The only place to be

You said they were baffling. The simple fact is they aren't and you're once again having a pop at the club when you really don't have a clue. You think Kalas and Omeruo won't make it? I disagree. Regardless, try and explain how their loans are baffling rather than the constant trolling.

You said all the loans are fucking baffling. Asking which ones baffle you isn't resorting to 'meaningless stats' (they aren't really stats to start with). Kevin isn't sitting around. He's playing a lot of football. Piazon actually spent most of his time here sitting around, in his first real season of first-team football. A different experience like the one he's getting isn't the worst thing in the world for a young man. Do you find the Kalas or Omeruo loans baffling? What about the PVA one? Does Chalobah and McEachran getting lots of minutes in a competitive league baffle you? Or is your criticism completely unfounded?

I don't really blame them for that because it's not their game. The problem for me is the same problem it's been all season - the midfield. We're fine if there's someone the defenders can lay the ball off to but Lamps and Rami simply haven't been that for us. Essentially what you're saying we're missing is someone who can bypass the midfield and get the ball to the front 4 directly. I agree with you. Having said that I'd like for Luiz to play in midfield today.

Not surprised to see you talking bollocks but let's see you try and back it up for once. I'll even be nice and show you the players we've got out on loan. Now you could probably make a case for Essien and De Bruyne not needing to be on loan, although there's arguments for both. Which ones do you find 'fucking baffling' on that list??

They really aren't. In fact I'd say the vast majority of the 20-odd loans we have in place right now are effective and make perfect sense considering the circumstances.

I think you're going way too far in emphasising Courtois's potential and ignoring the fact that he's actually already a very good keeper. I also think it's wrong to compare him to De Gea simply because they're both young and played at Atlhletico. Courtois is better than De Gea. De Gea has always been great at the spectacular but had some problems with the fundamentals (shots close to the feet and crosses in particular) which is the area that Courtois has been very solid in. I'm not against the idea of him going on loan to a premier league club for a year but I think we're past the stage of bringing him back to the club to share time with Cech. Let him go to and Everton and get to learn the league before looking to make that change. Cech at 31-32 still has value approaching double figures and we have a guy for the next decade.

Here's the thing with Emenalo - he's been in his current position for less than two years. I give him almost zero credit for the Champions League win (as I'm sure many people here do), so to be fair I have to assess everything else he has done accordingly. The problems we have aren't ones that arrived with him and they aren't ones that will be solved overnight - that simply isn't how football works. What we have are long-term problems that need long-term solutions, and as you identified in your first paragraph there are clear signs that we are moving to a more responsible way of operating. You say 'despite being the defending European Champions', but we were also the sixth-best team in the league last year. In Hazard, Oscar and Azpi we're strengthened three positions by my count and it may just be the case that Benitez likes Bertrand on the left-wing because he's a naturally defensive coach. Yes we spent £80 million in the summer but against Newcastle, £30 million of that was banned. We all seem to want long-term stability in the managerial position, but people seem to have few qualms in calling for 'the board' to be sacked.

Didn't you know? He's a naive old man who is being exploited by 'yes men'. He's basically surrounded with Anna Nicole Smiths (RIP) taking him for all he's worth. Poor guy. He's down to his last yacht and it's only a matter of months before they try and get him put in an old folks' home. He'll be sat there in his own piss watching Doctors and will anyone come and change his diaper? Broken Britain.

Out of interest, is there a reason that you didn't include David Barnard in that last paragraph? Overall, it's a well-written piece but a little over the top. We're in a bad spot and it made get worse but there's so many good things happening at the club that the long-term prognosis is actually pretty positive. Personally I think this is one of those kneejerk reactions that a few people have and that if you look at the problems at the club, they started way before Emenalo was appointed. We had a stupid transfer policy based on short-term thinking rather than anything approaching long-term stability. I hate to keep sounding like I'm defending the guy because I'm simply not joining in the criticism of him. I actually think that we were going to be fucked whoever was in charge because the club hasn't been run properly for a number of years. That's actually changed with the wages being restructured so we aren't throwing money at established names and us actually looking for value in the transfer market over the long-term. Of course things are pretty shitty at this moment in time but there does seem to be a path to greater glories sketched out for us.

I think he has a place in the squad but not in the first team week-in and week-out. Josh simply doesn't look ready to come in next season and Frank still offers a lot coming off the bench when we're chasing games. I still have a couple of reservations on how he'd work with a new coach but if that is someone like Mourinho then there shouldn't be any problems. With regards the actual story, the fact that it's Neil Ashton saying it does mean something.

Hazard didn't just go for the money. He had offers from a few big clubs in big leagues, and was always going to leave for a bigger challenge. Maybe he didn't have a yacht though....

Oscar has been stunning in the Champions League but has struggled a little with the Premier League which isn't strange for a young guy coming to a new league. But I'm confident he'll be much better in his second season. You thinking Neymar won't need time to adapt is at best wishful thinking and erring close to naivety. You keep on saying how great life is for him and how even the refs are on his side - hardly sounds like he's challenging himself. By your own admittance, the league he's playing in is behind the Portuguese and French leagues. Look at someone like Mata who took a pay-cut in order to test himself at a higher level and live in one of the great cultural cities on Earth. That's the type of player we want at this club. Not some waif counting his money on his yacht occasionally going out to run rings around defenders who aren't good enough for the Portuguese league.

He'd be playing at a higher standard, with better players around him. How on Earth could that not make him better? The last line seems to be most important - money.

I don't know....to become the best player he could possibly be?? I'm not sure if he has the bottle if being a big fish in a small pond is so appealing to him.

It's a nice feeling to know he might be staying, but you've got to think he's going to be largely a squad player. He's just not what we need right now in that midfield, but he can still come off the bench and make an impact. I also think this means Josh gets another year out on loan which he really does seem to need.

Maybe they've actually waited until they have a coach lined up before making personnel decisions. Maybe they've actually held talks with someone and got his input - that seems like forward planning.

http://forum.talkchelsea.net/topic/15268-the-next-chelsea-manager/page-39 If he's prepared to offer Lamps a contract then I think we're going for an experienced manager who won't have the same problems AVB did.

Good news if true, not just because it means he'll stick around for another year but it coincides nicely with reports of someone special texting him lately.

Ashley Cole goes off, it falls to shit. :lol2:

What a ball by Oscar #runningtheshow.

Fucking Welbeck. What a twat.

Wow.....so suck it Marcelo! But seriously, where is Mourinho's head if he's saying that? Doesn't sound like it's in Madrid.

Genuinely thought that was Lescott for a moment. :lol2: :lol2:

Would love The FA's 150th celebration be ruined - bunch of cunts. Plus Brazil has more Chelsea players in their side and I'm not supporting a team with Cleverley and Welbeck in the team.

I don't recall us going after Wilshere although I could be wrong though. He's a great little player though.