Wxgba

'Inverting the Pyramid', Jonathan Wilson.

You don't spam - you're just outspoken, aren't you? *gets coat and leaves*

You have my mother to thank for mine...

I didn't want to give you some feedback in the same post as my welcoming post to mtowle, Alex, so here it is. It was fucking quality. Your articles are always a joy to read and I can never progress on to the forums without reading your article - when there's a new one up - first. This one, though, was a little different, because it contained vulgar language. You bad, bad boy. But boy, oh boy did it work. Not many articles include swear words as they're deemed inappropriate and, for the most part, heavily frowned upon. But this... this was genius... It read like poetry. Your ability to subtly alternate your tone within your writing is outstanding. Anyway, I'll shut up now before your head gets any bigger...

I know Spike's already mentioned it, but the quality of articles that are produced on this site are fantastic. It'd be a difficult task to find another fan-run Chelsea site that contains as many high caliber articles as Talk Chelsea. The site has always looked professional thanks to the founder - Jim - and the ramblings posted on the main site just seem to be getting better and better. I do confess that some of the posters on the forum can come across as petty and tedious at times, but I encourage you to bypass them and focus on the quality that this site entails. I hope that you do spend time back-tracking through the articles showcased on the site, and I look forward to reading your views on all things Chelsea! Welcome aboard.

You clearly ignored this post: Oh, and just to keep on topic - I'm still very happy with my display name!

They will because you're kicking up one hell of a fuss over one minor alteration. If you're wanting to start afresh, I suggest you put your old grudges aside. Calling 'zolayes' an old cunt? Was that really necessary? You're meant to respect your elders, not speak to them like shit. You can't gain respect by speaking to people in that manner... and if you're still going to do that under a new name, then what's the point? People will still refer to you and remember you as Sloth, regardless of a name change.

That would be me... Shock horror.

It's been a long time coming. Pride of LDN.

Not sure if anyone's posted a pic of what the kit looks like on fans such as ourselves, as opposed to the professional athlete's with God-like physiques. Anyway, here's what it looks like on a fat boy! I love it.

I can't say I disagree with the majority: very tough call between 'BluesMaster' and 'SeB'. Either of whom would be a worthy winner.

Shit. Didn't think you'd see that post... You, of course, my darling.

Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you were Di Matteo and could predict the line-up... Cahill and Terry are the strongest centre-back pairing we have available. Who says Luiz is a guaranteed starter? No-one. It's your opinion, and I'm entitled to mine. Gary Cahill is definitely not a "back-up" player.

No, he isn't. A "back-up" player is someone who you will turn to when needed, and is only used in circumstances that can't be avoided. Cahill, you could argue, is our second best centre half behind Terry. The two of them seem to have formed a partnership, and I'm sure Di Matteo will have noticed that so that they will play the bigger games alongside one another. David Luiz has bags of potential but he still hasn't shown the maturity needed to be a top player in the Premier League. In my opinion, Cahill ranks above the Brazilian in the pecking order. My argument still stands, though: Cahill, Luiz and Terry are our primary centre backs. None of whom are "back ups". Pirlo wouldn't be anywhere near as effective if it wasn't for his experience. He may have been a good player, but what makes him a great player is his awareness, vision and decision-making, all of which improve significantly through experience - especially the latter. I've never said that he's "suddenly" become a quality player due to experience, but to think that Pirlo's ability hasn't improved over time is ludicrous.

Cahill isn't a back-up. Just sayin'. How can you possibly come to the conclusion that Di Matteo uses a squad rotation system? During his spell as interim manager, he had to make do with a tiring squad, and changed the line-up to keep it fresh as we were entering the second half of the season. Just because he rotated the squad then - don't forget we were also involved in numerous competitions late in the season - doesn't mean he'll do it from the beginning of the forthcoming season. So, what you're saying is that Pirlo's ability has nothing to do with experience? Give me a break.

Extremely petty and pedantic on my behalf, but can't the Talk Chelsea's Twitter account name be changed to just that: 'Talk Chelsea'. As opposed to 'Jim Porter'. I mean, come on, it's not like he runs the show, is it?

Badboy's evidently a Man United fan...

It's now officially payday so I'm going to treat myself to something from the megastore. It's a tight call between the new home kit or the training kit. Think I'll opt for the training kit as the home kit will be easier to find elsewhere later down the line. Anyone else bought any of the training gear yet? If so, what's the fit like?

I don't think Luka will let the club hold him ransom again. The club may have promised him a top-four spot, but that's with the included premise of Champions League football. What's the point in aiming for a top-four finish if you don't qualify for the Champions League? I can see your point, but I don't think he'll hate us because of it. If anything, I believe it will enhance his willingness to join us this summer. Here's hoping.

I wasn't insinuating that Cabaye will even be remotely close to Modric's price-tag, but Yohan's not done himself, or Newcastle, any harm during the Euro's if he is to depart. He performed on the international stage; a feat that will definitely boost a players market value ten-fold. Spurs will want more for Modric, but if they keep holding out for "the right price", he'll be out of contract and he'll be off on a free. No, they didn't, hence why Modric wanted out. Levy is an astute businessman, and I'm sure he fully believed that Harry Redknapp was compiling a squad worthy of Champions League qualification. He was holding out on Modric, hoping that Champions League football next season - which was their aim - may entice Luka to remain with the club. However, he's now a year further into his career and Tottenham have failed to qualify for the Champions League... again. Precisely my point.

I totally understand your frustration and the reasoning for my post riling you. However, it was said in good spirits and I hope royg took it that way. It was a gentle attempt at light humour - I would, by no means, persecute anyone for poor grammar and syntax, not least someone who's native language isn't English. No-one's perfect; I understand that. It was a light-hearted comment to add some 'humour' to my argument. royg, and anyone else that may have deemed my post derogatory, I do apologise - it wasn't sent with hurtful intent. Song does have the propensity to push forward, yes, but I wouldn't describe him as attack-minded, although I can see why he's portrayed in such light. He's a technically-gifted footballer, as are most of Wenger's acquisitions, but his inclination to push on isn't enough for me to see him as an offensive player. I don't really know why I'm having this discussion about Song, but I do see your points regarding him and I do agree that he lacks the tactical nous for him to fit in a more regimented system such as the one we deploy. That being said, I do disagree with the point you make about him being attack-minded - that's just a difference in opinions, though. I agree with most of your post otherwise and do think we should go for Cabaye. I would have preferred him to Modric as he would be a lot cheaper but with Spurs failing to gain Champions League football, his pricetag will have dropped considerably. Cabaye's pricetag will be doing the opposite, though, and will be constantly on the rise from now on, especially if he continues to improve at such an alarming rate.

Cheers, mate - that's appreciated. I only submitted a last-minute "application" in last night, so for me to have two votes I think is an achievement in itself. I saw manpe throw his name out there but unfortunately withdrew from the election - he would have been a worthy winner, as would all of the nominees. The fact that manpe, The Big Drog and LDN Blue all submitted an application - them being three of my favoured members on here - was one of the main reasons I myself opted to step forward. Being up for nomination is enough for me. If I got the job, I'd probably just end up making countless avatars and writing endless articles, anyway!

Thanks for that. I had a feeling it would be something ridiculously simple...

I disregarded your grammatical mistakes in attempt to take your post seriously. I couldn't manage it. Alex Song is talented, yes, but he's very much in the Mikel-mould. Cabaye, Fellaini and Modric are all completely different players to one another, never mind Song. Song is a deep-lying defensive midfielder that offers protection to the back four. The player designated this role for us is Mikel. Calm in possession - as Song is - but not exactly creative. We don't need two players that will happily sit in front of the back four and "hold the line". One of the pairing needs to be able to maneouvre themselves into spaces to receive the ball willingly, and also attack on the odd occasion. Modric wouldn't be fit for the role partnering Mikel as he's too attack-minded. Cabaye, however, is tactically aware and is very good at both ends of the pitch. Fellaini's good at what he does but I'm excluding him from this debate as I wouldn't consider his acquisition for one second. If we're looking for a player to replace Lampard, Cabaye would be a good fit. Whatever team he's played in during his senior career, he's proved pivotal. He was the midfield maestro for Lille for many seasons before moving to England. He's shown his class on a larger stage last season as he was a key player for all of Newcastle's success (by their standards), and has once again risen to the occasion whilst playing for France at the Euro's, proving to be one of, if not France's best playing during the competition.