GodZola

With the new financial regulations being introduced in a few years time we will have to improve our marketing tenfold if we remain at the Bridge, the capacity restricts our match day revenue & unfortunately even the the likes of West Ham will be leaving us behind & that's not too mention our current rivals who.have far bigger stadiums which generate massive income for them. If these rules are not challenged & there are no significant loopholes to exploit them, we will no longer be able to rely on Roman signing the likes of a Torres or a Luiz every season as we simple will not have the revenue streams to ensure this could happen. The hierarchy are aware of this & are probably putting things in place now. Unfortunately I cannot see us staying at the Bridge, I can see us moving to Earls court with something like a 60,000 all seated new stadium that will probably have property developed around it that will help fund it, I don't know the politics surrounding selling the Bridge but being that It's situated in the most expensive place in England to buy a house my guesses is that the sell will provide a huge chunk for the new development. The recent European game v Copenhagen didn't sell out due many season ticket holders refusing to pay 75 pound or just under to watch basically a category 'B' game. Our league games sell out very quickly & I don't know about you guys but try getting a ticket for Arsenal, Utd, Liverpool, Spurs etc! My heart wants to stay at the Bridge, but my head says we will move for financial reasons & hopefully we all may benefit from that with sensible ticket prices for all.

I knew where you were coming from but I think that using just stability as a sole reason is not enough to bring the special one home, I concur that we are sort of in transition but my moneys on Frank getting back to his best & will still be a key man for the next 2 seasons (injury free of course) Drogba's got another year at the top, whether that's with us remains to be seen, of the 3 you mentioned earlier Cole is the one that worries me, he has made some uncharacteristic mistakes this season & looks like he has lost half a yard of pace? His position doesn't worry me as we have some good young players coming through at LB, its replacing super Frank that does. I agree that the manager can only take so much of the blame but when you have got players out of form you have to motivate them, for me Carlo should of dropped some ego's long before the rot set in, I'm not saying all at once as there were atleast 6 senior players struggling but more like 1 or 2 on different occasions to promote a reaction, they felt immuned from the chop & could keep performing below par as they knew they would be picked the fllowing week. I know we have improved because of the 2 January signings but It's no coincidence that since Carlo has dropped some senior players including Drogba, Maloulda, Mikel, Kalou & to a lesser extent Anelka our performances are a massive improvement to a couple of months ago & feel Jose would of kicked the changes in - in December so feel that he would if made a difference & would be confident of us being infront. its only because Utd & the Gooners are also dropping points that we have a sniff again, any normal season we would of been well out of it by now!

If Carlo goes, then isn't that the reason we should do everything to reinstate him? You know where ever he goes he will make them title challengers. Personally I wish him well - rival or not, the guy brought us our first title in 50 years & backed it up the next year. Winning the FA Cup final in 97 was a magic moment for me after 20 odd years of supporting heartache & only winning the title in 04/05 has got close to that.

Sorry but 'stability' isn't a dozen reasons why Jose should not return although I do agree it is needed but I'm not sure it will under Roman's tenure. It's all well & good having stability but you must have the right manager in the seat, also the likes of Wenger & Ferguson have total control over everything - exactly what Jose wanted & part of the reason he went in the first place. The facts is Ancelotti let's things happen that could be detrimental to the club, Jose by contrast is no 'yes man' & therefore would put an end to what Ancelotti has had to endure & that is has been undermined. For me there are only 2 negatives if you compare Ancelotti to Jose & 1 of those is a positive in a sense, the first one is under Carlo we continue to go for the jugular when we are 2 nil up, under Jose he would shut up shop. The second is the fact that Carlo is far more humble & dignified, shows humility to opponents & ref's., whilst Jose communicates differently by protecting his players & the attention is then on him. Lastly, do you think we would be 6 points behind with 9 games to go or going through the worse spell of form in 15 years if Jose was still our manager? As I said its all hypothetical at this stage but if you gave me a choice at the end of the season then I would take Jose over Carlo every time, him & Roman just need to compromise.

That's you're opinion fella, I would though like to ask you why its 'about a dozen steps in the wrong direction? How have you come to that conclusion? Zola & Osgood are totally irrelevant as they were & remain legends as players, Jose can & would change us back to a the dominate force in the PL, He is the future not past, but unfortunately it may not happen.

This whole scenario is difficult to assess, Gourlay especially shouldn't be making comments like they will review Ancelotti's position at the end of the season but that doesn't mean it is a negative, as everybody has been assuming that he will get the boot if unsuccessful but they may offer him an extension. However he may resign anyway as its no secret he has been undermined & he hasn't said it publicly because the guy has class but I believe the Wilkins departure was the straw that broke the camels back & will go back to Roma. Now for Jose, all this rubbish about him being our past doesn't cut it with me, if it were not for meddling by Roman with him buying Shevchenko instead of Eto who Jose wanted at the time & Arneson being given more clout as well as Grants appointment then I believe we would of won the CL by now - unfinished business?! He loves our club - no question, Roman & Jose have patched things up, if they can iron things out & meet in the middle (as Roman was right also as he wanted attacking football) then I can definitely see his return & I would welcome it, the guys a genius. Jose's comments could also be a red herring as we know he got too our players before the CL tie with Inter last season & he maybe using the same tactic as he see's us as a serious threat - unlikely but a possibility. As I say its a difficult one that needs to be assessed at the end of the season but my moneys on a Jose return & Carlo leaving for Roma, it won't be the first or the last time I am wrong though!

I wasn't around at the start of the season but my opinion on him has always been the same - far too inconsistent & has no pace for a winger, a very poor man's Robben. So if he is so tired what was his excuse for yesterday's pathetic performance being that he has been rested or benched for some of the previous games? Deadly infront if goal? How many has he scored this season when according to you he has played the most games? I do agree that Drogba has been poor by his standards but having a belt of malaria doesn't help, Drogba will produce ala yesterdays cameo & it seems he is showing some maturity by having his nose put out, I'm not sure Maloulda's doing the same & one player I hope is sold in the summer.

That's one of the reasons that sets Jose apart from Carlo, he was never afraid of making changes, be it 1, 2 or even 3 subs at half time or before half time on some occasions! Maloulda did nothing but give away possession or hit the stands before he was taken off, so a waste of 20 odd minutes. Ive slated Kalou more than most & rightly so but I'd rather have him on the pitch than Maloulda & that's saying something!

No your not! I've never rated him, he has had a couple of decent spells at the club in 4 seasons - one when Gus Hiddink got him playing & the second was from Jan to Sept last year but for me he is not consistent enough & has no pace for a winger, Robben may of been injured a lot but when he was fit he was dynamite, sorely missed imho & someone Torres would thrive on if he was still at the club. I hope he is sold in the summer with Kakuta being given a chance & Zhirkov his this season. How the hell was Maloulda not taken off at half time?!

More or less my thoughts too BL, I hope that the younger players are given more opportunitys next season. I think we need to get decent left & right wingers with pace that can also retain possession. Maloulda has had a couple of decent spells at the club but for large parts of his tenure been far too inconsistent & has never had pace, Kalou seems to do ok coming off the bench & could be half decent if he produced weekin/weekout & over 90 minutes but rarely has 2 games of any note on the bounce. I would go in for Wigan's 2 best players, N'zogbia & Rodellga (sp?) Both have pace, score goals & wouldn't cost a fortune. Kakuta should also be given a fair crack. I would sell Maloulda, Kalou, Mikel & Bosingwa. Luiz can deputize in the CM position, Alex must return, I would like to see Bruma moved to RB as I think he has the attributes to play there & can provide cover. I think you will also find that Bosingwa signed a years extension so would bring in a few quid. If Drogba remains positive & is performing like he can then he is a must - he is very difficult to replace. Anelka will stay, him & Torres play well together & will be used in 4-4-2 formation. Lamps like Essien has suffered with injurys & will get better as this season goes on, I am stunned to read not just on this thread that he is getting flak, he's got 10 goals already - how many has the likes of Gerrard & Scholes got?

Aren't Utd already in meltdown? 3 losses in their last 5 games suggest they are feeling the pace a little, their midfield looks to be creaking & Vidic is such a key player for them that if he gets injured or banned again then I can see them dropping more points. We finally have a bit of momentum behind us, confidence is starting to show, one game at a time & who knows?!

A week ago we were 15 points behind, now It's 9 with a game in hand (Birmingham at home) that could take it to 6. Utd have the experience but have hardly looked anything but Champion material, Arse look more of threat to me with their slightly easier run in & they are in better form than the Manc's. One thing for sure is that they will both drop points, the problem for us is that we need both to drop 6 or more & whilst one of them may, I can't quite see them both doing it, this is on top of the fact that we need to win every game to nick it. That said, we have 6 games left at home, a better squad with the introduction of Luiz & Torres, although still think it was a mistake letting Sturridge & Kakuta go out on loan, Alex is returning imminently & vitally we have the experience to win it but most of the players must improve their form. The optimist in me says yes, the realist in me says no but I think its definitely possible & who would of thought that a week ago......................

I have to agree with tomo & state that Ancelotti will use different players for the CL & the Prem much the same as he is sort of rotating the strikers. If you had to nail me down for a back four I would go with - Ivanovich, Alex, JT & Cole. Ivanovich is a far better defender than Bosingwa, offers something from dead ball situations & Bosingwa seems to of lost his offensive abilities. Alex is a superb defender especially against the big brutes of the league & he was magnificent for us last season, JT is only second to Cech for us this campaign for our player of the year, Cole despite having a poor season by his standards is there because he is the best left back in the world. That said I would still play Luiz as he has so much in his locker that he wouldn't look out of place in midfield, he has to learn about the prem defensively, that's why Alex would get my nod but Luiz is such a versatile player that he could get in the side in a few positions.

Anyone that's given Maloulda more than a 2 needs to go to specsavers! :eyebrows: Just didn't perform, gave the ball away far too much, didn't offer anything as an attacking threat & should of been halled off at half time, we looked so much better when Zhirkov came on. Luiz had another good game going forward but on last nights evidence he has to improve defensively, great strike though & it will be interesting to see where Ancelotti decides to play him on Alex's return as Luiz looks as though he could slot into midfield comfortably.

The problem is our experienced players have been performing well below par this season with only Cech, JT & Ivanovich playing to their potential (don't agree with Ancelotti about Lamps but he will come good after injury) so the young players should of been given an opportunity, they won't get experience sitting on a bench. Sturridge should still be at the club & his performances for Bolton proves that.

I do like the sound of this Bielsa fella Justin especially his 3-3-1-3 formation, we are crying out for that against these teams that like to defend for 90 minutes, also the fact he likes to give youth a chance - something I believe Ancelotti has made a big mistake by not taking advantage of that, it could of been a win win situation for him. However I think his appointment would be remote as I'm not sure Roman would go for another South American Manager after Scolari's tenure at the club. If Carlo is sacked then we need someone with bollocks that will tell Roman to keep his ore out, Jose & Guardiola would demand this before they accepted the role, either would be a superb appointment & they also know talent so wouldn't be afraid to give the likes of MacEachran, Kakuta, Sturridge etc opportunity's.

Thanks for the explanation. Thanks for reply.

As a reasonably new member, I would like to know how these 'rep points' are awarded? I've seen some excellent posts that perhaps should be given a point or 2 & seen one with a couple of words in the post get a point? How's that logical? Do administration discriminate against posters when they don't necessarily agree/get on with? I have already disagreed with a few posters including an administrator I think, but I will always post what l think constructively.& honestly, unfortunately its in my nature, so just using my personality as an example to get my point across. :censored: Would appreciate some feedback, good forum otherwise & its good to listen to my follow blues opinions despite not always agreeing with them - it maybe something to do with my age, old git me! Thanks.

Ranieri, Grant & Scolari were all sacked for less, I have to agree with FB in the fact I feel he is a 'yes man' & winning the double last season has saved his skin. Only CL qualification will stop him from getting the tin tack. His management hasn't inspired me with confidence this season as he has failed to motivate the players, change losing or drawing games into points with changes from the bench, well certainly not in the way Mourinho used too. It's also difficult to assess as we don't actually know who is managing things? Letting the likes of Sturridge & Kakuta go out on loan poses more questions as these 2 as well MacEachran should of been used to drop the senior players who are simply not performing, but as I say who is making the decisions? Ancelotti is not being helped by the players form but I'm pretty sure once the right formula is found for the world class Torres is found ( creative midfielder amongst other things) we will be a force once again. Luiz looks a real star also & he will no doubt aid Ancelotti's cause. Although I wonder what peeps opinions will be like on here if we go out to Copenhagen?

We didn't play that well - yet again but still had enough chances to win 2 games let alone 1! I concur with what some posters have stated already in that Kalouless & Maloulda were mere spectators yet Ancelotti again fails to change things when it is blatantly obvious that the game needed some impetus from the bench. I really cannot fathom out why Ancelotti fails to see the talent that we have in MacEachran??? Perhaps someone on here can enlighten me into why he didn't play yesterday? I can tell you it wasn't a good feeling having sat in the highest seat in the West stand upper south (row 23) & having to wait to get out we were exposed to the Everton fans giving it large for 15 minutes or so - its bad enough f'kin losing!

Please read what I wrote again. I'm not even going to bother commenting about Eidur, your obviously on a fishing trip!

Agreed, some players need time to adjust he is starting to find his feet & let's hope he keeps improving. The lads got pace, gets forward & puts his foot in, just needs to retain possession better & has been caught out a couple of times by the opposition getting the ball of him, but I'm sure he will learn from it. Cue the avalanche of the clones!

Correct in your assumption at Lyon, don't know about Bastion? But Essien was used as the DM in Makelele's absence & when he left but because he was so versatile he was also filling in at rigjt back. Eidur played upfront fella either as a striker or behind the front 2, Essien has never played there???

Interesting thread as it's a fine line between either him staying or leaving, I think it will depend on a couple of things, firstly if he is in the starting lineup on a regular basis til the end of the season & forming some sort of partnership with Torres - he will probably stay but if the opposite happens then I can see him throwing his toys out of the pram & will lever for a move to Madrid or Marseille. Secondly, if Ancelotti gets the boot &.we have a new man at the helm - will he want him anyway or will he refuse to let him leave? Personally think he has lost his aggression on the pitch & has become far too friendly with opponents. I would like to see him stay for another season as we don't have anybody else that can do the type of thing he has been doing for us over the years but that's only if his emotions are of no detriment to the squad.& team spirit.