The only place to be

I think the board do trust young players (Azpi, Moses, Oscar and Hazard are all younger than Sturridge) but there was a feeling that he simply wouldn't be good enough to lead the line for a top club so actually made a fabulous business decision and replaced him whilst making a profit.

I disagree. I think Pep would get longer than any other manager because of his track record and the fact that Roman views him as the guy to take us forward. He's arguably the best manager in the world right now, and definitely the most in demand so there's a sense that there's no-one bigger to go for if things aren't working out. Plus there's so much in place with regards the type of players we're signing for the first-team, and even at the younger levels, that to sack him would mean a massive sea-change in terms of everything you're trying to do as a club. I think Roman desperately wants a guy to provide stability for the next 3-4 years whilst things happen around the club, primarily the stadium issue.

Why would you want that? You realise the guy we bought to replace him scored twice yesterday against Premier League opposition?

He's Jose Mourinho, the guy we sacked, the guy who had a tumultuous relationship with the owner (but they've made up.....try being friends with an ex. Sure it's great. Now try sleeping with her and see how long before the first argument and you dredge up old shit) and works best in teams ready to win rather than building something new. How many years do people expect it to last if he did come back? 1? 2 maybe? And then what?

What are the obvious reasons for Jose? He had a bad working relationship with Roman, doesn't want to work with a DoF, we don't have the type of squad that plays to his strengths (Guardiola is the obvious choice looking at our squad), going back is usually a shit idea in sport and the main reason he might be available is because he's doing such a bad job at Madrid that he's likely to get sacked. Guardiola on the other hand seems the best fit for our squad, our academy and would be a case of looking forward rather than looking back. The fact he's behind Benitez in the voting is terrifying.

No. I want us to focus on the league games.

I actually think the club would like a long-term option, but none of them have worked out. It's why I think Pep is the best choice, because there would be a dedication to his appointment (based on his track record) that simply wasn't there with past appointments. Roman sees him as 'his guy' so he won't ditch him so quickly. Rafa is an interim. That's the only reason some of the fans aren't calling for his head, but there's simply no way many of them would want him as the long-term manager. Jose is only an option because he's doing so shit right now - 16 points off Barca after only 17 games. I also don't think he's a good bet for a long-term choice because he specialises in building teams for right now. The club wants a guy who can instil an ethos into the club and become something self-sustaining, like Pep did at Barca. We also have a director of football, something Pep's fine with and Jose isn't. For me, there's only one choice and if we can't get him then we're fucked for a few seasons.

His contract allows for a break in the summer. I don't think anyone really wants him to stay beyond that but it isn't impossible.

That is a point few people raise - what if the new guy doesn't want him? It's a different situation with Cole because he's still the best guy in his position but signing such a 'big personality' to another 12 months is totally different and the new guy should be included in the conversation.

Simple question. At the end of this season, who do you want to be the next guy in charge? My preference is Guardiola and he seems to be the club's first choice too. Looking at where we are and where we're looking to go, he seems to be the best choice and he's available......kinda.

We're still in the FA Cup and Europa League, plus we need to finish top four. Those need to be the priorities, not the Coca-Cola Cup. Forgot about the FA Cup 4th round. Hopefully a non-league team at home.

It's still the League Cup - right now the priority has to be the league. Look what happened after the United game when we played our most important players and then struggled against Swansea.

Honestly, if we need to rest players then I'd do it in this match. We've got three big league games coming up which we need to be at full strength for and the second leg comes before a six day break before the next game.

Next season we should have Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic as the first-choice options, and hopefully Luiz and Chalobah as back-ups who can also play in midfield. It's not the most immediate position we need to fill.

We've got Stoke, Southampton and Arsenal in the space of 8 days after this so I'd be inclined to rest the likes of Mata, Hazard and Ba. Turnbull Azpi Cahill Ivanovic Bertrand Ramires Lampard Marin Oscar Piazon Torres

I absolutely agree. To me it's a joke if the club aren't saying that his wages have to be reduced first and foremost. The contract he signed 5 years ago was for the player he was 5 years ago and he simply isn't that guy anymore. To me though, he's an absolute legend whether he gets that record or not. Hs reputation was solidified when he played for the team so soon after his mother passed and stepped up to take the penalty against Liverpool. Whether he stays or goes that won't change.

I agree. Can't see the point in re-signing Lampard if we're getting Isco which makes me doubt the whole story.

I'm doubting what the club is saying. I haven't made a comment on Lampard's position.

I'd love him to stay - I'd also love him to be playing like he was 2 or 3 years ago. Throwing big money at a player who isn't deserving of it is the opposite of what we're supposed to be doing and like any business, if you're spending it in one place you aren't spending it in another.

You pay people wages not because they've earned it, but because they will earn it. Other players might be on more and I expect you're talking about Torres because that's the example everyone uses, but we can't renegotiate his contract right now without him wanting to. We're fucked in that case. With Lamps we can and there's no way he's worth £150,000 p/w anymore. We're having this conversation after a 5-0 win in which he came on at 4-1 and scored a penalty - I didn't see people quite so vocal after the QPR game. Yes we would be lovely to get rid of Torres but let's look at it another way - with the £5 million we spend on Lamps in wages we could buy Luke Shaw from Southampton. That's the type of choice we have to make nowadays - you want to spend money on an old, bit-part player or try and invest in the future of the club? How do you justify giving torres more than 8 mil a year? I know who i would rather pay it too. And does he look like a 34 year old... He has supreme fitness levels as we have seen this season with him sprinting back faster than david luiz in the last minute of a game... Ideally we shouldn't pay either of them 150k for obvious reasons, but it wouldn't bother me at all if he was getting paid that, as to have him stay here would be worth it for me. Torres contract cannot be renegotiated without his consent. It's a moot point. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

We did enough to beat Corinthians, but just didn't have the luck with us which is amazing considering it's a tin pot cup that we had to travel thousands of miles for in a pretty packed schedule to face a well-rested team. Oh, and we had a new manager. So we lost? Big fucking deal. The QPR game matters far more and that win simply came down to us not having Mata. Yes we should be better but we're not right now. Acknowledging that doesn't mean I don't care, it means I'm being realistic. Rafa fucked up and selected the wrong team. That's a fair analysis of those results. I'd ask for your's but I don't care.

You realise today was a cup game don't you?

They declined to go into detail but confirmed that Lampard's £150,000-a-week salary would not be slashed as a primary condition of any new deal. I'm all for a one-year extension but he's got to be looking at a significant pay cut. This could just be an effort to appease some of the fans though.

The valid point was that he could've let Ba take the penalty. It was made a couple of times. In fact I made it, although I can see both sides.

Do you have a particular problem with either of those excuses? No-one's saying what you think they're saying, however 'hilarious' you want it to be.