Rupert

I am no different from the many people who believe that the vitriol directed at the manager and some players by a group of people who call themselves supporters does not help the club. It does not help the atmosphere around the club, the players, the performances and the results. As it happens, the premises of their complaints is also false. Rafa never mentioned plastic flags and never said he would never coach Chelsea. Some of the so-called quotations used on here have been proven to be false but they are still trotted out. What he did say about LFC supporters was quite true.

By definition, a person who attacks and jeers the manager and players of a team is not a supporter of that team.

That's not a fact - its a presupposition. And a half-assed one in so far as you say "probably".

Your obsession with me is very touching. But I do understand. It must be very strange for you reading the posts of someone who is not a member of the stupid mob who attack the team's manager and leading striker because (a) he is not Mourinho and ( not Drogba. It's none of your business which teams I follow or where I choose to post. Try winning your argument on the basis of merit not personal attacks. Without knowing or caring anything about you I can say with confidence I have been following Chelsea for longer than you, I am a former resident of Chelsea and have met many of the players from past and current squads including the former manager. There is nothing unusual about my disgust with the stupid mob on the terraces or forums who attack the manger and player in question - most of the footballing world, including most Chelsea supporters, share my feelings.

Yes. As has been said repeatedly by manager and players, his contributions are not restricted to goals. He plays his part in defence in dead-ball situations, in holding the ball in building an attack, drawing away defenders for Mata and the others and also he scores goals. Did you know he has 16 goals - one of the the highest scorers in the PL despite his recent barren spell? Just because he is not as successful as he was at LFC does not mean he is not successful. And he has done all this in the face of supporter booing and mockery and propaganda posters outside the ground etc. He didn't get any of that rubbish at Athletico Madrid or LFC where the supporters understand how to be supportive of a confidence player.

Torres is a better player than BA . But he was rested even after a very good game last week. Torres should play against United, so it may be that Ba should play against Southampton to restore his confidence. You could see Ba's confidence leaking fast in the last game. But we can't afford to allow that to continue - we need at least two strikers. Besides we should be able to score against Southampton even with a stuttering Ba as long as he stretches the defence with his runs. Torres is getting a good rest in the international break and should be fresh for Utd.

You don't know Benitez or you would't make such an ill-informed statement. He is not known for rigid boring football. You must be thinking of Mourinho. LFC under Rafa scored more goals in a season than ever before in their long history, also more points in the PL. The players at Inter, LFC, Valencia and his earlier teams all spoke of his flexibility. How he expected them to know three or four formations and to change the formations during a match. In Spain he is thought of as near genius for the way his Valencia team cut through the opposition - winning the Liga twice over Real Madrid and Barcelona beating both of those teams on the way. In fact he got the LFC job partly because the exciting and swashbukling way he demolished LFC at Anfield in the previous season during a CL match. (LFC supporters, who are very well informed, were typically appreciative of the performance even though it was by an opposing team). Many players have spoken about his influence on them - how he taught them the small things that made them more effective and better team players. Torres, for example, has give Rafa a lot of the credit for his explosive form at LFC. Most critics would agree that Gerrard and even Carragher had their best years under Rafa and there are many others who blossomed under his direction.

So, let's get this straight. You don't want Chelsea to be 2nd because people would credit Rafa? Nuff said!

Can you add Man Utd statistics to this? And thanks!

At least you are admitting your blind hatred - "anyone but" "cuntish" - instead of trying to justify it with weasel arguments that he is the worst manager since Roman came etc. etc. There will always be idiot haters.

A "proper manager" like Mourinho who is currently a distant third in a league which is usually decided by two teams? Or DM who managed Chelsea out of the CL- the first time a CL winner has left in the first round? Or BV who has just started the Spurs slump by picking the wrong team and the wrong tactics against Fulham?

For those who don't know Rafa's style very well - he always gets criticized by the press for rotating during the season (whereas Ferguson doesn't even though he rotates as much as or more) but Rafa's teams have staying power and they usually have strong finishes to the season. But even with Rafa managing, it will be tough in the last 5-6 games of this the longest season ever for Chelsea - especially if there are injuries.

Another dominant win and clean sheet by Rafa and the boys. Chelsea's tactics were easily superior to Allardyce's "up and at 'em" style. Has any other PL team created as many good chances (and squandered so many) as Chelsea since Rafa arrived? Execution in front of goal was poor, with Dembaba the biggest culprit, but in his defence, he got himself in a scoring position time and again. He plays a different game from Torres - stays up front and waits for the through ball - whereas Torres has to go hunting for his chances. Third place again. And it looks as though Spurs might be in a losing fight for 4th with Arsenal. We would be second if we had the kind of support Utd and LFC get from their supporters throughout the season.

You'll go blind if you keep doing that.

What interesting logic. Are all you Benitez-haters so coherent? Everyone knows that Mourinho is Ferguson biggest cocksucker. He was when he was Chelsea's manager and he is now. But it's not sincere. It is obvious that Mourinho wanted the Man Utd job when he was at Chelsea and he wants it now (but he won't get it or the Chelsea job). Most well-informed football supporters know that Allardyce is the leader of the small pack of British managers who queue up to suck Ferguson's cock. Ferguson loves them for it and rushes to defend them. They gang up on anyone who criticises Ferguson. Rafa is the only manager who doesn't suck Ferguson's cock. Ferguson used to think Rafa was in his pocket. Then he discovered that he was an independent rival and he started lashing out at him.

So did you "say something bad about Benitez"? I thought you said it was a meaningless comment. Make up your mind!

What a ridiculous statement. It started with reference to Rafa's 100% record against Allardyce and then says you never know with Benitiz. What don't you know? Or are you just saying that to appease the haters who can't get over the fact that Rafa was right when he said seven years ago that the supporters of his team made their own banners and flags? Allardyce, along with Mourinho, is one of Ferguson's chief cocksuckers. He tried to create a storm a few years ago about Rafa claiming he was disrespectful and bacon-faced Ferguson piled in with him. It was all because Rafa made a gesture with his hands to his own player Alonso essentially saying, I told you where to send the free-kick, you didn't follow my advice and you scored so you were right and my advice was wrong.

Nobody has commented on the first goal by Terry. Rafa says and others have confirmed that Rafa had them practice that move the day before training. Torres took out Terry's marker and Terry moved into the space vacated by another player (forget which one). Really well orchestrated and executed.

Why are people complaining about all this racist stuff about Romanians when they themselves regularly abuse Spanish waiters?

He sounded like a typical Chelsea terrace fan Booing the manager and most of the players. Also talked a lot about buying success.

" lol at Rafa tactics...No goal, no motivation in first half. Fucking steaua played more attractive than us in 1st half." If you were a bit more astute you would have noticed that Rafa wasn't playing in the first and if he had been he wouldn't have allowed that soft corner to go in. Reference my other posts where I have explained that we are inexperienced and it takes us 45 minutes and a half-time talk from Rafa to really understand what's going on.

That's because at LFC he rode on the wave of a supportive crowd. He knew they wouldn't boo him even if he took chances and missed. He also had a manager who understood him, a captain who supported him and played to his strengths, whereas at Chelsea.....crowd.....captain (fill in the dots).

Well done Rafa and nice profit on your faith in Torres despite all the boo boys. Rafa is starting to instill a brain and a backbone into this team of youngsters and old lags. Another year more and he will make them champions if we can persuade him to stay despite the other job offers he has.

From Garth Cooks ? BC website I sincerely hope those abusive Chelsea fans that travelled to Old Trafford send Rafael Benitez a letter of apology. How they have the nerve to continually abuse the man for doing his job - and doing it absolutely brilliantly against Manchester United - is beyond me. It was a match that former boss Roberto Di Matteo might well have lost. To bring on John Obi Mikel and allow Ramires to do what he does best - bomb forward - at such a crucial stage in the game was the action of a manager who knows exactly what is required at precisely the right time. Get over yourselves Chelsea fans and get behind the team. You might win the FA Cup. Did you know? Ramires made a game-high six interceptions in this fixture, more than he has managed in any Premier League game this season.

Shouldn't the FA charge Ferdinand? It was not seen by the referee so it can now be dealt with.