Blue Armour

Clearly, not.

I wanted you to clear doubts, not raise new ones!

What a convenient time for Ramires to miss out...just in time for the red imps... Anyone know if Lampard will be available for this one?

I don't know if we'll see it again any time soon... that season was all about a group of experienced pros at their prime..Its their experiencethat allowed us to figure out our opponents so easily and quickly, and dominate the matches..That's why we had so many high-scoring matches, scoring within the first 15 minutes of a lot of games as well...

Lol...same here...even more so from the fact that QPR couldn't do shit..

Phew...glad that's over...good thing that Mike Dean loves giving penalties... Can't really criticize Torres when the two wingers on either side weren't doing their job well either..Its appalling to see him forced wide so many times!

Essien please...need better distribution from the middle...Our front 3 seem to lack ideas at the moment....

Whatever happened to ROYAL BLUE? Our kits are starting to look more like City's baby blue....

But the difference this season is that we're also screwing up just like Arsenal in certain games. Ever since that win against City, we've never really made an attempt to climb up the table. The fact that we're still fourth owes a lot to Arsenal's demise, but how long can we continue to count on Arsenal this season?

Its not a question of whether Arsenal is better than us...The fact is we have several tough fixtures yet to played, and are screwing up the easier ones (like Norwich) at the moment...This 5 point gap between us and Arse could vanish, if our lack of goal-scoring form continues into Feb.... As for the Jan transfer, I will continue to hope for a 2nd signing, until AVB definitively states that there will NOT be any transfers this month

Its too bad that I have to use google translate to read your article in full . However, I really appreciate the thought and effort that went behind this article, as well as behind some of the other posts you've made here.Job well done. Although I think I got the gist of your article, I still feel its Nando and not your article that needs to convince anyone that things are turning for the better.

That piece was interesting, but I have to disagree with the author regarding a couple of things..: 1. Why should Chelsea look into Willian's ability and productivity in the coming 6 months? If the clubs scouts are any good and have lined him up as a possible target this Jan, they would have already been monitoring his progress for the past several months. 2. While it is sensible not to splash cash on a player that is cup-tied, I don't exactly agree with the author when he says there is "no rush" to bring in a player like that to the bridge. Our top 4 spot could be in jeopardy, and there might not be any Champions League incentive to bring this player or any other player this summer

Willian keen on Chelsea move: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4086886/Willian-keen-on-Chelsea-move.html Quotes from the player are included, but its from the Sun though...

It basically goes to show that if the players around Mata made the most of the chances he created, he would be topping all the stats...

That's what you call 'commitment'.

count on what? The fact that he will be loaned or the fact that we'll get another winger?

Another one for the future.. Not going to complain about that, but what about one for the now?

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.