Blue Armour

That, I do agree with. We have become too dependent on the big man, but like I said, there are only few ways to resolve it from hereon-out... I take it you want to add more creativity to the squad, and this will help Torres rediscover his good form and also make it easier for other strikers who might join us.. While that may or may not solve the Torres conundrum, I agree it is a necessary step.

Sam, the only right he has is the one his own performances have given. If you can name one striker in our current team who can do a better job than him for sure, and that person has the stats to back him up , then that person should very well be the one to relegate Drogba to the bench. If I remember correctly, Drogba finished last season much stronger than Torres did. Pre-season provided no indication of who would be a better choice, despite the general agreement that the younger, fitter Torres should take over. At the start of the season Fernando showed more promise and even had the goals to back him up. But what followed was a string of terrible performances, during which time the ageing Drogba regained his fitness and was able to put in better shifts in front of goal. So at the moment there is no basis for Drogba to go the bench when his replacements are either : A) Inexperienced to lead the line like Sturridge, Lukaku or Can't score like Torres. This means that without a suitable replacement the manager will be forced to call on his services again. And Drogba knows this, and this is probably why the contract talks are stalling, and the striker is lacking motivation. On the one hand, the club is trying to act tough by saying that it won't be held for ransom, and on the other it is still pleading with Didier to salvage their season. What's the solution? 1. Either the club should stand firm and make their stance clear by telling Drogba they no longer need him. That way things become more simple, and AVB only has to look for his replacement. The con is that we might well be without a goal-scoring CF till that replacement (if there is one) arrives. 2. They hand Drogba the contract he feels he deserves and let him at least serve the club with more interest. The Bottom-line IS: We can all stop worrying about Drogba, if Torres can give us a reason not to. If he was in the good form that he should have been in, none of these pointless debates would be necessary.

Why the fear? If Torres doesn't score (and I hope it doesn't happen) till mid Feb (which is when Didier is likely to return), then there's nothing to lose by replacing him with DD. If he's back among the goals before that, I'm pretty sure he'll retain his starting spot.

Who?

Bar that miss, Torres performed quite decently and does not deserve the blame he has got, but when the team fails to register a goal, the first player that is questioned is the striker. Unfortunately our striker in question also happens to be one of the most inconsistent one out there right now, and is thus an easy target. The only way these critcs will shut up is if El Nino does something himself. Nothing we say can change the situation.

Probably because Sturridge hasn't failed to score from his last 15...? In any case, most of the journos yesterday were commending Torres for a good performance, but they are flabbergasted, quite naturally, when it comes to why he still can't put the ball inside the net.

Was just reading that myself. While what you mentioned is true, it could also be due to the fact that he doesn't get into good positions, or is unable to beat the defender with pace to take shots (like against Newcastle when he opted to assist Kalou). Anyway, am just glad that his current performances are far from the anonymous ones he used to put in at the start of his career here. Always a chance he will score in the next game, even if it appears unlikely.

One reason I'll support this move, if it happens, is the fact that we have already have a Brazilian contingent in our club. This should make it easier for him to settle in the EPL.

That was no joke I'm serious..the real issue is the lack of creativity from our team's midfield...If we had someone to unlock defenses at will, then players like Kalou would have a brace every other match

Kalou also offers the same

As much as I like Hazard, how do you know we'll get him for that? According to the reports, Lille want at least 40

Why doesn't our club website ever do q&a sessions like that? Sigh...

So its either another Brazilian Willian or another Belgian in Hazard...Belgi-Brazi Chelsea!

Demba BAAAA!!! might be a better option from the list of less recognized players, but our club is turning into a death pit for strikers so...

That remains to be seen though...at this stage last season we were 15 pts from the top, now we're 13. And that's without the horrible slump Carlo suffered for 3 months at a stretch. Anyways, as long as we make the top 3 by the end nothing else really matters.

Ramires and Mata have both mentioned hugs in their latest tweets....another AVB tactic?

Like I said in an earlier page,he just needs to learn to drop his shoulder to turn inside the defender..Then with his incredibly speed (and of course his strength) he can make more runs like we saw yesterday..

I have a simple suggestion as to why the goals have dried up recently despite the fact that the defense has shored up in recent weeks: Ashley Cole and the fact that we lack genuine wingers. Cole after being played week in week out, has started to run out of batteries midway through the season and the only sort of wing play that we had on the left hand side has stopped. Ashely rarely got forward yesterday, and as a result Mata is forced to work extra hard on the left, and tries to drift around instead.' If we had genuine wingers , especially on the right, things might have been a lot different. Bring on Hazard, please.

Yes, it is pointless picking out one player and lay the blame on him alone for yesterdays no-show. Mata and Malouda were also guilty of poor finishing, while Meireles and Sturridge hardly had any impact in the game.

Just disagree with the last part...Meireles, Ramires and later Malouda attempted shots...they just weren't good

Oh, must've missed it....now the transfer window's looking a bit brighter

Say it and it will happen, Serbian Oracle

When Drogba and Ramires (who's doesn't have the duty to score) fail to score from 15 games on the trot, then people WIILL give stick. When the team fails to score, everyone will question the main man Now that's totally beside the point....The fact is Torres played really well yesterday, but if that was his best then its a shame. Chances may be limited in a game, but your world class strikers should make the most of the ones they get. Anyways, I just hope he can at least maintain this level of performance and not sink into anonymity again...

Yeah,wish AVB hadn't subbed him so early, because bar the finishing he was at least involved in the build-up play.....Should've removed Sturridge instead, as he was absent for nearly the entire 2nd half

If only we could give up these: And get back these: