LDN Blue

"Cesc and myself have had our battles in the past but I wish him the best because I wish Chelsea all the best." It's not that called off , but always a delight too see him continue to talk of his love for Chelsea

'dead wood' is a bit harsh, but I agree with the premise

See usually I'd agree on this, but I think Rodriguez would've been signed in either case. He simply showcased his talents too well and instigated it himself with that interview. If it was retaliation, then Real definitely benefitted imo.

You could of course start of small, the usuals like Zola, Osgood Harris etc and then just add as you go on people's choices/suggestions.

is this really necessary? Anyway, this week has been awful for airline travel and I sincerely hope there is nothing sinister in terms of linking these accidents. RIP to the victims and their families.

Del Piero & Aguero comparisons come out. Come on guys, let's be calm here. Boga's impressed and all credit to him, but these comparisons are premature and becomes the reason we then turn our backs on these players. We put them on a pedestal too early.

I'm with TOPTB, having Cech around acts as a distraction for Courtois both by the media and fans alike tbh. There will be cries of 'Cech wouldn't have done that' when Courtois makes a mistake which will inevitably happen. As far as having a reliable back up goes, if Schwarzer didn't convince you guys last season then this conversation wouldn't get very far. As someone said before, it's almost insulting having Cech on the bench with his accolades and he wouldn't be short of suitors. Yes Mourinho is sentimental but he's realistic too. He wouldn't stand in the way if Cech wanted out & I certainly wouldn't believe when people infer he'll definitely remain.. He can be deceitful in transfer windows. A prime example of this situation goes back to Manchester City with Hart (up and coming on loan at Birmingham) competing with Shay Given who was one of the most competent and experienced goal keepers in the league at the time. For the greater future, Given had to be benched and eventually left for first team opportunities.

Biggest hint yet that Zouma will be staying with us and becoming first choice back up at centre back (Ivanovic being first choice right back sub). Really pleased, it means we won't be spending £3xm for someone like Varane unnecessarily.

Lmao, that's what I was thinking. I'm sure the Matrix code is embedded in those lines. Love how Schurrle's becoming a poster boy now

Lmao saw on Goal there's a rumour City want him as cover for Negredo.. really, people get paid to write this!

Well he'd be a "free agent" in the sense, he no longer has a contract with Atletico Madrid. His contract with Mendes probably goes longer. Also it's quite funny now, because wasn't he the "catalyst" who "convinced" Luis & Costa to sign with us?

Kalou wants a PL come back as well. Malouda, Kalou and Drogba back in the PL

£16m?! You've got to be kidding.. What a bargain!

This light blue training kit still bothers me.. Its not our shade of blue ffs!

Lmao, Omid Djalili is an ITK all of a sudden?

Still, still can't quite believe Fabregas is a Chelsea player lmao. Seriously, until I see him play a competitive game for us, I won't believe it. Hope he'll play the pre-season game v Sociedad when I'm there!

Gerrard retires from England.. Prepare for the mass outcry of support & the funeral. I'm sure the PM will be saying a few words in remembrance..

at least he's not as monotonous on commentary

it depends. the PL is now open now, it's not just a Manchester-London tug of war anymore. Liverpool make ground, Tottenham are always potential upsetters. Even the race for 4th is more intriguing now.. so in that sense, yeah it's strong. However you can also look at accessibility for fans, in the Bundesliga they play quality football and tickets are kept affordable so it continues to rise as a league. Though I'm sure eventually the dominance of Bayern will begin to bore the neutral. La Liga could be going through a paradigm shift. Finally someone has broken the Real-Barca stronghold and now that Valencia have come into money anything could happen.

The media will do their best to keep that mask fastened, but the power of social media is becoming their downfall. Huge protests outside Downing St on Sunday went largely unheard on mainstream media, but Twitter, Facebook and Instagram didn't let that go quietly.

Some good words there from the young Croatian. Mourinho and Emenalo's assurances of the club keeping track of him will be great incentive and motivation to do well.. Who remembers when Emenalo was Satan's lovechild put on earth to cause chaos and destruction to Chelsea Football Club?

this is a strange comment. 'enough with good/potential signings'? we've already signed Luis, Fabregas and Costa. They definitely slot into the starting XI along with what we already have. If Zouma and MVG are backups then why is this an issue? Why get Cavani when we've spent big on Costa and have Torres, Lukaku and potentially Drogba? Why Pogba when we've got Matic, Ramires, Mikel, Ake(maybe) and Fabregas? That's short term mentality. we've got a good mix of players in late 20s and early 20s, the process of Mourinho creating his second dynasty is already progressing.

Lmao yeah this is what I was going to say. Mourinho is the master of such ploys, saying we're done and then pulling a couple of signings out the hat. We'll need players for depth, I think he's satisfied with the first XI, now he'll just fill in the blanks. I'm of the opinion we need, assuming Drogba is coming, a centre mid for cover if Matic picks up a suspension/injury. On the other hand we could see some youth appearances. Ake is proving versatile across the back 4, Steve Holland was talking up Marko Van Ginkle the other day & there's still Romeu's contract extension.

Agreed, that's probably what made him a Villas-Boas type of player. It's the sort of fluidity AVB went for and he built his tactics around that sort of play.. it's what made Mata so important. Mourinho is going for a more hardworking team, defending and attacking as a team. which is why Hazard is consistently fouled more than anyone else. Where Mata looked for the pass before he received the ball, Hazard looks to run at the opposition when he receives the ball. ergo, working harder for the attacking play. With the signings of Cesc and Costa especially, Mourinho isn't looking the to build a team around an individual. The consequences of doing the latter is highlighted by Tottenham-Bale and soon Liverpool-Suarez. Yes, you need individual brilliance to fit around those tactics but the biggest plus is if said individual leaves they can be replaced. As Mourinho has/will demonstrate.

it will be bittersweet the day we do bring through a talent from the academy. they will be under a microscope by everyone else as they will be the first.. it will be a lot of pressure.