BlueLion.

Making the MHL and Shed Lower "safe standing", Bundesliga style, could increase capacity by around 1500, I'm guessing?

Exactly, when you put it that way we did phenomenally well to play Thursday-Sunday every week in 2012/13. It comes down to squad depth, and Arsenal simply cannot compare with us on that.

I wasn't alive so I can't really comment! But it was a wonderful tournament as well. Just really enjoyed Brazil 2014 after how poor South Africa 2010 was.

Cech doesn't know when to go or stay, Courtois always goes... both of them have their weaknesses but I suppose you'd rather have someone be positive all the time than someone who is indecisive.

I don't write match previews, but I can certainly share a few tips I adhere to that I've learnt from those sports writers I've had the pleasure of meeting.

Apart from the whole of the Wycombe game, I've not watched a single minute. Bores the tits off me. Doesn't help that we were spoilt with the best World Cup in football history this summer as well.

Haha touché! Yeah it wasn't amazing.

I don't rate our kits that highly this season - but if we win something in them, I won't mind. Our kits in 2009/10 were shocking, besides the white away and the goalkeeper shirt, but we had our best-ever season. If shit kits means success then I'm all for it

Keeping them in is far more important. Us going out of the UCL in 2009/10 helped us win the league. United had two mammoth matches against Bayern and if you look at their performances after those two matches you can see why we won it. They played Bayern away on a Tuesday, then had a Saturday, 12.45pm kick-off at Old Trafford against us. Then they played Bayern on the following Thursday, and went to Ewood Park and drew 0-0 with Blackburn. The same applies to us last season - those two Atletico semi-final matches were massive distractions to our league performances (the Sunderland game was utterly horrific). That's why we want them to stay in, if we go out early. It works both ways, but I'm happy for Arsenal, Liverpool, City to stay in the UCL as long as us this season, if not longer if we go out early.

Don't really expect my strikers to be good at defending, to be honest. We were spoilt having Didier for eight years. The early indicators are very positive regarding Diego, but I refuse to get my hopes up.

We could sign the world's most attacking full-backs (Dani Alves and Marcelo, for instance), and Mourinho wouldn't let them cross the half-way line. Don't expect anything cavalier from him. Filipe is quality going forward but I doubt he'll get the chance to bomb forward too often unless Ramires is playing - Cesc and Matic aren't mobile enough to cover the marauding full-back.

Is he? I watch Courtois and he is far too cavalier when it comes to dealing with crosses.

No. No thank you.

Bates was a bit of a tit. He had his own vested interest and the clashes he had with Matthew Harding, for instance, demonstrate he was a very egocentric man. However he did a lot of good for the club - we can't forget he helped save the club from bankruptcy and oversaw a period of relative success on the pitch. So whilst there are very negative views about the bloke, he did at least help to put Chelsea on the map. He was a bit of a slimy worm though - he'd pose for photographs and talk to the supporters just for a bit of positive PR. He did a lot to keep us at the Bridge, but he can never be "popular" with the fans for his treatment of club legends like Osgood and Chopper Harris, and for his run-ins with Matthew Harding - the original Mr. Chelsea, who had the fans' interests as his sole agenda. Matthew Harding was one of the last "good men" in football and Bates did his best to kick him into touch. So Bates has a bittersweet place in my memory - he did some wonders for the club (indeed keeping us afloat and at The Bridge are two things he should be commended for), but his desire to make Chelsea a brand (Chelsea Village, what a disaster that was...) and his run-ins with club officials and legends means he'll always be remembered as a bit of a sod at the same time.

How is he a fraud? Is it because he is a footballer motivated by money - even a human being motivated by money? Stone the crows.

If Gerrard leaves Liverpool and decides he wants to go and play in the A-League for Melbourne City F.C., but goes to City to train and stay fit for six months, will he be considered a judas as well? Will he be remembered as "former Manchester City player, Steven Gerrard"? No he fucking won't. The same for Frank.

Wholeheartedly agreed.

We need some new writers so that Alex bastard stops winning the best article writer award every time we have the Forum Awards

People are allowed to be sad over it. But there's being sad over it, and then there's certain people acting like Frank was the guy who shot JFK. It's the people going to such extremes which make this thread pretty hilarious tbh, there are some well thought-out and rational posts in here demonstrating why some people are disappointed, and I accept and respect that. Conversely there are a few absolutely classic posts in here, almost as good as that post by Term X saying Mourinho is dead to him and that we never won back-to-back titles. RAWK-worthy.

The only thing I can say for sure is that Cesc Fabregas is gonna tear shit up.

That old trick was funny the first two times I used it... getting boring now

Post of the century.

Is Kalou a legend? No. But he played more than 250 games for us, scored over 60 goals and registered 40 assists. It's not the most outstanding of records, but for a player who operated out wide, and was mainly used as a substitute, he didn't do too bad for us. And I've seen worse honours lists: Premier League (1): 2009–10FA Cup (4): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12Football League Cup (1): 2006–07FA Community Shield (1): 2009UEFA Champions League (1): 2011–12So, whilst he's not a legend, I'd certainly consider him a Chelsea hero, or icon, as he was part of the team in Munich. I doubt he'll be forgotten easily, even if he is one of the least glamorous members of that squad. He did alright.

1. Chelsea 2. Bolton 3. Argentina 4. Juventus Not sure where Real Zaragoza will finish though.

That's actually an amazing idea... but we'd probably have to call it @TerminatorX-Rants based on this performance.