Madmax

Aw man I wish I could meet the Chelsea guys just once! P.S. No offence, but surely this shouldn't be in Matthew Harding Stand.

Yeah I was surprised when I learnt about Ivan. Read on another thread that Kakuta's contract is in the process of renegotiation, so hopefully that should be sorted out pretty quickly. I guess the club will be waiting for Bosingwa to prove his fitness before extending his.

Also in the squad will be Gael Kakuta, the Uefa Under 19 European Championship Golden Ball winner, who Ancelotti believes must be considered a part of the first team squad. 'He will be involved tomorrow in the game. Now he is first team, he will have the same opportunity as the other players and he deserves to play because he trained well, he is focused and concentrated,' explained the Italian. 'He will play and we now have to consider him not a young player but a player in the first team.' From official CFC ...

For me, it's Carvalho to Madrid.

"Is your tractor parked outside?"

Why did Hodgson get the award? Isn't the award given for league performance?

I find the whole concept of a sportsman being a role model naive. I mean sure it's natural to admire someone for how dedicated, professional, humble etc they are, but as the saying goes, nobody is perfect and if you look up to someone as a role model and one day you learn about their misgivings, it just breaks your heart. I've never had a role model in my life, and I don't regret it. I feel it's better to acknowledge and imbibe the good part of everyone rather than idolising just one guy. That's just my opinion, hope I don't get slagged off for it

Happy for Carlo Player of the month - What a joke. In what way has Scholes outperformed Drogba?

I think the site meant to say that Carlo has to decide whether to play Malouda in the midfield or on the wing. If in midfield, than Kalou on the left wing. But I want Zhirkov there!

I'm not sure ... Carlo didn't mention anything about him fitness-wise. he only said Bos was back in training. So either Ivan is fit for tomorrow, or everyone knows he's injured so Carlo didn't specify. If it's the latter, Ferreira at RB and Bruma on the bench.

I'd take him in the blink of an eye. As long as his personality traits don't interfere with on-field performance, I don't give a damn if he's sleeping with Paris Hilton or strutting around with the 'i'm the best in the world' expression on his face. Even so, I don't think a bit of swagger is a bad thing, having an attitude helps, having an ego doesn't.

Delighted for Kakuta! Cech Ivan Alex JT Cole Mikel Essien Malouda Anelka Zhirkov Drogba Subs : Hilario/Turnbull, Bruma, Benayoun, Ramires , Kalou, Kakuta, Sturridge

JT is in, Lamps out, Kakuta to play a part tomorrow Official CFC

Hello mate, welcome along! Introduce yourself in a post here or start a new thread introducing yourself in this sub-forum Stick around and keep posting!

Apparently Drogs is considering his Ivory Coast future ...

Isn't this guy a RB? Maybe Bos could be off. As it is, he is in the last year of his contract, and is coming off a major injury...

Yuri Zhirkov to consider Chelsea future "I'll certainly get a chance in the next few months and I'll try to use it completely," Zhirkov said. "Then, in the winter, everything will probably depend on whether I got this chance and how I used it. "We are currently in brilliant form and getting past [Florent] Malouda and [Ashley] Cole is problematic. Everyone understands about the competition: once you are on the bench you can be there for a long time. But I will definitely get a chance. "The thoughts when you are watching your team play are always the same: you support, worry and your soul wants to be on the pitch to help." Source : ESPN Soccernet

LOL why would you think I have a problem with you? I know you were asking a question, and I was just answering it without going into all the details as I thought you new what TX was like. Sorry if I came across as being harsh, wasn't my intention at all.

I'm not English so I don't know if my opinion counts, but I think JT and Lampsey would never abandon England if it was left to them, they are much too classy and loyal to do something like that.

Maybe if you continue being one for just long enough, you can

I guess being a tool in general would have something to do with it

Maybe it's due to TX going, and hence all the argumentative posts going with him ...

Nice article, Alex

European clubs today appealed to football's authorities to start paying insurance premiums to cover players injured whilst on international duty. "FIFA and Uefa have to care about our players," said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of the 197-strong European Club Association. "It is no longer acceptable that we have to give up our players ... and then they come back injured." "If I rent a car I have to bring it back clean as if it was unused," he said. "With players we have to give them up yet have to pay, twice over if you like, when we get them back injured." "Robben is a classic case of a player going to the World Cup already injured and coming back in a worse condition and now we have to pay the bill," he said. Rummenigge said insurance packages must cover all international fixtures, including friendlies and youth games, and ideally all European-based players even if they are from other continents. "We have had discussions with FIFA in the past but they were not successful," said Rummenigge. "We appreciate that FIFA paid compensation during the World Cup but the income they make is thanks to our players, who are paid by our clubs." Full article : EspnStar

Former Rangers, Chelsea and Denmark forward Brian Laudrup has revealed he is undergoing treatment for cancer. The 41-year-old, who enjoyed a highly successful spell with Rangers from 1994-98 during which time he won three league titles, has been diagnosed with a mild form of lymphoma. "I am obviously shocked by the diagnosis, but also know that there is now a tough battle ahead of me - a battle I will win," Laudrup told TV3, where he works as a commentator. "Fortunately, I have had very optimistic reports from doctors to support me." The former Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Ajax star added: "I now want to use my energy to get over the shock and take time with my family and those closest to me, so together we can move forward after this diagnosis." Laudrup scored 21 goals in 82 matches for Denmark and helped his country to European Championship glory in 1992. He was named Danish player of the year on four occasions. Source : Teamtalk I wasn't fortunate enough to watch him play, but I've heard that he was an extremely good player. Regardless, cancer is a terrible illness and I hope he gets well soon ...