BlueLion.

Can we clone Azpilicueta and play him at right-back as well instead of Branislav "refuse to close down an attacker" Ivanovic?

Agreed he has been a little shaky. My point is that in the past when he's looked shaky, he has always bounced back and demonstrated how good he is. The headache, though - and it is a nice headache to have, in a way - is whether or not to replace him with Courtois. Sadly it is a cyclical argument. The fact is none of us will know what will happen. Mourinho has shown sentiment is not a problem in the way he has replaced Casillas and Cole respectively with better performing players over the last two seasons. I would much rather see Petr leave than be discarded in the same was Casillas was at Real, though.

Each to their own, but I have to pick you up on that point I've highlighted. He's made some absolutely outstanding saves this season, particularly against Bayern in the Super Cup, which for me was his single-best ever performance for us. Every goalkeeper makes mistakes, even when he was at what you would identify as his best in 2004-2006 he made some absolute howlers, but either managed to bail himself out or Riccy Carvalho or JT would do it for him. Then let us not forget how poor he was for large periods in 2008, either side of the Euros, where he was, quite frankly, terrible. Since his head injury his form has peaked and dipped but there are far, far more highs than lows.

Neuer just exhumes confidence. Unbelievable quality as an actual footballer as well. He must have played outfield as a youngster because his control and technique is brilliant. He'd make a decent midfielder!

People don't appreciate what they have until it's gone. Half of the people who want to see Courtois displace Cech will watch this young man come in, thinking he is as good as Cech, and they will only be disappointed. Courtois will, one day, be as good as - maybe even better than - Cech's current standard, but right now Cech is the better keeper. Thankfully we are swapping one world class keeper for another excellent one who has the potential to be world class himself. But, my point stands, if you are to rate them as goalkeepers out of 100 you'd say, if Neuer is the world's best (which he is, no debate necessary) and is realistically rated out of 100 as 90/91, then Cech would be about 88/89 and Courtois would be 86/87. There's just that little gulf in class which will be noticeable, mark my words. Thankfully Courtois is very young and will improve. Will he reach the same levels Cech did, and still does? There is a very good chance of it. But this is a very nice headache to have. United and Arsenal fans look on with envy.

A thread for the goalkeepers of TalkChelsea - and the world - to come together and discuss the art of goalkeeping. To begin with, who else feels like laughing at the guy who struck the free-kick for running away thinking he'd scored?! I certainly did. As an aside, let's have a debate about who the world's best goalkeeper is. For me, it's Neuer.

Exactly, all big names at the peak of their careers. Salah is 21. I don't see you act so judgemental over Hazard or Courtois.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Stories-Coldplay/dp/B00IQE4NUK/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1393865425&sr=1-3&keywords=ghost+stories

26 more points will win us the title. Time to be confident and believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lytZ7fYOlgU

Or maybe one of those "typical Mourinho signings" like Drogba, Essien, Ballack, Carvalho, Ferreira or Ashley Cole?

Thanks B! x

Close and reopen your browser. Then press Ctrl+F5 to force refresh the cached page.

I have no idea how to change the skinset to make the main site work, though. I leave the technical shizzle to Jim, but hopefully you should all be able to access the forums at least, which is the most important thing.

Your face will be like a polo when I'm finished with you, mofukka!

I've put the forums in performance mode. There is an issue with one of the hooks - possibly for Twitter, Facebook, etc., which has affected the code of the site's skin. By disabling these until the boss is back to have a look at it, we should be fine.

Make. Or. Break.

The irony is both Hazard and Schurrle were dire in the first half...

Crazy - dire in the first half but majestic in the second. More of that please, Andy!

He did a decent job for us today, I felt. Very unfortunate not to have scored. Led the line well - might have scored two goals on another day. Lovely assist, decent link-up play. 9 goals and 4 assists in 17 starts, I'll take that.

I don't fuck about.

Andre Schurrle scored a sixteen-minute hat-trick to hand Chelsea a comfortable London derby win over struggling Fulham - at the same time as extending their Premier League lead to four points. With supposed title chasers Arsenal succumbing to a surprise loss at Stoke City, the stage has been set for a late surge to the league championship as José Mourinho's men moved clear of their London rivals thanks to Schurrle's treble. The German winger cut a peripheral figure in a disappointing first half, but it was through his explosive combination play with Belgian magician Eden Hazard that the Blues were able to overcome a stoic, determined Fulham side that was looking to impress on new manager Felix Magath's home bow. Schurrle's first came just seven minutes after the interval as he clinically slotted beyond the advancing Martin Stekelenburg, and he again showed conviction just after the hour mark to double Chelsea's lead. Petr Cech's hoof upfield was then neatly flicked on by the industrious Fernando Torres, allowing Schurrle to smartly finish to complete his impressive treble - and whilst Fulham did pull back a consolation goal that their first half showing had warranted, the Blues' magnificent performance after the break will leave few in doubt of their serious title credentials. The result is all the more impressive after a below-par performance prior to the break, with many players seemingly struggling from the typical hangover following the cross-continental trip to Istanbul for Wednesday's draw with Galatasaray. But through that explosion of dynamism from the German international and fellow midfield man Hazard, the Blues now entertain a four-point lead over Arsenal, who may slip down to third should Liverpool overcome Southampton this evening. With Manchester City taking part in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley tomorrow, they will resume Premier League commitments under extreme pressure, needing to win their brace of games in hand. The one blot on Mourinho's copybook will be John Heitinga's late consolation to deny Petr Cech the clean sheet that would have put him in the lead of the race for the Premier League golden gloves, but the ease and speed with which the Blues moved through the gears this afternoon will please the Portuguese, no doubt. In a lacklustre first half, the best the Blues could conjure was a Fernando Torres that Stekelenburg fabulously saved late on. After a couple of terrible clearances, the Dutch keeper had looked shaky, but that save at least allowed his side to enter level at the break. The best the hosts could conjure was a half-chance for former Blues midfielder Steve Sidwell, but he volleyed well over at the back post. Whatever Mourinho said to his players during the break certainly fired them up, with Schurrle at the heart of everything good about the Blues' much-improved second half showing. The former Bayer Leverkusen man first saw a looping effort deflected over in the half's opening exchanges, but he was not left waiting long in his attempts to find the breakthrough. A delightful surge and reverse pass by Hazard opened up the space for the German to exploit, and his cultured finish beyond Stekelenburg was the goal the Blues' impressive start to the half merited. Hazard then took centre stage as he first teed up Torres with an incredible rabona-style cross, only for the Spaniard's effort to be deflected wide. Unperturbed, the Belgian continued to threaten and recorded his second assist of the afternoon with a gorgeous slide-rule pass that enabled Schurrle to finish with aplomb. Just four minutes later, the hard-working Torres - unfortunate not to have scored, having produced one stunning save and seeing another effort somehow deflected wide - flicked on Petr Cech's goalkick, allowing Schurrle to complete his hat-trick with consummate ease. Fulham managed to make the scoreline look a shade more respectable in the glorious West London sunshine when Heitinga converted his first for the club from Darren Bent's cut-back, but that goal failed to take the gloss off of an important win for Mourinho's men. Next up for Chelsea is the small matter of another London derby clash, this time at home against Tim Sherwood's resurgent Tottenham. With no home league win over Spurs since 2011, Mourinho will know that with the stakes higher than ever, another three points is a must as the Blues juggernaut ominously rumbles on.

He has been dire since scoring that hat-trick.