Leif

Glad I've logged on to read this today. He's one of my favoured managers for our position. Good work.

It was kind of tricky deciding whether to post this or not, but oh well. I'm not trying to cause trouble, but genuinely trying to figure out more about who I am. SO. To the point - Is there a 'term' (no, not "heartless" or anything like that) for people, like myself, who are unmoved and feel nothing when things such as this Boston 'explosions' happen? I consider myself quite well educated and generally nice with people I know, but if, for example, news was to come out that 2 thousand people had just died in this country in the most gruesome way possible, I'd barely reflect on it, if at all, and probably never think of it again. From what I understand, it's 'normal' to grieve even for those you don't know or didn't like, but from my experiences (even with family members) I just don't seem affected. Of course that'll change the moment someone like my mum passes, but excluding that - is this considered odd? Is there a term for it? I've been toying with the idea that I may be Schizotypal recently so perhaps that plays a part if i do indeed have that.

Someone tell me more about Witsel. Is he the playmaker for the 'pivot'? Or is he the one who'd typically partner the playmaker and win the ball back lots?

Over here and in the US, it's called an "Explosion". Elsewhere in the world it's called an "Alarm Clock".

I have watched him poison my club for enough years. Anyone who'd vote "Yes" in a poll to keep him around after this season sickens me. I respect their opinion but hate it.

How is it unfair?

My guess is he 'doesn't care about the F.A. cup' much like he said about the Europa League. He's probably won it too many times. So many times to the point where he has no desire to win it anymore. So he thinks it's acceptable not to give his all to the club. Now of course, that's my own assumption. But under my own assumption I shall now call him the following - Cunt.

I think he'll be fine. He was brought in to our future main attacking midfielder I feel. I think he's only being played on the wing due to lack of options. Really though, he should be rotating with and covering for Mata at the moment, with a proper winger on the right. Let's say we buy someone for the right hand side - Hulk for example. That gives us Hazard - Mata - Hulk. On the days where Mata isn't needed/wanted, or we want someone with a higher work-rate than Mata, that line changes to Hazard - Oscar - Hulk. When those days come where Oscar gets to play in the centre but with our #1 wingers on each side of him, he'll get the chance to even displace Mata if he's good enough. Oscar's future depends not on what he does, but what the board does. It would be best for him to play second-fiddle to Mata in the central position (for now) with a proper winger in his position, than to have him as the starting winger so often on the right hand side, which both deters his natural game and brings down our team in general. He's not Brazil's best player (if you discount Silva perhaps) due to magic. He's talented. Very talented. We'll only see the best of him when he's playing in our best possible team with him included and Mata sitting out. It's as simple as that. He's still young too, so being used on the wing one game then central the next must just confuse him making him more prone to error. He's human. Hopefully he reaches Kaka's heights and not Diego's unfulfilled promise.

Schurrle has been a regular in the Champions League in a team fighting for the Bundesliga title for the past few seasons (or at least doing better than the other teams at doing so). Piazon has 4 starts for Malaga, a team who can play who they want in the league as their standing will now only be pride as they can't play in Europe next season. So based on that, Schurrle >>> Piazon. If we're to judge just Piazon himself though, 4 starts (5 sub appearances) in the league for a team who don't need to win nor lose games with 0 goals and not many more assists hardly cries out for a chance here. Where would he play? He's certainly no playmaker so I don't think behind the striker would work, and he's not a winger either. Unless we change to a system where he's a proper supporting striker, he can't play how he wants. Anyone who gets their chances ahead of Piazon either deserves it (De Bruyne, Lukaku) or is simply the better player (Schurrle).

Jesus Christ, people are actually playing with the idea of him staying - and even worse - hinting that they'd be okay with that if his current form continues?! WHAT FORM!? He's not in-form! He's simply no longer in that terrible run of form he was in. Well, actually, no - he is. When was his last Premier League goal? December? OF LAST YEAR? OF TWO THOUSAND AND MOTHERFUCKING TWELVE? AGAINST A TEAM FIGHTING RELEGATION?!?! Infuriating. I shouldn't let opinions get to me so much.

Why is that a problem though? All the players you mentioned are clearly superior to him currently. If he's good enough, he'll play. If he's not good enough, there's no reason why anyone should want him to play.

A good (possibly a little bias; I can't decide) watch if you're ignorant on the subject:

Cech; Azpi, Luiz, SOME NEW GUY, Cole; Schneiderlin, SOME PLAYMAKER; SOME WINGER, Mata, Hazard; Higuain/Lew (depending on the manager and system) I personally really dislike it when too many players come in too quick, but we simply must make some wholesale changes if we want to start competing for titles again. We need a new striker regardless whether Lukaku comes back or not. (How many top teams in the world have or have had some under 21 leading their line? Age is just a number, but there is a reason or 2 for that.) We need depth, different options, versatility etc. Higuain would be a good goal-getter but not much else (but a darn good one), where-as someone like Lew would be much more of an all-round team player who seems to bring out the best of those around him. We need a playmaker to play deep finally. I don't put Modric because, well, with Alonso leaving Madrid at the end of next season means they'll need someone to fill his void. They just splashed the cash on Modric and have no reason to get rid of him. So he's out of the question for me. I'm starting to distance myself from Benat rumours simply because I don't want him here now. I want someone commanding, tall, strong etc. like Xabi Alonso. We need more height in our team. I'm clueless about who could be our playmaker. Moses I thought would be good enough for us, but no, I no longer think so. I don't think a traditional winger would work in our system possibilities, so an inverted winger is probably best. (If anyone says "Piazon could do this" I will rip your face off.) I personally don't want Di Maria as he seems like a dirty diving player with moments of brilliance but just as many moments of failures. Although I was firmly against the move when he was at Porto, perhaps Hulk could do the job now; if he tracks back. (Which he will do if told to by a strong manager.) Schneiderlin should be obvious. Bye-Bye to Mikel please. Whether it be on the bench or gone completely. Finally, we need someone strong, commanding & disciplined to play alongside Luiz. Basically an in-prime Terry - which isn't available to us. The only players who come to mind when I think of Terry's style of play are Hummels (who I personally don't believe is a great leader or even as good as he's made out to be), Howedes who again is a tad overrated, and, well, I'm clueless at this point. These additions would put the likes of Ramires, Moses, Ivanovic etc. on the bench where they belong. You need a strong bench, and those guys would help somewhat with that. As a rotation option, as it looks kind of likely now, I guess Schurrle could be added to that list; although he'd probably get more game time than those previously mentioned players. For "the future", yes, I would bring Luke Shaw in, maybe even Clyne to rotate at right-back, and see how Chalobah does out on loan for another season as well as Kalas. I won't even go into the players who should be going out , but I believe Bertrand should stay as back-up for the left-back position - even when Shaw (in theory) takes over from Cole. That's something along the lines of what I'd try to accomplish anyway. (*Yes, some extra words were put in bold just for shits and giggles.)

I'd rather get Schurrle and Lew in as our striker than keep De Bruyne. There, I said it. Now stab me with your pitch forks and sticks of fire. We love how great of a crosser De Bruyne is, right? Well he won't be getting those crosses in if Hazard is starting in his favoured position as he'll be on the bench, and even when he does play, who's going to get on the end of those crosses? (Assuming we don't get some huge aerial threat in the Summer.) Mata? Ramires? No. Demba Ba and Torres aren't exactly incredible in the air either. For his own career, if i was his agent or parent, I would do everything I could to convince him to leave us and sign for Dortmund. They have some of the world's best support, best players, best stadium, pretty much amongst the best everything, and work very well with younger players. I'd feel like a dickhead if we were to hold him back from all that and prevent the world from seeing how talented he can be. Also just a note, but to my knowledge, he's played less than 5 minutes in the 'pivot' (hate this word) throughout his whole professional career. It's a myth that he can play there; more of a hope.

Other fans joke about us being 'deluded' when we say refs favour other teams when they play us. The media act like refs would never be bias - ever. You get fans on here who like to take the side of the other fans saying there isn't ref bias against us as it's easier to follow the crowd. You get fans on here who genuinely believe there is no bias. But then there's fans like me who believe that the idea refs are bias against us didn't just come out of thin air. We've had 'incidents', especially this season & last where our players have (rightfully IMO) put pressure on refs for dodgy calls. This has been taken to a whole new level though after the Mikel 'racism' accusation, the whole ball-boy thing, blah blah. My point is coming next:- Why wouldn't there be bias refs? Why wouldn't there be bribed refs? There's fixed games almost every season in Serie A with bribed and bias refs. There are fixed games in the Bundesliga and even La Liga too. It's also surfaced not too long ago, yet not blown up in the media for obvious reasons, that a 'particular big club' (believed to be Manchester United) have fixed a few games, especially between 2004-2009 I believe. Sports have been fixed, staged, influenced etc. for decades if not longer. The NBA has corruption, boxing has the most obvious corruption probably, and it's spread like a cancer to all (that I can think of) popular sports. Football though? It's been prominent in football way before the Premier League even formed. Before Hazard, Mata and Oscar were born. Refs support their own teams. Refs have a craving for money like players. Refs can be bought. The notion that "Refs wouldn't do anything wrong on purpose because they're English and just not like that" is rather silly in my eyes. Everyone has a price; whether it be money or a motivation done in spite etc. I believe we currently suffer from the latter. I have little doubt in my mind that referees have conversed about our club, talked down on our club and spoken about how they loathe us after referee incidents. Even if refs tried their hardest to not let bias affect their judgement in games, it can even affect them subconsciously and sway their decisions into the other team's favour. There are many possibilities, but the idea of refs being bias against us is quite rapidly looking like a probability.

I'm getting "Stingray" on the back of my next Chelsea top if we win this. I'm seriously not joking. I'll post a picture. IF.

Are you obsessed with me? Can't decide whether I'm flattered, you're a jealous attention seeker or you've just got a screw loose. Maybe all 3 eh.

You're our good luck charm but you weren't here for kick off The blame falls on you.

Typical response from someone who can't handle a mature debate. Personal attack after personal attack with you regardless who you're 'debating' with. Really not a good look.

We have a defence worthy of the Europa League, deep-midfield worthy of mid-table, an attacking midfield worthy of the Champions League and strikers again worthy of the Europa League. Today is not shocking me in the slightest.

Change direction? he wasn't even going in a direction in the first place. any other top keeper would at least TRY sticking out an arm or making a dive. But no, countless times this season he just assumes a ball will go wide or over and just stands there, hands by his hide.

Fucking hate that from Cech. It's why I've preached all season he's not as good as you guys make him out to be. Why didn't he move? Give me one good reason why he didn't even try.

Then we're the bacteria which covers the surface of the shit.

Why the fuck was Bertrand the only player back...