rantdeville

Sounds legit.

Haha just an awful, awful decision.

I just feel like you're making mountains of molehills. Watching facial expressions, interpreting very, very common phrases that any professional in any industry hears at least on an annual basis, dissecting hand gestures, monitoring speech patterns... Honestly, not trying to belittle anything you're saying but it's a lot like the people that see the face of Jesus in a bowl of cereal. Whether it happens or not, we just won't know right now... All I know for sure is that if it does happen, there'll be a hell of a lot more online gamers choosing Chelsea in FIFA 16.

Our backup keeper is Petr f***in Cech. Just a really cool thought.

A couple of things are working against that here. Haven't been watching him all season but at least today Valencia was eating him alive. Maybe a one-off bad showing. Mostly though, Bertrand voiced his discontent with the Chelsea youth policy, that there's been years of unfulfilled promises and explicitly stated his priority is first team football over loyalty to Chelsea. Im pretty sure he said that he sees his future away from Chelsea.

I understand your point. I'd rather play against him as few times as possible tho. So if he stays there and shits on Marc Bartra for a few more years, I wouldn't hate him.

You're absolutely right. Everyone has admitted to it. You're preaching to the choir and I'm not arguing, I'm merely trying to express why the crusade against Oscar probably won't gain a lot of steam, at least not at this moment. No one has said he had a good game because he scored and assisted. In fact, they've said he had a poor game but he scored and assisted. We are just treating those events as exclusive of the rest of the game. His game is obviously greater than just the sum of it's parts. Everyone here agrees that his impact on the game was fruitless and painful. As a professional, don't you think after 40+ minutes of chasing down his own shit touches and being as out-of-sync as he's ever been weighed on him throughout the match? Don't you think his teammates and our captain let him know after he f***ed up each and every time? I certainly would hope so. He could have hung his head, thrown a fit, cursed the heavens and faked an injury but his mentality got him back into the game, got him into the position we needed him to be in to tap in the goal. It wasn't a glamorous goal, but tbh they count just the same as the pretty ones. And in games like this, they count even more.

The goal and the assist today secured a much needed 2 point lead over city. Unfortunately, we don't get points directly from pretty assists and chances created, and thankfully for Oscar, we don't lose points directly from poor touches that go to the other team. You're following the wrong London club if you think that chances created and dribbling is going to grind out 3 points against Newcastle. Tbh, you're in for a serious roller coaster emotional ride if you thought this season was going to be a walk in the park, bookended by beautiful touches and wonderful build up play every time. This season is going to be won by taking points from teams that fight tooth and nail against conceding. Wasn't pretty, AT ALL. Oscar didn't play well, AT ALL. But he produced when we needed him to.

To be fair @Lucio has made two very short statements and none of it is warranting the reaction. Unless this goes really far back between you two. Just an observation.Edit: one glance over to the Cahill thread and I have my answer.

A real conundrum. As long as his end product produces like today and he keeps harassing the defense in possession, the glitz and glamour of a sparkly #10 will not have a place in Jose's team. In some morbid way, I just want them to squash Willian and Oscar together because I truly think they'd make one helluva player if they were one.

That bad, eh? O_o

I don't think you're as alone in this as you may think. I think I'm more against a purchase of this magnitude in principle than anything else...and the stigma attached to it. But it just doesn't make sense for the board to allocate the funds for this. It seems like the club have finally begun to dispel of the buy-first-think-later image that identified us over the course of the past decade. It took a serious and much maligned--though innovative--financial strategy from the board in utilizing the loan market to its potential. It seems as though they've reeled in spending in a lot of different areas of business and finally the numbers have begun to back it all up. It was always going to be a long-term strategy, and I think we're only 2-3 years into it. Just seems early to bail on something that has barely begun to come to fruition. I mean look back, even the attitudes of the supporters has changed. For the most part, the signings we demand are infinitely more pragmatic than ever before. Just flip through some of the transfer pages from only 3 years ago. People were calling for the signings of every top tier athlete in the game, regardless of the feasibility. No fault of their own I think, not entirely at least. Our attitudes were indicative of the club's spending habits. I digress, anyways. On the slightest of chances that the moons align, with the club's best intentions at heart he would be a signing for the ages. Would be altogether more awesome however, if we built a team and did it sustainably. sustainable...who likes a tree-hugger anyways

Juan Sebastian Veron Edit: Among others

That's an ungodly amount of money. Almost sickening.

Just going to sort of turn the statement upside down and demonstrate the difference in perspective I have, doesn't mean you're wrong or I'm right. Because Ronaldo (and players like Rooney, Tevez, Enrique etc) have been given so much attention and are plastered all over the newspapers, websites, etc...and based on the observations I've made that indicate the media will do ANYTHING to report and "create" stories for sales, I believe there is no reason for them to catch word of Messi's wrongdoing and consciously not report it. Quite the contrary, I think. Any press is good press cuz they want sales. I'm of the opinion that Messi's actual drama and need for attention is commensurate with that amount of negative reporting and press he receives. Like you, I've noticed that he def gets less jaw-dropping front page coverage that amounts to nothing than say, Suarez and Ronaldo. I just think maybe that's cuz he provide them with less actual drama than Suarez and Ronaldo. Does Messi get some eye catching story every once in awhile? Ya, I remember he had some issues with local tax agencies regarding possible fraud some time ago...among the typical he-says, she-says transfer gossip. Just far less than his world-class peers usually.

Aren't stats the best??

This group certainly likes adjectives and adverbs.

Uros. Pretty cool name if I may.

Haha. You're absolutely right, I do rate Bertrand. I hope for the best for this kid.

My, my. The voice of reason.

-The "person" that built the team before Mourinho...in reference to the players that you listed, dude that was like 3 or 4 different managers. That "person," if you must (within the time frame of those aforementioned players) won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Europa Cup (among others)...and that one trophy with the big ears, you might have seen it. -And this de Bruyne thing...scapegoat someone else cuz it's shaking up your whole argument. He was purchased for 7m Euro and sold for 19.36m. Good business, any way you slice it. We were fine without him, he became a full-fledged international and is ripping the Bundesliga. -Seriously, dude? "Yes, I love how you try to say that Oscar is horrible in attack because he gives balance, and Willian is horrible in attack because he is shit." You're making it up. I didn't say that. I said Oscar is a good AM, he is debatable as a #10 (because he lacks the incisive vision that Mata had) but he has different responsibilities under Mourinho. -And in fairness to your initial post which I ignored until now, I agree that Willian was signed to provide an option wide, but it's just that I'm reluctant to call him a winger. -But I will agree that he is consistent, he is consistent in that he does not provide goals, either directly or through assists. That doesn't make him a bad player it just doesn't make him a great winger/attacking mid/wide forward/wide midfielder/second striker/#10/false 9...or we can call the position a "guy-who-spends-most-their-time-in-the-middle-and-final-third-but-not-a-striker." Oscar's goals/assists, in all comps, since he signed Willian's goals/assist since he signed 2012 - 12/12 2012 - not here 2013 - 11/10 2013 - 4/10 2014 - 4/5 halfway through the season...he's on par to hit his mark 2014 - 2/2 halfway through the season -Oscar is the mark of consistency, he's not God's gift to football, but I'll give him credit for consistency. If we were to project out the current numbers, Willian would be about half as productive as he was last year, thereby making him the least consistent of the attacking players.

I'm ashamed for forgetting. Arguably the most important signing.

-->The person who made this team knows nothing about football -->De Bruyne was a disaster. -->Oscar, after displacing Mata in the team, was not good enough. -->Willian is a winger. -->Willian is our most complete and consistent AM. -->He's a good option to start 25 games as a 4th AM -->He'll have a better season as a whole than Oscar Dude....what???? Mourinho signed Willian, Costa, Luis, Fabregas and recalled Courtois (and Salah) to create "This team." It is a completely different side than the 2012-13 team and in every way better. Plus, as an aside, HE GOT TORRES AWAY FROM THE TEAM. The bedrock of this team was in place and has formed a solid (not impermeable) foundation. De Bruyne was sold for a profit and is doing well for himself, not one ounce of disaster in that whole situation. Barring the end of last year, Oscar is/was a very good AM. Is he a #10? Maybe, maybe not. But he fits into Mourinho's team like a glove. Willian doesn't have the direct wide play of a winger. He drifts wide to create space, but everything comes back inside with him. He is in no way shape or form our most complete AM, he is ineffective in the final third but works his socks off in the middle and in defense. The final third is an integral area for an AM to be deemed effective. See, Hazard. There is nothing to say that demonstrates he is going to have a better season than Oscar. Oscar has his flaws and I'll be the first to agree with them. The balance that he brings to the team is invaluable. ...and lastly how does he start 25 games as a 4th AM when we play with 3 at any given time?

The road is paved for the return of King Kalou.

That's not the only reasonable explanation. And I'm not even his biggest fan.