butchercoat

Has Andy Townsend got a decent word to say about Chelsea. He rightly praised JT for solidifying our defence but other than that a good word was hard to come by. He likened Luiz callous blocking off of the Brentford player as sinister, jesus Christ that type of block occurs every week in Europe especaily in Italy.

I don't remember you saying that, you always said that he was a distinct asset or was it an ass? It's the drugs I tell you.

You of course are quite correct in saying that he was better in that respect compared to Chris Sutton, regarding the money, Tony Hateleys £100,000 in 1966 was a fortune but on reflection he did score six goals in about 30 odd appearances...

£5.4 for Pierluigia Casirahgi and one goal might qualify him for this item, but he did surrcombe to a serious knee injury. However, prior to his injury he couldn't find the goal with both hands......or feet for that matter.

Hang Tough the end might be in sight. Rumour has it that Cardiff might take him on loan........

Years ago, in fact in the mists of time itself, a groan could be heard whenever the name Peter Houseman was announced. I never understood as I thought that he was a sound 'winger' Tony Hateley was another, our first , get this , £100,000 pound player and we used to say that we paid £99,999 for his head and ten bob each for his two feet, 'cos he was pants on the ground...... memories are made of this stuff, sounds like a song...

I don't like to see anyone go down the tubes, but regardless of his football talent and the enjoyment that he has brought me on occaision, this is completely on him. His friends are rallying to his aid and that speaks greatly for Paul that he has these friends but he has got to put his house in order, no-one can battle his demons for him and is his self destruction any sadder than anyone elses?

I'd like for Mourinho, like most fans I think, to come back to the Bridge and provide some stability and a plan for the future. What I liked alot about Jose` was his ability to out think the Jock at Utd and put a team out that was ready to do battle for the club. At times it might not have been pretty free flowing football but we won, and the opposition getting a point away at the Bridge was like spotting rocking horse pooh. This is the point where you can throw things at me, other than The Special One there is only David Moyes or Gus Hiddink in my sights. It is too early for Laudrup to come here, a bit like AVB, just too soon in my opinion.

Yeah, but come on don't keep it a secret .....who do you mean? lol

Lack of match practice was the reason for the mistake which lead to the goal, in the same way that Oscar et al offered no meaningful support to a back four that were being murdered for pace. Newcastle by-passed our midfield to a certain extent or was able to win the ball in the middle of the park at will... I love my team always will but sometimes I look at the mental make-up of some of our midfielders and wished that they could attend a camp where Eddie [the scissors] Mac and Ronnie Harris and Stevie Kember were motivational speakers and psyhcologists....

And the situation is not going to get any better unless we start to improve our defensive capabilities, Ashley Cole is still one of the top left backs in the world but he is losing pace [ admittedly from a very high level] and as his strength is as an attacking full back his ability to recover his position is suspect when the ball is lost high up the pitch. Is Bertrand the answer? I don't know it is still a little early to tell. David Luiz is showing signs of becoming a major asset as an attacking midfielder, thank god because my cardiologist was recommending that I shouldn't watch him playing in the back four anymore if I wanted to continue living... JT is Chelsea rather like Frank Lampard but who is going to replace them. JT provides all the drive and grit that makes Chelsea who we are, a team that plays tremendous attacking football and plays defence like fighting in a phone box, close in and very personal.

Seems to be par for the course, get a professional contract, the club throws a protective shield around you and you think that you can do anything to anyone because you are told that your pooh doesn't stink. Just not living in the world that us mear mortals occupy. theirs just collides with ours sometimes.....

I agree with you regarding the strength of the back four, but they've hardly played together as a unit this season therefore we must be looking to strengthen there. JT is and has been a rock like Desailly and other great center backs but we do need to be looking for an upgrade across the line as we are aging....

Nothing funny about it, it's not just about players returning, there is a lack of firmness about the team. Can you say that the team has the same mental toughness this season in comparasion to last season when we won in spite of everything seeming to be against us? The team played with toughness and mental discipline, and before you start I used to get in the Shed through the turnstile for 10/-, a blind eye being turned, along with half the mods and rockers that used to cheer with the likes of Celtic and Greenaway.

in the dark and fingers crossed. I'm not trying to be negative, I just can't see it at the moment.

I don't like it but I think that you speak with straight tongue grasshopper....4th is a push unless we start sparking.

How can we be struggling in midfield with the players we have available, are those not injured pants at their jobs or what?

and we're defending like pooh! Any team at the moment with the possible exceptions of Newcastle and QPR could run us close home or away and could get all the points. It's in their minds now that any lead can be taken away, there's no bloody grit in the team.....

Exactly why I promoted the idea of Frank taking on the Makelele role, shielding the back four and from there distributing the ball forwards in the Stevie Kember style.

I've cocked that up, haven't I?

Forgive me as I had miss filed this. I had wanted to start this topic as I'd become weary of people discussing the alphabet needs of our team in midfield. We don't need another bloody forward we need someone to replace JT. Someone who will take over from him and for godsake give us some stability in that position who will then give confidence and steadiness to the back four. All this desire for a CDM, AND THE REST OF THE BLOODY ALPHABET IN MIDFIELD IS PANTS if the back four are not a solid unit. I've suffered for my football following Chelsea since 1965. The manager cannot be responsible for the way the lads as individuals respond to a goal being scored against them. It should be bloody personal if someone scores against us. It used to be. Fortress Stamford Bridge my arse...Defence is where we should be looking to bolster not midfield. I did hope that The Legend that is Frank might adopt a role rather like Claude Makelele in his twilight years but Roman has got it in for him big time. That is the real position that needs filling and no-one seems to be available who is good enough.. Rafa is just another symptom of what is wrong at the Bridge at the moment, not the cause....

We don't need another bloody forward we need someone to replace JT. Someone who will take over from him and for godsake give us some stability in that position who will then give confidence and steadiness to the back four. All this desire for a CDM, AND THE REST OF THE BLOODY ALPHABET IN MIDFIELD IS PANTS if the back four are not a solid unit. I've suffered for my football following Chelsea since 1965. The manager cannot be responsible for the way the lads as individuals respond to a goal being scored against them. It should be bloody personal if someone scores against us. It used to be. Fortress Stamford Bridge my arse...Defence is where we should be looking to bolster not midfield. I did hope that The Legend that is Frank might adopt a role rather like Claude Makelele in his twilight years but Roman got it in for him big time. That is the real position that needs filling and no-one seems to be available who is good enough.. Rafa is just another symptom of what is wrong at the Bridge at the moment, not the cause....

full credit Pat Nevin for trying to point out the media went for the most imflammatory clip to air on TV..

Wow, just wow!....I think that that sums it up nicely.....

Aces mate!