The only place to be

Actually, Cech has never played as a striker for us. Oscar has played in that DLP role. You still haven't actually said which position he'll be playing now though. You've said he's a number 10, but Mata is our number 10. Is Mata going to move aside or are we going to sell him?

Our relationship isn't ideal but I doubt they'd begrudge him going there any more than they would if he went to United or City. Grown-ups understand that people need to go elsewhere to work sometimes. Personally, I've found there's a grudging respect between our fans and Barca fans although I try to avoid nincompoops in my life. Our club is actually quite stable in almost every position except manager. Abramovich simply fires underperforming managers because he pays them a lot of money to do a good job. If that's going to scare off Guardiola then I'd totally agree he's the wrong man, but nothing that I've read or heard about him suggests he's that type of man. As for your final point, I think you're dead wrong and I think it highlights EXACTLY why Guardiola is the right man. We've bought expensive ready-made players in the past, but the rules simply don't allow for that going forward (with FFP and homegrown rules). We essentially had to do that to catch-up to the top teams in the past, but now we've got one of the best academy set-ups in the world and it's finally starting to bear fruit. We NEED a manager who will institute an ideology of football from the first-team through every age-group and if you look at the way our youngsters already play and the type of kids we have, it's not far off trying to emulate what they have at Barca. It's what makes him the ideal choice in my opinion. Klopp would be a good alternative because he ticks many of the boxes, except I think there's zero chance of us getting him after recent comments. Well Vilanova's team is 16 points ahead of Mourinho's. In fact Mourinho is starting to look like the Mourinho just before we sacked him (because it wasn't all roses was it?). I think there's always going to be fans who want to go back to something familiar, so much so that they're prepared to ignore the shit that went down. Sure Guardiola inherited a talented team but he took them to another level - we have a lot of talent in our team too, but we just need someone who can come in and unify them. Mourinho could do that, except there's a ton of baggage with him and Roman so why not go for a fresh start with a new guy?

Are we ignoring the fact that Mata has been our best player for over a year now and is still only 24? He doesn't show any signs of giving up that position so to say we should stick Mata as a DLP (which is a deliberate obfuscation of my logic) is asinine. But let's look at Oscar's game too. He has the workrate to play in that DLP position, he has the vision and he's one of the best players I've seen who just keeps things ticking over, a la Modric. That might be his best position for what Brazil needs, but for what we need he seems better suited to a deeper role.

There is a point at which JT's baggage become more trouble then it's worth, and with is injuries and the emergence of Ivanovic and Cahill as a solid pairing I think that point is arriving sooner rather than later. That picture of Lamps with the stupid hashtags after it was totally unprofessional as club captain. He's got a year left on his contract and that'll be it I think.

He's not being sacked. He signed a contract, that contract is coming to an end and the club have decided he's not part of their plans going forward. It could end up being better for the club long-term if he does leave.

So he's going to play the number 10 spot for us? Is he going to be on a job-share scheme with Mata then? Ultimately, I disagree with what you're saying about him going forward. Mata needs to stay where he is and we need a deep-lying playmaker who has all the talents Oscar has. If we're not going to play him there, it's a waste.

So Guardiola had the 'best squad in the history of football', so gets little credit whereas Mourinho inherited a team with Cech, Terry, Lampard, Makelele, Robben, Cole, Duff, Gudjohnson and Gallas and he gets a lot? Despite being one of the architects of arguably the greatest team to ever play the game, it's amazing how underrated Guardiola is still.

The fact that we went after him after we couldn't get our primary target for that position doesn't suggest he might have been bought with that in mind? Fair enough. Where do you think we'll play Oscar then? On Mata's shoulders perhaps?

3 years ago he was 31 and at the heart of the team. Things change quickly in football. Being angry about us buying Taison and not signing Lamps is like being angry that we bought Courtois instead of giving him a contract. They fulfil different needs in the current squad.

That goes in the 'why are we paying Torres so much?' file of false equivalences. When has the club stated anything? Oscar was the guy we went after when we couldn't get Modric. He has all the tools to play in that position and he's not realistically going to play anywhere else is he?

From what I can gather, he'll simply provide competition on the flanks and a different, pacier option upfront. It just seems to be a decent, cheapish deal to provide strength in an area we're lacking a little, especially if Oscar is going to move to a deeper position. Personally I'm not particularly excited by this deal, not am I all that offended by it. He won't be on massive wages and he'll probably have re-sale value at the end if things don't work out.

Yes, that's how I go about learning things I don't know about. I ask people who have more knowledge than me. The one thing my friend emphasised was his versatility. If he can play across the four forward positions then that's one more choice off the bench, especially if Piazon goes on loan as a few people expect him to.

And you're basing that on what exactly? (I have very low expectations of the reply, so even the tiniest insight will impress me).

Because I had a chat with someone far more familiar with him than me and he gave me an indication of what type of player he is. Okay?

£11 million is the price being reported by Neil Ashton in the Mail. As a player who can compete with Moses on the right and be a third option up front that seems like a decent price.

Well I think you're wrong. There was a Chelsea before Lampard, there will be one after he goes. For me, Chelsea is more than any one player - it's more than this group of players too. Chelsea for me is about walking from the Embankment (when you could still park there) to the Bridge, or hopping off the tube and walking along the Fulham Road bumping into guys you've seen at the club for years. It's about getting your membership in the post when the sun is still shining, or going to the megastore to see the new kit for the first time. If he goes, he goes. We'll wish him well, thank him for his service, shed a few tears and then look to our next hero to take over. The reaction on here reminds me of when Take That broke up and they had to open a crisis line for them.

I'm not saying he'd be a liability, but the club obviously has to put together the best squad it can to achieve success. Is Frank going to be the attacking midfielder we need? No, we have Mata now. Is he going to be the guy who can play the double pivot and dictate the tempo? I don't think so. I think there are potentially better options either in our squad (Oscar and McEachran) and maybe better options in the market. 12 years at one club (in which he's been well remunerated) is amazing in this day and age but it has to end at some point. The media will try to make us look like cunts for this when there's no reason to. I expect to hear 'Scholes and Giggs, Scholes and Giggs' a lot over the next few months when there's plenty of players (Keane, Bruce, Schmeichel, Butt, Neville, Hughes) who were let go despite being 'legends' to varying degrees.

What? You'll stop supporting the club? I agree. It's progress with developing either a time machine or a youth serum is appalling. I blame this man Continued success? Stability?

I'm in the same position. Don't know a huge amount about him, not going to judge him on a youtube vid some 14 year old made (with Coldplay FFS!!) but if the price is right I'm going to give him a chance. Let's be honest - our board might not be perfect but when shopping at the £10 million mark they have a pretty good recent record (Moses,Azpi, Cahill, Courtois, Ba, De Bruyne and even Lukaku's original fee was about £12 million). I think Marin is pretty much written off to be honest. His transfer was based on us not qualifying for the CL and he was fucked the moment we did in all honesty. Taison could be his replacement or simply another player to compete with Moses on the right wing or even a third striker. He seems versatile which is a plus point. Not sure how a 24 year old who hasn't played for his country gets a work permit though.

A lot of that sounds like you just want us to go back in time to 2005 and are ignoring how his tenure ended. I'd say I'm surprised that half of the people voting want Jose back, but I'm not. We've seen from the Lampard situation that people just want to cling on to what is familiar rather than look to the future, and that's a common human feeling. New things bring with them uncertainty and change can scare some people. But if you actually look at the composition of the squad and what we are trying to do in terms of what's on the pitch as well as long-term planning, I don't know how Guardiola isn't the best choice for the club. I suppose Mourinho is like the first love (in fact I'd say he was most people's first Chelsea manager) but with maturity comes the recognition that going back is usually a stupid fucking move.

He has to say shit like that now he's at Liverpool. I hear he's already stocking up on black armbands and learning the dates of Liverpool's league and cup triumphs.

Pretty much this. The club seems to fancy another attacking midfielder and this guy seems like one of the best young guys out there, and the price (if even remotely correct) is a no-brainer.

Every game until the end of the season will be filled with chants for Lampard and against the board if they came out now. The board might be looking for a way to achieve relative peace until then.

HIs wages are important in a post-FFP world. There's no way around it and despite your protestations, wages have been part of the sports discussion for a long time now. If we're spending money in one area, we're not spending it in another - simple as that. He may have a lot to offer, but is that more than what another player might offer if we brought him in or simply gave an existing player a chance in the team? What's amazing to me is that we already seem to have found the man to replace his goals from midfield in Mata.

What a cheating cunt and what a shit ref and linesman.