Superblue

re: Conte comments on counter-attack. I think there is more of an emphasis in his comments about not wanting to sit back without the ball. When we don't have the ball, I'm sure he is still tactically strong and adept to ensure that the team is organised and hard to break down so I don't see his comments being a negative. To be honest there has been times when playing the likes of PSG and Barca in recent years (along with some of the big prem teams away) where I'd like to see a bit more adventure in our game anyway because there is no doubt we have our own players who can hurt these teams but sometimes we've seemed to concerned with what the opposition can do rather than what we can do to them.

Agree, our biggest strength in recent years was through the middle. Not just the so-called 'spine' of the team of Cech, Terry, Lampard and Drogba but we also had the likes of Gallas, Carvalho, Maka, Ballack, Essien. I don't think any other team touched that at the time from front to back. Definitely need to get back to that.

Torn on this one. There is a good chance he rekindles his best form and plays a key role for United, but at the moment he is still at a low level and whilst most of our other big players like Fabregas, Hazard and Costa have at least shown signs of improvement in the second half of last season, he never did and struggled to even get in the team mostly. We are not going to sell him abroad for the sort of money that United would be prepared to pay and if that helps us get other targets which will both improve the team and help to mould it into the identity that Conte wants then I think it should be considered. If we were able to bring in Nainggolan and Kante partly on the back of letting Matic go then I would support it. I wouldn't sell to them for anything less than £35-40m though. See just how much Jose wants him.

Yeah but I think the long term approach is the continued blooding of people like RLC. I think Tomo has mentioned a couple of times, which I agree with, one season out of the champions league is not catastrophic as long as we get back in. Any longer than that and we could end up for a few seasons in the wilderness like Liverpool. For that matter short term is hugely important. We have some talented young players for the long term approach and having the right mix of experienced pro's around them in the squad along with opportunities for them at the right times will develop this whilst also making sure we make our short term goals of getting back to the top end of the table next season.

I can understand where you are coming from with this. For me, I'd actually like to see us move for Lassana Diarra. We should never have sold him in the first place, I do think he was on the cusp of breaking out in the team. He would offer a similar role (perhaps not as dynamic at his age but much more experienced), short term impact which we need to a degree to get back up into the top 4 and beyond, cost effective too which would probably allow us to bring in another midfielder whilst potentially letting Mikel and Matic both go. If we moved back to adopting three in midfield, we could have Fabregas, a new midfielder (say Nainggolan or someone of that ilk), and possibly Diarra and Loftus-Cheek rotating and competing for the third spot. Diarra the short term, RLC the long term.

The two biggest things we lack in our midfield is legs and breaking up play. Kante definitely does both and in my opinion would fit the type of player we do need. My biggest concerns with him would actually be is he a one season wonder (not sure about his time in France so just judging on the premier league) and, with all due respect to Leicester and what they accomplished last season, can he step up to the next level and pressure of a bigger club. Scott Parker springs to mind when I think about this, somebody who simply thrived being a 'big fish'.

Hmm, not sure about Real Madrid. I think it could be interpreted either way to be honest. His tactics in his second spell with us got found out a lot of times, be interesting what he does with United.

How do you know he's learnt from his mistakes? When he came back the second time to us he said he had gained experience and learnt from mistakes previously so that this time he was ready for the long term and look what happened. If anything going on his past experience, he's shown no signs, nor willingness to learn from his mistakes and adapt.

Without hopefully sounding bitter and biased, I don't think its a foregone conclusion that he will do as well as people are already expecting him to. In his first spell here, he was young, vibrant and fresh. Our version of the 4-3-3 was actually pretty new at the time, certainly in the premier league. The role of the holding midfielder, even little things like putting more people up the pitch when defending our own corners. He brought so many new ideas and he was bold and aggressive. In his second spell here I didn't see any of this. If we all stand back and look at things. In his first season back I don't think we were anything special. At times we played some really piss poor, boring football. I actually think we played better in the previous season under Benitez and I don't think we would have done any worse were he in charge that year. Last season was obviously successful but we only really played well in the first half of the season and managed the second half of the season. I think this season shows not just how poor we've been, but how poor the likes of United, City and Arsenal have all been, but they were the same last season and I think we simply took advantage of that just like Leicester have done this year. I feel that Jose doesn't seem to have the same spark for new ideas and tactics that he once did and seemed almost outdated the second time around. Whether Conte is the right choice remains to be seen, but I am excited that we have a young manager with new ideas and a more youthful energy, like the first time Mourinho was here. There is a new breed of managers like Klopp, Conte, Pochettino who play a very aggressive, expansive and pressing game and I like it. I think it's bold, and I think when done right with the right players it's devastatingly effective. I'm excited the direction we're heading in to be honest.

Whilst the likes of Cech, Ashley Cole, Lampard and Drogba have gone, we have managed to replace these players for the most part pretty well when the worry would always be how we would cope without them. But this guy has never been replaced properly. At the time nobody could hold a candle to him with regards to a box to box player. Everybody used to refer to people like Lampard and Gerrard as box to box but teams were built around them to allow them to flourish attacking (hence why they were so piss poor together for England). This guy was a genuine box to box player and in his prime I can't ever remember a player being able to dominate him.

I can't remember where I heard it, but pretty sure one of the players did an interview recently (might have been Begovic) and said that they had a conversation with Conte in English and he already speaks the language well which will be a huge positive if true. However, funnily enough I heard Ancelotti on TalkSport today and he said when he first came over and was still learning the language, he told the players that when he was angry with something he would shout at them in Italian so even though they might not know what he was saying, he could fully express his mood and feelings and they would be able from that to understand how angry he was. So I'm sure there are ways in which Conte can show that fire and passion to the players at times, even if he isn't fluent enough in English to start with.

Apparently this is something that Peter Kenyon did when Jose was first here, and image rights weren't as big an issue as they are today. Fair play to him. Not fully sure but my understanding is we own the rights to the name and signature of Jose mourinho as a brand and marketing tool, ie mourinho mugs, banners, etc. Now given the global brand that United have and the brand and marketing appeal Jose holds in his own right I would imagine these rights would be fairly lucrative to them. Real good opportunity for us to milk some money out of them, we still owe them for screwing us over mikel!!!!

I will always appreciate and hold Mourinho in high regard based on his achievements at Chelsea. But the love-in that he receives off some is way over the top. There is something about him that makes you love him when he's on your side but absolutely loathe him when he's not, and I think joining United will only increase such an emotion. And let's be honest, he is one of the biggest mercenaries in modern football, no matter his insistence that he is 'one of us' wherever he manages. There is just no way in my opinion that his two spells at the club, given the fairly brief stints they were, can hold him up to some of the players we've had who have given twice or three times as long to the club, including dedicating their best peak years for the Chels.

I don't think we'll be far off. I'll be amazed if we didn't at worse make top 4 next season.

There seems too much media speculation. It looks like if we can get a new first choice striker through the door then we'll let Costa move on. There has been a lot of talk since last summer that he is unsettled and wants to go back to Spain. Still not sure on Lukaku. On his day he's a world beater and will obviously get better. But he still isn't anywhere near the finished article which is a risk and I begrudge paying that much money for him a couple of years after selling him. Makes us look such big idiots.

I'd agree they have the most talented squad but I wouldn't say 'comfortably'. IMO they have just as many gaps to fill as everybody else. Defensively they are very suspect, particularly if Kompany continues to struggle with injuries. Fernando, Fernandinho and Delph are all serviceable but none strike me as the type of player Guardiola builds his midfield around. Silva has had injury problems, Sterling, whilst good, I still think is vastly overrated. They place a heavy reliance on Aguero and De Bruyne. I think a lot of work is needed there too.

I think Balanta may have got quite a bad injury which has hindered his progress. I have heard he has a lot of potential, and Conte seems to have a good record of developing players from fairly modest transfer fees. My biggest concern would be with his age and inexperience, our primary target should be an experienced top drawer centre back for now. We have some very good young centre backs already attached to the club.

If we can buy 2 or 3 players to plug the holes in our squad we have to be considered big contenders for the title based on the facts that: 1. We still have a core of top players in our squad and adding to this will only make us stronger. 2. No European football. This is the best possible thing for Conte as if he is looking to radically change our tactics, style of play, etc he'll have plenty of time to implement this without the burden of playing and travelling around europe. We should have a fitter, fresher team next season. 3. Until any teams make their own moves in the market this summer, there is no team in the league which is head and shoulders above everybody else.

You roll the dice with Mourinho. He gives you short term success and trophies, but his ways will always leave problems long term by which time he is long gone. It's hard now in hindsight to decide whether bringing him back was a good idea. On one hand we won two trophies including a league title we hadn't challenged for properly since we last won it under Ancelotti. On the other hand he has let seriously talented young players leave and left huge holes in our squad which we are paying for now. United have rolled the dice though and I think rightly so. Their brand and appeal needs trophies and Jose will get them back up towards the top of the league challenging them to make sure short term they don't fall further behind and end up like Liverpool. Long term though it will be interesting to see what damage United suffer for the chance they are taking.

I wouldn't want us to buy any more than 3 players this summer. 4, 5, 6 players could quite easily leave and it would give opportunity for the gaps to be taken by some of the younger players. Remember no European football next season which should mean a fitter, fresher squad with less niggling injuries. We won't need as many players as we've previously used. Hopefully a good season next year and back into the Champions League. Our smaller squad will then need beefing up which will mean one or two additions along with a couple more of the younger players being drafted into the first team. This is a great opportunity to finally start bringing some of them through and I hope Conte is given some chances to be able to do so.

The more I read about Conte and look into his career so far, the more excited I am getting about it. He seems to have a lot of Mourinho's best traits - tactically strong, great motivator, confident in his own abilities. However, where I think he will potentially excel where Mourinho couldn't is giving more opportunities to younger players and getting more out of the squad players. This has always been a weakness for Mourinho, along with his methods just completely burning out players. I've always felt the reason for this is Mourinho's lack of a professional football career himself. The experience he has missed at this stage has left him with no understanding of how young players develop and require the patience and confidence of their manager. Similarly his need to manage the whole squad and not just the core 11 or 15 players that are used mostly, and as a result dealing with the emotions of football players. Most managers at the top level have had some sort of football playing career at a reasonable standard. I think this will be where Conte can excel where Mourinho couldn't. The stories of how he motivated and pushed Pogba, he could very well get a similar tune out of RLC. Or if he starts to play three at the back, maybe Clarke-Salter or Tomori might push through? Perhaps playing two up top will bring through Bertrand Traore? If he proves that he'll play players who are playing well enough and not just on reputation it naturally brings EVERYONE up a level, with those not currently in the team sub-consciously raising their standards knowing that they have a genuine chance of getting back in the team. The other thing remembering Conte as a player is he was someone who made the absolute most of his ability, because he was never blessed with heaps of natural talent but worked as hard as he possibly could to play at the very highest level. He won't let players relax and ease off. Sometimes I watch how pedestrian the team is, and I just think a bit of hard work and better fitness to press teams and play at a higher intensity for longer periods would make a huge difference. I think we have arguably one of the best fits to make something like that happen.

For me if the club have offered £60k per week is reasonable. Yes it's a huge pay cut but if you take out China, the Middle East and the MLS (which apparently isn't an option for him) which all would involve a huge up-root of his young family and massive cultural changes, he will not get big money anywhere else. Lot's of players by Terry's age or even younger start moving to smaller clubs or even down the divisions, and will be paid a fraction of what they were being paid at their peak. It's easy to say the argument 'who would ever accept a 60-70% pay cut' but where else would you get rewarded by doubling or trebling your money for 6-12 months good work and performance. Football is so volatile you cannot compare it to anything else. With regards to Terry, in his last long term contract he was being paid approx £170k per week and was our highest paid player (this following City wanting to buy him). Now I'm not saying he's not a legend or one of our best players, but he was being paid more than the likes of Cech, Lampard and Drogba who it can be argued were just as, if not more vital than him to the team at the time. During this time he must have been the highest paid defender in the world too (or very close). However since that point only Ancelotti's first season and last season you could argue he was at the top of his game and justifying such a wage as one of the best defenders in world football. A lot of his legendary status is actually built prior to this period. And that is the biggest problem the club has, that his last contract was way over the odds for what we should have paid him and now bringing him in line where he should be now was always going to create such a problem. If he stayed on a wage of £100 - 120k per week, he would still be in or around the top 5-10 paid defenders in the world. He is nowhere near that level anymore and Chelsea cannot justify paying him such a wage on that basis. It also creates potential problems going forward. If Zouma comes back to full fitness and form and becomes first choice but is paid a fraction of what Terry is who isn't playing, he'll want a bigger contract. Same for any of the younger players if they start pushing ahead of Terry in the pecking order. Someone who looks like he will not be first choice next season cannot be paid such a huge wage. As some have said I would expect such a contract to be heavily incentive based so that if Terry is in the team, playing well and the team is winning, then the bonuses on top of his basic will probably get him closer to the £100k per week bracket.

If true, £110m a season in sponsorship for just our kit provider, kit sponsor and training ground sponsor is some going. The board get regularly criticised and some of it, particularly recent transfer strategy, is justified, but they continue to produce with these sorts of deals and helps keep us competitive at the top end currently even with our small capacity at the Bridge.

Hoddle is the first one I can remember and I can still remember how exciting it was when we got Mark Hughes and Ruud Gullit. On the face of things, it doesn't look like he did that great, but he brought in a new philosophy and his name alone was the building block to attract the first big name players to the club in that era. I think he has to be given a solid 7 for this. Gullit has to be seen in a similar way. His star power helped continue the work Hoddle started. Lebouef, Di Matteo, Vialli and most importantly Zola. It is forgotten some of the players that we had during the Hoddle and Gullit reigns and just how sub-standard they were. I was at the 97 cup final and it was phenomenal to get that first major trophy since the 70's. Vialli also took us over where we were in the semi finals of the league cup and cup winners cup too (albeit behind in both from the first leg) so further silverware could have been on the horizon with Gullit. However hindsight says it was the right decision, particularly given his spell at Newcastle after us and some of the dross he brought for them. 7.5 Vialli was my favourite from my childhood. We played such good football, won some trophies and it's forgotten just how close we came to winning the 98/99 league title. Poyet getting crocked I think was critical. He just seemed to have this infectious personality and passion. Again though similar to Gullit, it's strange that such a young promising coaching career never developed after us. 8.5 Ranieri was solid if unspectacular. He re-built an ageing squad in a time when the club was struggling somewhat financially. The purchase of Lampard and emergence of Terry were huge accomplishments now in hindsight. Ironically when you consider what he has done at Leicester this season, his best work for us was in the last season before Roman brought the club, getting us in the top 4 having spent no money the previous summer. 7 Mourinho in his first spell was obviously beyond people's wildest imaginations what we could accomplish. The first league title and how we steamrolled to it was out of this world. And the media forget how good we played that season, regularly scoring 3 or 4 a game. The core of the squad he built and developed lasted well after his spell. It's not quite perfect as he did leave us at our lowest ebb in his spell and just seemed when the going got tough, he was off. 9.5 Avram Grant was reasonable, and brought a calming influence to the club. However it seems a lot was to do with influential players and Steve Clarke as his no 2. Getting to a Champions League final was great, but at the end of the day we lost it. 6 Scolari was a terrible fit. A long time out of club coaching and poor English. The start was positive, but he soon got found out and was out of his depth. Tactically and physically it was probably the poorest I've ever seen the club. 3.5 Hiddink's first spell was superb. Again it's hard to ascertain with the 'temp' managers we've had how much is down to them and how much down to the players but I think he used his experience and likeable personality to push the club on. I do also believe the momentum we had at the time we would have won the champions league that season if we weren't screwed in the Barca semi. 8.5 Ancelotti I liked. Our double season was superb, the Wigan game was just such a great way to finish the season. The second season was not good at all, but we did manage to get second in the end. I would've liked to have seen him given more time at the club. 8 AVB was like Scolari, out of his depth. The strong dressing room we had was always going to be a problem for such a young and inexperienced manager. Particularly as he seeked to change a lot of things at the club. 4 Di Matteo on a temp basis. How much credit you can give him again is up for debate but what he did was go back to basics and work with what he had which was a strong, experienced core of players. His own standing with the Chelsea fans also helped pick the club back up and get the fans backing the squad. The league form was still patchy although it was clear that had become lowest priority. The Champions League moments against Barca and Bayern that season will never be surpassed for drama and emotion IMO. 9 Di Matteo permanent just didn't work. Bringing in younger players and looking to play a more expansive style never suited him. Although losing Drogba and being hamstrung with Torres wasn't ideal! 5 Benitez was similar to Hiddink in a way. He used his vast experience to build the club back up again and I thought he came out of things very well given how much stick he took from us. His Liverpool connections will mean he'll never be liked much but I still have a respect for him and how he helped the club. 7.5 Mourinho second spell is the most difficult to grade. We won the league again and he brought in some good players. However we also made some serious errors letting players go who would've stayed IMO with a manager happy to work with less experienced, younger players. The state he left the club in cannot be forgotten. 7 Hiddink like Mourinho, I think tarnished his legacy here more than enhanced it. Just has not had the same impact as previously and not played younger players enough given our season has been over for the past couple of months. 5.5 I think I've remembered everyone!

I don't want to keep arguing with Choulo over whether the board is or isn't wrong with their contract offer. The fact is the offer is there now. The money part shouldn't be an issue. Even if he is having to accept a pay cut to say £80 - 100k per week, the only likely place to pay more than that would be China which let's face it is a huge culture shift for him and his family and poor standard of football. That choice would be all about the payday. The only part is a reduced role. Terry has to consider two things. 1. Does he back himself to prove people wrong? The assumption may be a reduced role, but if Terry performs well then he'll play games next season simple as that. You cannot predict injuries that others will suffer either. He's been asked to prove himself for these contracts each year and the challenge will again be set. 2. Terry has been given the option of completing an incredible legacy. He can be a one club player, probably the last of a dying breed at the top level. He has the chance to retire at Chelsea which none of the other top players from that group could do. He also has the chance to carry his legacy on by helping usher in a new era and a new crop of young talent at the club, mentoring the likes of Zouma, and perhaps Christensen, Ake or Clarke-Salter.