The Big Drog

Tbf mate, if he isn't starting him in games like today then yes he is partly to blame. I dont agree. There isn't a lot riding on this game and I think we all would have been able to understand the reasoning behind starting Torres over Drogba today.

FFS whats the point? Granted Drogba is in better form than Torres atm but how in the world is Torres ever going to recapture any sort of form if he isn;t playing in games like these? Games which are the perfect chance for him to get into form. I mean are we banking on Drogba to carry our team for another5 years or are we actually going to go ahead with this whole Torres thing because at the moment Im not sure what the club want. Malouda? I mean we cant win the Premier League, we all know that, the best we can do is 2nd place, at least lets try and make the run in of this season somewhat beneficial, maybe we would finish out this season and go into next season a bit more upbeat if Torres had scored a goal for us (which he cant possivly do if he isn't on the pitch) or if even a single young player was given a couple of starts or if Yossi benayoun was given the chance to show why we signed him in the first place, instead its the same status quo, stumble along as if nothing has happened type of thing and that must be one of the biggest reasons why there are calls for Ancelotti to be sacked in the Summer.

If we are banking our future on Torres and we know we cant win the league then what is the point of starting with Drogba and Anelka up front? Two players who could be on their way out in the Summer, what Torres needs are games to continue to develop his relationship with his new team mates and maybe in games like this where there is less pressure on the team as a whole he is more likely to score that vital first goal. Would also love to see Yossi get a start.

Fantastic piece in The Guardian on Andre Villas Boas. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/apr/15/andre-villas-boas-porto

Someone get that woman a jersey.

Bielsa would be an interesting option, probably the least well known of all the names mentioned but tactically outstanding.

Id willing accept Hiddink, Mourinho or Boas but please God not Rijkaard, the man is a disaster, Id have Benitez over Rijkaard any day of the week.

At this stage, would it really do too much harm to try something a little bit different, this is practically the perfect game to try something new in. Cech Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole Ramires, Essien, McEachran, Zhirkov Benayoun Torres What harm could that team do? We can't win the title but we might aswell get some benefit out of these last few games of the season, giving McEachran a couple of starts would be a big positive, getting Benayoun some playing time would be great and for the love of God dont substitute Torres because the man desperately needs a goal. Even if some of those expirementations dont work out, with that line up we would still have our first choice back four in place and they should do enough to at least earn us a point.

Guus Hiddink. If Mourinho leaves in the Summer (which is possible) we could try for him. Andre Villa Boas has worked here before so he knows the club and players and tactically he seems to know his stuff.

Lets rewind here. Before January we were not good, we were not close to good. Dont you remember the "bad moment" where we even slipped out of the top four at one stge? Lets not forget it was Roman's signing of David Luiz that has had a huge hand in dragging us back into the top 4 so ebfore you go criticising Roman's interfiering Id say you should keep that in mind. ] Lets also remember that for most of the season most of us thought Drogba was finished at the highest level, that we needed a new talismanic player to replace him, granted Torres hasn't done it yet (the set up of the team has hardly helped him) but next season and for seasons after that, he will be Chelsea's main man, one of the few players in the world who can adequately replace Drogba so maybe we should be thankful that Roman funded his purchase.

I agree that we need stability, that we should have a manager in place that is here for the long term, that the club believes in to produce in the present and build for the future but I dont think Ancelotti is that man, his complete lack of conviction and bravery over the 2 legs against Man Utd confirm that belief aswell as the awful league position. Lets definitely look for stability, lets let a manager build his squad, one that he thinks can win trophies in the present and for years to come but lets make sure its the right manager doing that, lets get the right man in charge because if we are judging Ancelotti on this season's performance, he isn't that man.

No we definitely do need Torres, on last count Drogba is 33 and cant last forever and his form (though it has picked up lately) has been largely poor this season. How do we know we could definitely have signed him in the Summer? January was the time he was available, it was the right move to strike while he was an option. I find it hilarious that you blame Roman, Roman who has spent 80 million pound on bringing new players to the club in January. If you cant properly introduce a player the quality of Torres into your starting line up then there is a problem there.

Since then we've brought in Ramires, Luiz, Ivanovic, Anelka, Zhirkov, Sturridge and Benayoun and there are probably others Im forgetting. I dont disagree that the squad is weaker now than before but Man Utd's squad is significantly weaker now than it was before too.

I like Yossi but you cant really say he has performed when he has been injured for the overwhelming majority of the season. Ramires and Luiz have both been hits. You make it sound like a hindrance, if Roman were forcing Ancelotti to introduce Roman Abramovich's son into the first 11 then maybe I would have sympathy for Carlo, but it isn't, its Fernando Torres, one of the ebst strikers in the world, I accept that his fitness and confidence aren't what they should be at the moment but at the same time Ancelotti has to take some of the blame, the fact that Torres looked so entirely out of place last night was a disgrace and you have to look at Ancelotti and ask what has he done to accomidate Fernando? How is playing Malouda and Anelka on either side of him (2 players who are slow and plodding on the ball, something that hugely hinders Torres) helpful? The team last night, with the 4-3-3 set up and the players selected in it were tailor made for Drogba, not Torres yet he opted for Torres, it was basically like having the body of a dragon but the head of a chicken.

But what would be the point if Ancelotti doesn't want them? What will be the point of buying those players if Ancelotti still cant find a formation to suit his players? What will be the point if Ancelotti still cant make our team play at a faster pace than a snail on sleeping tablets. There wont be any point, while new players might help, in the end it wont hide the flaws that Ancelotti has.

All the same, the bad seasons he had was more down to having a really sub standard squad than anything else, our squad right now is pretty good yet we were knocked out at the last 16 stage last year and the quater final stage this year, that isn't good enough. Tactically Ancelotti is inept and I think there are serious doubts as to wether he is a visionary who can see beyond the present and do what is best for the team for the future and thats what we need.

If this were Real Madrid, Ancelotti would be gone already.

The problem is Steve that if we give him another year it means giving him another Summer transfer window, it means Ancelotti bringing in players that he likes but which a new coach may not necessarily like. If we are judging him by his track record (at Milan and Chelsea) then chances are it will be more of the same next season, with the young players getting practically no chances and the old guard continuing, how will that make Sturridge feel? I know that if I were in his position and Ancelotti still refused to pick me next season Id want out and we cant afford that, same goes for Gael Kakuta and Josjh McEachran, both of whom should be pushing for 1st team starts. If Abramovich doesn't have any faith left in Ancelotti then Ancelotti is basically a lame duck manager already, what would be the point in wasting another season when instead we could bring in the manager Roman thinks will be here for the long term, let that manager bring in players he wants so he can build his own squad rather than use Ancelotti's one and let that new manager promote thse young players into the line up. Transition starts at the top and if we dont change the manager then there can be no true transition.

Last year we scored 103 goals and won the league and cup double, last year Frank Lampard wasn't coming off a 4 month injury at the age of 33.

Is anyone saying that? Scholes has been wonderful for Man Utd for years now, doesn't change the fact that he is getting on in years and his playing time has been reduced because he cant get around like he used to, the same should apply to Lampard.

I definitely agree that he should have the Scholes role where he plays some games but at the same time others (by that I mean McEachran) play the other games so that they are gradually being eased into the first team and they should be comfortable and able to play when called upon. Its hardly something any Chelsea fan wants to do, how could any Chelsea fan not love super Frank Lampard but he is 33, his legs probably aren't what they used to be and when we have played in a 4-4-2 it has really put a strain on his attacking qualities. We have to accept that transition for futures sake is necessary and in this case it is necessary.

If you are a club fighting relegation, you wont want to risk starting young players, especially ,in Bruma and Van Aanholt's case, young defenders as those positions do require experience.

Nobody is saying stick Bruma and Van Aanholt in as regular starters next season, however they are worthy of their spot in the squad. Are you telling me that Kakuta couldn't produce a performance that could match, if not better, Anelka's tonight, the only way he will grow into the player we all know he can be is if we give him game time. The way we play, our midfield is crying out for a cultured playmaker, incredibly we actually have one in Josh McEachran but he rarely gets any game time, Im not saying have the 18 year old lad starting every week, but like what Man Utd do with Gibson ( a player with considerably less talent than McEachran) give him a few starts, let him grow into the role and when it comes to Sturridge, he is doing it at a high level at a club with less resources, he can do it for Chelsea.

I dont think anybody wants to sell Drogba but I think a lot of people think he will leave because he isn't the first choice striker anymore, there is a difference.

Anelka Malouda Bosingwa Ferreira Hilario Promote Sturridge to the first team and give McEachran and Kakuta more first team opportunities.