The only place to be

Damn...just think if that coin had come up tails 6 years ago and you'd decided to support Man United instead. Oh well, you're here now. Feel free to keep calling me a cunt on the internet. If you ever figure out how to put SW6 into Google Maps and want to say it in person then give me a shout.

I can't think of a time we've spent £30 million on a player and been this unexcited about a player. He's a fantastic talent without doubt but it doesn't radically redefine our team in any great way, like the Hazard signing did. I think expectations will be so balanced that he'll surprise a lot of people with his performances but I can't see too many people watching his first interview or anything like that.

Try reading some of the stuff I actually write, and not what you think I write. It'll make you look less stupid - not much, but a bit.

Romeu gets no minutes - start to worry that he won't get any minutes. Mikel gets no minutes - Jose is waiting to unleash him because he's such a valuable player. Choulo - always funny, never consistent.

I remember watching those balls and thinking 'I wish Danny Sturridge was still here to finish them off' with a tear in my eye, which was weird because everyone else around me was celebrating the goal. It's at that point I realised I was a massive cunt.

Fuck off giving Robbie shit. The club had a financial prerogative to give a £100 million investment every chance to find form. Yes it was unfortunate that Sturridge didn't get every opportunity but what's done is done. We're now in a fantastic position as a football club in so many respects yet some people will always focus on the negative, whatever it is. Clubs sell players. Sometimes those players go on a downwards trajectory, sometimes they improve. I simply don't understand the mentality of 'supporters' who constantly pick the same scab whenever they get the chance. I don't see the fun in that, or the joy they garner from that. It's really not an edifying aspect of this forum, but then again what is?

Because this place is supposed to be a community of people supporting Chelsea, and this thread continually pops up with people taking shots at not just the club but also current players who get called 'blonde cunt' - he's not even blonde anymore, but that would require actually watching matches and supporting the club which is beyond certain people. Anyway, you don't have to fuck off to RAWK - personally I'd be having with certain people fucking off anywhere. But the better option seems to be just not bothering to log on because it's the same fucking shit from the same fucking people.

You can do what you want. But other people will also comment on how RAWKish that type of behaviour is. Every time he scores the same people pop up with the same recriminations and the same comments about Torres and certain other members. Personally I find it tiresome seeing it every time and would prefer if all the people who kept doing it fucked off to some Liverpool forum because it adds nothing to this forum and is just one more reason to not bother logging on.

Because that's what people are saying. RAWK on with hope in your heart.

Been on the fence about this transfer. He certainly offers something a little bit different from the other options we have and it's in a massively important position for our team. He works well in a counter-attacking team, but also has that little bit of something special that can take him past players which will be vital in games where we dominate possession. On the other hand he is expensive and there's always a concern about players getting game time, but in this instance I trust the club. It's also nice to fuck over Spurs and their plans.

It's wonderfully apt that this thread is becoming so RAWKish, concerned with living in the past rather than enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.

Not fixed, but my interpretation of what people mean when they say DM. The DM we had in 2006, the DM we tried to mould Mikel into isn't the same DM we need in the double pivot in 2013 (and beyond). That static Defensive Midfield role was surely put to bed in last season's Champions League Final when you saw two teams line up with dynamic holding midfielders/defensive midfielders/double pivot/ whatever you want to call those players who were literally a generation apart from Mikel. Fuck, even we decided that 60 minutes of David Luiz offering a more dynamic (see how I keep using this word) take on that role was preferable to Mikel. Look at Van Ginkel - he is the future of that position. He's also the present....Mikel is a relic.

This is something I've been saying all summer. I love Mata but he does tend to struggle linking up with the deeper midfielders sometimes and that means he drifts out of games. What I've always liked about Oscar in the 10 position for us and in particular Brazil is that he works his bollocks off and links the play together throughout the spine of the team. He'll become an outlet ball for defenders, drop it off to a midfielder, get it back and then play it to an attacker rather than waiting for the ball in the final third. What we have is options this season and that's what Mourinho thrives with.

Terry never had pace though - it was his reading of the game that set him apart. Personally I'm going with what I said before the Hull game. Any team selection is possible and the only players I can see definitely starting are Cech, Hazard and Cole (although even Hazard might be rested). I trust Jose and once again it's nice to see the team line-ups come out without having known a fortnight before what it was going to be. The competition for spaces is tremendous in almost every position, and in a few weeks time we might have an idea of what the best XI is. Villa really got stuck into Arsenal and unsettle them, but I don't see them having quite the physical dominance over us. Tough game though, but glad we get that extra match in before United.

Amazing after the good mood around the Bridge yesterday, the return of the Special One, a great goal for our greatest ever goalscorer and an easy win to kick off the season that some people can still find the bile and vitriol needed to have a pop at one of our players. Fucking pathetic. Was it a vintage performance? No. But it was the first game of the season, he worked hard and did some good things. The fact that some people are bringing Sturridge up in this thread is fucking pathetic - are you guys not getting enough attention in the 'Oh look, Danny Sturridge scored so let's bring up the same old shit over and over and over again' thread? Seriously.

The point is that he's a great young player, but if he came here he'd be third choice in all likelihood. I'd love us to sign him but I can see why he hasn't left, why Southampton haven't chosen to sell and why we haven't put a bid in yet. Having a pop at our scouts seems entirely unfair. I'm sure they're aware of him but they don't make the decision to bid for a player.

You should write a letter to the club, telling them about this Luke Shaw kid. Make sure to include a photo so they know who to look for....maybe a link to Google Maps so they can make their way down to Southampton.

We've still got another bid to make according to other reports, so there's no real reason for his camp to give up what might be millions of pounds. That is literally their last card to play (unless he wants to act the real cunt) so they can't just throw it out there, especially when United seem so unlikely to sell before our game with us. Once that is out of the way I expect things to ramp up.

It like a bus.

Been trying to think of what team he'll play and it's nice to see we have so many options again. Last year it became rather sad and predictable when we had about 14 players to choose from, but I think Jose could go in any number of directions. To be honest, the only players I can think will definitely play are Cech, Cole, Ivanovic and Hazard. You'd expect JT to start as well but beyond that you could make a case for about a dozen or so players to start. I'm expecting Van Ginkel and Rami to start in the pivot because they've probably been the most impressive midfielders in pre-season, but if Lamps or Essien started I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised. You'd expect Mata to start but De Bruyne and Oscar have both been impressive in a more central role and Juan's had a bit of a disjointed summer because of the rest he needed. On the right wing it could be any one of 3 players, and even Schurrle could pop up there. Up front I would've said Lukaku all day long about a week ago but I wouldn't be surprised to see Torres in there and I've got this funny feeling he might actually get a couple if he starts. Got to give Hull respect though because promoted teams come into this game used to winning, but you'd expect us to turn them over eventually. Just nice to get back to actually playing matches again.

Why should we tap him up? Is there any chance that Rooney isn't aware of our interest? Is there even the possibility that terms haven't been discussed with Stretford? Do you think Ashley Cole hasn't been in his ear telling him to come down south? Plus why would he hand in a request at this point in time? I never saw this deal happening before the game at Old Trafford so why would he use that option before it's necessary?

Not surprising in the least. He's proven his fitness so Moyes couldn't really leave him out.

So your rebuke to the argument isn't a counter-argument, but a high-pitched whining 'I don't like this argument'. Try and refute it, but don't just bitch about it. It's a fair point that Eto'o's pace and explosiveness made him such a danger and there are reports from people who are familiar with his time in Anzhi that he has lost some of it - Shock fucking horror, a player is losing some of their pace as they get older. Now if you disagree with that, then that's fine. That's called a discussion. But arguing that it's not a fair point is fucking pointless.

Because Rooney would seem to fit our team as a player who can lead the line. I haven't watched Eto'o as much as some people but the reports suggest he has lost some of that pace that made him such a danger - was it his only weapon? Of course not. I'm sure there are strikers who lose their pace and still score 20-odd goals a season. Can't think of one off the top of my head, but I'm sure someone could oblige. With Rooney's contract you also have to factor in his marketability which has been proven over numerous years - were you watching Anzhi matches purely because of the lure of seeing a 31 year old Samuel Eto'o who decided to play in the Russian league rather than compete at the highest level of football? Did he leave for Anzhi purely because of the money or because he didn't have that hunger anymore? Maybe he felt he couldn't do it at the top level anymore? Which of those reasons makes him more appealing as a signing for a club with our aspirations? Rooney earns a boatload of money playing second fiddle to Van Persie and he wants to leave because he wants to play football week-in and week-out. Eto'o earns a boatload of money playing in a nothing league and he would be happy continuing doing so except the money seems to be drying up, so all of a sudden he's got his hunger back???

It's certainly an option that his camp has at it's disposal. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Looney. Because it rhymes with Rooney and implies he's mad. Jesus.....Whitman, Twain, Wilde you guys can fuck off because we've chanced upon a true wit in our midst. Anyway, guffawing aside I disagree with most of that. I pay so little attention to the national team's performances because frankly I don't care for them. What I have seen with Rooney is a player who steps up in the big moments (Champions League Finals, last minutes of title deciders against local rivals) when given the mantle of 'main guy'. A guy who has scored 100 goals in the last four seasons despite being shuffled to and fro to accommodate other players and a guy who can lead the line and bring other players into the game. To me, he is the ideal choice to spearhead our front four. He keeps getting asked, and for some reason he keeps answering. It's almost like people in the media don't believe him. United are a big club....they also sold their biggest player (one of the two biggest players in the world in fact) a few years ago. There is a long time left in this transfer window and a lot of cards left to be played by both sides, but anyone who expected something to be done before our league game with them was kidding themselves.