lionsden

Precisely

Let the celebrations begin

And why's that?. Who would you replace them with?

You can't blame a brother for trying .

Apparently every great/decent player that ever wore the blue jersey is a Chelsea legend . The word "legend" has been bastardized to the point where it no longer holds any value.

When hiddink was manager of Russia, he recommended Zhirkov to us during his brief spell at Chelsea. for that reason alone, I wouldn't be quick to dismiss the rumor.

Definitely a welcome development but how reliable is the source? meanwhile Here's a little appetizer to cheer us all up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cech . . . . .Danny Alves. . . . . .. .. . . Thiago Silva. . . .. . . . . Vidic. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . A.Cole . . . . . . . . . . . Lucas Moura. . . . . .. . . . . .Busquet. . . .. . . . . . .. . . . .Iniesta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hulk. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .Tevez. . . . . . . . . .A.sanchez Manager-Guus Hiddink Asst manager- Zola . . . . . . . . . .

Notice how you relegated Lampard,Drogba,Malouda,Anelka to the bench for more technical and younger players which only further strengthens my argument. rebuilding a team for the future doesn't neccessarily mean integrating all the youth players into the first team 11 or overhauling the whole current squad..buying quality and younger players to compliment some current squad players and the cream of the youth team usually does the magic.

Josh,Ramires,Mikel,Kevin De bruyne (if he signs). btw we don't need Essien as well. we have Ramires who is a similar player and younger

Yes we missed the window of opportunity to rebuild the squad but why would it be disastrous to rectify the mistake and rebuild now. with the aging players we have as core, our chances of winning a major trophy next season is slim but it's certainly more productive and sustainable in the long run to replace the aging core with new and younger ones now, Prolonging the process will add absolutely no value to the team but make things even worse imho. we can certainly sacrifice not winning any title next season and rebuild the team now or stick with the same players and aggravate the problem even further. which outcome would you prefer?

Excellent points. I challenge anyone to counter the highlighted statements without looking like a fool in the process

Yeah. I definitely respect your opinion but I made the "Ozil is 4x better than essien" assertion on the basis on technical ability and their performance last season. Also taking into account the Injury essien sustained is extremely difficult to recover from coupled with his age, we just might have seen the best of Essien as footballers generally peak at the age of 25/26. What's the odd that Essien will match or exceed his best performance in a blues shirt again? would you put your mortgage on such a bet? Ozil on the other hand was easily one of the best attacking midfielder (a position we are desperately deficient in) last season and at the world cup and he's not even reached his prime yet. all the same I can't knock you for preferring essien over Ozil. and I agree with the Alex assertion.

Meaning? He will be 30 next year and has never been the same player since the knee injury he sustained. This is the best time to cash in on him while some clubs are still interested in his signature.next year may be too late.

And so? Ronaldinho was 2x WPOTY and Deco was their main playmaker. Barca could have easily and conveniently held on to two their biggest stars. No? but they were smart to recognize the importance of reinvention. Now they are reaping the rewards of the seemingly absurd (according to some football pundit and fans) decision.

I was tempted to counter your argument with a logical reply but when I saw your avatar and favorite player I realised it would be an effort in futility.

Henceforth anyone that posts a story/news about neymar should be banned. quite frankly the existence of this thread is cringe worthy

Exactly. Lampard,Terry,Essien (29 soon to be 30),Drogba, malouda, anelka are all in their 30's yet we have no plan in place to replace them with younger and sufficient quality. What's worrisome is the fact that the Premiership is becoming increasingly physical and fast paced and most of our aging players are struggling to keep up. That was apparent last season.if we were playing in the serie A, i would be less worried

This is the chorus I have been singing all along but some people are just oblivious to the real issue. Barcelona released Ronaldinho and deco who were two of their key and most influential players and have never looked back since then. They realised one vital theory that "every good thing must come to an end" how can we grow with the unwillingness to replace some of our aging key players?we need continuity in the team

We know you are passionate about England and English players but come on now. that's just wishful thinking on your path imho.

Fear of risk taking or unwillingness to change may cost us dearly again next season. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the team proves me wrong

Capital NO.any club that pays more than £30 million for him is a mug. period

I stopped reading your post after you asserted no major overhaul is required in a team that consist of many players over the age of 30 in a highly physical and competitive league. you can't be serious mate

And the "the same base" statement doesn't scare you? same base which could be interpreted as Malouda,Essien,Lampard, Drogba all having major involvement next season.

Yep that's what I expect as well next season. that "the same base" statement from Gourlay clearly hinted at that.somethings never change

What's in the news to be cheerful about. The same base of old tired uncreative legs with just 3 new additions. is this how we aim to end the transitional period and build for the future.