GodZola

Feel sorry for our own fans that travelled all that way in freezing conditions, paying good money & giving the team tremendous vocal support to be treated with such a shocking, lackluster performance is disgraceful & they should offer to reimburse the fans for the neck of impersonating a pro football team! Swansea had a game plan to press us high up the pitch to stop us from building from the back & it worked cus 'Rafa I haven't got a clue how to change things tactically when the teams struggles' doesn't have a plan b or c in his locker, although I partly blame the club for letting Lukaku go out on loan cus this is the one game were you need to toss the ball up & get the likes of Lukaku & Ba to feed off it, this type of game is where Didier came into his own & would drag us back into it. Concur with Toronto Chelsea in that Oscar, Hazard & Mata just doesn't work. Oscar is no attacking midfielder imho, been on the whole poor value but would benefit with being played further back. Benitez should of gone for it with changes at half time, playing 3 at the back (Cundy said the same on talksport - finally someone gets it!) Put Luiz in midfield & then thrown JT on upfront just to try something different than tippy tappy getting nowhere lose possession football. My point is Benitez doesn't mix it up or get ugly with the formation to get a reaction or to make the opposition think. Swansea & Laudrup deserve praise as they wanted it more & tactics were nailed on by their bright manager. As for Hazard, talking about mountains & mole hills is an understatement.........

Terry should not be taken into consideration as we have not exactly been leaking goals, it is our home form that has been abysmal that is pertinent to Rafa's reign - his team selection & tactical substitutions against sides that park the bus have led to his own downfall & playing Torres ahead of Ba says it all! No one to blame but himself I'm afraid.

Not going to bother with reasons why i have consistently backed a Jose return - done that and bored of repeating myself and defending him. However Roman's options are being culled each month we get towards the summer and will he swallow some pride and admit he got it absolutely and categorically wrong by going after and reappointing Jose? Well i think we might get a clue if Lamps now gets offered a new contract....... As for Pep, are we really surprised he has gone to Bayern instead of coming here? Think Romans trigger happy finger has nailed his own coffin and really has come back to haunt him. imho i think Pep doesn't want the stress of dealing with Jose again and that was on the cards. Good luck to the guy anyway. Jose - everything is ready for you to come home, can't wait for the swap.....see ya Rafa!

Nobody's getting carried away, the facts speak for themselves - he is still producing week in/week out, scoring vital goals in the process, he is 35 this year i haven't yet seen his performance drop off to a degree were i feel we need to get rid and yet to hear a football pundit say any different either. I do agree with you that he should be prepared to take a substantial pay cut and knowing the professional he is that won't be an issue, if he stays in the Prem then you can pretty much bet that he will be on a lot less so why would he want to leave for money purposes when he loves the club? I can't stand bacon face but he gets it right were older players are concerned and this baffles me with the clubs policy on older players. Yes he scores a fair number of penalties but you still have to put them away and contrary to your notion he doesn't score enough from free kicks, what he does do though is have that uncanny talent of getting himself in the right place at the right time and that is the reason he continues to outscore any Midfielder in the Prem, something that i believe he is underrated for and another reason why we must retain his services, he can put all his years of experience to use with teaching/bringing along the younger players - something Fergie also has done with Giggs and Scholes, it is nothing but a win/win situation for the club.

You raise a fair point in that the new manager may not want him and this is the only logical reason that the club won't renew his contract that i can think of? I'm not sure of the system you are thinking because Lamp's was our best player Saturday and to me fits in anywhere in Midfield. The facts are he is still fit and more pertinently still producing and out performing younger players, i cannot for the life of me understand why an average player in Mikel can get a 5 year deal yet arguably the best player we have ever had cannot get a 2 year contract. What worries me is he could go to Utd and his goals next season could be the difference in them winning the league as opposed to us, i wonder how the heirachy will feel then?

So far your beloved Rafa has lost us the CWC, possibly a semi final exit of the league cup and lost us any chance of winning the Prem (4 points behind when he arrived now 14 bar a game in hand) also we have lost 2 at home already were Jose was undefeated in over 3 seasons? Better coach?........... Well he is ok when we manage to score against the opposition but when teams defend stoutly he doesn't have a clue how to change things or to get behind them and open teams up, we had the same problem when Jose was here - he famously came out with the 'parking the bus' statement but more often than not we found a way to win and NOT lose.......unlike Mr Benitez? Well mate looks like the Real fans want Rafa, well i for one will be more than happy with a swap - infact i will be made up! As for La Liga, Barcelona are different class and for Jose to top them last season was a massive achievement, however i do think he will be disappointed in their form this year, it is unacceptable for manager of his calibre but it won't be any different for Rafa or any manager that goes to Real, they might get closer in terms of points but will still be behind come the end of the season and that won't change for sometime to come......

Think you missed my point, Torres was worse against Leeds than tonight but gets more flak than ivanovich who prob has cost us the tie. As for the game you say you would play Torres but state earlier that he 'gets lost for 75 minutes'?! This is a semi final at home, we needed to make a statement, play a centre forward that has movement that brings others in to play & you think Oscar playing right wing was correct? The set up was to a better word - hopeless, its been the same against 2 other London sides at home were we again failed to score? It's not rocket science, you know a side is going to put all 10 men behind the ball so you don't start with 5 defenders, you play 3 at the back & even then they ain't marking no one, you then play a more attack minded set up were you have more players in & around their penalty box perhaps starting with 2 up top & with lamps - he gets goals. The facts are we lost, created a few chances but on the whole not a great deal but it could of been so different if he would of gone for a more attacking line up & made changes at half time.........

Think my post clearly outlines were I stand, I have always been open minded to new managers as we have had so many & I am not judgmental this especially with Benitez in mind but I have seen enough to know he isn't 'our man' & will be stunned if he is still here come August, then again I didn't think RDM was either but didn't agree with his sacking.

Voted for Jose for the purpose of this thread & because he would be my first choice, however I feel Roman has a major role to play with our next manager. I believe it is absolutely imperative that the next manager that comes in gets the final say/word in all footballing matters, be it academy to first team & specifically transfers. We need a man that has his own identity that has the bollocks to tell Roman its his way before any legal document is signed - what we had with jose basically who had total power & used to give Kenyon a list of transfer targets before the season ended, that was when we were most successful before the big fingers got in the pies & started taking Jose authority & then things started to go a little pear - shaped. Football should be kept to football people, business should be left to the suits. I'm not opposed to any manager that meets the required criteria but I feel it is crucial that whoever comes in has a backbone so the club can be taken forward, the foundations are built for years. Jose started it before Roman & his sidekicks got involved, let's hope Roman doesn't make the same mistake again........

The irony is Torres was worse against Leeds yet scores with a tap in & we win & fans don't notice - strange that?! His performance against Leeds was one of the worst I've seen from a pro footballer in years, he was poor tonight too but so were others, Mata who is normally so influential had imo his worst game this season, Oscar who was played in the wrong position was largely inconspicuous. Contrary to what some have said most of the blame does fall in Benitez's lap, we have failed to score in 3 of the last 4 home games before tonight so some alarm bells should of been triggered but we seem so one dimensional when we play organized teams that set up to defend, can't understand why he played with 4 defenders & Ramires holding when none of those players have no one to mark for most of the game? Why not start with Ba & Marin, least we would have a striker that has movement & the shape of the team has more balance with 2 natural wingers were he should be telling them to change over sides periodically, just to give teams more to think about. I was stunned on how long it took Benitez to make a change - inept!

Think there is a few ways of looking at this. Firstly, i don't see any player currently at the club that will 'fill Frank's boots' - that is no detriment to them but you simply cannot teach the instinct in how Frank arrives in the right place and finds that space to score so many goals season after season from midfield the obvious choices have been mentioned but will they stay 5 years let alone more than 10 and keep up that consistency he has shown throughout their tenure? Secondly i believe that the goals will be shared from midfield area's rather than rely on mostly one player, we have so much more threat now with Mata, Hazard, Oscar, we even have Ramires and Luiz chipping in, although Hazard and Oscar need to improve there accuracy, especially in league games - a season under their belt will do wonders. It makes no sense whatsoever to let Frank leave, just keep him at the club to help bring along the talented attacking players and let him keep doing what he does best - chip in with some match winning performances, those 2 goals against Everton are a perfect reminder to the board and to the younger players.

Prob the best post I've seen on here in my short tenure back! Feel the same, this double pivot nonsense makes my blood boil - its mostly all you here about when discussing our midfield/ers..... As for Luiz, I've said before this guy is a footballer so his talent is wasted as a defender, he has the skill, energy & most of all vision to play in midfield. I only see this move from defence in to midfield as a win-win situation & a very positive step, Benitez has been given plenty of stick but you have to give credit when its due - he ain't afraid to make changes, be it positioning or tactics.

Exactly, was listening to a pundit the other day think it was Collymore, who said he needs to prove himself as a footballer (I think he was referring that he has to play well were he was picked on a consistent basis) first before he starts demanding to play were he wants, I couldn't of said it any better.

Actually rated this lad but its prob been said already that he is far too selfish at times & for me I think he needs to open up his ears to start listening to his coaches to realize his potential. Wish him well in his career but obviously not when he plays against us!

Yeah that's true, they might not of lost in 03/04 season but they drew so many games, we were just so unbelievably consistent & for that period, I was actually quite fortunate as work & family commitments were nothing like they are now & I went to so many more games then, which was fantastic knowing we had little chance of losing & no goals conceded was the bet! Still think the side of 05/06 & the records broken that year is very much under rated by media & other fans alike but I suppose I am very much biased!

Totally agree, a good debate can be enjoyable & well.....you need that little extra spark to get things a little juicy - atleast we've provided some entertainment for others! The forums I use too frequent were for all clubs & there was never that many of us cfc fans on there (think it might be cus we have so many of our own forums?) so we were always overrun by jealous Utd, Liverpool or mostly Gooner supporters, it became a waste of time posting. To their credit I found Spurs supporters very unbiased & often sided with us, which may surprise a few on here.

He can fight his own corner (excuse the pun lol)Look, perhaps my words were a little OTT but I used them merely in the disagreement of this discussion, I have no doubt I will prob agree with Toronto in many other topics so please don't get confused that I'm judging his personality on one single debate only. I've always been honest on here & will say how I see it, trust me if there is another debate in here & I agree with Toronto I will be by his side as you are, I'm on nobodys side, thing is I don't get on here much to enter discussions.

Like you stated in a previous post Tomo, taking on & beating the 'untouchables' was a tremendous achievement this in his first season which was incredibly surpassed the following one! Jose is obviously not to everybody's taste but for me there is no one better & the irony is I don't think he would need a big budget to get us back to being champions again.

Dismissing Jose? I suggest you go back & read a few pages including this one because I must be reading something completely different then? Please read my posts again I'm not going over the same old......again - I've more than explained it several times & now feel like a parrot!As for your 'nonsensical logic' I have no problem that peoples opinions differ as have Toronto's & mine, its being hypocritical & ignorant to form a basis of the argument that gets me vexed, not whether person A thinks a manager is a genius but person B does not. You see I'm all for a good debate & there are some very decent members on here that can hold a candle but some point blankly refuse to see both sides which is what I have done & you would of noticed that if you had given my posts a little more attention.

I concur with him partly about expenditure & have already stated that a healthy budget will aid a managers chance of success but not all & Ranieri, Mark Hughes & even RDM this season are proof of this to name but a few.Apologies but I get a little vexed when people are hypocritical & ignorant - he 'bigs up' Ranieri despite him spending a fortune & wins nothing but totally discredits Jose achievements for him actually winning trophies, breaking records & being our most successful manager ever all cus he had a 'nice wad' to spend - the irony is, he doesn't get the bit that Ranieri spent a 'large wad' too or that Jose was successful at Porto spending nothing, you do the maths fella & try & get it through to him cus I'm done.... These petty discussions I was having with bitter Arsenal, Utd & Liverpool fans on other forums a few years ago, I don't expect it from our own but nothing surprises me with fans of today. Happy Xmas to you fella anyway.

You are the absolute epitome of why I rarely post on here - no matter what or how hard you try to be unbiased in a 'discussion' your kind always come back with some bullshit or stat or 'my mate' bollocks that trys to justify your argument! Ranieri spent over a 100m to get second - wow! Jose spent 90m on Drogba, Carvalho, Feirarra & Tiago also a couple of others in his first 'double trophy season' then brought in Essien & a few others spending significantly less & oh won back to back Prems - yeah only bacon face has done that feat?! The third season he has the likes of Shevchenko forced upon him, spent less & sold more, we had an horrendous injury list including the best goalkeeper on the planet at the time & a very good back up injured in the same game, yet we still gave Utd one hell of a fight & let's not forget we won 2 cups that year........ You keep coming up with your useless stats of putting Jose achievements as nothing more than a good chequebook & I will continue to give you the truth of how things were - I see you conveniently forget the injuries we had in 06/07 but seem to fathom that we got worse year on year of Jose tenure, not sure how that was when we won back to back Prems & the second year we broke record after record?!!!!!!! You just go back to your little Ranieri world of winning fuckall, spending more & continue to dismiss Jose achievements with ignorance & arrogance & I will go back to my own discussions with real football people that don't post on this site. I would respect you more if just came & said you can't stand Jose, pfft...........

You have got to admire this lads defence but its transparently clear that his problem is with Jose & not about expenditure. He 'feels sorry' for Ranieri for spending 110m & comes second & wins nothing, yet Jose spends less & wins all but everything & sets us up for years to come but he is 'no genius'!!! Obviously a generous budget helps but you fundamentally have to have a manager who can buy the right players, integrate, motivate & establish them & prob most of all give them the confidence & self belief to win trophies as well as creating a team & unified spirit throughout the squad. Argh well we will just do without managers then, seems its just a good cheque book that we need & its job done!!!

You are trying to disrespect jose's achievements by using expenditure or excessive use of, but fail to recognise that he made Porto into European champions spending next to nothing?! Arsenal have spent 40 odd million this season & are still nowhere near a challenge for the title, Jose would improve them without spending 80m! I can never understand why are own fans try to discredit Jose after his successful tenure at our club - it is simply mind numbing!

Sorry mate but I wholeheartedly disagree with you, the right manager is absolutely fundamental to a teams success & you can dress up or try to knock down Jose achievements in anyway you want but the simple facts are he is the most successful manager in the last decade. Yes RDM & Grant were more successful in Europe but it was Jose signing that won us that trophy & what did their sides do in the Prem? Just look at bacon face, Utd were nothing before he took over & he gas built an empire there after year on year success, that's because Utd got the right man in charge not some half wit!