TomCFC

It it's only on CTV and not SSN, at least I won't have to wake up early to watch it live.

Don't get too excited, it's TalkSport.

Wow, he really is having a lot of control. A total clear-out, it seems.

How do you know that as fact? Given the racism he encountered in the England-Spain friendly in 2004, I doubt it.

How? They stayed in England while they were together, and when they split. So why move now?

Fascinating. I'm not sure this thread if for nothing but Ashley Cole "news," though.

He has now announced his retirement. Farewell Juliano. He should be remembered if only for stopping Arsenal winning the Champions League in 2006, and the fact that all his goals for us were absolute beauties.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2008643/Chelsea-bid-David-Villa-Fabio-Coentrao.html

Well, let's hope AVB is happy with this one!

He's sorely missed indeed.

Chelsea can confirm that the pre-season match against Vitesse Arnhem, scheduled to be played on July 9, has now been cancelled. The club would like to apologise to fans that were planning on attending the match in Holland next month. A full refund will be given to those Chelsea supporters who have bought match tickets, and the club will be in contact with those fans over the coming days to arrange this. Chelsea also extends an apology to Vitesse Arnhem for this cancellation. The remainder of the club's pre-season matches remain unchanged. Chelsea will play an away game against Portsmouth on July 16 before heading to Asia for matches in Malaysia (July 21), Bangkok (July 24) and Hong Kong (July 27 and 30). Chelsea will also play Scottish champions Rangers on August 6 in Glasgow. http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2382514,00.html

Disappointing but fair enough - good to see AVB is in control.

I'd like to see Torres given a decent chance to get back into form with these friendlies.

Are we going to be linked with the entire Porto team, even in positions we don't need?!

Will be interesting to see what lineup AVB chooses - hopefully the youth with some new signings.

A fascinating article on his background and dedication to football - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8597265/Andre-Villas-Boas-Chelseas-new-manager-who-has-dedicated-himself-to-football.html

Despite sacking a Double-winning manager?

Agreed.

Definitely fake - it's some sort of viral advertisement. The audio and picture quality wouldn't be so high quality. The time normally displays seconds and it stays at 16:20 for longer than a minute! He's the only person there are the YouTube "user" has only posted one video.

That's actually quite professional and amusing. I'm impressed.

http://www.skysports...7005749,00.html "I'm no dictator. I encourage freedom of choice in football. Players can only achieve their true potential if they are not shackled and are able to stand on their own two feet. Creativity in my players is important. I love the unpredictable part of the game. I strongly believe that players have to express themselves to their full potential, they must be able to make choices during the game. I have expectations and want to look back on a career I can be proud of. I want success. I want to win championships, I want to explore other leagues and embrace different social and cultural behaviour. This job is all I ever wanted. I accept people may view it as a gamble employing someone so young, but if I didn't believe I could succeed what is the point?"

Five reasons Nando will succeed under AVB - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/748118-fernando-torres-5-reasons-he-will-succeed-under-villa-boas

Selling Danny really would be a bad start from AVB.