Madmax

Greatest Chelsea player of all time.

FUCKING GET IN THERE! SUPER SUPER FRANK! SUPER SUPER FRANK! SUPER SUPER FRANK! SUPER FRANKIE LAMPARD!

Not really, but let's agree to disagree.

It's more than the revenue generated on matchday .. it's the exposure that he's after. Plus, it's not like we'll be playing full strength squads going at it at a 100 mph. A glorified training session, more than anything.

Was woeful in midfield against Spurs. This 'masterstroke' from Rafa that the meeja rave about is only a 'masterstroke' against the minnows.

You're doing this wrong! Ugh. Amateurs. On topic : (There's no hat like a tin foil hat) x 2.

On topic : There's no hat like a tin foil hat.

I miss his tap-ins.

NO.

That is the coolest avatar I have ever seen on here. Bravo.

I'll flip out if Benayoun plays. Not at him, but at the manager. Benayoun? Seriously, Benayoun? Need to get rid of this Anfield mob ASAP.

I'm amazed people are discussing his footballing ability as a reason to not sign him. He won't be another Torres because his game is more rounded than the one trick pony Torres has been exposed as. The finance involved is a sticking point but hey, if the board are serious about this, we don't need to worry. They don't employ top accountants/lawyers for nothing.

The Premiership will be a poorer place without him.

It's not a place for the faint hearted, I'll give you that

Watch him become a better player on the bench. Everyone somehow becomes a better player when injured. Even Bosingwa.

^ German teams have been demonstrating for years the benefits of a safe-standing movement. There is a reason places like Dortmund have such an incredible atmosphere. It is magic.

This part is important. People go on about the fatigue of a long season but a positive of that is it gives no time to the players to sit around on their heels; they can't afford to mope after a loss or wait pensively for a game to arrive. There's a 'let's get on with this' feel around the camp, much more desirable than, say, Arsenal who can do little but watch nervously while we play out our games.

What, walking on water? Perfect for a wet night in Stoke then.

^Sensible Soccer >>>>>>> FIFA/PES.

And Mumbai was Bombay. Will always be Bombay for us here.

Do December 89ers count?

It IS subjective, but isn't everything? Refereeing itself is subjective, open to the referee's interpretation of the laws. Some refs like to let play continue, some blow for fouls straightaway. It's part of the game, it's the human element that everyone gets so up in arms about when discussing technological applications in football. A part of that human element is how players, who are the ones going at it in those big matches in a cauldron-like atmosphere, react to these refereeing calls. It's all about the romance around the game - the perceived injustice, the betrayals, the reprisals, the emotions. Of course two wrongs don't make a right, but do Chelsea fans bring up Abidal's 'wrong' sending off in the CL semi or do they only talk about the 'wrong' non-calls on the penalties by the same man from Norway, Mr Ovrebo? Do we not gleefully point to Macheda's handball consolation when United fans talk about Drogba's offside goal that proved to be the league winner in 2010? Don't we call it a 'cancelling out'? My post was about what is a plausible explanation for the reason behind playacting/simulation under some circumstances. Do I like players doing it? No. But can I understand why in some situations (like yesterday), some players would go down that route. Yes, had Luiz done what he did under different circumstances, under the watch of a fair referee, I might have reacted differently. Does that make me a hypocrite? Or unethical? Or someone who's lost a sense of sportsmanship? No. It's merely reacting to a situation on its merit.

Busy watching Naruto.

More power to you, you handsome bearded so-and-so.