capriccioso

To answer the question of the opening poster: This is a celebration of a frankly awful (relative to the stature of our opposition from the semi finals and onward) team winning the greatest prize in club football. Overcoming all the odds. Overcoming ourselves and our painful history in this tournament. It is a celebration of passion and positive mentality and never giving up. It is a celebration of David triumphing over monsters far larger than Goliath. It is being stuck up shit creek without so much as a banana leaf to paddle with and getting out of there in one piece. In short, it is a celebration of what truly makes football great- not a million passes in 90 minutes and winning every game 7-0; not taking 42 shots and having 20 corners. No, what makes football great is that anyone and everyone can dare to dream. On a more detached and less emotional note, the suggestion that our playing style in this tournament is in any way lacking or liable for criticism is insane. The difference in the quality of our players vs theirs, the difference in the club ethos- since 2004 we've always been Mourinho, pragmatic, 4-3-3 and it's many variants (4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-2-1, 4-5-1) - and finally the type of players available to us, makes any other style of football suicidal. As I said when Frank de Boer criticised our playing style; people who think 2-3-5 up and at them are as backward as early 20th century military leaders. 2-3-5 is as effective in the modern world as climbing out of your trench between the years 1914 and 1917 and walking very slowly towards the enemy who has a machine gun capable of killing 400 a minute. I know there's a school of thought that goes "Chelsea have spent 800 million putting this squad together, spend that kind of money and you are honour bound to 'play' the right way."; but that is incredibly flawed. For one thing, nearly all of that was spent in the opening years of Roman's rule. And transfer fee's don't dictate how to play football. Barcelona have only spent some 75 million less than us since 2007 (take out David Luiz and Fernando Torres and that's identical) and play football a completely different way. What influences the style of football played by a team is it's mentality and technical ability of its players. Look at Schweinsteiger and Kroos, look at Xavi and Iniesta, then cast a glance at Ramires and Meireles. There is simply no way we can compete with them on their game. We play to our strengths, discipline and physicality, they play to theirs. What's wrong with that? It is another thing that makes football the greatest game in the world, the diversity in playing styles.

Are you Sri Lankan? I'm half And you're absolutely right. If we get there, all we need is Drogba and the other team might as well not turn up.

Joseeee Bo-sing-waaa Jose Bo-sing-wa Repeat.

Who cares, this award is reserved for the most flashy player, the one who seems to dribble past every defender and score a placed shot; the one who scores 5 goals in a meaningless 7-0 league win. Not for the one who steps up when it counts and wins trophies. Not for the one who scores the winner in a 3-2 or 1-0. Ronaldo and Messi- forever bottlers.

He's not going there. He's smart enough to know that's not the job for him.

He is the only player in world football who is absolutely irreplaceable. When he leaves he'll be replaced by some donkey like Gomez.

That Robben article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/9278333/John-Obi-Mikel-told-former-Chelsea-team-mate-Arjen-Robben-he-would-miss-penalty-for-Bayern-Munich.html If anyone now says Mikel is an average player, they should be banned from the forums. He was probably our best on the night. Incredible performance, he could have kept Zidane in his pomp quiet.

With the idea that a poster had a few pages back of putting statues on the pillars of our legendary players; now that we only have two pillars, it should be Osgood and Drogba. Zola, Lamps et al, despite being brilliant for us are not in the same bracket as those two, who will always be the Kings of Chelsea Football Club.

Whatever said and done, he was a titan for us in the final. Jose, you may have not been the best at your time in this club but after that we love you all the same and wish you the very best in your future endeavours.

One of the many upshots of the whole affair is that we, both posters and fans in general, have never been this united before. Every player is suddenly beloved, everybody connected to the club from Gourlay et al down to Jamal Blackman is above criticism, and we're too happy to disagree with each other over anything

Nothing to apologise for, it was your opinion.

I have really come to like him in recent months, but he is treated as above criticism from a lot of our fans because of his price tag. Enough of the double standards.

Signings are not the way to judge Chelsea managers. Virtually all of ours are done by Director of Football Michael Emanalo. His methods to motivate the team have been exceptional and unconventional. Sorry if this was posted earlier, but read this, not even Mourinho, probably the best motivator in the world, would have tried this: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4328537/Chelseas-secret-video-ahead-of-Champions-League-final-win.html

I think even the fiercest of critics and harshest of haters would cut him some slack having read that article. The poor lad gets too much flak.

7? Have some of that, Pep. Have some of that.

Oh yes. No need to thank me, lads. Pre-empted it a month and more ago

Have a great 30th! I'm sure you will having won Old Big Ears . Thank you for a brilliant performance today, and may there be many more in the future!

That chick, as you put it, is Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Just realised we had heaps of Mourinho signings tonight: Cech, Cole, Mikel, Kalou, Drogba, Malouda and Bertrand; also Ferreira and Essien on the bench. 9 players out of 18, he's won another CL trophy

Do it now! Top of the world. This is the happiest time of my life, apart from the first time I smoked weed which artificially made me happy. Yes, I am a sad, sad guy.

I don't get this better than claptrap. They were far from the better team if they had 43 shots but couldn't score twice and had 20 corners, about 10 of which hit the first man on the near post. A better way to describe it is that they had more of the ball.

He played pretty well today I thought, if a bit rubbish going forward, he compensated with some very hard running to keep Ribery at arms length.

Don't do it Spike. It will ruin your anime image.

Agreed

Some great pictures: Dat wastefulness