Las7

All I'd say is that if we buy a guy like Remy to replace Sturridge I would be deeply disappointed. If we are not gonna give a guy like Sturridge a chance what's the point of signing a worse player to replace him in the squad.

Well it was on the cards after the first matches and his injury, he won't play much in our next 4 games either. There needs to be fundamental change in how we treat Sturridge before the winter transfer window for any change to occur. Can't say I'd blame him if he leaves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxYnZWTORfg&feature=youtube_gdata Poor Paraguayan defender made to look like a fool - such a lovely finish

Yes, my assumption is that signing a non prolific striker for 15 million pounds to act as a back up to Torres when we have better ones available is ludicrous - especially one whose main assets aren't things we are going to utilize. Ah yes a spanking 2.6 million profit which would be eaten by the inflation of the euro since they signed him. Drogba joined us and had to contend with Crespo for the striking position, but he provided a lot during his first two seasons in fact Drogba was one of the main reasons Lampard started scoring over 20 goals per season, because of his work with laying balls into the path of Lams; Robben and Duff. When people say Drogba took 2 years to flourish its very misleading because I'd say he became key to the way we play in right from the get go and that's the main reason he in the end won the duel with Crespo for top dog leading our attack. Drogba had shown at OM that he is up to the task and had scored over 30 goals in the campaign prior to joining us Remy's totals in comparison are no where near that. I'd say comparing the two is insulting to Drogba

Sturridge was top of the attack at Bolton, he benefited from Davies play but not directly - he didn't get a single assist from a Davies lay back! Go watch his goals instead of coming up with reasons that don't actually have any factual basis - watch his positioning and the fact that he was played ahead of Davies who would usually come in further back to battle for the ball. Do you think Kevin Davis is better laying off balls than Drogba? Sturridge didn't play a single game in the EPL as a Starter during that year in Chelsea - when he was given a start against MSK Zilina; Newcastle and Ipswich he had 4 goals in 4 matches. We would never know whether Sturridge would have scored the same amount of goals had he been given a chance after new year - my opinion is that he would have outscored anyone of our strikers with ease if he was given the same kind of backing that Anelka; Torres and Drogba received that season. Had we played Sturridge and actually had a forward that could put the ball in the back of the net it's entirely feasible that Carlo would not have been sacked either. Chelsea didn't give him a "kickstart" all we have done here is stall his development - he was signed years ago and has played maybe 5 games in his preferred position with the rest of our reserves in meaningless fixtures. Compare the "kickstart" we have given Sturridge to the "kickstart" SAF had given to Welbeck or Hernandez in front of Berbatov. Compare the amount of games Mario Balotelli has played for Man City leading the line despite the numerous forwards they have there. Compare the amount of time our rivals this season have played their second/third/forth choice forwards to what we have given Sturridge(10 minutes up top against QPR - while he was on the bench for our first 7 fixtures). We will never really know how good or bad Sturridge is up top until he is given a fair chance - something that has not been given to him. Even after he scored 8 goals in 12 games playing against the same defenders which our front line of Drogba/Anelka/Torres were unable to outscore combined during the same period. Next season Sturridge was back at Chelsea playing on a new position as a right winger who doesn't have a good enough right foot or training to actually make use of this position he was asked to play - he ended up cutting in moving into positions which our strikers should have been and outscoring them yet again. AVB gets sacked - Sturridge's form and time on the field go into the gutter and he is back at square one with our new manager. Now it's yet another season where he is the only alternative to our first choice forward who he had outscored 2 seasons in a row barely getting 10 minutes on the field. You call that" kickstart" I call that a kick in the balls. Great... we have came to the conclusion that Remy is not stupid yet nowhere did I mention such a thing - I mention that his best assets are concerning his physical capability and that won't translate too well as he ages. If he was so great OM would want more money for him instead of actually selling him at loss. How many times do we have to go over the fact that with Hazard; Oscar and Mata the crosses pumped into the box are going to be few and far between. It's like signing Caroll for godsake - sure might be a great player for side that plays a certain way but for a top club that doesn't rely on crosses he is the odd man out. Remy "could" improve, Drogba was still miles ahead of Remy at that age so he would have to improve with leaps and bounds. Also you should mention to Torres that his finishing should improve with age, maybe he forgot and that's why he is missing sitters

Until a striker that has done well in the French League actually does well here I'm going to assume that either French League is worse defensivly or League One strikers have a hard time adapting. I'm not opposed to signing a League One striker provided he is young enough and talented enough to improve here rather than sign as a squad player who is in no way shape or form better than Lukaku and Sturridge. My bad, they lost the final to Valencia - still made it far further into the European Cups than OM has done since than and Drogba had 11 goals in 16 appearance in Europe that season, showing far more to a wider audience than Remy. His contract expires in the summer of 2015 Which basically means if OM is looking to sell him for a lower price than what they paid - they don't think he is ever going to develop into a good enough player. You are unable to read I said When we signed Kalou he was 21 year old - if we sign Remy he will be 26 year old ? At 21 Kalou could have become a good player for us, for 9 million pound it wasn't much of a risk - he turned out decent but never lived up to his potential - Remy at 25 could not possibly improve substantially considering his main assets are speed and aerial ability.

1) His price is 15 million pounds 2) He is not more experienced than Sturridge, people here have said he is playing in a similar position as Sturridge/Moses a wide forward position cutting in from the wing and sometimes spearheading the attack. Sturridge has played as a forward in the EPL, something which obviously French League players struggle to do when arriving in England - tell me the last successful French League striker in the EPL - or should I jog your memory it was Drogba but Drogba proved his worth by helping Marseille to a Europa/Uefa Triumph before being signed by us. Sturridge was scoring at a good rate at Bolton against the same defenders we face on a weekly basis - it's management's problem that they do not want to give him a shot. Sturridge scored 11 League Goals last season while Remy's highest total in the French League is 15 and I doubt anyone would contest that EPL is tougher league than League One. 3) Big clubs watched Remy and decided against purchasing him, he was signed my Marseille for a reported 15 million euro and if they are willing to sell him for less it would mean they don't see him improving much at a new club. 4) Difference between Kalou and Remy is age, at Kalou's age he could still improve at Remy's age there is little room for improvement - especially for a player who's main assets are speed and heading ability. Don't get me wrong if Remy is available for under 10 million pounds we should go for it, but paying more than 10 million for a squad player is just a bad decision.

SeB who is going to cross? Who in our current squad actually gets down to the byline and crosses. Ivanovic is our best crosser of the ball, it's a pointless ploy - our squad as I've said earlier is not build for crossing - and it's pointless to do it if you only have one target in the box. Why are we interested in a 25 year old who can improve, you think he would come here and magically improve against far better defenders than the one he faces in League One Bring in a 18-23 y/o - "he could improve". At 25 years a player whose main assets are speed and heading ability cannot improve drastically and Remy would need to improve drastically if he is to be a part of the Champions of Europe - because currently there is no way I'd rate him higher potentially to Sturridge and Lukaku. Mata was not a "good player" he was Valencia's best player at the time we signed him. There is a difference between being Valencia's best player and being a first team player in the French League. My point is that we should not sign a player who would not be an improvement to what we already have within our squad - Lukaku and Sturridge. If you feel that makes me a gloryhunter that's fine by me.

Like I've said it's pointless to sign someone who is 25 y/o to be a Torres back up we have Lukaku on loan - we won't play with 2 strikers up top with the current players we possess - and Remy for 15 million pounds is not a good value considering the type of forward we need. Any parallels between Remy and Drogba are ill advised - Drogba had lead OM to a victory in the Europa/UEFA Cup before signing with us and he had far too many qualities that interested Jose. Compare Remy to other French League forwards who have recently come to England - Giroud; Maiga; Chamakh; Gervinho etc not exactly good track records. We need someone proven in Europe, rather than a striker banging goals in lesser leagues - hell Remy isn't even that prolific.

Good to hear he is playing regularly - I think next season he would be key squad player in central midfield and the wings as Lampard will be mostly fazed out by than. This is why it's always good to have players like KdB who can play in several positions without feeling out of place.

A partnership with Torres is completely out of the question - we have Oscar; Mata and Hazard and all three must play when we want to have our strongest 11 out there. I don't know a single person on this board that would want to drop one of those three players in order for Remy to form a partnership with Torres. We have pacy players already as options and we won't play too many crosses with the current system which compacts players into the middle of the pitch as we look for quick combinations on the edge of the box. What we should get is either a poacher to finish off chances setup by our fab3 or a player to play with his back of the goal and hold up the ball for the likes of Mata; Hazard; Oscar.

In Liga 1 he had 12 goals in 29 appearances(5 goals in the French Cups where OM didn't even make it to a final), he has a history of injury problems is already 25 year old - I don't see how he would be any type of upgrade to Lukaku and Sturridge.

Olympique are top of Ligue 1, while Remy has played in 5 matches mostly as a substitute and hasn't got a single goal or assist to his name - so I'm not sure why we are looking at him last year he played 27 matches as a starter and has 12 goals in Ligue 1 - don't see how that would translate into the EPL. If we are looking at a striker to be a back up to Torres, we should aim a little higher than this guy - don't see him being a better option for us than Lukaku or Sturridge.

I don't think if we sign Falcao we are keeping Torres, if we were looking at a player with lesser wage demands possibly but we can't really have 2 forwards who earn 200k p/w while playing with just one up top. And playing with two up top is counter productive based on the players we bought - it means we need to sit out one hell of a player.

Torres was signed to take over for Drogba but his inability to score goals with the limited service we were providing at the time lead to his downfall, hence he was dropped from the starting line up as we reverted back to 1 person up top. Main reason was that despite Drogba's bad form he still provided far too much in a defensive avenue and we needed stability at the back especially on set pieces. It was criminal that Sturridge wasn't played back then. Only Malouda and Drogba were really productive in that aspect 2010/2011, Drogba ended up with 13 assists in the EPL while Malouda had the most key passes in the League. Even the malaria suffering Drogba was our best creative outlet, while Malouda had maintained good form till December and the arrival of Torres lead him to strange positions . Lampard was poor; Anelka was in awful form; Essien was injured we had no creative potential in that squad - fact is that two years later only Lampard remains. What was Torres signed for in that case? Drogba has never played well with a partner up top - Crespo; Anelka; Sheva proved that. Do we really need to buy a player for 50 million, give him 13 million per season in wages if we plan to rotate him with a 34 year old? I think you should re-read what you wrote. I mean is there even a point in arguing with a person who thinks Torres was signed to be a squad player. Ferreira was a squad player; Sidwell was a squad player; Diarra was a squad player............ Kalou was a forward converted into a winger, he was about as productive as Walcott there - just not as fast. Considering we just had 3 options and you said we have "potential" in the squad I thought that's enough. So all young players must pass some test to be deemed good enough to be given a start at CFC? The B S about Coyle's massive influence is just B S, Coyle just had the balls to play younger players in the EPL things Chelsea weren't prepared to do even as Drogba & Anelka struggled. Same as last year as Sturridge had more goals than Torres and Drogba combine for the AVB reign but was given a total of 1 start up top with the reserve squad in the Carling Cup, same with Lukaku.

That's a revision in history Carlo did try playing with 2 up top but we performed very badly during that time and towards the end of the season we reverted back to Drogba up top. Anelka on the wing with Kalou/Malouda. Essien was back from his injury and was very poor, Lampard was also finding it difficult to gain form and Malouda was one of our worst performers after Torres's arrival due to the more orthodox role he was given and the fact he wasn't really producing the type of form he had in our Double Winning Season. I remember that season and prior to December Malouda was up to par after that he had 1 assist in like 15-20 matches. After December Anelka; Malouda and Kalou had a whopping 5 assists our of around 70 games between them. Sturridge at Bolton outscored Drogba Anelka and Torres combined during that period. Anyone who says that the signing of Torres and Luiz was a smart move ahead of getting wingers and creative midfielders is out of their minds. Thats what I thought at the time even before we had finalized the two transfers - it was obvious that creativity was the main issue because we were barely creating enough chances - something which would repeat the season that followed even with Mata being signed. We had Drogba; Anelka; Kalou and Sturridge so another striker to play two up top was not a necessity especially when you recall the "great games" Anelka had when playing with Drogba up top when he initially came(his first 6 months at the club were awful). Or Sheva before that is another example - Torres was signed to take over for Drogba but he failed to do so and thus Drogba stuck around for another season. I've maintained that the position into which Torres or any other striker we might have signed at the time would have been very difficult(possible exceptions are forwards that create their own chances I know we were linked with Kun and Neymar at the time as well) - I didn't envision the fiasco that followed but was expecting for Torres to be below par in that team. Had we addressed the real issues which were facing the squad and signed Torres in the summer he might have had a great season. In hindsight the whole situation lead us to an unlikely Champions League Victory on the backs of our veterans and Ramires; Luiz; Cahill and Mata.

I don't have high hopes or anything I just know we will sign a striker in the winter and Falcao is everything a top club could look for in a striker. As I've said it's painful to me but Sturridge and Lukaku were given a combined of two games up top a CFC, this year Lukaku was send on loan despite our squad bolstering only two players who can play there and the fact that Lukaku offers something completely different than both. Sturridge was on the bench for our opening 7 fixtures fully fit, he played 10 minutes up top and another 30 on the right wing. Sturridge is also guaranteed not to start in the next four fixtures after the international break, I'm sure Sturridge has had time to reflect during his injury. He is not given a proper chance up top while squads with more strikers have managed to give all the forwards time on the field and this is something I alluded before Sturridge was injured. Sturridge should be starting games and in Liverpool; Arsenal and Tottenham he would have been given a chance up top to prove himself - here he is given 10 minutes against QPR when our whole team started playing chaotically after 80 minutes of pretty much nothing. Sturridge has less time on the field as a striker than virtually every other forward we have signed over the age of 18. I doubt if I was in his position a start with our reserve squad against Manchester United in the Piss Cup is something he would boast about, and looking at our next 4 fixtures thats the only game there is a remote possibility he could actually start up top. Mancini wants to get rid of Dzeko that much is obvious and Balotelli is a difficult character so I could surely see him also wanting to dispose of Mario as well. Like I've said he wanted to sign RvP and now his next target is Falcao, if he ends up signing Falcao we need to make sure we got offers lined up for both Dzeko and Mario I think our main rival for both will be Juve.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/atletico-madrid/transfer-talk/news/mancini-watching-falcao_48937.html The fact they have 4 top class strikers didn't stop Mancini wanting to sign RvP during the summer.

We signed Sheva despite not needing him, we signed Torres despite having far more need for wingers and creative midfielders. To think there is anything logical behind our last 4 additions up top is illogical. If we are not going to give Lukaku and Sturridge opportunities up top might as well sign up someone to really make Torres worry about his position. If City get Falcao, Dzeko and Balo become fare game and we should go for whoever out of the two is on the bottom of the pecking order at City.

We can forget about Falcao, Mancini is watching the game together with Falcao's agent - it's the missing piece of City's puzzle they barely have any strikers

Another goal for Falcao against Malaga tonight 4th minute, can't stop scoring 6 matches 8 goals in the League.

Don't worry about that Spike, I just hope you don't feel insulted like zoyaes - it's not my intention to insult anyone.

You felt insulted because I've been proved correct by facts and you insinuations have been proved wrong? I've proved you and Spike wrong time and time again in this thread, hell Spike admitted he has no clue who is on our bench and when Sturridge was injured. If saying you two are "playing dumb" is something you find insulting I suggest you grow yourself a backbone - I've not even began to insult anyone and this is not why I've signed up on this forum.

At least the fans didn't boo Lampard after his goal today

Our team isn't going to get another penalty in the EPL