Wxgba

So pissed off right now. Just spent the best part of an hour researching and writing a submission on Desailly, only for me to accidentally press a button that wipes it all... Brilliant. I'll get one up before the game tonight, though.

Regardless of what happens come the end of the season, Di Matteo's situation needs to be analysed critically and in a lot of detail; not just a knee-jerk reaction depending on whether he's brought silverware back to Stamford Bridge come May. In the unlikely circumstance that we were triumphant in Munich should we get there, I think Roman will instantly offer him the job on a full-time basis. However, there's a lot more to consider when choosing the "right man", particularly when preparing for future, long-term success. There's all this talk about "Barcelona did it with Guardiola, why can't we?" and that there's "no-one better out there that is available". How do we know there's nobody more suitable for the role out there, somewhere amidst managerial obscurity? Barca did nurture Guardiola in to the manager that he is today, yes, but that won't be the case for every former player. Di Matteo's a legend amongst the stands, and I'm sure he'd like to keep it that way. Taking the job could run the risk of dinting his relationship with the board and fans alike. Hypothetically-speaking, what would we, as fans, do if Di Matteo's offered the job in the summer and his terrific turnaround this season is overhauled by torrid turbulence, such as what Liverpool and "King Kenny" are facing currently? It wouldn't leave us in a promising predicament, and both Di Matteo's reputation and our top-four hopes will be taking severe blows. He is a viable option, yes, but I just hope the decision made isn't a rash one. Roman and the board have become prevalent in premature decision-making; I just hope this isn't the case this time around.

Not the greatest of entries but I don't think I'll get chance to submit an entry before the deadline otherwise. I'm aware it's a little messy, and I'd be able to clean it up if I was to win, but I'm not expecting that so there's not much point doing it now.

Why thank you, kind sir. I would write for the forum on a frequent basis if I had a set topic to write about - it's deciding what to discuss that's the difficult task.

We were offensively inept, there's no way anyone can argue against that fact, but we were resolute defensively, and given the drastic changes in the starting eleven, we did look like a unit. We worked as a team in our own half, it's just a shame there wasn't any glimpses of cohesion in their final third. I'm pro-Sturridge and Torres, but yesterday they were below par. Usually, there's the excuse that they've tried hard and put a lot of effort in during the game, but that was seemingly absent throughout - there didn't seem to be any motivation there. You'd think they'd be all guns blazing, fighting for a place in the team that travels to the Nou Camp in a few days time but they were disinterested. Malouda showed signs of his former self and actually looked promising going forward. He worked back well and was one of our better performers yesterday. Kalou does try hard, bless him, but he's never going to establish himself as a first-teamer here as he's simply not good enough. Romeu looked nervous to begin with but soon slotted in nicely back into the middle of the park. The disappointment spurs from the fact that we lacked any attacking ambition, and looked atrocious going forward. We were void of cohesion, and that's something you desperately need as a "big club". Without cohesion, you won't be a big club for long. You need players who work well together, who are able to read and adapt to eachother's games and finally, players who get on both on and off the pitch. As much as I hate to admit it, it's obvious that certain players don't get along off the field - this shouldn't be evident on the pitch as it's a recipe for disaster. Torres doesn't seem to "get along" with many players as they seem to rarely pass the ball to his feet. Yes, they'll play a through ball when they have to, but otherwise they'll opt against it. He doesn't seem to be enjoying his football here at the Bridge: when he scores we see signs of relief as opposed to ecstasy - definitely shouldn't be the case for a striker. Overall, it was a hard-fought result that could have easily swayed either way. A point at the Emirates should never be considered a poor result, but given the opportunities that we had, we ought to be taking full advantage and making a the top four our aim. Spurs slipping up yet again has kept us within contention, but I think Di Matteo's thrown all his eggs into one basket: the Champions League. I hope he succeeds, but I do feel that should his "plan" fail, it could cost him the permanent job, which would be a real shame given the wonders he's worked over the past couple of months.

Jim wins.

Only just stumbled across this with it seemingly having gone off the boil, but good to see it picking up interest once again. I'm more than happy contribute, albeit regularly or occasionally. It's a fantastic idea and if it becomes a success I'm sure the forum will benefit as a result - it's something I definitely want to be involved in, and something I'm more than willing to put my spare time in to. I loved this bit of the preview Sh0nex did: *Sh0nex coughs* "Sorry about that, I am a bit sick." That didn't half make me chuckle. Don't worry about us being "tolerant" with your English either, mate; you're English is just as good, if not better than quite a few of my friends! A question I do have though is what would I need to be able to participate in terms of equipment? I don't have a mic so I'm presuming I'd have to get one, but other than that, would there be anything else I'd require? I'm sure you'd all love my Yorkshire accent...

I know. And he calls himself an Admin? My nan could do a better job!

No doubt the media, along with everyone else out there who seems to dislike Chelsea will go on and on about how we parked the bus for 90 minutes and all that nonsense. Yes, we played extremely defensively to say we were at home, but how else are you going to beat Barcelona? Try and play them at their own game? Don't be ridiculous - we'd get annihilated then! The fact of the matter is that, regardless of popular opinion, Di Matteo got it spot on tonight. It says it all when four of the best players are within the Chelsea defence. Cech, Cole and Terry were solid tonight but Gary Cahill was on another level. He look shaky initially but soon turned it round and produced one of the better individual performances I've seen this season. Drogba, well, what can I say? The man's a fucking machine. Couldn't care less about his 'diving' when he puts in performances like that. He certainly knows how to raise the volume, that lad. A great team ethic and belief was there tonight and was evidently visible - something that hasn't been there since Mourinho's departure - and we only have one man to thank for that: Roberto Di Matteo. He's reinvigorated the winning mentality and has seemingly won the dressing room over. My hat goes off to him as he's done a fantastic job in revitalising the team in just thirteen games. Let's hope for more of the same in the Nou Camp. I'm expecting the double-decker will be utilised to full effect then!

No, I suppose it didn't. But you of all people ought to know I meant no harm by it.

Although the goal that wasn’t that actually was succeeded in grabbing the headlines, the reason that Chelsea won the game was because they were the better side over ninety minutes. You can dominate first halves all season long and still finish in the bottom half. There’s no point in starting strongly if you’re unable to produce the goods. Spurs simply weren’t clinical enough in front of goal – they had the chances but failed to make them count. They outplayed Chelsea for 43 minutes, but then William Gallas made the fatal error of allowing Didier Drogba, aka Mr. Wembley, to turn... in an FA Cup semi-final. He was never going to do anything other than smash it with his weak foot in to the top corner, was he? Scoring just before half-time must have given the side great belief going in to the break. That much so that it took only four minutes of the second half for Di Matteo’s men to bolster the lead, albeit via the controversial goal. 10 minutes later Spurs may have had another cause for frustration as Petr Cech took down Emmanuel Adebayor as he was one-on-one. A certain red card... surely? Not thanks to Gareth Bale being alongside Tottenham’s target man and successfully tucking it home to make the score 2-1. Retrospectively, the Welsh winger would have been better leaving the ball on its natural course, leaving Spurs with a penalty and half an hour to overcome the deficit against the ten-men of Chelsea. He didn’t, and Chelsea made him eat his words. Yes, Gareth, we all know you’re the better team, hence why you won 5-1. Oh, wait a second... Some may say that Chelsea rode their luck during the game, but the truth of the matter is that when the time came, the players stood up and fought hard for the win. It wasn’t the most glamorous 5-1 victory you’ll ever come across, but it will be difficult to find such an important. And the standard of goals the game produced? Phwoar. It was a proud moment to be a Chelsea fan. We may not have had a successful season for the most part, but we do have the opportunity to end the season on a high: we’re in the FA Cup final; we’re two games away from the Champions League final and there’s still a chance of finishing in the top four of the Premier League. Considering how poor we have been at times this season, we will have done extremely well for ourselves and will leave us in a good position to rebuild for next year. Speaking of rebuilding... the old guard faired alright yesterday, didn’t they? Drogba, Lampard and Terry were amongst three of the best players on the pitch. I thought they were past it... (No, that’s not a joke, I personally thought they were) obviously not. Di Matteo has them back on side, and they can definitely help during big games as they proved against Spurs on Sunday night. If they’re capable of producing a performance of that standard on Wednesday night, then there’s every chance we can go on to beat Barcelona. Pessimism has been prolific amongst Chelsea fans as of late, but Di Matteo’s succeeded in turning the results around and has started to gain points from games we wouldn’t have earlier on in the season, leaving the team with evident, new-found confidence, which is now at a new high. After all, it is mid-April and we’re still competing in three competitions. Not many teams in Europe can say that now, can they?

Di Magician? Although the goal that wasn’t that actually was succeeded in grabbing the headlines, the reason that Chelsea won the game was because they were the better side over ninety minutes. You can dominate first halves all season long and still finish in the bottom half. There’s no point in starting strongly if you’re unable to produce the goods. Spurs simply weren’t clinical enough in front of goal – they had the chances but failed to make them count. They outplayed Chelsea for 43 minutes, but then William Gallas made the fatal error of allowing Didier Drogba, aka Mr. Wembley, to turn... in an FA Cup semi-final. He was never going to do anything other than smash it with his weak foot in to the top corner, was he? Scoring just before half-time must have given the side great belief going in to the break. That much so that it took only four minutes of the second half for Di Matteo’s men to bolster the lead, albeit via the controversial goal. 10 minutes later Spurs may have had another cause for frustration as Petr Cech took down Emmanuel Adebayor as he was one-on-one. A certain red card... surely? Not thanks to Gareth Bale being alongside Tottenham’s target man and successfully tucking it home to make the score 2-1. Retrospectively, the Welsh winger would have been better leaving the ball on its natural course, leaving Spurs with a penalty and half an hour to overcome the deficit against the ten-men of Chelsea. He didn’t, and Chelsea made him eat his words. Yes, Gareth, we all know you’re the better team, hence why you won 5-1. Oh, wait a second... Some may say that Chelsea rode their luck during the game, but the truth of the matter is that when the time came, the players stood up and fought hard for the win. It wasn’t the most glamorous 5-1 victory you’ll ever come across, but it will be difficult to find such an important. And the standard of goals the game produced? Phwoar. It was a proud moment to be a Chelsea fan. We may not have had a successful season for the most part, but we do have the opportunity to end the season on a high: we’re in the FA Cup final; we’re two games away from the Champions League final and there’s still a chance of finishing in the top four of the Premier League. Considering how poor we have been at times this season, we will have done extremely well for ourselves and will leave us in a good position to rebuild for next year. Speaking of rebuilding... the old guard faired alright yesterday, didn’t they? Drogba, Lampard and Terry were amongst three of the best players on the pitch. I thought they were past it... (No, that’s not a joke, I personally thought they were) obviously not. Di Matteo has them back on side, and they can definitely help during big games as they proved against Spurs on Sunday night. If they’re capable of producing a performance of that standard on Wednesday night, then there’s every chance we can go on to beat Barcelona. Pessimism has been prolific amongst Chelsea fans as of late, but Di Matteo’s succeeded in turning the results around and has started to gain points from games we wouldn’t have earlier on in the season, leaving the team with evident, new-found confidence, which is now at a new high. After all, it is mid-April and we’re still competing in three competitions. Not many teams in Europe can say that now, can they? CHE15EA, CHE15EA, CHE15EA!

Then just tone it down, dickhead. I wonder if you'll fall for the white text just as Steve did...

Ah, I wasn't aware you were wanting regular contributors! I'd seen the article submission thread but didn't come across this one. I'm more than happy to add my two cents if you're wanting articles submitted frequently. I've got an idea for an article, though I'll leave you all in anticipation as to what the topic will be!

You would say we needed Hazard and Lavezzi when we don't because, quite frankly, we don't need them. We need wingers, yes. But them two specifically? No. They're both proven in two of Europe's top leagues - Ligue 1 is particularly good at unearthing and showcasing young talent - and won't come cheaply. If we're going to go after the big names such as them two, I'd rather the club do it now, I admit that. I'd rather not let the club meandre into thoughtless transfers and then try and persuade one of our rivals to let their new acquisition come to us and a steeply inflated price. Modric, on the other hand, is a player proven in the Premier League, which automatically means that he'll be a great purchase. Yes, he could be a great acquisition, but for £40m+? No thanks. Spurs would only succeed in replacing Modric with a better, cheaper alternative, leaving us a laughing stock. I mean, come on... we don't want to look like Liverpool, do we? Because there's money available doesn't mean you have to spend it all at once like a greedy kid in a candy shop. And your policy is that it's not your money so let's spend as much as we want is utterly ridiculous and quite embarrassing. I'm all for spending... just in the right areas: those being areas that we need.

So the emphasis of this thread was to be realistic? Either people are completely missing the point or they're bordering on delusion. I've seen Modric's name do the rounds so many times I'm starting to become a little dizzy. Come on... is this creative Croat really our main priority this transfer window? Put him to the back of your mind; put your lucrative, marquee signings aside and let's get real - I hate being the one to break it to you, but we don't need big name players to arrive in the summer for ridiculous sums. We need an emphasis on the team to return, that's what we need. I hope Abramovich has finally opened his eyes to the problems facing and surrounding the football club during this torrid time - no more knee-jerk, impact-buys please! Sadly, I've got a feeling what might be Roman's though process during our current predicament: "We need a creative midfielder and a winger, let's go and spend fuck loads on Modric and another unnecessary target. Then we'll find a manager and hope he does well." Unfortunately, this won't produce any good. It may seem like a quick and easy option, yes, but far too often has he [Abramovich] gone for the wrong option, purely because it's simpler. We need to think more carefully about who we employ, and then we might not see the club having to pay out millions to managers in compensation for what, ultimately, wasn't their fault... Get an experienced manager in who has a sense of direction: someone who looks for the future. Get him in before numerous names get thrown in to the hat and let him work his magic (I hope you appreciate the pun there!); allow him full control of the squad; let him decide who's to depart and who's to arrive. Let him choose his surrounding staff and recruit some good scouts for him to work alongside. With all these new rules being implemented, our scouting network really needs to start excelling. Rather than buy in talented prospects, we ought to be producing them, saving us money and also earning us some as we release the one's who aren't quite good enough to make the step up. Enough of me ranting about the board and the way the club is run, anyway. Everyone makes mistakes and hopefully Roman will learn from his own and his colleagues'. Torres alone ought to provide a good enough example of why we needn't sign "proven" players are prepostorous prices. Focus on the future, target talent and we'll soon see Chelsea Football Club on the rise again. Throw out your Cavani's, Hamsik's and Modric's all day long for all I care, I know myself who the people being realistic are.

That would have been more fitting, I admit, though I wouldn't consider myself familiar with any of LL Cool J's songs. Back in the day, eh? I'd love to start producing graphics again - I only stopped as I'd started to become really busy with "life", so to speak. Now it's settled down again and I have spare time on my hands, so perhaps I'll return to it. I'll have to make you a new sig, then!

Yes, I'm back. Tell a friend. The reason I'm posting this is not because I want you all to recognise me (well, yeah, I do...), but because there's a lot of fresh faces around here since the last time I was active. There's the nucleus of the forum still going strong with Jim, Alex and Steve at the helm, but otherwise, I can see a lot of changes - for the better, might I add. A lot of new 'regulars' have joined since my previous spells on the board, so I've come to introduce myself to them and whoever else may not know me (it's not as though I stuck round for a long enough time for people to remember me - plus all the name changes!). I'm Greg. Hi. The site's looking great; top work to Jim and whomever else may have contributed to the skin and banner - I know how much of a pain in the ass it can be at times, so I salute you for your continued hard work. I mean, supporting Chelsea at this point is hard enough, never mind run a forum to showcase the pessimism surrounding the club! Keep it up, lads - the site is definitely reaping the rewards.

As bad as it sounds, I don't even think it's that. There's no creativity coming from the midfield whatsoever, proving that we're severely lacking in creative players. I mean, signing Mata was a great move, but he can't be the only one to feed all the balls through to Torres. We often bypass the midfield entirely so we need players willing to drop off a bit further to collect the ball, turn and start a sensible attack, rather than an aimless 50-60 yard pass over the top. If we're not going to concentrate on signing out-and-out wingers, then I'd happily take Belhanda for a reduced price. If we fail to snap him, or other prospects such as him soon, we'll get our feet stood on and other clubs will come in for them and take them off our hands before we can officially "show our interest". He's a talented player that has a lot to learn which will benefit his game. Will he get this in Ligue 1 with Montpellier? No. He will gain it if he was to come over here to England and try and make his way into the first team. Sturridge has proven that you can achieve such a task, so it's plausible. A player who's capable of spreading an inch-perfect cross-field ball as well as intricate, cutting passes through the defence? Not to mention he can score a few goals, has two great feet and good dribbling ability. Need we say more? Sign him. What harm can it do? I'd rather risk our money on "unproven" players as they come at a much lower price and isn't as much of a risk if they don't come good as you're not spending millions-upon-millions. Personally, I think Belhanda would be an ideal summer transfer for us. Though, realistically, I can only see Abramovich impact-buying, thinking we need some more "big name" stars in our squad and try again for Modric...

What happens if I want to create the topic myself? Only been regularly active again for a couple of days and you're already getting on my tits. Love you really.

If we win, no matter how we do it, the media will jump on the Spurs bandwagon as they always do. "Chelsea win using anti-football tactics", "they love parking the bus, they do!", or, what would put the icing on the cake... "They're a one-man team: without Drogba, they're nothing". Paraphrasing of course, but that's all the drivel that journalists seem to write about Chelsea, whereas Tottenham are this fantastic footballing force that teams should aspire to play like. Don't get me wrong, they're capable of playing nice, attacking football, but so are we... we just haven't shown it that much recently. I'd love to beat Spurs, go on to win the FA Cup and for us to focus on making that fourth spot ours. As much as I'd love to beat Barcelona and us make the Champions League final, realistically, it's not going to happen. We've been playing woefully as of late, but Spurs have hit a dip in form and hopefully that can resurrect the confidence within the camp. We hold a good record at the new Wembley and so does Drogba, so for me, he simply has to start; Torres can play against UEFA a few days after. It's a must-win game, and overcoming them in this fixture may just be the final nail in the coffin for their hopes of a top-four finish too. Imagine that: us beating the Yids at Wembley, going on to win the trophy in our new, sexy home shirt, and effectively costing Spurs their qualification for next years Champions League - that would go down a treat. Have faith and KTBFFH!

Touché, my friend, touché.

I'm pretty happy they've kept the home kit simple and elegant with the addition of the gold badge, stripes and sponsors logo. I was hoping for gold lettering too, but it doesn't seem to be the case. In retrospect, I'm glad. I think 'too much' gold would have had the opposite effect: it would have looked cheap and tacky, instead of the subtly brilliant masterpiece Adidas have come up with here. Here's hoping for a subtle, classy away kit to go with it!

Please tell me that the badge is embroidered on?

The real question is: who the fuck am I?