Cahill 1, Mikel 1). Stoke created only 3. Dramatic difference!"

We defending brilliantly! Created a lot of chances, dominated the middle. RDM made a good/bold move to bring on Mata in the 35th minutes, reminds of another manager who did that early in his career Obviously, there are things to improve on. But I'm content at the moment, because 3 points were the most important thing. Bring on Napoli.

Here's some fun statistics. Luis Suárez - 22 games, 6 goals, 1 assist. Nicklas Bendtner- 21 games, 5 goals, 4 assists. Daniel Sturridge - 26 games, 11 goals, 7 assists.

LOL look at all these reactions. Didn't most of you want Luiz to try RB?! Careful what you wish for.

Sturridge for Drogba. We need to go all out here. Had the chances, we're dominating them in the middle, it's only a mata of time before we find the net. We can have an onslaught with the amount of gaps in the Stoke back-line.

Excellent decision from Di Matteo, well done to him!

We're not playing that bad. We're lacking creativity though, but they're working hard to compensate.

A rest for Mata makes sense, he definitely needs it. Sturridge is being kept fresh.. I'm sure Roberto's got an eye on Napoli with this team.

That's rich.

Well perhaps those changes are coming, but I think most will be here this season. I just don't believe he will be given time or resources in his debut season in the league, should he not achieve what's expected he'll get the sack. I fear that his no-nonsense approach will not be accepted by the powers here and therefore he'll suffer the fate of andré.

He's also the most talented footballer of our generation, and that's undeniable whatever you feel.

You're missing my point. I'm not doubting his credentials, I'm not saying he wouldn't succeed at a top club. However, with the way Chelsea is set up now, Bielsa is powerless to help us, even his strong character is not enough to change the paradigms of this squad.

Some people gave Villas-Boas hell. Most of us agreed he should be given time to grow and adapt to the league.

Okay so let's talk about his managerial record then shall we? I see his resumé and he's coached Argentina, Espanyol and Chile. Argentina: Qualified for the 2002 World Cup, didn't go through round 1. Runners up in the 2004 Copa America, Gold in 2004 Olympics. That's fair. Chile: Helped them reach the 2010 World Cup, had a good clear out of the old players, brought in young ones. That was positive and he got them playing good football. Can't comment about the style, didn't watch them play much. Perhaps you'll fill in the blanks? Espanyol: Left quickly because Argies came calling. Well hang on; Scolari saved Brazil from almost not qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, to winning the thing. He reached the Euro 2004 final. He took Portugal to the 2006 World Cup semi-final & Euro 2008 KO round. -- Do you see at what I'm getting at here? I respect what Bielsa has done. But the 'project' at Chelsea is bigger than a coach who will try to command authority like Scolari, Villas-Boas and Bielsa. This is because the coach, at this club, has a difficult job right from the beginning. He has to sort out the old guard, he has to convince the club to buy the players that he wants bought and he has to deliver straight away. You're calling us delusional because we believe Bielsa will face the same problems as Villas-Boas and you're claiming his age & experience will allow him to rise above that? Well Scolari couldn't, at all.

Ah, that's really unfortunate. He'll probably excel at his next club though, a place he'll be given first team football.

Is Mellis being kicked out the club or just being suspended for a while?

Age is irrelevant here. Everything you see in this man is what everyone saw in André, rightly so too. The fact is, even Bielsa is powerless to the powers that be in this club (the players). What you think he'll be allowed to ship off the old guard or even control them? No he won't. You think he'll be allowed to bring in all his targets? No he won't. I don't deny what you see in the man. I deny what you think he can achieve, because he'll face the same problems.

for when we see members start personal arguments

Yeah, Tiote would be good.. Though I think we might be in a bidding war with him because it seems Newcastle are resigned to losing him this June. You're right though, targeting cheap players is the way to do it. Players like Martinez & Jordi Alba. Even looking within the league: Victor Moses, Hoillet (who's out of contract in June, I believe?), Albrighton? But it won't happen. We'll go for the big names, with big price tags and big wages. Such is the way of this club now. We lost a good scout in André, Romeu was good signing, cheap too. A shout for KDB to be brought in too.

You might as well start now. You know Cole will be brought back whatever, Lampard's probably coming back too as part of 'rotation'