GodZola

Personally I would offer him a 2 year contract with a salary less than he is on now. The other night showed there is still life in the old Drog yet. As stated he should be used ala Giggs but for remainder of his tenure we should be making vast use of his experience & motivational skills (which we all observed the other night) The likes of Lakuku, Sturridge & even Torres would benefit from being coached by the big man, I think he could be useful in the dressing room too just as mouthpiece, confidence is wonderful thing to have in football...... Unfortunately the club don't seem to want to budge on a 1 year deal so it looks increasingly likely that this could be his last season.

Look mate, we are going round in circles just like before & at the end of the day your opinion is set in stone so there is really no point in further discussion. Wriggling facts? The only facts that I will clearly state is that Mikel is not good enough, Makelele, Essien were far superior players, Romeu is currently too & his inclusion & form is the reason why members/fans are starting to change their mindset about Mikel, however I wouldn't expect those Mikel lovers to openly admit it as too many like to hide after they have fired their bullets! The FACT is I warned you about him getting caught in possession & not up to it against quality sides because he will get found out & this has been proved correct already this season but no matter keep living in your Mikel bubble & hope he delivers. Now lastly, AVB's current record in the transfer market is bang on, his squad is starting to take shape, by next summer we will have a team that is quality - maybe not the finished article by any means but a squad capable of some consistency in challenging. With this in mind we are starting to see quality brought in for average players remember Mata for Maloulda & then you have Sturridge for Kalou etc. We are going the right way & if that means the average players of Mikel, Maloulda, Kalou, Bosingwa et al are benched, play less or leave that's fine with me because it means we are replacing them with quality & this will further enhance the message that I am trying to get across in that we need top class players to replace the stale & we can go on to become a Barcelona in winning the CL on a consistent basis. This time next year will be a good time to re-evaluate my point & then we will see whose right & who is wrong...........

Again?! I will keep this brief as I feel like a parrot! His main deficiencies are all to do with speed, he lacks pace, doesn't have the speed of thought that Makelele has in anticipating danger & he lacks the speed to distribute the ball quickly - which is what Carlo referred to on many occasions last season before dropping him for an out of form Essien. Now I could go on about my reasoning that Makelele, Essien & Ballack were better than Mikel in this position but the simplest way of explaining that is who played in that position in our title winning years? Before you throw something back about 09/10 I will say this, if Mikel had not of got injured then we would not of won the title as Ballack was simply magnificent in that position. Now let me throw something back at you, who would you pick if all things being equal, Makelele or Mikel, a fit injury free Essien or Mikel, & currently Romeu or Mikel? To further emphasize my point by not being detrimental towards Mikel who would you select Mata or Maloulda? I wonder............

CM, your English is far better than my German would ever be! 1. It's not just you that uses these terms as there are also English members who like to be disrespectful when posting. 2. I don't rate Maloulda either but wouldn't refer him as a 'wanker' either, it is my view that the 4 players that I have mentioned in my previous post are simply not top class & cannot take us up to another level in performance especially when you consider consistency. 3. Unfortunately Mikel is one of those 4, you & others can give me all these stats that to me are irrelevant because as I have stated before you have to take into consideration his all round game which sadly is not good enough & members fail badly with this oversight. 4. I'm not totally biased in my opinion of Mikel & will give credit when I see fit, hence my comments above, so I try to judge players fairly - what others post is really not my concern. When I criticize a player or anything in general I always try to post with good reason for my opinions rather than post disrespectful comments that have no foundation to them. 5. Wouldn't disagree about Luiz either, he has to improve, I think he has the ability to become top class which is my point here - were as Mikel imo hasn't got enough in his locker to get to another level but again I will be pleased if he can prove me wrong. Apologies if I've missed valid points in your post but at work & havn't had time to digest your post.

Oh I forgot the sarcasm - I rest my case!!!

I have no problem with fans/members disagreeing with me - that's fine, its just so annoying when they have to resort to name calling when its totally uncalled for. I could understand a little if they can justify their opinion with a creditable post but generally they can't & just dismiss your views with ignorance. I've maintained my views about Mikel since the day I registered here & have said many times that I would eat a very large piece of humble pie if he proves me wrong, what I have noticed is there is a distinct change of opinion on Mikel on this forum now to the one I first encountered on here which sort of vindicated my opinion then (& our view now - still! lol) My views have been the same regarding Maloulda, Bosingwa & to a lesser extent Kalou as I have never considered them top quality but it is just my opinion. I concur with your analysis regarding Mikel & would add that he is useful in games such as last night when we have less possession, also when we play sides like Stoke as his strength & height come into play too.

I said a couple of weeks back that AVB needed to go back to basics a little which we definitely saw last night, he set the team up with the way that most of the players are comfortable with & got the result his selection, formation & tactics deserved. I don't see us playing this way for the remainder of the season as I think AVB will now choose certain games to play this way to get a result & play entertaining, attacking possession football in games where he knows we can win. Afterall he has repeatedly said its a '3 year project' so I think he is going to change the squad with a few changes in the next 2 or 3 maybe 4 transfer windows to acquire the players he needs to play 'sexy football' whilst chipping away at the players at the training ground to get them to play to his style & the way his boss wants! Me too I might add!!!

& it really gets up my goat when I see post like this disrespecting people because they share a different view to your own! Others have gone as far to say that 'people have no footballing intellect' when having a pessimistic view on Mikel, when infact they have no right to say that at all especially when they have no idea of a persons background in football. Now I warned you last season about Mikel's deficiencies but namely he would get caught out against quick thinking players especially those with pace - what happened against Liverpool in the league game? Romeu has showed me more in his short tenure than Mikel ever has but I would still urge some caution towards being over optimistic as things can change but Romeu really looks the part. That said I will always give praise where it is due & Mikel done well when he came on yesterday, assured cameo but perhaps the fact he has had his nose put out of joint by a younger more hungry player then it may inspire him to improve his game. Fair play to him for having a good attitude & not throwing his toys out of the pram, top reaction.

Argh well may as well blow me own trumpet! & AVB, you can't kid a kidder?! Everything about last night was very Mourinho'Esk, he states that the last thing to go would be his footballing philosophies yet we playedo very defensively & hit them on the counter so he used Mourinho's tactic as in saying one thing & doing something totally different on the pitch, the team was also set up & played like our team of 04 to 07. Oh before someone has a pop I applaud AVB for employing these tactics he has realized that sometimes you have to change your thoughts on how you want to see football played to get a result, Wenger biggest mistake & 6 trophyless seasons later backs that up!

Was going to this game just to 'give it some' to get behind our boys - I really hope our crowd can act as our 12th man tonight & really make it uncomfortable for them. I believe its imperative for us to get infront as we are a side playing with a lack of confidence, getting ahead will give us the belief, our crowd will get behind us & Valencia will be forced to come out leaving gaping holes for Sturridge & Mata to exploit. Should of won in Valencia comfortably so I am reasonably confident that we will win this with Sturridge playing another pivotal role.

WHS also told us that we had Stoke as our first fixture this season before the fixture list came out so I think his source is credible, besides its no shock really. We all knew Anelka was off in the summer, this just means we will prob get a few quid for him & a massive wage bill off the books earlier. There was reports Alex wanted to go in the closed season & more murmurings since that he is off to Juventus. Wish them both all the best as they were pivotal in our recent success since Jose left but I think its a win-win for all concerned, the club can get a couple of younger players in prob on less salaries, Alex & Anelka get to play every week which is what they would want at this stage of their career. Thing is I think it will be more than 2 players coming in January but who?................

& the most common denominator in this..............the players that AVB has signed Mata, Meireles, Romeu brought in - Sturridge & extended contracts MacEachran & Bertrand are players that are worthy of a shirt........... Unfair to judge Lakaku, even Courtois is doing well apparently, Modric would of been another quality addition. I just pray that we beat Valencia next week so AVB is given the time to build his OWN squad.

Ffs, there's a difference in what we require & what are going to get, as there was no clear out of the 'old guard' in the summer do you expect us to do it in January? It ain't going to happen! Changes are required but it won't & cannot happen overnight, there will some activity in January but nothing like people are expecting, next summer however will be the time when you will see the most of the changes but it won't stop us from investing again in Jan 2013 - even then fans will be screaming 'we need so & so' I've already said you have to trust AVB's judgement as he has done well with the players he has brought to the club, he just needs the time & patience of everybody associated with the club especially the hierarchy.

Roman to take a big dump.........over Gourlay's head! :-) Seriously its not what needs to happen in January but what are they doing NOW is the real question? We must be one step ahead of our rivals & for a change not wait til the last poxy day of the month to acquire our transfer targets, AVB should be on the ball, give the hierarchy a wish list for both Jan & the summer & let them get on with it - how it was with Jose, Kenyon had his faults but he got it right with transfers. I concur with RZA & can see us buying a couple of players to strengthen as our metamorphosis will be a gradual one rather than a complete overhaul.

You can understand fans disappointments & frustrations as losing like we did tonight is hard to take, inconsistency, poor performance & a lack of interest gives fans that right to vent their anger. However there are bigger fish to fry in the games ahead so we just have to grit our teeth, be patient & hope we turn things around. AVB has started the rebuilding project of an ageing squad & if you look at his signings so far then we are going in the right direction which feels me with confidence, Mata, Sturridge & Romeu are quality, Lakuku needs games/loan before we can judge. Whilst AVB is getting it right off the pitch we are not making much progress on the pitch which is concerning, I just hope that we can come through these next 3 games - especially the Valencia game or Roman could get trigger happy again.

I think its fair to say that I wouldn't be that disappointed about going out as we would of qualified for the CL by now, but we were playing Liverpool & that's enough to won't to win by any means, however we simply didn't perform. For third game in four I didn't understand AVB's team selection & formation. Anelka on the bench? Couldn't make out what or where Torres & Lakuku was supposed to be playing? Liverpool play the same way every Fucking time - defend deep, press high & hope to hit teams on the counter that's why its imperative for us to go for them with an attacking line up with no DM & a balanced team? Get ahead & get them to come out. Having in effect or what appeared to be 2 CF's playing in nomans'land didn't help our cause whatsoever & Dalglish must of been licking his lips! We just didn't look interested & body language said it all. I've been a staunch supporter of AVB & will continue to support him but I fear for his future if we go out to Valencia.

Thanks Steve, least I could do really. I know everyone are not in a position to donate but a £12 yearly subscription wouldn't hurt everbodys bank balance? Equates to a £1 a month which would benefit everyone with dedicated servers etc, offer concessions to students, unemployed etc, just a thought............

About the Torres chanting, the shed end (where I was sat) started chanting his name when Drogba lost possession, Torres then started to warm up & the chanting got louder, Torres responded with a fist clench to the shed end apparently which roused the chanting to another level, the MH stand responded with some support for Drogs which the shed end again replied to with Torres chants. Both players got rapturous applause with the substitution - fantastic support, its just a pity that TV doesn't pick up on some of the atmosphere at the stadium. As for the game, it was great to see the players celebrate together after each goal - clearly shows there is no lack of unity amongst the squad & all talk of player unrest from the media looks total fabrication. Mata & Sturridge quite rightly deserve plaudits but for me Romeu was quite simply magnificent! His performance has gone under the radar a little because of Mata & Sturridge but I cannot remember him losing possession, i was surprised of his physical presence - he's a big lad! He has 2 great feet also which you don't see too often with pro's nowadays. He has massive potential & I see no reason why he cannot go to be something special but its early doors & we must judge him after a season & against better opposition - what a prospect though! Great to watch us win & let's hope this is a platform to build on especially a clean sheet, won't go overboard with the result as we need to get some consistency in our game, encouraging signs though.

Said the very same recently, its like he doesn't know when to stick or twist?! Up til the Liverpool game he had been virtually spot on tactically, the only thing that I would of done sooner is replace Bosingwa for Ivanovich at RB & give the likes of MacEachran, Romeu & Bertrand more game time. The Liverpool game I was dumbfounded by his team selection & the same with his substitutions against Leverkusen, when were comfortable & just needed to kill them off with that 2nd goal but he twisted by trying to protect the lead & it backfired. If he had been 'brave' like you state & like his management was before Liverpool then I'm pretty sure we would of got a draw against Leverkusen atleast. I can see why he has been playing lamps as he hit form once he dropped him but has stagnated again, mind you there are several senior players that are in that boat which makes his selection a little more difficult. For me there has been too much emphasis on the defence when we have had chances to win games but not taken them, someone then makes a mistake & we get punished, so its a double edged sword. The luck has clearly deserted us too, a lack of belief/confidence sets in with losing runs, we now find ourselves in this precarious position when some decent finishing or a slice of luck can change seasons - if we weren't creating chances then I would be more concerned but that's not case. It is my view that Roman & the board should take a lions share of the blame for our current crisis, the rot started by Arneson being put in charge of youth development against Jose's better judgement, then the signing of Shevchenko which really pissed off jose & lastly his sacking - he was building a dynasty here but got cut short. Move on to when Carlo won the title & the team should of been refreshed then. The board now need to back AVB implicitly & let him start addressing the mistakes made before his tenure & ensure that he gets given the time & backing to build a successful Chelsea.

You have to defend far better than that from a corner & I was surprised to see Alex get beat in the air but you have to be disappointed when a keeper doesn't save those - I said it was a mistake to loan Courtois out but my worry was our backup if he got injured not his form!!! Not really noticed that before, good spot, will be more observant in that respect from now on.

This. Can't understand how any other player is worthy of a vote? Why has Cech got a mention? Should of saved there winner!

Times like now are when you notice the true supporter...........

Respect your opinion fella but I have to disagree. If you look at your first picture in your blog (which is impressive by the way - nice one) both Cole & Maloulda are guilty of ball watching the play instead of being aware of what's happening around them. Cole should be closer to Johnson & Maloulda should be busting a gut to get into the gaping hole vacated between Cole & JT (motd analysis showed JT went across to cover the out of position Luiz) Johnson came down the left side which is Maloulda's responsibility so he has to track back but decides to amble back & let Cole deal with it, which was a catastrophic mistake.

Some good points Tomo but would like to add - WATCH ALL THE GUTTER PRESS, PUNDITS & DOOM-MONGERING FANS SKIDMARK BACK INTO THE SEWERS IF WE BEAT CITY in a couple of weeks time! Things can change very quickly in football just look all the plaudits we were getting before the QPR game - we were going nicely under the radar....definite challengers to the Manc clubs etc etc, now we its 'we will be lucky to make the top 6'! Blah Fucking blah! Now the pundits are saying you can't win the Prem playing like Barca, my Arse! Barca would find it tougher going over here but they would win this league without question, afterall they thumped the champions of our league in 2 CL finals? I said after Sundays defeat that AVB was at fault, he must share the blame but the beauty of making mistakes is you must learn from them & with 26 games to go we have time to get back amongst the top 4 with ease. I think AVB has to rethink his tactics & formation to suit individual teams & go back to basics a little, get an unbeaten run going that will install confidence, this will then bring on the 'sexy football' especially if we start by acquiring a couple of players in January & the same in the summer - some quality young signings that will improve our squad gradually. I'm fully behind what AVB is trying to do & it may mean we go backwards before going forwards, I just hope Roman gives him the time to build his squad & hopefully a new era that includes the CL.

Ummm, if Mikel's here to stay then we are fucked! I've had many discussions about 'Obi one' since the first day I joined this forum with different members, I pointed out in the last Mikel debate that he will get found out against quick thinking players & attackers with pace, it was evident that Dalglish had instructed his players to press us high up the pitch & press for a mistake & Mikel was clearly a target. Contrary to your thoughts its not that difficult when you have time on the ball playing in this position which largely you have, Cech was partly to blame & agree his pass could of been better but he had plenty of time to control the ball & move it on or shield it - I keep being told his strength is one his features not sure where it went on this occasion? As for Maloulda 'deserving credit' well had he tracked back properly then we would not of lost the game, he is not solely to blame of course. I couldn't remember Cech making a save, & it tells a story that they have 3 shots on target & score twice yet we dominated the second half but didn't find the net - so for me the defence are carrying the can & rightly so but our attack are simply not finding the net & the finger needs to be pointed upfront too.