MHL 47

He did, and does so regularly. He says thanks on his own and wanders off.Used to do the same at Madrid and that other team he played at. He also has publicly stated how much he values the fans at Chelsea supporting him through his 'tough' times here, when it was 'easy' to support him at that other team.

He deserves that mark just because he's not Ross Turnbull!!

For Mr. Cundy, remember to tell them that "spite is never lonely, envy is rarely far behind". Don't think Jase will be getting a frontline job at Sky or the BBC anytime soon!

And that's the point, the ruling said that the employee or the employer is liable for this levy/tax. If the clubs don't pay it, then the player will have to, and by means of the law.There will maybe be a few who'll want to jump ship and quick, perhaps the clubs will want to get them out just as quick.

The French High Courts ruling that top earners (or their employers) will be liable for 75% tax for 2013 and 2014 earnings may have an effect on player availability. Might not apply to Monaco players (tax-free status?) but will certainly apply to PSG and other French clubs. There's a big hit there either for the player or the club.

Just got back from the game, floods all over the place. I thought we had a bright first 15mins in the first half, then Southampton pressed in midfield and we kept on getting the ball stuck in the centre of the pitch. Encouraging signs defensively though, just like Jose's first spell if we are threatened people are putting their bodies in the way with blocks, tackles etc. Long may that continue. The subs definitely changed the game, they provided width with an end product. What I mean is Schurrle provided width but with no positive outcome for us when he did get it. As soon as the subs came on there was a decernable end product, either an assist or a decent cross/cut back. Both Willian and Oscar stretched, committed and beat their markers/full backs. While one stayed wide the other came in towards the centre. Great second half and the second half of the half was particularly impressive. Energy and concentration was excellent, particularly considering the 4 games in 9 days we've played. Jose gave Michael Essien the last 10mins, nice touch and Essien gave, what I took to be a final farewell wave after the final whistle. If this was his last game farewell to 'The Bison', one of the most powerful players I've seen. Nice little song sang to the home fans as they were streaming out in their droves with 5-10 minutes to go - "oh when the saints, go marching out, oh when the saints go marching out....................."

Just hope that the bit of euphoria that follows the result yesterday doesn't effect the effort and application the team put into Thursday's match. We were outplayed there in the league game last season and I hope that Jose has them ready. We've three away games on the bounce now, all in their own way very tough games. City and Arsenal aren't dropping many points at the moment so we need to get the wins necessary to cement our top 4 position, keep pressure on our rivals and our title hopes alive.

Regular and repeated voices was the point I think Jose was making with a view to getting balanced media opinions. Hoddle, Butch, Uncle Albert all are bit part players, as is Gullit who is as pro-Chelsea as they come. We must have made an impression on him, despite what dear Ken did to him! Minto rarely has any opportunity on his Spanish football show to make any comment on us. Cundy lost his gig on Sky as soon as he started to display any inkling of a pro-Chelsea bias that the masses would find unpopular. I'd agree that Neville is pretty fair as regards us. Squeaky boy Carragher just pisses me off looking at him never mind having to listen to his tripe. Redknapp is full of soundbytes, clichés and un-original thoughts.

The only positive Chelsea one I can think of who gets a national voice is Pat Nevin, who is usually very fair and balanced. However his POV only gets across on an odd occasion. Andy Townsend he plays to his paymasters requests and isn't very positive (trying to be unbiased myself there). Craig Burley - he's as anti-Chelsea as they come (1994 cup final?), anyway he's a tosser. All the people Jose named in his interview have weekly/daily media exposure i.e. Lawrenson, Hanson, Thompson, Jamie Redknapp, Gary Neville. I may have missed one or two. TV has massive Liverpool bias, Radio tends to be Spuds, Arse and the written press has Red written through them with the odd claret and blue splatter.

That Spud supporting idiot Danny Kelly has been bleating all morning about Jose. Kelly has the needle on two fronts - he's a spud and has had the 'pleasure' AVB and he also works for BT Sport who missed out on the best game on TV for weeks. Haven't got BT Sport myself so I'm not sure if Jose gives a lot of his time to them, well as much as he gives to Sky? They only moan when you're a threat to the established 'normality' and Jose, in his own way told it too them straight - there's no one with a Chelsea background doing regular pundit work (week-in, week-out). Butch does a bit, here and there but that's it.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!SHOCK - Liverpool fans blame someone else for their own or their teams shortcomings. There'll be rumours soon that Webb's dad was involved at Hillsborough and that Junior was getting a pop back. There'll be petitions, demonstrations, e-mail bombardments and requests for an official inquiry into the result. In the meantime they'll re-write 'istory', forgetting they were to blame for other extremely serious events and expect everyone else's complete sympathy. Remember the very apt words to the song sung at them - "Always the victim, never to blame"

Like I previously said, we've now got the right man for the job. Stop with the negative waves, and have faith.

Tactical lesson taught today. Jose smacked Rodgers behind, told him he was a naughty little boy & sent him to bed without any pudding. Losing Lampard hurt us a bit and we lost a little bit of control in midfield, but still created chances to extend the lead. Webb was a joke, giving us next to nowt. Hazard was a threat all game and worked hard backwards all game. Oscar good and Willian gets better with every game.

Jose will have figured out the best way to get the result. My guess is we'll compress the two lines of defence, play deep and offer no space for them to have their runners to move into or for them to play their 'wall balls' back into (watch the City game yesterday). We will play counter attacking football and look to exploit their apparent weaknesses at corners and deep free kicks. Personal match ups might be crucial, Hazard v Johnson looks to be one that could work to our advantage. Would love Torres to bury that demon of that missed chance in his very first game for us against them. Would I like us to have a free bash at them - ideally yes, however play to our strengths, try to nullify theirs and exploit their weaknesses. At this point of the teams development and current form! This may be our best way to get the result. Make no mistake this I'd a game not to lose - for either team.

Overrated, nasty little man, with nasty ways of dealing with people who he made issues with and his lack of man management skills then couldn't deal with. Jose wouldn't promote him, I'd be more inclined to trust Jose's judgement than yours.To answer your question, being "a busy fool" has little, if in fact no relation to ego. I'd guess more at being out of his depth being the cause of it, or perhaps insecurity. Deep down he may know his limits, but his ego won't allow him to admit it. You've got quite a collection of pictures of him haven't you! Have you a bit of a crush?

The point I was making was Drogba in him pomp and at his best was a beast, it was like having two men up there. We've done nothing to replace him or create a style where a striker, any striker will flourish.It's not Torres's fault or any single player, it's the short-term ism that's been created by the club. Sturridge was not and Lukaku may not be the answer. Sturridge, in my opinion will crash and burn at Liverpool, just an opinion I have of him and his persona. Lukaku wants space to run into, we don't play like that. Liverpool built their attacking style around Torres and won knob-all because of that. Things have to change, systems and personnel, for us to see a 20/30 goal a season man - or find another Didier. Drogba played the last 4 seasons for us managing a knee condition, makes him that bit more remarkable really.

He might, although it's no certainty for us. I'd have money with you he wouldn't get 50+ like he does in Spain.Our goals, and for a good few seasons get shared around. That's why when the midfield doesn't score we struggle a bit.

I think Carlo has this one spot on, the brief interlude being Carlo's own time here.We could have Luis Edison Falcao playing for us and he'd have trouble getting 20 goals a season in the PL for us because of this style. Drogba was exceptional, now he's gone, there's a Drogba sized hole - that won't get filled. There truly was 'one Didier Drogba' and we've not found a solution to the situation since he went.

Even at a time such as the end of his job Franco maintains a dignity, class and humility above most. AVB should go and learn some life lessons from the great man. Good luck Gianfranco.

Notice anything about the people referred to...............no? All at Porto. No Chelsea or Spuds there old boy, "why's that?" you could ask. Cause he went power crazy, thought he was better than he actually was and let his ego get the better of any sense he once may have had. Try asking Frank Lampard, or Anelka, or even Alex. AVB was such a control freak and nasty bit of work he took away petty things like car parking spaces at the training ground. He isolated the pair of them. Do you know why? I have been told simply because they failed to understand his "tactics" and asked him to explain in more detail. Ego Maniac, almost certainly. All your quote shows is that he, at one stage and at Porto, behaved like a human being. Good bye to bad rubbish. I picked him to be a fraud after about two months with us, the players had him sussed and his lack of talent or ability to adapt got him sacked (now twice). That in turn led to the single greatest moment in my long time supporting Chelsea. Am I glad he went, oh yes,! You might have him down as a saint, I just think he's a very silly boy, who doesn't learn from his mistakes.

Had him down as an odious little ego maniac, who's lack of man-management skills and overly inflated opinion of himself went close to fracturing our team spirit completely. No sympathy with him at all. The highest paid fraud that there's been in football for a while (Di Canio is up there though!). Jose had him spot-on, he wouldn't promote him from his position held at Chelsea and isn't being proved wrong. Nasty little man, who can now sit around and wait for some other gullible non-footballing Chairman to be hoodwinked by him and his techno-babble talking. Don't think it be a top league for him, for a while now.

We've the right man, time for the fans to stop with the empty words such as "we want stability", "give managers a chance", "we don't care if performances suffer a bit and we don't win a trophy for a while" and time to start walking the walk. There's years of instability and lack of leadership/direction to deal with first. I still expect Emenalo to disappear within the next season, there maybe some political manoeuvrings going on for a while before we get the chance to see a 'managers 11'. Trial, mix and match going on right now in my view. For the 'Give Youth A Chance' preachers, there's a chance that one or two of ours at 16-20 year old age group might come through. We've had a few too many 'next great things' that are not quite proving to be that to make big-bets that the new ones will come through. I wouldn't hold your breath for a few years yet though, you might suffocate! Had it on reasonable authority that Barcelona have been watching one or two of this age group so even if we do get a good-un, they get wind of this, agents, parents get greedy, we pay silly sums of money to what are adolescent young men, goes to their head la-di-la. They end up playing for Southend. The managers fault - not a chance!

Lack of penetration - would be three more!

Mikel - Acceptable with the ball when he's facing away from our goal, susceptible to being robbed when half-turned and likely to be robbed when facing our goal and being passed to by the keeper or centre-halves. He's a one-trick pony in his retention of possession under pressure. Namely if he can't protect the ball using his frame/strength he/we're in trouble. Additionally because this is likely to be in our half of the pitch and with other midfielders upfield of him and our full backs stretched out providing width and space, the opposition has a very advantageous attacking situation. Needs replacing soon as, in my opinion, the negatives outweigh the positives. There seems to be a bit of frustration amongst one or two players that the ball gets stuck in front of the back four and doesn't get to them quickly enough, when they may have found themselves space to operate in. That then means that our lone forward is marked tightly as well and has no space to play in or space to run into. We have a bit of a disease with this, and have done for a few seasons. Change is needed, not in formation but personnel. Might see some major changes in the summer perhaps. I too was disappointed not to see De Bruyne start, not to big a risk given the fact that Steaua were possibly the worst side we've faced for years in the CL. Wouldn't hurt to see Oscar play centrally with Lampard (holding) and De Bruyne starting. he could interchange with Oscar certainly and perhaps the holding player. Disappointing performance, but it did the job. Hopefully convinced Jose (if he's not already!) that we need new blood in central midfield and a forward.

Barcelonitus, I hear!