Blue In Green

They literally took the spares from last season and slapped a third star on the shirt - it doesn't look like it changed at all otherwise. Brighton - not too bad, actually. Newcastle Utd -

Happy birthday, Super Frank! :champions: What a week you've had! I salute you, Blues legend! :cfc:

Don't make him angry. You won't like him when he's angry. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Roman's boldest hiring ever. He could go on Frankie's stag do. That's how young he is. Not totally familiar with him; I have concerns, his elderly game show host hair being foremost. I also have hopes boosted by how Porto shredded Portugal. Besides, the last gaffer we hired from Porto didn't do too badly, did he? That is, if this sudden tide change is correct. It probably isn't.

Oh UEFA, too gutless to institute a salary cap.

Let's get another struggling Spanish forward, who's in?

Put this in the joke thread! Look at the crest, what pompous arseholes!

Much rather have a trip to Stoke to open the season than in the zombie winter months. Clubs like that are a lot more dangerous around the New Year. Extremely soft three games to open the season. Old Trafford in September, last two away matches are to the Emirates and Anfield. I'll take all that, thank you very much!

No sponsor?

Wonder how many here know who Branch Rickey is. Nice citation, but how about the Steinbrenners, who never met a 35-year old player they didn't like? Apologies, Fulham Broadway. If I had known this was a Sun story, I would have stayed away. I do believe some of my points still stand, though.

Absolutely. A culture can develop over time, and surface changes, such as firing managers won't do anything to solve the problem. I thought those changes needed to happen before last season. As incredible as some of those 2009-10 performances were, I knew they wouldn't be able to stay focused. I knew Father Time was walking towards Stamford Bridge even then, and that's one opponent none of us can beat. Drogba and Lampard are near their mid 30's and JT is not far behind. That is the core, the foundation and rot is setting in. Either tell them to take a reduced playing role or part with them on amicable terms. As bad as new blood is needed, they are club legends nonetheless that deserve a courteous farewell.

In all honesty, I think it needed to be said, though not by Kalou. Kalou may think airing this out to the media will be that swift kick in the ass. If that's true, then he doesn't have faith in JT's ability to circle the wagons and the dysfunction runs even deeper...

I assume this is a reference to Tevez, who single-handedly kept West Ham in the PL a few years back and hoisted a duct-taped Man City side into CL qualifiers. He may complain about his homesickness every now and then, but that never shows on the field. He looks fine to me out there.

There's usually a big-name match in early September, and I suspect we will be involved in it this year, perhaps against Liverpool or Spurs. To open, I would guess a trip to the Stadium of Light or something. Our Boxing Day match could be against QPR at Loftus Road. Who knows?

Mutu back in football?

When you have a football team where almost everyone is on massive wages, they will find a way to act bitchy. Those that aren't on fat paypackets will bitch about that, those that are but aren't getting playing time will bitch about that too. Those that do play consistently (especially over a period of years such as Drogba, Lamps, JT, etc.) will eventually assume that spot is guaranteed to them, so they begin to slack off. Chelsea is utterly stagnant, and I'm starting to doubt whether bringing Guus Hiddink in would solve the problem. Many of the biggest offenders here love the guy, a little too much in my opinion. This is a side in need of a wakeup call, and Carlo Ancelotti delivered that for a year. They got lazy under him last season, especially in November-February when the side had its worst run since Roman bought the club. There are various theories floating about as to why their play was so awful, but I highly doubt Ray Wilkins was the reason the campaign nearly went off the rails. I watched an unfocused, imprecise and lethargic side devoid of urgency last winter. I think David Luiz will prove to be the most important player signing Chelsea makes in this calendar year. Say what you want about his flaws, but no one could accuse him of lacking effort. Kalou also played a large part in that; he brought energy, effort and focus into the match at Blackpool, which proved to be key in getting as close to Man U as we did. Most argue that stability is needed in the manager's box. I agree, and I also believe a significant shakeup on the training ground and in the locker room is just as important. The mind is as important as the body, and a change in mindset needs to take place before significant success returns to the club.

Bollocks. Thanks for the correction. The point still stands; how stereotypical was that Norwich picture?

Good luck to both of them! When do our invitations to the ceremony arrive?

Guessing I'm not the only ABR member here, right?

Never sell a player just after he comes back from injury - he won't fetch much on the open market and could end up being a huge bargain to someone. Give him another year. If he's back, sell him at a higher price. If not, cut your losses. The thing is, Essien can do so many things so well, some have trouble assessing his true ability and value because nothing stands out. Chelsea would not have lost the midfield battle nearly as often last season with his healthy self in the mix.

Yes, foundation needs to be rebuilt and/or replaced every now and then, but it can't be done all at once. The house itself would collapse. In our case, replacing the spine too quickly would also inadvertently perform a lobotomy. The passing of the guard can happen over a couple of seasons, which would make the transition smoother.

He is Player of the Year...

The last young English prodigy from Everton ended up being pretty good. He also ended up being an ugly twat, but that's beside the point.

Physio's assistant? On a more serious note, this topic made me look up our GK's and Cech isn't even 30 yet. I did not realize that. It seems like he's been here forever. Hopefully he can remain healthy for another decade; he's been remarkably consistent. (And we wouldn't have to deal with the antics of our backups. I miss Carlo Cudicini.)