The only place to be

That's a good point and I think it has a bit in common with the football hooligans of the 1980s. Take The Firm for example (great Alan Clarke film, Gary Oldman is amazing in it). It was about guys who in their normal lives were average men, somewhat powerless, emasculated and pathetic in some ways but as part of this 'gang' they were powerful, They commanded respect amongst their peers in a way they didn't elsewhere. Others have echoed that sentiment, that maybe these men travelling to fight simply don't have that purpose to their lives and extremist Islam takes advantage of that. But I (and many others based on my experiences) don't give a fuck about that anymore. Our sympathy has dissipated. You can look at the rise of Hitler in the 1930s and trace it back to the punitive measures the Treaty of Versailles inflicted on the German people, but that doesn't mean I feel bad about us going to war with them. What we have now is an evil ideology that needs to be combatted and it will happen, somehow.

I think you could publish a comic image satirising Jesus, Mary, Joseph and God himself without the author having to go into hiding for his own safety. I think a respected author could write a book about referencing these figures without having a religious leader putting a contract out on his life. I think a comedian could feel comfortable telling a joke on TV without the broadcaster feeling the need to censor it for the safety of their employees. Christians do tend to have that whole 'turn the other cheek' mentality, although they can get a bit protesty when a comedian writes a play involving Jerry Springer and Jesus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Springer:_The_Opera#Protests_and_controversy We also had the controversy with Monty Python's The Life of Brian in the 1970s, but John Cleese didn't have to check under his car for explosive devices of a morning. The most he had to do was defend it on a late-night chat show to a Bishop (who it transpired may have had some rather dark secrets in his closet, quelle surprise). So whilst I do think you can look at all religions and find very worrying things in each of them, there's something about modern Islam that goes further.

And who in that game was supposed to drop off and pick the ball up from the back four? The goals came from uncharacteristic errors from Ivanovic but the problems lied (as usual) in the pivot. Building from the back sounds great but that ball has to go through the midfield too and theres' a reason Ramires and Luiz weren't picked often in midfield - they're shit distributors of the ball. Their movement is poor and they don't provide options for any of the back four defenders. It's why we played Lamps in the EL Final. Despite that we actually created a lot of chances in that match.

In goal for that game was Turnball. In midfield we had Ramires and Luiz, and then Mata, Hazard and Oscar ahead of them. A scratch back-four is always going to struggle especially with that type of protection. Give those two time to gel, under a proper manager in a decent system and they'd be fine much like they were in the Europa League Final.

Stupidity and desperation are the causes of violence - religion is just a very good way of channeling it in a particular direction. These 'angry young men' who travel to fight for IS are disenfranchised and this form of Islam gives them a very clear, easy to follow structure. It tells them who to blame, who to fight in the name of and what they'll get in return for it (more than the crap life they've got laid out for them). There's probably a sense of fraternity in that life and they probably get a sense of achievement they wouldn't otherwise. It's not a coincidence that the Middle East has some terrifyingly high rates of illiteracy and also some terrifying religious nutballs.

Briefly... Most of the time they're created by an elite (usually men) to control the masses. They're inherently corrupt(ing), dangerous but I can also see the appeal of them. They tend to have an unhealthy obsession with women's sexuality, fearing it and going to quite extreme lengths to 'control' it. I really don't have a problem with people being religious though. I'm sure for many people it actually helps them in their day-to-day lives and that's probably a beautiful thing, but the problem is when it affects others that I take issue with it. Things like gay rights, women's rights etc. are invariably affected by religious beliefs and that's when it is open to criticism. Generally though I treat religion like a treat any other type of ideological set of beliefs which is why words like Islamophobe seem so silly. There are probably hundreds of religious or political beliefs I dislike to varying degrees, yet that is the only one I have a phobia about?? Why not Scientoligiphobe (if that's even the word) or Naziphobe? Anyway, a very brief outline of what I think about religion. The reason I bring up Scientology is because it's a modern-day miracle in that it's a religion/cult that you can clearly see has been fabricated by a bit of a nutter, yet it's not any different from any other religion out there. It's essentially a blueprint for deconstructing all other types of cult of belief systems. Anyways....

Only a proper mug with an agenda would think that, so he's incredibly humble. Glad he's started the season strong as well, running at players and taking the initiative in matches.

I can only assume Roman lost him in a game of poker. Or some of the rumours about him are true and we're getting him far, far, far away from here.

Common denominator being sideshow. The guy's a freelancer, a mock-defender so unsurprising that we looked shaky with him Ivanovic could be that main guy but they're few and far between which is why they cost so much. Hummels, Kompany (at his best) and Varane are the three that spring to mind in Europe at the moment (maybe Chiellini too, not Benatia though who again looks like a Carvalho rather than a JT). Vidic used to be one too. We've just been very spoilt with having JT there for the last few years. He'll be a massive ask to replace.

Actually a lot of people have come to that realisation. It was his first game in a slightly different role with Fabregas taking a lot of the creative burden. He has to continue improving now.

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/08/chelsea-joins-forces-with-ea-sports.html Apparently we're a partner as well. Not sure what that actually means but very happy for Eden to get this accolade. Should also ensure he gets a high rating.

He's a safety first defender. I'd rather have that than someone who tries to be clever with it. On the ball he's actually quite a smart operator.

I don't like Islam as an ideology. Sorry, but I was raised to have respect for women, homosexuals and people's individual freedoms. I also don't like a lot of other religions, cults or sects. Now I know kiddywinks nowadays throw around words like Islamophobic (especially on the Internet, behind their keyboards but never actually to someone's face) but that's their choice. Personally I think it's reductive and a little flippant but each to their own. Fortunately I live in a country where I have the freedom to express a dislike for ideologies, religions and cults. I also dislike Scientology and Catholicism.

Move then. My concern is Britain, not the Middle East. Bizarre comparison. So 7/7 didn't happen? Lee Rigby wasn't half-decapitated on the street by two Muslims? Look I know that there's a train of thought that our evil media is in bed with the government to scare the population but that does a disservice to the level of despicableness of the views some people in this country hold. That type of thought is against centuries of progressive work done in this country to give people certain freedoms. We won't give them up easily.

Couldn't disagree with that more. Cahill is underrated on the ball (much as JT was for a lot of his career) and he did so much running, marking and heading for JT. Go look at the stats or watch some of the matches. Not gonna discuss this any further because I see no value to it.

"Halfway through last season, I distanced myself from the values I had grown up with," Torres told El País. Catharsis and confession come together in a remarkable interview with the paper's reporter Lu Martín, which reveals the Spaniard's self-awareness and hints at the emotional journey that Torres has undertaken. "I had team-mates who didn't care if the team won or lost because they were not playing," Torres said. "I never wanted to be like that. [but] one day I discovered that I was like them, that it didn't matter it we won or lost if I was not playing. I wasn't part of the group. I discovered that I was not happy because I had stopped being what I had always wanted to be. In the dressing room, you can never lose that group concept." "But I learned to look at myself and to realise that the only person that can change is you. The only person who can say: 'You're making mistakes, you've got to do something' is you." More nuanced than you're giving him credit for. The guy had a career-changing injury. Not everyone bounces back from that without having their character tested, but obviously you're made of sterner stuff so can judge him. I can't. I'm not perfect.

And that's different from normal, how?

Give it a rest with the personal bias shit. He had a great season last year, he made John Terry look a lot better and I see no reason not to trust him. I've said before that he's the guy who plays next to that 'rock' and I think in time we'll need to replace JT but the lack of respect for Cahill is bewildering. Here's a tip....stop watching Pogba youtube videos and watch our performances from last season and see just how much work this guy did.

Good player, but there's a weird obsession amongst some enclaves of our support.

The reason he seems older is probably because top teams keep flogging him. Part of me wonders why top teams who need a striker (us, Arsenal) aren't in for him.

Exactly. Swap deals are very rare in football. Nothing to say two separate deals can be done.

Extremely harsh considering his fine performances helped carry JT at times last year. Some people just don't appreciate what we have in him.

There's nothing wrong with being concerned about the possibility of attacks by 'extremist' Muslims in this country. We've had it before on the streets of London from a group of people whose values simply don't correspond with our own. They are an enemy, they need to be dealt with. That's not irrational. Spot on.

Good player, would take him over Salah and Willian in a heartbeat but can't see that happening now. Can't imagine he'd play as a wing-back in that United 3421, but behind the striker with Rooney....sucks to be Mata in that case.

Have absolutely no faith that this will happen, and not terribly excited about Destro but he'd be a better back-up option than Torres and cheaper....much cheaper. The best thing would be getting rid of Torres who has a gypsy curse precluding us from winning the title with him around....which he caught from Stevie G, obviously.