Madmax

The guy who compiled this list (@chelseayouth on twitter) confirmed Piazon isn't HG; it's a copy-paste error on their part. They've corrected it.

Especially seeing as he isn't a big part of the team, unlike JT, who still is (and probably will continue to be for another season).

^ Bloody hell, I didn't know Afellay was still rotting there.

Handy page detailing the HG status of our current squad for PL and CL competitions : http://thechels.info/wiki/First_team_squad ______________________________________________________________________ I searched for threads with discussion about 'homegrown' quota but found no results. If one exists, I hope the mods merge these threads.

2 years ago today ... ...#Kalou2012 #neverforget

I haven't been keeping up with the Luiz swap stories recently but from the two I've read, Sanchez + Song is so much better than Mandzukic + cash.

No, that'd be Rooney. He negotiated it as part of the new deal ____________________________________________________________________________ Eh, I dunno what's happened here with The Skipper's post I quoted. Can't edit.

...and then you switch off FM/FIFA/PES

^Yes.

£10000 fine for sarcasm.

Why? I ask because I seem to remember you following German football more than most here.

Great news. The fine was never going to be an issue for them but reduced roster spots goes down well with me. Also reassuring to see UEFA anticipating some of the get-arounds and extracting an undertaking in those aspects.

I'm desperate for Chalobah to succeed here but I fear he's not going to be used in the immediate sense. I was going through some of Mourinho's responses in a twitter Q&A session just now and when asked about bringing through our youngsters he said he wants that to happen but doesn't want to see them fail, possibly hinting at waiting till they gather some more experience and 'pedigree'.

It's one thing handing them duds like Moses, quite another to trust them with someone like Thorgan. I hope Mourinho doesn't let his friendship with Rodgers affect this decision.

... are you okay?

I really want us to give Chalobah a chance this season. I believe Mourinho said he will last August when discussing loan moves.

No, I hate the IPL. I don't understand how people can continue to watch such a corrupt league. Super Frank and JT. That's difficult to say considering his age and the talk surrounding him means nothing until it translates to something on the pitch but the talk is encouraging, which is nice. Sunderland were close to taking him but then O'Neil was sacked and that died down. He does need to make a move soon, though and it needs to be to Europe. Has to be the 3-1 at Liverpool in 08-09 UCL. Branna double and DD. X Files. Football is improving, it's getting more attention, especially in the big cities but it needs to catch on in the rural belt to give competition to cricket. We have a national league and it's about average considering we're talking about a football league in India. The players are not the best technically but most teams try to play on the grass with the ball, there is a general tendency to avoid kick and rush. The may not have the skill to pull it off all the time but that's the general idea. Whether it's watchable depends on your taste. For me it's a 5/10. Football coverage is quite good, tbf. The English league is the most popular by far and on any weekend there'd be 5-7 games telecast live on a couple of dedicated channels so the reach is there. Besides, most big games from France, Italy, Spain and Germany are available for viewing. The Champions League is popular and enjoys a lot of attention, particularly in the metros. There are magazine shows and football round-ups for a lot of major non-European leagues as well (including Brazil ). A few big clubs have their own dedicated pubs/sports cafes in places like Mumbai and Delhi. Carlo as a man and a personality, Mourinho as a manager.

I like Carlo as a manager and as a man. He won me over with his personality - calm, dignified, committed and humorous. I haven't really kept up with his career post Chelsea because PSG was a foregone conclusion and I've been too busy this year to pay anything more than cursory attention to other clubs or leagues. About the CL final - I don't really care who wins; I'm not even going to watch the match as I have a fortnight of exams beginning the very next morning! I'm 24. Yes I work at a finance firm and have been doing so since I was 19 but I don't understand this part - 'what do you with' - please explain. How did I become a Chelsea fan? I'll just copy paste what I posted earlier I'd like to see zolayes next. I'd probably ask him what makes him so grumpy sometimes. I'd like to be a grumpy old man one day Moving from India is hypothetical so it's tough to answer; I'll have to do some research first. Broadly speaking though I prefer peaceful places with a moderate climate with wide open spaces and some nice mountain ranges to explore. Retro Hindi music, Ghazals, alt-rock, britpop and even some hard rock I think the domestic league is improving, as Bangalore's win shows. It's nice to see that a traditionally non-footballing region has taken to it so well. Makes a change from the Goa clubs winning all the time. I'm disappointed that the Pailan Arrows initiative was disbanded; I thought it was a brilliant idea and one young footballers (the only ones who matter when it comes to any posible football growth here) needed. Why doesn't India do well at the international level? Lots of things. Football has a presence but doesn't quite capture the imagination of your everyday man. The facilities are poor, investment is non existent (but should improve going forward), the authorities are corrupt and can't administer to save their lives. I'm hopeful that with the u17 WC being awarded at least some of the basic infrastructure (stadiums, pitches, training facilities) will get a fillip. I have a major issue with the foreign clubs viewing India mainly viewing India as a 'market'. The recently proposed franchise leagues will do nothing but fill the pockets of semi-retired international players and provide coffee shop conversation for urban youngsters. It'll do nothing to improve the skills and temperament of young Indian footballers - the biggest thing that will eventually benefit Indian football. Clubs are welcome to have their academies here, kids will only gain from the training their coaches provide. As long as they work towards improving grassroots football, it's fine. I don't think that's a realistic timeframe, to be honest. The average kid doesn't play football, he plays cricket. Yuppies in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore can watch Champions League and Premier League football all they want, they're not going to help Indian football unless they go out and support their local clubs. I make it a point to attend most home games for Mumbai FC, for example. We must congratulate Bangalore FC fans, they were brilliant. Fan support will attract sponsorship which will in turn lead to better administration, better facilities and better conditions and oppportunities for young boys (and girls) to take up football. This will take time. I enjoy most of the coverage, but that's easy for me to say as a Chelsea fan. I think Star could do a slightly better job overall, mainly in terms of the number of channels they dedicate to football (fuck HD), but you can't complain too much when you can view the biggest matches from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France + UCL and Europa. I don't like the punditry on most networks but that gives me the opportunity to use the mute button on my remote. Because I really enjoyed his time here and thought he was a decent man, let alone a good manager. Yes, i did. Ab ki baar ... Anand (early '70s Rajesh Khanna).

He should, considering he is second choice at his current club and likely to remain so while Peppito wanks over a false 9 setup.

Okay, clown.

Well you can bury your head in the sand all you want, it doesn't change the realities of the situation. Anyway this is adding nothing to the conversation so I'll stop but hopefully now everyone knows it was indeed Lukaku who asked to leave and not Mourinho who made him do so.

Direct, undisputed quotes from an interview are 'unreliable'? Okay then, if you say so.

October 5 : November 1 : I'm sure I can find more quotes but I don't have the time or inclination to click on the second page of google's search results for "lukaku asked to leave"

Eh? Pretty sure he's admitted it himself on more than one occasion.