The only place to be

Mata has been our best player this season. In future, maybe Oscar will step-up and take that role but the amount of 'fans' willing to throw this club, it's achievements and some of it's best players under the bus after a few bad results is fucking sickening. Some people need to get a fucking grip and remember (or learn) how to support a football club.

So a few months ago it was good enough, but a few tough times and you shit on the club? That's not how you support a club.

So you're saying a guy came in to the English game and struggled at times in his first season. Mata's not a playmaker.

Why are you so willing to shit on this club's biggest achievement and one of the happiest moments for it's fans?

But we are Champions of Europe. Some people's reactions on here are a little on the hysterical side. The team that won the Champions League has been dismantled and we're building something new. Anyone who thought that would be painless was kidding themselves, but you have to stick by the team whilst we're doing that. Shitting on the achievements of our club is a low thing to do.

I think the idea that we bought shame to Europe is pathetic.

He's good enough to be one of the 3 best players on a team. The problem is the sub-standard players in key positions on the pitch. The striker isn't good enough and the players in the midfield two weren't good enough today. That means that Mata has less space in which to operate and less options when he has the ball.

Exactly.

That Champions League win came as the culmination of Mourinho's team of 2005. Of course we were going to struggle to move on from that but the people calling us the 'worst winners ever' or a 'disgrace to Europe' have to get a grip and realise that the only people whose opinions count are your fellow Chelsea fans. Fuck whatever anyone else wants to say about our team - only give a shit about what the Chelsea family thinks. I didn't give a fuck what rival supporters thought in May, I don't give a fuck now.

Do one mate.

Shame we didn't win, but it will mean more in a few years time when we will be the best team in the world. :blue scalf:

Bertrand needs a run of games in the league. Cole is off, so we have to assess what we have before we go into the transfer market. And the midfield just doesn't offer enough. Luiz needs to be given another go there and I think we have to spend in January to get another one. Dare I say it, we may have missed a bit of what Mikel offers today.

Cole is not the same player he was. He's simply not consistant and really had a shocker today. You can put some of that on Hazard but it's becoming a recurring thing. And Lamps - love the guy but he really doesn't seem to offer anything to this team now. Where was the leadership? A lot of our problems stemmed from midfield linking attack and defence and he simply wasn't very good today. Sad to say but every player has to move on eventually.

Doesn't have a place in this team. Absolute legend but there comes a point where you have to move on.

Not good enough for a top team. You have to take the few opportunities you'll get and he doesn't do that. He can still score goals against the weaker teams but that's not going to be good enough.

I've said before that Lampard simply doesn't have a place in this team anymore. We were hoping that his leadership might reinvigorate the team but this was one of the most pathetic performances I've seen for a long time. He's a legend but he just doesn't do enough now and I think we have to look at Luiz playing in there alongside a holding midfielder (probably Mikel) just until the end of the season. Leeds is the perfect place to try it. Cole has been having more dodgy moments this season, so we have to look at Bertrand too.

The lack of anything from the midfield fucked up our offence and defence. Lampard offered absolutely nothing and Ramires worked hard, but that was about it. Same old problems. Cole also had his worst game in ages and seems to be thinking about croissants already. Torres.....well he had an easy finish and fluffed it. Same old problem. Mata just never got in the game.

The lack of anything from the midfield fucked up our offence and defence. Lampard offered absolutely nothing and Ramires worked hard, but that was about it. Same old problems. Cole also had his worst game in ages and seems to be thinking about croissants already. Torres.....well he had an easy finish and fluffed it. Same old problem. Mata just never got in the game.

Midfield just not been good enough and there's a complete lack of leadership. Still, as soon as Lampard is fit again we'll be fine. Oh.....

It's easy to say 'fuck the money', but for our future ambitions we need a top four finish. We need the lure of Champions League football for whichever manager comes in. And give the fans a break. Yes we were all angry and pissed off at what happened but we can't carry that into every game. It's exhausting and not actually that enjoyable to do. I'd much rather see my team winning games on the pitch and playing well.

I thought that figure looked a little low too. But yes, my dad supports Chelsea and is the reason I do. He used to take me, and now I take him sometimes. My mum was a Spurs fan before she met my dad, but she saw sense and we let her back in the house.

Mata has 11 goals this season - that's Lampard-esque. When we signed him a lot of rival fans were saying he'd be too lightweight or he'd take a long time to settle. He came in and blew the doors off. Now he's quietened down as rival teams know a little more of what to expect and he's probably suffering a bit with the pace of the game, but in the last few games he looks like he's getting back to his best. Throw in the fact that he's playing under a new manager who expects a little bit more defensively from him and I have to say I'm mightily impressed with the way he's stepped up in recent weeks. Plus he's still only 21 - just to compare him to someone totally unfairly, people often say that Ronaldo kicked on after about 100 appearances, and that happened to be around the age of 21/22.

He's played less than two games there and people are already saying what games he might be suited for? He showed enough to warrant more chances there. He showed areas of promise but also weaknesses. The problem I have always had with him is not his talent, but his his tendency to switch off and make mistakes. In midfield that might be covered a little more and he might also bring something to the team that nether Ramires or Mikel has. But baby steps people.

Fuck - when someone decides they'd rather spend a month looking at Gervinho and his melon-head than you, you're screwed. Personally, I think he's a decent player and he's English which is good for the HG rules. The problem is there's this myth that Wenger can take any youth with talent and maximise it. Problem is, it's bullshit and Walcott has never reached his potential. I don't know if we're the club to do it and I don't know if he'd get the game time but he could still be a really good player. He just needs that little bit of aggression and fight. One thing he'll add over Sturridge - he can pass the ball.