coolhead23

your correct. Managerial Stability is the key for all our future success!

Found this interesting comprehensive article on our youth players ... as to where they would be in 5 years of time with some data in a tabular form along with timelines. Pretty lengthy article but it is really good and kudos to the writer for creating and sharing his thoughts in such detail format. Would really like to know everyone's views on the same. Courtesy: We Ain't Got No History (URL: http://www.weaintgot...-and-the-talent) Chelsea is loaded: a detailed review of the roster and the talent "pipeline" There has recently been (and I suspect there always will be) quite a bit of discussion on WAGNH around three big topics. The first is what exactly Chelsea should be doing in any particular transfer window, including who should be bought or sold. The second topic relates to our formation, particularly what formation is best for the team now and moving forward and what players should play what positions. The third topic is the youth team, and how/when young players should be brought into the first team. These seem to have been a lot more top of mind in the last 6-9 months or so after the fall of AVB and his "project", the "new Chelsea" and the arrival of Hazard, Oscar and others, not to mention all the debates about Torres and Sturridge (and now even Mikel). The more I see on these topics, the more I am convinced that they are inter-related and impossible to discuss without a comprehensive look at the entire roster, from the youth team, to loaned players and the current first team. The WAGNH team does a fabulous job of publishing articles on all of these topics (and a lot of others!) and really hitting the specifics, and a lot of fanposts and comments have been made on the subject, but to help organize my thinking I started putting together a global analysis of the current Chelsea team and the talent "pipeline" moving forward, which is something I haven't really seen all pulled together. The more I worked on it the more it started to really snowball into a bigger overall project, so I decided to share. My main purposes in publishing is that I think it is helpful in giving a sense of how our players cover the two main potential formations (4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3), it helps analyze/understand our needs in the transfer market. It especially helps to show potential areas for improvement and more importantly, the timing of those potential improvements and finally, it really shows how well we are prepared for the future. For example, we are absolutely stacked in the attacking midfield, but we may need to reinforce the central defense down the road (most people seem to intuitively know/understand this, but it is helpful to see the current players and the prospects to really understand how many players we will need, when we will need them and whether they should be starters or rotation players). Most importantly, it shows how amazingly good a player is going to have to be to break into the first team, whether the player is purchased, coming back from a loan or coming up from the youth team So, to try to understand the current roster and the projected roster over the next few years, I have created a matrix with each Chelsea player under the age of 26 that is either (i) currently in the first team, (ii) out on loan or (iii) listed on the U-21 roster (any younger, U-18, U-16, is too hard to realistically project as almost none of those players will impact the first team in the next five years; in my opinion the only ones who have even an outside chance are on the U-21 roster anyway). For each player, I have listed his position, age, three and five year projections / expectations and a rating of their maximum potential (i.e., if all goes well, how good could this player be - it is absolutely not a measure of how good any single player is right now). The ratings are on a 1-10 scale similar to the per game ratings (10 is the best of the best, 6 is an EPL starter). I have also included a simple explanation of my rating and the expectations for each player where possible (all of which are my opinions only). Before we go further, I want to acknowledge that I have not watched nearly enough of the loaned players or the youth team to really nail down these ratings, so there is definitely room for disagreement, and I would love for others with better knowledge to weigh in. However, I think they are pretty close for the older prospects. The interesting part is though, that we have so many talented young players in the pipeline that the rating for any individual player doesn't matter. Some highly-rated prospects are going to miss, but some lower-rated prospects will come out of nowhere to be stars. It also shows how strong the team could/should become. More importantly, the matrix shows how many young and incredibly talented players are already playing in our first team. For example, Oscar, Hazard and Mata will be are so young and already look set to hold positions in the band of 3 for years. It is going to take an incredible player to get playing time at that position. So, there will be some fantastic players on our current roster that will have long and very good careers but won't get near our first team. There is also room to disagree on the projections/explanations, and I think I could write a lot of separate fanposts on some of them (for example, how to best integrate Tomas Kalas into the first team, will Josh break through and if so when, would a pivot of Romeu and Mikel work now or in the future?), and this post is long enough already, so I am leaving those for another time. With all that said, the matrix of players is below. Each player is listed in their primary position since it is too hard/complicated to show all of their secondary roles (Ramires at RW, Hazard at the #10). One of the things this takes away though is how flexible are attackers and central midfielders are though (almost all of them, including the prospects, can move around a fluid front and play multiple positions). I also tended to favor the more flexible players in moving them into the first team and making projections, so that is something to keep in mind as well in reviewing the expectations and the pipeline. I m sorry but i m not able to put in the table here (it is just not ready to come in a tabular folrm) @ Mods if you help get the table in here would be really appreciated, i tried everything from my end In connection with this matrix, and to simplify the impact on the first team, I have put together a timeline of the expected roster over the next five seasons. It has been color coded so that dark blue represents a projected Chelsea starter, light blue represents a potential Chelsea backup and yellow represents a question mark/area of opportunity. I think it really shows how talented the current team is, that most of the players will be hitting their primes in the next 2-3 years, and how hard it will be to even make the first team. It also shows how few purchases we need, but how a few selected top purchases could really make a big impact. I had to make a few guesses as to when players will transition out, but my general assumption is that most of the "older" current players (mainly Lampard, Cole and Terry) either won't be offered or won't accept new contracts. However, even if they do, the timing of the transitions will change but I still think the same younger players will move into the first team to ultimately replace them. Some takeaways: The first team is absolutely loaded with young attackers that will provide a foundation for a long time. It will be very hard for anyone to break into that lineup. When you look at how many players should be starters or key players for the next 5 years it is amazing, especially when you consider that most of them should only get better. Several of the players listed as backups will be "slightly less preferred starters". We play so many fixtures that rotation, injuries and tactics mean that the primary backups in the chart like Moses, Ramires and Cahill will play as much as the starters. The ideal is really for any and all of our players to be capable of starting, so the manager can select a side for any given match based on form, fitness, injuries, tactics and importance of the match. So, I have listed a "first choice" starting lineup, but in my opinion this team has amazing depth and everyone in the flow chart will play quite a bit. We are short strikers. If Sturridge leaves over a lack of playing time (or anything else), we are almost guaranteed to buy someone. The team looks best suited to a 4-3-3 moving forward, but we are only marginally less suited to the 4-3-2-1. If we add a young Modric type player we should be able to play both formations equally well, and we will have tons of tactical flexibility. Tomas Kalas and his future position have a big impact on the defense pipeline moving forward. If he plays as a right back, he pushes Ivanovic to center back and probably keeps Todd Kane out of the first team. If he plays at CB, it leaves more room for current players/prospects but probably keeps him out of his best position and makes Azpilicueta a long-term starter. I expect he will play on the right and we will buy a starting CB to pair with Luiz in the next 2 years. LB will be interesting. It doesn't look like Cole is going to re-sign, so Bertrand has this year to prove he can be an elite starter there. If not, I think we will be purchasing a starter and keeping him in his current LB/defensive winger role. I feel bad for Josh McEachran. I think he really fell behind the last two years and I don't see him catching up. The competition at his position is so tough, and I can't see him pushing past all the current first team players and holding off the prospects right behind him to nail down a starting spot. With that said, I think he will have a long and very good career in the EPL. I think we will be making fewer purchases of first team starters going forward, but with our talent base I think the ones we do buy will be at big money and will be absolute superstars. I expect we will also continue to buy and develop a lot of 15-18 year old prospects to keep the pipeline full. This should keep us in excellent FFP shape and allow us to get the best players in the world when they come available. For example, with our lack of depth at striker, I fully-expect Cavani/Falcao/Lewandowski or someone similar to be purchased in one of the next two windows, even at the expected prices. The board and Michael Emenalo have done a phenomenal job building a "new" team. When you look at the projected lineups over the next five years we have some amazing talent, and we also have room to supplement with true superstars. I don't think it is too optimistic to expect lots of silverware; we should be in the running for the EPL title, FA cup and Champions League for a long time to come. Anyway, this is intended to be a global look at the state of the team, both now and over the next few years. This is an incredible community of fans and authors, with so much knowledge about the team, and football in general, that I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. I hope this is helpful and thought provoking, and that it provides a framework to look at the team over the next few seasons. All in all, it is a great time to be a Chelsea fan. If there is one thing that has been hammered home from writing this post, it is that the team is young, exciting and incredibly talented, and only looks to be getting better. Hopefully we will get the chance to keep celebrating European Championships, as we have everything we need to keep winning!

WORDS WITH: LUCAS PIAZON Source: http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/2944689/title/words-with-lucas-piazon With the 18-year-old prospect having made his debut a fortnight ago, it is high time he sat down for his first full interview with the official Chelsea website… Last month for Lucas Piazon began with his participation in an Under-21 league match at Stamford Bridge - a 5-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Twenty-four days later the young Brazilian made his Chelsea first team debut at Stamford Bridge, this time in a 6-0 win with Wolves again the opposition. Similarities between the two occasions are clear, and one of the biggest complements that can be paid to Piazon about his senior bow is he looked as comfortable in a team containing John Terry, Gary Cahill, Ramires, Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, as well as fellow full debutants Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses, as he did in the more junior line-up three weeks earlier. If there was one difference it was that he couldn't match his two goals in the Under-21 outing, one scored from a rebound and the other from the penalty spot, but that is a small detail as he had every reason to be pleased with his first 90 minutes in the senior side, even if he does admit to having felt some disappointment that one of the goals hadn't been his. 'But I was happy because of the other parts of the game and then after, Robbie [Di Matteo] spoke to me and Steve [Holland] spoke to me and I realised that it was really good,' Piazon tells the official Chelsea website. The 18-year-old is naturally pleased when it is suggested he looked like he belonged on the night and reveals a confident approach to making the step-up. His was the pass that Ryan Bertrand hammered into the net for the second out of the six goals. 'You don't need to be nervous, nor too excited when you are playing in the first team. You need to be calm because if you are here it is because you can play. You just need to do your job and play your game. 'The match was good, the team played very well and the start was very important. In 20 minutes we were 3-0 up and it was good for the players who were not playing so often to get minutes.' Piazon's debut game came one year after he arrived to begin life at Chelsea. It was first announced in March 2011 that a pre-contract agreement was finalised for the transfer from Sao Paulo FC of a player at the time impressing for Brazil at the South American Under-17 Championships.He had previously been topscorer at the equivalent Under-15 tournament. After moving to England in September 2011, it was a steady acclimatisation - his first competitive youth and reserve games both coming in November, one playing on the left flank and one on the right. By December he was ready for a full role in the march towards lifting the FA Youth Cup, playing all eight games, scoring three times in open play and twice in penalty shoot-outs. Included in the goals was a strike against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge that proved to be the winner in the two-legged semi-final and is one of Piazon's favourites so far. Another was in an away reserve win against Arsenal. They can be seen in the video above. He played 13 youth games in total and made 10 reserve appearances, scoring four times for the second string. The performances were sufficient to win the Chelsea Young Player of the Year award, and a place on the first team's summer tour of the USA during which he scored against Paris St-Germain in New York. 'When I arrived I started in the reserve squad and I was playing so many games in the youth team to get adapted to English football,' he says, 'and I think this was very important for me. Now I have been playing with the first team, the most important moment in my career, so the youth team and the reserves helped me a lot to be where I am now. 'In America I could score a goal which was nice and this pre-season is important for the youngsters to get a chance to play, and for Chelsea to be able to give us a chance. I really enjoyed the tour and it was a great experience in my life.' A month ago Piazon was told he is now a full member of the first team squad, using the changing room in the main building at Cobham and training every day with the senior players, although on occasions he is playing for our Under-19 and Under-21 teams, such as last Friday at Brentford. He welcomes such match action. He is now at the stage in his development he would have been wishing to reach quickly when he decided to leave the fertile football land of Brazil for England. 'Every boy that is born there, the first sport that he plays is football,' he says. 'I was born in Sao Paulo but when I went to school there I was very small so I didn't play football, but then I moved down to the south of the country when I was six years old and at my first school in the south I started playing. I used to also play at night with the players who were older than me. Every day I was playing football. 'We play at school, we play in the clubs and then when we go back home we mix with people who play in the street and put down two cones and play freely and have fun. In some buildings they have a small pitch with five against five and you are always playing football.' Futsal, to give the organised, indoor five-a-side game its formal title, is played with a slightly smaller ball than regular football and develops characteristic skills. Former Chelsea midfielder Deco explained that due to his futsal upbringing, he controlled the ball by stepping down on it rather than using his instep throughout his illustrious career. 'Every boy in Brazil started in futsal - me, Oscar, David Luiz, Ramires, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Robinho - everyone!' lists Piazon. 'When we move to the big pitch it is hard because we do the first touch like this so we get a bit confused, but now I never do this anymore, just the normal way. I still use some of the futsal techniques a bit and it is good because futsal is in a small space and that helps you when play football and there are a lot of players in a small space.' Piazon was fortunate to come from a family background where a good education was possible as well as encouragement on a sporting front. When football started to become important in his life he was told as long as he continued to do well at school his parents would always support his playing. Fortunately the good grades kept coming, with his favourite subjects geography and Portuguese. 'When I was very young I used to like maths but that got too hard. When it was just numbers I was very good!' he recalls with a smile. His English can't have been bad either if his current, articulate use of the language is anything to go by. He started to play for the junior side of local club Coritiba and then Atletico Paranaense, where he would also go with friends to watch the first team play. And then came a move to Sao Paulo FC, back in his native city and the club that developed former Chelsea man Juliano Belletti, as well as Brazilian legends Kaka and Cafu, and more recently Oscar. 'The difference between the academy at Chelsea and the one at Sao Paulo and the other academies in Brazil is we have many more players in Brazil,' points out Piazon. 'At Sao Paulo in the Under-15s you have 25 players, the Under-17s you have 25, the Under 20s, 20. 'But I think the quality doesn't change too much. The players in Brazil they like to pass more, here they are more strong so it is hard to compare because it is a different way to play - but if you played Chelsea v Sao Paulo at Under-15s or Under-17s it would be a very good game.' The support from his parents extended to them moving to live in England a few months after he joined Chelsea and they are there at any game he might possibly play. But he was unlikely to lack Brazilian company at the club anyway. It could be a lazy assumption to think all our Brazilians like to spend time together but in this case that conviviality appears genuine. 'When I came there were three Brazilians already here and when Oscar came there were three as well and I think it was good for him, how it was for me,' says Piazon. 'It helps you to adapt and to get closer to the people in the club and that is really important. We are always together, in each other's houses, in David's house, in Rami's house, and it is good to be like this.' Settled in England and moving forward at Chelsea (in January he signed a contract extension until 2017), Piazon fits well with the style of football being developed at the club. 'I think I can play right wing, left wing or no. 10, or as a last option striker as well. I think my best position is left wing but if I need to play any of the others then that is no problem.' Nothing of course is to be taken for granted when it comes to team selection, but he must be looking at the Capital One Cup date with Manchester United at the end of the month, hoping to make another step forward in his promising, young career.

Interesting read for all those who have any doubts on Shirt sales http://www.sportingi...-charts-081001/

Exactly the team i have in mind but i would just replace Marin (if he is fit, not aware of his situation) with Mata

You can find more videos on the below link http://www.weaintgotnohistory.com/2012/10/1/3434102/chelsea-fc-loan-roundup

Round up of all our players on Loan as on 1st Oct. (Courtesy: TheChelsnet) You can find highlights for some of them on the Chelsnet site. The one from weaintgothistroy to follow soon. http://thechels.net/2012/09/the-loan-report-september-24-30/ As regular readers of The Loan Report will know, we like to highlight big achievements as and when they occur. Typically, this takes the form of a goalscoring performance by one of Chelsea’s young loanees, and more often than not it’s a big, recognisable name. However, every now and then it’s one of the more obscure faces who makes an impact and gets to stand front and centre. That’s the case this week as Mexican winger Ulises Dávila, Swedish scheme Amin Affane, and Nigerian full-back Kenneth Omeruo (whilst not scoring himself) were decisive for their respective teams this weekend. Ulises Davila (CE Sabadell) Dávila, for those less familiar with his story, joined Chelsea last summer from Guadalajara and immediately joined Vitesse Arnhem on loan. He impressed their coaching staff but rarely featured in the first team, either because of his lack of physical imposition or because the team didn’t utilise a typical ‘number ten’ in their formation. This season, he’s playing regularly at Sabadell, who ply their trade in the Spanish Second Division. Despite being relegation favourites at the start of the season, the Harlequinistas have started the season in very good form and continued in that fashion on Saturday with a 2-1 win over the Spanish Guadalajara; not affiliated to the Mexican side Dávila joined from. Our man scored the winning goal five minutes from time, having only come off the bench moments earlier. He popped up at the near post to head into the top corner, despite being one of the shortest players on the pitch. Dávila is one of three Blues youngsters playing in Spain, along with Uruguayan forward Jhon Pírez and Belgian international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Jhon Pirez (Leganes): Pírez is yet to feature due to the latest in a string of injuries which have blighted his brief career to date, and was once again absent from the Leganés team which lost to Getafe B this weekend. Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) Courtois, meanwhile, was sidelined through injury for Atlético Madrid’s midweek trip to Betis, having suffered a knock to his knee against Valladolid last Sunday, but was deemed fit to return for Sunday’s trip to Espanyol, where he kept a first club clean sheet since late August in a 1-0 win. He was in magnificent form and looked as good as he has all season, after a rare shaky spell. In the Netherlands, the chances of impactful performances are increased simply by volume of numbers with five players in the Eredivisie, but they’ve all thus far proven to be handy players in their own rights. Amin Affane (Roda JC) Swedish Under-19 international Affane started on the bench for Roda away to Groningen after a recent run in the starting team but, like Dávila, he came off the bench to play a part for his team, grabbing the second of two equalisers in a game his team would ultimately lose in stoppage time. It was quite the strike too. Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag) Earlier in the weekend, defender Omeruo was initially credited with the first of six goals in the Heracles-ADO Den Haag thriller, but upon closer inspection the strike was ruled to have been an own goal. Omeruo is a lively, enthusiastic presence at right-back, a player in the mould of a Branislav Ivanovic in that he has a centre-back’s build but the requisite athleticism and attacking attributes to make an impact going forward. Since moving to Den Haag from Standard Liege in January on an eighteen-month loan, he’s been almost ever present and an integral figure in a team looking to establish themselves as top-half regulars after seasons of struggle. Gael Kakuta, Patrick van Aanholt, Tomas Kalas (Vitesse Arnhem) The three other Chelsea youngsters in Holland are all at Vitesse Arnhem, of course. Tomas Kalas and Patrick van Aanholt have been there for some time and were joined in August by Gael Kakuta, and the Frenchman was finally fit to begin his career at a new club in Dutch Cup action on Wednesday night. He played the first half of a comfortable 3-0 win over part-timers Gemert as he builds his way back towards match fitness after suffering an injury shortly after his deadline-day move. Van Aanholt and Kalas played the full match at opposing full-back positions as per usual, and did so again at the weekend when a 2-1 win at Utrecht (with Kakuta fit enough to be on the bench) proved enough to put the club top of the league. Thorgan Hazard (Zulte-Waregem) Next door in Belgium, Thorgan Hazard has settled quickly at Zulte Waregem and has thus far been a catalyst for a boost in form for an upwardly mobile club. They won 4-1 at Lierse on Saturday to go fourth in the early season standings, with the younger Hazard playing 90 minutes once again and proving his first assist for the last goal of the game. Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburger SV) In Germany, Jeffrey Bruma missed a second successive game – and win – for Hamburg with a knee problem, and could conceivably struggle to get back into a winning team when he returns. Thus far he’s had the respect of manager Thorsten Fink and been a regular in the line-up, but such is the recent form of Heiko Westermann and Michael Mancienne he may need to bide his time and wait for an opportunity. Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen) Kevin De Bruyne has no such problems at Werder Bremen, where BILD named him as one of the top ten signings of the Bundesliga summer. He played a pair of matches this week, victorious against Freiburg but defeated at home by Bayern Munich.Having found the net in the two previous games, De Bruyne turned provider at Freiburg, laying on the winning goal for Aaron Hunt with a now-trademark slide-rule pass in behind the defence. Milan Lalkovic (Vitoria SC) Completing our tour of continental Europe, Milan Lalkovic continues to be an impact substitute for Vitória, playing 25 minutes of the second half in their 2-0 home loss to Braga. Slowly but surely he’s working his way into things and will get to play from the start sooner rather than later. As usual, Matej Delac was the backup goalkeeper. Back on domestic shores in England, it was a quieter week than usual with a host of players having either come to the end of their deals or absent from team selections for one reason or another. Archange Nkumu, Rohan Ince (Yeovil Town) Both Rohan Ince and Archange Nkumu departed Yeovil Town this week, with Ince succumbing to another injury whilst Nkumu struggled to impress and failed to earn an extension. Having started the campaign with three players in League One, Chelsea now have none, as the pair follow Conor Clifford (Portsmouth) in returning to Cobham. Sam Walker (Bristol Rovers) Sam Walker may follow suit soon, although he remains a Bristol Rovers player right now despite the signing of former Blues schoolboy and current Fulham stopper Neil Etheridge. The Filipino international has taken over the starting job from Walker, who sat on the bench again this week and watched Mark McGhee’s side pick up a rare victory. Romelu Lukaku (West Bromwich Albion) Romelu Lukaku started West Brom’s midweek Capital One Cup tie at home to Liverpool – who has has already scored against this season – and played 70 minutes in which he generally terrorised Jamie Carragher. He returned to the bench for Sunday’s local derby against Aston Villa but came on with twenty minutes left to throw his considerable weight around, and came within inches of scoring when a deflected effort clipped the outside of the post. Sam Hutchinson (Nottingham Forest) Also missing derby action was Sam Hutchinson, who is not quite ready to return after a recent knee injury and thus missed Nottingham Forest’s always-interesting clash with neighbours Derby County. Josh McEachran and Nathaniel Chalobah continue to impress though, starting and impressing for Middlesbrough and Watford respectively. Josh McEachran (Middlesbrough) McEachran was rested amidst wholesale cup changes in midweek before returning for Saturday’s hosting of Leicester, and he played well despite the eventual defeat, and should have had his first goal in Boro colours but was denied by the crossbar. Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford) Chalobah played 80 minutes for Watford in his first away game at Huddersfield, and as usual looked completely at home in a deeper midfield role. Ben Gordon (Birmingham City) Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Ben Gordon at Birmingham, as he still cannot find a way into their Matchday squad. At this point in his career, signing permanently for Kilmarnock would surely be the safest bet for him.

Report: Chelsea FC recently had Swedish youngster Ihan Naser on trial Chelsea have been focusing on improving their academy lately, and they've had a young Swedish international on trial for the last several weeks. The trialist in question had some good things to say about his time in London. Chelsea have had 15-year old Swedish striker Ihan Naser in on trial over the last several weeks, and the youngster has reportedly been impressive. Naser recently returned to his parent club, Gunnilses IF, and he had the following to say about his time in London: "It was fun to train with such a big team like Chelsea. It went well for me, I played a match against Crystal Palace and scored a goal." It can be difficult finding much information about foreign players that young, and there really doesn't appear to be much out there about Naser. He's been capped at several levels for the Swedish national team, so if Chelsea decided to bring him to London to join their youth side he'd likely cost them a very minor compensation fee. He's played all over the front line and attacking midfield roles, and at 15 he's probably not yet settled into a long term role. Chelsea already have a pair of young Swedish internationals on the books in Ansur Osmanovic and Amin Affane. Affane is currently out on loan at Roda JC, and we will have more on Affane and the rest of the Chelsea loanees for you very shortly. http://www.weaintgot...-naser-on-trial

Round up of all our players on Loan as on 24th Sept. (Courtesy: We aint got no history) http://www.weaintgot...fc-loan-roundup Romelu Lukaku (West Bromwich Albion): Lukaku made his first start for WBA over the weekend, and he'd score the only goal of the contest as WBA would defeat Reading by a 1-0 scoreline. Lukaku put in a man of the match performance, but he was a bit disappointing in the air. He won only two of the eight balls he'd challenge for, and a player of his size and strength just needs to do better in those situations. Aerial prowess (or lack thereof) aside, it was a very good day to be a kraken. Lukaku's goal can be found here, His post match comments can be found here. Yossi Benayoun (West Ham United): Yossi started West Ham's game on the bench, and he was inserted during the 57th minute of play. Benayoun was not all that heavily involved after he entered the game, and while his passing was solid, he was sloppy with the ball at his feet. I've really debated whether or not to even bother with him on these loan reports anyway as he'll likely never suit up for Chelsea again. Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid): Thibaut Courtois was given a game off in Atletico's opening Europa League fixture, and it looked like his focus was still on the bench for the goal that got by him on Sunday. Every keeper has days like this, so hopefully Thibaut bounces back in strong fashion this week as Atletico have a pair of away fixtures. Michael Essien (Real Madrid): Essien has apparently done enough in training to warrant a pair of starts for Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid this week. That's right, we've loaned Real Madrid a starting central midfielder. Despite how bad that sounds, Essien wasn't really all that good in either game. He certainly didn't embarrass himself, but he didn't really stand out either. Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen): So yeah, it turns out this De Bruyne kid is pretty good. KDB was again the best player on the pitch for Werder Bremen in their 2-2 draw with Stuttgart. He found the back of the net, and was very dangerous with the ball at his feet. The only criticism I really have with his game on Sunday is that he may be a bit too aggressive with his passing, but I suppose there's worse criticisms to have. Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburger SV): HSV registered a shocking win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, but unfortunately Jeffrey Bruma was not involved due to injury. Think that Dortmund were focusing on a Champions League game midweek? The three points are the entire total for HSV so far this season. Milan Lalkovic (Vitoria SC): Lalkovic came on as a substitute for the final 10 minutes of Vitoria's 1-0 victory on Friday. He was generally threatening in his time on the pitch during that contest. Matej Delac (Vitoria SC): He was again the backup goalkeeper for the Portuguese side. I'd get used to hearing that, as it doesn't look like he's going to see the pitch anytime soon. Tomas Kalas (Vitesse Arnhem): The Kalas on the right experiment continues, and it looks as if Kalas has been playing there forever. I know many have been dreaming of Kalas in the center of the defense long term, but he's going to be a factor in the conversation at right back this summer if he continues to play this well and Branislav Ivanovic continues to do whatever it is he's been doing this season. Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse Arnhem): PvA put in his second consecutive excellent display for Vitesse as they drew 1-1 on Saturday. He's easily been as good as the fullback he replaced in the Vitesse lineup, I believe it was some guy that signed for one of those smallish clubs up north. Gael Kakuta (Vitesse Arnhem): Kakuta was again out of action with injury. Get well soon Gael. Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag): While Kalas looks like he might be settling into his long term position as a right back, Omeruo is still likely better suited to the center. He was solid again on the right, although he probably could have done more to prevent the only goal of the game from Ajax in the 1-1 draw. Amin Affane (Roda JC): Affane played 90 minutes for Roda on Friday, and generally looked pretty good. He's already established himself as their primary set piece taker, and he's doing an excellent job providing service from the wing. Affane could do with a bit less predictability when he's got the ball, as opponents are fairly easily reading what's coming at them and reacting accordingly. Thorgan Hazard (Zulte-Waregem): Hazard got another start over the weekend, playing 90 minutes against Anderlecht. He gave them more problems than any AC Milan players did in their mid-week Champions League tie. The younger Hazard may have been a bit of an afterthought this summer, but he's looked very good on his loan thus far. Josh McEachran (Middlesbrough): Josh started both of Boro's fixtures this week, and was generally slotted into a right midfield position in both matches. Josh was solid if unspectacular, displaying his usual composure with the ball at his feet. He's still a bit slow to make defensive decisions though, something that needs to improve as the season goes on. Sam Hutchinson (Nottingham Forest): Sam has been playing well, but he limped off the pitch near the end of the first half as Forest faced Crystal Palace mid-week. He's apparently suffering from minor knee issues, and has returned to Cobham to be treated by Chelsea doctors. Ben Gordon (Birmingham City): Ben did not feature for Birmingham this week. Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford): Chalobah had one heck of a week. He made his professional debut midweek, getting 20 minutes as a substitute against Brighton. He was excellent in that showing, so Gianfranco Zola rewarded him with a weekend start against Bristol. He drew rave reviews, and the youngster was probably the best player on the pitch for that match. I'd imagine he's likely to remain a starter after that showing. Ulises Davila (CE Sabadell): Davila was an unused substitute on the weekend against Xerez. Archange Nkumu (Yeovil Town): Like Chalobah, Nkumu made his professional debut this week for Yeovil. He was fairly impressive in his short cameo, but he did not feature over the weekend. His loan spell is due up soon, so Chelsea and Yeovil will have a decision to make on his future. Rohan Ince (Yeovil Town): Ince started for Yeovil mid-week, but did not feature on the weekend. He was a bit sloppy, but the entire team was similarly sloppy in that defeat. Conor Clifford (Portsmouth): Clifford's one month loan spell has ended, and it was not extended. He's now back at Cobham, and will likely be used to bolster the U21 midfield. Sam Walker (Bristol Rovers): Walker played his last game for Bristol in a 1-1 draw midweek in which he was his usual solid if unspectacular self. His loan spell was cut short as Bristol signed Neil Etheridge on loan this week. There is no word yet on what the future holds for Sam, but I'd assume that Chelsea would like to ship him back out on loan asap. Jhon Pirez (Leganes): I think Pirez exists, but Legenes' fans have yet to see evidence of this existence.

Shocker! Nevertheless..... One of the greatest defenders in modern day football would be hugely missed by England. As the saying at the Bridge goes: There is only one JT, Captain, Leader, Legend.

If only wishes had to come true ........................... I would love this as Plan A ------------Cech------ Ivan---Cahill--- Terry --- Cole --------------Luiz -------------- ---------Oscar----------------- Moses----Hazard-----Mata ----------Sturridge----------- and/or Plan B ------------Cech------ Azpi---Cahill--- Terry --- Cole ----------------Luiz -------------- -----------Oscar----------------- Hazard--------------------Mata ------------------Torres-------- ------------Sturridge-----------

Felliani is a freaking beast on his day , u can see him playing part in all aspect of the game which could be possible as he has free role at Everton ... but he is not worth 30m

Come on, mate ... last time i heard Juventus got one of the best striker (if not the best as is claimed) ....

Damn! I thought we were in the transition phase yet we play the same set of players day in and day out .... when are we going to use the new talents we have in hand (probably after their enthusiasm for playing for the European champions is gone for a toss).... I know lot of us wants the manager to be sacked despite being on the top of the table ... and honestly i give him 5 more months too ... because sometimes it is not only about winning (which every other Chelsea manager wants to do to impress Roman) but the way you go about doing it ... RDM needs to understand that what he has done is something no other Chelsea manager has done ever so f****** get into the transition mode, try out new tactics, rotate your squads and built for the future, Roman wouldnt fire u so easily .... and even if he does U r god damn a Champions winning manager, any top team could go for u .... stick to the plan that the club has .......

For all the Indian fans in India, I'm sure we all are hoping this comes true ... It is time that big clubs start exploring the growing fan base here in India. Chelsea could tour India in 2015 Good news for all the Chelsea fans on the Subcontinent! According to Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay, speaking at the International Football Arena roundtable in New Delhi, the club has a long-term plan for India: India is an important market for us. We hope to be visiting the country soon to initiate a long-term partnership. It's too easy for clubs just to fly in, play and then leave. At Chelsea we feel a fundamental responsibility to help develop the sport at grass roots level and leave behind a lasting legacy, so there would be much more to consider than just playing games here. -Ron Gourlay; IFA Press Release According to the the Hindustan Times, "soon" may be as early as the preseason to 2015-16: We’ll follow a similar cycle (to the one in Malaysia, Thailand and the USA). The earliest we can get the first team down here is 2015-16. The planning we put into a tour, with our various CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities and campaigns such as Blue Pitch, starts six months before the tour. -Ron Gourlay; Hindustan Times Over the last half decade, Chelsea have followed a fairly regular preseason rotation, switching between North American and Southeast Asian tours, placing ever increasing emphasis on leaving a lasting legacy wherever they visit. "Here to play; here to stay" was the theme for this summer's USA tour, which included coaching clinics, youth training sessions, and the like in addition to the regular exhibition schedule. While including India in next summer's pre-season sounds infeasible, a tour looks almost a certainty at some point in the near future. Source: http://www.weaintgot...r-india-in-2015

Now that makes sense

How to beat Chelsea According to the Atletico Madrid manager Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has explained to Juventus how to stop Champions League opponents Chelsea. The Old Lady will travel to London later this month on their return to Europe’s premier club competition. And after thrashing Chelsea 4-1 in the recent European Super Cup tie, Simeonehas revealed their game plan. “The players followed my orders to perfection,” the former Lazio and Inter midfielder stated. “Branislav Ivanovic on the right can be surpassed, Mikel plays horizontally, Gary Cahill and David Luiz never participate in the construction of the game. “So we opted to press heavily, even doubling up and tripling up on FrankLampard, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata – opting to neglect the others. “It was a risk that paid off. Juventus can do the same, even if boss Antonio Contedoesn’t need my advice. “He’s a winner, like Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini, as well as the greatest of them all – Jose Mourinho.” http://sillyseason.com/football/premier-league/chelsea-fc/articles/how-beat-chelsea Maybe this was just one off .... but it makes sense. Interesting review from the opposition manager (not an reliable site though) Thoughts

In the current situation he would be missed. Meireles is not a star player but he is a very good squad player to have specially when we are so less players in that position. Lampard cannot be given start in all the games, Romeu is pretty decent but he is clearly not RDM's fav, Mikel cannot be trusted when it comes to consistency, Oscar would take some time to get used to the premier league but then looks like our manager wants him to play behind the striker & not so deep and Essien gone. What a brilliant piece of move the board has done!!! Last season we were screaming for creativity and feeding our offense, we got them these season but now we trying to break the bridge between the offense and defense.

First Interview in Chelsea colors for Victor Moses MOSES: THE FIRST INTERVIEW Posted on: Mon 27 Aug 2012 Victor Moses completed his move on Friday evening, was welcomed by the Stamford Bridge crowd on Saturday and trained with his new team-mates on Monday morning. The next stop for the 21-year-old was to sit down with the official Chelsea website… Your possible transfer to Chelsea was in the news throughout the summer. It must be good to have your future settled now. When I first heard that Chelsea had come in for me I was surprised, but I had a call from my agent saying they were really interested in me and what did I think. I said they are the European champions and anyone would like to play there and now that everything is sorted, I am delighted to be here. I am happy to come back to London as I grew up here and it is a great honour to play for the club that won the Champions League. You've decided to join a squad with a lot of competition for the attacking places in the side. There are a lot of world-class players here and I am here to do my best for the team and to help them win more trophies. The club has done well for the past few years, they have achieved a lot, and for me to be able to play with these world-class players, I am delighted to be here. How did the opening day fixture go for you when Chelsea played up at Wigan? I thought I did alright. It took me a while to get into the game but in the second half we came at Chelsea - but that is in the past now. I was a Wigan player then and I am a Chelsea player now. You managed to go past the Chelsea full-backs during the match. We all know Ashley Cole is one of the best left-backs in the word and he is a consistent player, so if I go past him I am happy because he is a great player. You arrive with a reputation for being versatile. Please give a short history of the positions you have played. Growing up I used to play centre-back in a Sunday league team but I had the feeling I could play further forward. When I was scouted by Crystal Palace I started playing in centre-midfield. Then I ended up playing as a striker, left wing, on the right - everywhere really. I went to Wigan to play left wing mainly but then the manager saw the way I was playing and he mostly used me on the right. Last season I played more on the right but sometimes on the left. I can also play up front or behind the striker, I can play anywhere up front. I'm comfortable wherever the manager wants to play me. Roberto Di Matteo has highlighted your dribbling ability. That is one of my strengths, I love getting the ball and going past defenders. You don't want defenders tackling you all the time when you get the ball, you need to make them work hard, and that is what I love doing. When you were at Whitgift School in Croydon, you were taught football by Colin Pates, a popular captain of Chelsea in the 1980s. How was that experience? He is a great man. He always used to talk to me and tell me about when he used to play and how I needed to be more professional about my football. He is a person you can call on and he will advise you in the right way. When we played with the school team he used to teach us all about movement and finishing and he was great to work with. We won a national school tournament when he was our manager. Growing up around in the Norwood area of south London, the Crystal Palace academy must have been a natural place for you to develop. It was easy for me after training to go home. It was nice playing for Palace. There were a lot of Chelsea fans around there and Palace were playing in the Championship so all I used to hear when I was little was Chelsea, Chelsea! I didn't know then that one day I would be playing for them. You moved to Wigan midway through the 2009/10 season. When the season first started we were doing pretty well, fighting for a play-off spot for the Championship. Then we heard the club was going into administration, that is when Wigan came in and Palace hadn't a choice but to sell me. Do you know anyone at Chelsea already? I know quite a few. I used to play with Ryan Bertrand and Daniel Sturridge for England Under 19s, Under 20s, Under 21s. I know Ashley Cole and Michael Essien and Mikel I know from playing for Nigeria. It is good to see everyone here and it is a lot easier for me. For Nigeria I have games coming up against Liberia and I am looking forward to them. They are home and away and whoever wins will qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans? I just want to say to the fans to sit tight, there is more to come from Victor Moses and I hope to do my best for the club and that there are more trophies to come in the future. http://www.chelseafc.com/news-article/article/2902009/title/moses-the-first-interview

Now how this for confidence ... Superb! http://youtu.be/0fbj9WxyPXI Not sure if this posted but it worth a re-run

One of his best matches in his long career with Chelsea ... from "Not a Mikel lover" Thats how a DM should play!

So who needs another striker now!

Is it me or does RDM makes strange decisions? He can play Ramiers just after he was fit but cant give Mata a rest. Mikel plays back to back in 4 days but Essien/Romeu doesnt get a sniff in the first 11. Sturridge can still play wide, Oscar can get a start... Today we start Mikel and Merieles in the double pivot with Ryan as the winger and a tired Mata teaming up with Hazard with this on the bench: Essien, Romeu, Lampard, Ramires, Oscar, Sturridge .. hmm .. maybe i dont understand tactics it seems

For more game time, I dont think he could have got more games at Arsenal would be more like Josh's situation from last year. Liverpool doesnt have much competition for place and he can automatically get a start over there players. He is anyways guaranteed to play in the CL when he goes back to Madrid ... right now game time and showcasing the talent is more important than playing in CL, whoever made the chose was smart enough

Decent signing, the guy has potential just need to work his decision making in the final third. Now I really really hope that RDM does rotation in the squad intelligently (Not like the Reading game) so that people like Marin & Moses get more game time to showcase their talent and overcome their weakness. Now we got players in most of the department though i would had loved to have someone in the DM role as well but i dont think that is happening. So lets get our RB and wrap it off for this transfer window.