JDY

All the home games live, and a few away games. Most away games on TV however. The guys who sit directly behind me go to all away games, including U21 games. Serious dedication but requires a lot of time travelling. I would like to do that but don't have the time at the moment.

So so pleased with the performance today & the result. Going to keep this short, but we haven't even hit second gear yet and we are still picking up the points. This was our first real test and we reacted excellently. Terry and the midfield two of Mikel & Ramires were brilliant in particular.

Had a good game today alongside Rami. This partnership is looking promising.

Didn't think the Hulk situation was as bad as this: "Zenit St. Petersburg have been sent a fake bomb with a photo of summer signing Hulk attached to it, Russian police have confirmed. The authorities were called to the club's training ground to discover the pretend bomb, making this the latest incident in a string of disruptions since the striker was bought from Porto for a reported £32m."

Truth. Maybe we both overreacted in the heat of the moment. Regarding your post, If the season start is anything to go by, then it would suggest he is. I haven't seen Mikel try to get around the pitch as much as he is, ever before in a Chelsea shirt. I didn't say it means he isn't doing a good job, just that it shows that he doesn't understand the role he's meant to be playing, or that he's trying to do multiple jobs at once, which would be harsh on him. The insane interception stat from the other night is reminisce of a deep holding player, who sits off the opposition, reads the game and makes interceptions. Mikel did that the other day, but also looked like he was given the job as the destroyer also. That may be a fault of Mikel, reverting to what he's been used to doing over the years, or the incompetence of Lampard, so he's forced to do two jobs. It depends what combination you think fits best in the double pivot. Exactly, which is why he's not suited to the role he's been given. I was being slightly harsh on Mikel before, which in some ways shows the faults of his midfield partner, rather than Mikel himself. If you had a more defensively adept midfielder alongside him, you'd see the difference.

I'm glad that Wilkinson bloke is banned for them. Can be a right dirty git at times, similar to Bardsley when we play Sunderland.

What's the problem? Instead of reverting to abusive outbursts why don't you say what you didn't like about the post.

Loved his goal last night, was also fantastic tactically. Great full debut for the lad.

Firstly, Vidal is more of a ball winner than a B2B midfielder. Marchisio is the one in the box to box role, Pirlo as the regista, and Vidal as the destroyer. Rewatch the game and you'll see how well he performed in the role. Mikel is meant to be our destroyer, hence why he's been getting around the pitch much much more than we've ever seen him in a Chelsea shirt (than previously in the anchor role). However he defended last night the way he's been used to for many years. Didn't you find it a coincidence that they had so much space in midfield? The extra man didn't help, but Mikel stood off them and played in the withdrawn role he's done over the years, instead of doing what the destroyer is meant to do, and get around the pitch shutting down the midfield, stopping their runs from deep. Not only isn't he mobile enough to be great in this role, but he is often forced to do multiple jobs due to Lampard's suspect positioning at times. What you described in the latter part of your post isn't the job he is meant to be doing, that's the job he was previously doing for years.

The huge interception stat only shows how badly he understood his role. He is meant to be the destroyer/ball winner but is trying to play multiple roles (mostly due to Lampard) If you want to know how the role should be played have a look at Vidal's stats from last night.

Agreed. I have no major problems with the defence, the odd mistake here and there will always happen. But when your midfield gets so so easily bypassed every time you are bound to make more mistakes. The shape in the midfield is all over the place defensively, the gap between the central 2 is far too big and Juve (and other teams) have exploited the space very well. People wonder why our flanks also get exposed aswell. When gaps are created in the middle, naturally your defenders try to close the opposition down, thus leaving big gaps on the wings for them to move into. Juve could've been far more dangerous had they focused down the flanks more after drawing our defence in. By the way, Vidal was exceptional today. An aggressive ball winner that is mobile enough to get around the pitch whilst being tactically sound is just what we need in the midfield. 9 successful tackles, 3 interceptions, 3 key passes. Impressive stats.

IIRC Spurs were very close to signing Cahill on deadline day but the deal fell through because Bassong didn't move to QPR, could be the other way around.

Go back and read the last 5 pages of this thread. You'll find only a couple of people going OTT with praise, including the 'hiding from Barca' comment. If anything the majority share the opinion that he isn't yet ready for the first team, but needs to be given a fair run in the team to improve.

You seem to have fully convinced yourself with this one. I don't understand the vastly exaggerated perception you have that people act like Romeu's a truly amazing player. Everyone knows that's not the case, he will only get better through experience, which he isn't getting at the moment. He did well in the majority of games he played in last season, enough to leave an impression that he could be a very good player in time. There's no conspiracy running through people's minds as you are suggesting, some would just like to see him given more of an opportunity. The ACON is coming around this January if I'm not mistaken, so maybe that will be his time to put a marker down.

There are more people complaining about people 'hating' on Lampard than people actually hating. I think I've only seen that RamiCFC having a dig at Frank.

Ok at the moment. They have had a lot of the ball but haven't really created much. Witsel dominating the midfield though, Lukaku has also just come on.

Indeed, most players do but the level of involvement differs. Think you are reading too much into it, was just saying I'm not surprised seeing he has numerous commitments. I also don't know what Ballack has to do with anything.

Considering Malouda is closely involved in a charity to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake I'm not shocked by his decision. This seems more important to him than football at the moment. From a club perspective I still feel he could be a good squad player, but the club have made it clear he won't be anywhere near the first team. Disappointing.

Don't overrate Falcao's performance, we did half of his job for him.

I have to admit I wasn't his biggest fan and he was frustrating at times, but you can't fault his effort and willingness to help the team. Although his stay was short-lived, atleast he ended it on a high with a great performance and a win vs Newcastle (And another CL winners medal). Good luck Raul.

I'd say the Russian league is a step up from the Portuguese for sure. The only problem is that they've both now priced themselves out of a move to any top league in the future. Much more disappointed with Witsel going.

People aren't acting like he's anything. He's a player with good potential who's been given very little playing time under RDM (one sub appearance IIRC). He looked promising when he did play under AVB, and now with two players leaving, he should be given more of a chance. How is he going to become 'Premiership quality' if he doesn't play.

Tom Kundert ‏@portugoaldotnet BREAKING: FC Porto's Hulk sold to Zenit St. Petersburg. A Bola says deal was completed in São Paulo this Monday.

Reports are suggesting he's close to a move to Zenit, shame if true.

This is exactly what Fergie is trying to replicate at United this season. Do you remember the 07/08 season when United had Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo? These three were formidable in the 4-2-1-3 as they were able to naturally interchange with eachother and be at ease anywhere along the front line. With Scholes in behind them they had someone to pull the strings and deliver killer passes. United wanted Eden Hazard for this very reason, with himself, Rooney, and Robin van Persie they could recreate this, with Kagawa playing infront of the two protecting the back four. There was a reason they pushed for Sneijder so much, but now they have Kagawa instead. This would be very interesting to see with our team, and could be key in seeing Oscar thrive. On paper it would look promising, but obviously we are talking a bit down the line here.