terraloon

For me its the best of both worlds. Like it or not this chap has vast experience and knows how to set a team up. Something that lets face it has clearly been an issue this season Yes he hails from Liverpool but so what! As for saying he didnt do well at Liverpool cant agree there he got them to two CL finals and runners up in the league. Yes made some bad signings but dont all managers? I am sad for RDM as he delivered the CL and FA cup but quite simply there was no way that we were going to get anywhere near the level o perormance from the players we have in the squad.

The question was do the board see what we see. The simple answer is no as they see the full picture. They know what is going on on the pitch but they also know what the contractural obligations and with that the cost and other implications of player dealings. Going back to your point re Torres . Would it not have been rash to see what he did he was able to do with a change of the players behind him? I agree he isnt the player we thought we were buying but we have no idea what the clubs plans are and do they see this year one of transission with one simple target namely to finnish in the top 4? I dont rate Sturridge at all. Not many CFC supporters do but it seems other EPL managers do and from what is being said if an acceptable offer comes in then he will be gone. As for Cole well you cant mix the contract thing and is Ryan up to it into one. The real big EPL clubs dont offer more than one year deals to players over 30. We have several players quite a bit over 30 on very very big deals. These players arent offerring value for money and in many ways hinder the rebuilding project so whilst I agree the Ashley still performs the club have to stick to a policy which will become basic ground rules in negotiations with other players.

I think we all need to be careful for what we wish for here. Football is all about opinions and whilst I agree with gaol line technology being introduced to prove if the decision to allow or disallow the goal was correct( as an aside was Raphel saying the ball the ball wasnt over the line when clearly it was any different to simulation?)There are so many things that can have a bearing on an offside that I worry that that may be too far. How about these two scenarios. The first was it offside and the ball ends up in the net? If yes then the goal is disallowed which is I guess what the majority would think was ok but what about where offside was given and instant replays show it wasnt. How can you deal with that? If the purpose of looking at offsides to make sure the decsion is correct you have to be able to deal with both situations. For me the one change I would make is to take away the refs option to book for simulation.Let the ref make the decision was it in his opinion a foul or not. But after the final whistle the video of the game should be looked at and if there is a clear dive then rather than booking a player in real time issue an immediate suspension.That really isnt a million miles away from the rules as they stand namely if a ref didnt deal with something during the game it can be revisied As an aside can anyone confirm that the communication system the ref/ fourth offical and linesman have can indeed be muted?

Having now read the report I am amazed at the conclusions the commission reach for insance Ashley wanted amendments made to his draft statement both he and the club sec say that during his interveiw with two FA reps (which unike other interviews the FA didnt record) Cole said that he believed AF used a "B" word which could have been Bridge he was unsure. Cole and Barnard say that Cole also said it could have also been the word black. Whereas the two FA reps do not record the word "Black" in their two respective set of notes so therefore the conclusion is that Coles evidence evolved and Barnards memory is unsound. Oh just as an aside thE FA failed to provide one of the sets of notes wen all documents were suppossed to be disclosed they just happen to turn up later! Terry didnt give evidence , it was the FAs job to prove guilt not Terrys to prove innocence yet my take on it is they have viewed Terrys silence as almost an admission. I will be staggered if the decision isnt appealed

I remember some years ago after about 6 games Carlisle stood proudly at the top of the old first division. After 42 games they were rock bottom and relegated. Last season my sister (whose husband is a Spuds supporter) was crowing around Christmas how they were going to win the league & how they were going to be able to buy just about everyone when the treasures of the champions league were bestowed on them. My brother in law was rightly quiet on the subject agreeing with my comment that the only league table that matters is the one published after ever club has played everyone both home and away. Last season we all know that there were a lot of results that quite simply weren't good enough. In truth other than Newcastle away last season I don't think there was any real outstanding away result and at home the only 3 points we achieved at home against the top 6 was against Man City. Yesterday waiting for the Ryder Cup to start I set down the points we gained against all teams last year replacing the teams relegated with those promoted I am setting down this seasons results. Everyone knows we were 20 odd points adrift last season so for me the measure of are we doing better this season will be points gained from opposition played this season against last. So how are we doing? Well it's quite interesting and hugely encouraging. 2 extra points each against Arsenal and Wigan 3 against Newcastle and 1 against QPR. So comparing game with game we are 8 points better off Of Couse as the season progresses there will be games where we did well last year and possibly where we don't do as well this season but I have a feeling that that 20 odd point deficit won't be quite as challenging as some within the media would suggest. Thoughts?

The club advocated in the Jacob Mellis, Adrain Mutu and Bosnich dismissals that the club operate a zero tolerance. Both at appeal and in the Mutu case they argued this at CAS. The club have argued the same in incidents where supporters are found to have made chants of a racial nature. These supporters receive lifetime bans again through thr club operating a policy of zero tolerance. The club face a dilemma, (please don’t think I am saying they should sack JT) I fear the club, through the media but also through the need to be able to maintain its zero tolerance stance, may well feel the need to take some sort of action against JT. The problem is he is our best defender, our captain etc. etc. But as we all know Roman is quite ruthless and may well feel the clubs image/ standing will be harmed if JT remains. The suits will be looking at the matter from a business perspective as well as the football perspective. The clubs image and marketing potential will be a major consideration Please don’t think I am saying it has to happen but we as supporters need to face up to the fact it may well happen. For me if the club can somehow get to the Jan window I would not be at a surprised to see him go somewhere in Europe on loan. Will be a real shame but I don’t expect any let up from the press or indeed pressure groups if the club don’t take some sort of action.

No far from it. I am asking will the club sack him now or ride the storm and be prepared, if forced, to re visit some of the sackings/ bans of the past. JT is a fabulous footballer. A great Chelsea man and had he been 25 the club would be in a far more difficult position but he isnt he is nearly 32 and whilst still a great player how many more years does he have left?

Whilst we have no idea what the commission are going to say in their written report my guess is they will rule quite simply that Terry, through his own admission made the comments. In truth it would be hard to argue otherwise. I would expect however they will say something along the lines that he said and that’s all they were there to judge whereas in the Suarez case there was much more (the number of times he uttered words of a racial nature and the fact that he admitted to pinching Evra) Hence the difference in the number of games banned. However if this is the case Terry has immediate grounds for appeal in that Evra told the ref that Suarez had called him a n***o or whatever the translation was and he wasn’t charged. You have to take all such matters in context. There are two other routes that are possible both, I think, without the need for appeal although it would strengthen any case if he had been through the appeal process. The first will to be asking for a judicial review. I believe there are three reasons such a review could be granted. 1) The FA failed to adhere to their own rules in that they didn’t rely on both the result or the evidence of the court case and 2) The panel had bias as whilst there clearly was independence at least one of the panels was a FA councillor and 3) Lack of consistency. They didn’t charge Evra! The second is to go to The Court for Arbitration in Sport. They have the final word in sports disputes. If you remember they were the ones that ruled that UEFAs transfer ban imposed on us following the singing of Gael Kakuta was invalid. The FA will argue in their rules that they have the final word in all matters but this shouldn’t present any real challenge. Having said all that I wonder what Chelsea’s position will be if at the end of the day the decision goes un challenged or indeed is up held. Quite simply JT may be sacrificed if the club are to avoid firstly some of their decisions re previous players being sacked (the club have always argued zero tolerance) being challenged, secondly the bans of supporters who have already or will in the future for making racist comments being challenged in the courts and thirdly to satisfy the wider football community to include worldwide sponsors and dare I say the press. JT is contracted at Chelsea till 2014. Some would argue his playing influence is declining. Some would argue his presence as captain or as a leader will or has already been damaged by this issue. We will have to face up to life at some point without Terry and I fear that the club may well feel that that time has come. No doubt many will disagree with my I am suggesting but I fear it is a real possibility