Blue In Green

This. Jorge Valdano is Florentino's pet and Jose was still able to quiet him. That says a lot about the weight Jose carries in the back rooms there.

Mikel was a red card magnet in the past, but he seems to be getting better about that. He doesn't do anything to distinguish himself now. In the role he plays, I consider that a good thing.

Maka was also the best ever at his particular position.

I find it hard to believe Jose wants Neymar. Not his type of player at all, and he already has to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo. If this rumor is true, it is almost certainly a Florentino Perez pursuit. I wonder how that will go over with the Special One...

I was thinking some ex-Chelsea players that went to Man City would have made profits for us. The point is, we aren't in the buy low and sell high business. We wouldn't be internationally competitive if we were.

Adidas makes our shirts, so why don't we get Terry, Lamps, Cech, David Luiz and Cole to pose by a pickup truck in front of an American flag?

Uh...wow, that is difficult. Wayne Bridge, perhaps? Maybe Steve Sidwell? I remember something about Villa paying a fee for him...nothing substantial sticks out in my mind for sure.

Yes, Diego...haven't heard anything about him in a little while. The Bundesliga doesn't get much attention in the States, but I heard Bremen flatlined for much of the last year. That alone is enough to make me say no.

My goodness, we're pulling our hair out already. RELAX. Have a Guinness or something.

Well, at least finished products get playing time here. I agree with your point, though. I think the kids are alright and should be given equal opportunity with the veterans for playing time. Seeing McEachran, Kakuta, etc. on the bench or not at all is disappointing. Why go in for them, then let them rot on the sidelines? I wouldn't say it's just the board - Carlo didn't do his part, either.

You say these as if they're bad things. How many of our players have been on a CL winning side? (Yes, Anelka has, but aren't we about to sell him?) Wouldn't it be a good idea to have someone who's been there before? And 27 is not 35, ffs. Sneijder has 4-6 productive years in him. Seeing as he was the main spearhead for the treble in question, I don't think he's as bad an option as you seem to believe.

That's because they've been the faces of this club for a decade. I don't think England lacks young talent, I think there is a lack of opportunity for them. Any young English player that shows potential is either immediately snapped up by a club that then benches them and stunts their growth or the tabloid attention gets to them and they become too far gone, like the boys at West Ham a few years back. If Sturridge played regularly for Chelsea in PL and CL, we would learn how good he really is. If he is gifted, he'd hold his own, get goals and England would suddenly have a second world-class forward. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen very often because the financial risk is just too great. As for Barcelona, that's just their ethos - they play Spanish players because that is who mostly comes through La Masia. They actually get a chance to prove themselves, unlike at Real Madrid, who are like us and buy whoever tickles the fancy of the higher-ups. Even then, Barca shops internationally on occasion (see Ibra, Mascherano, Afellay, etc.). Being England's de facto national team is unrealistic because we won't win anything immediately and Chelsea has grown as a business because of international investment. The fan bases in the Americas, Asia, continental Europe, Africa and Australia/New Zealand couldn't care less about how many English players are in the side. That ship sailed when Roman came in.

Seth Meyers is hit or miss, but when he hits... "President Bush went to Africa earlier this week and received the continent's highest civilian honor - a meal."

Chelsea has a worldwide fan base. Being England's U21 would be bad for business. Having one or two is enough. You want us to have Nigel Reo-Coker?

Some Scousers are looking for gainful employment, at least...

Yeah, he's no longer receding, but I wouldn't exactly say he's progressing, either.

He's worth more than 30 million pounds. The fee would be a bargain, the salary fair market price. I have a very high opinion of young Wesley (high enough to refer to him by his first name and call him "young", as if he were my protege) and would be over the moon to see him in Chelsea blue.

Is that a cycling shirt?

He obviously does a lot of work in the weight room. Being 18, he could only naturally acquire a certain amount of muscle. As he gets older, he needs to bring that work load down so he doesn't get too much muscle and begin losing agility. It's okay now, but it could present problems in the future.

Sometimes better fits = better managers. There are myriad examples of American college football coaches you could use. I suggest you look up Rich Rodriguez.

He looks like Shrekenstein.

If Sneijder played for us like he played in the 2010 calendar year, I'd take him over any available midfielder in the world. He went nuts last year. Modric is proven class in the PL. If we pick him up, I'd be more than happy. Nasri is only okay compared to the other two. Good option, but should be last on this particular list.

It's complicated. Cable channels go with what gets them the most ad revenue. Glenn Beck is leaving his Fox News show later this year. He gets extremely high ratings, but various businesses will not run ads during his time slot. Personally, I think he was forced out - Fox wants to be conservative, not controversial. They would've hired Rush Limbaugh a long time ago if it were about ratings only.

Apologies if this is a UK-only thread. In the United States, our political parties are basically giant funnels for campaign donations. All you have to do is support A, B and C. This leads to considerable contradiction in the same party platform. For example, some Republicans are known for supporting less government in the social lives of citizens while others want to create laws based on "Christian values" (banning abortion, creation of a national or state school prayer, etc.). The differences are great enough to scramble the Republican voting base, but not separate from the party itself because many of the donors would be lost. Political parties themselves are not the main problem in the USA - businesses are. In my mind, we are a corporatocracy. Every substantial donation made to a political party or candidate is from a businessman who wants his interests looked after. Money talks loudly in the states, and it dictates whether we increase offshore drilling or fund green energy initiatives. Social issues are bandied about to piss off the lower class (the middle class here is fast becoming a myth), the media spews it forth like a busted water pipe and no one really pays attention to the truly important issues. Saving a billion dollars or two when the deficit is $15 trillion is splitting hairs. American political parties are cabals for the rich, and they work hard to make sure no new parties rise up. Some states have arcane election laws where a third-party candidate has to get X thousand signatures on a petition or a certain amount of votes on one ballot to be included on the next. And, these parties don't get meaningful donations because businesses would rather go with the devil they've paid off. In short, the real vote is between a red tie and a blue tie. I've heard similar sentiment amongst UK voters, so I guess we aren't too different after all...

I said it here once and I'll say it again - managing the most talented football side in history is not as easy as it sounds. Player A may be basking in the spotlight while Player B is angry with the manager because he isn't getting more playing time. Player C wants a raise because he thinks he is the reason the side is so great, but Player D got the money instead and is now going through the motions because he thinks he is the reason the side is so great. Player E is a role guy, but he is on a side treated like rock stars, so he parties late into the night and even before matches. See what can happen? The manager himself has to be careful too. His own ego might become overbearing. It's a very careful balancing act punctuated by the fact that a neutron microscope is placed on everything the side does.