Barbara

I'm not talking about us, I'm talking about managers - especially if when that happens Mourinho is still around here. Who wants a player who runs away from the fight? Who wants things given to him in a plate? How can you count on a player like that? Didn't we accept Cole and now Fàbregas? Or at least most of us did, of course people will forget things quickly and won't hold grudges, but fans aren't the ones making deals, I meant the TPTB people. They might not want him here ever again. He stepped out of us not like any other guy has done in the last few years, he stepped out running from the fight. It's such a weak demonstration of character...

trust me - if you can I'm not his biggest fan, wasn't that much convinced he'd do really well here, but so far much better than good. He's impressed me and I've watched both matches in full. It's not about the goal and the assists, it's about how he's just all around better than I've expected. Showed to be more than just the guy that will score because of his physical attributes. It's not about running and shoving opponents around. He links up well, he's smart, he even tries the slight fancy play and can actually do it. Always thought he was good finishing and was a physical player, but he's more than that, or at least he showed in two matches. But I don't think it's pre-season spell. If anything, he'll play even better as time passes - not only because he'll get used to the club, the teammates and the style of the league, but because he still seems to have some ceiling to grow. He's proved me wrong very quickly - as I was a bit skeptical about him. I've never been happier about being wrong before. And that's only two matches down the road. Consider me slightly excited (for full excitement I'll need some of that in some official matches)

sorry if I don't want a player that keeps asking to leave when things get thick (even not that thick actually), that doesn't want to fight for his position to ever come back here. He can score a thousand goals. He doesn't have the profile. Despite our curse the last few years, there are a lot of players in the world that score goals. We won't ever sign him back.

you forgot Matic, Salah and Zouma who were bought in the same window Mata and Kevin were sold.

it never ceases to amaze me the lengths people went in this thread to defend Lukaku's words and attitude. Now Mourinho is lying... as if everything Lukaku himself said throughout the last months don't confirm that. Believe what you want, but your post is embarrassing. It's one thing to lie about our window transfer being closed, not having interest in this player or that or other things that don't involve third parties. It's another completely different to come out and say something happened when it didn't about someone else. If Mourinho lies about it, it's lack of character. If he lies about our targets in transfer window is playing the game, everyone does that. Seriously, we don't need those posts here and I don't care where you are from, before someone comes here and say it's because you're Belgian. You could be English, Brazilian or the second coming.

he didn't simply wanted that, he made it a condition for his stay. At age 21 proved in mid-table teams? Sorry, Ron, but that doesn't make sense in any place of the earth... If you want to be #1, come here, work your arse off and earn the position.

sorry - haven't seen the vid posted in the previous page. Ignore my previous post here. But as I said yesterday in my huge post, Costa - when the interviewer assumed he had a captive nailed starting position for us - didn't accept that assumption and corrected the guy saying he had to fight for his place. that comes from a player that scored 34 goals in a top club only in the league. Now a 'nobody' who's scored half of that, in mid-table teams, come here and thinks he should be granted the #1 position? He isn't willing to fight, he thinks he's already proved his value when he hasn't. Good think Mourinho clarified it off hand. He probably learned from last year when he didn't promptly say Lukaku asked to leave and had to endure months of Lukaku's half truths leading everyone to believe it was Mourinho's choice. Now there's nothing Lukaku can say. God, I can't say how happy I'm for him being out of here. He could be a great striker someday and score many, many goals. I don't want someone like him representing my club... sorry I just don't like his persona. I can't overlook the attitude and only keep the stats.

wasn't my intention... and didn't that thing already die anyway? It was one of the most stupid things here and I'm glad it's gone. But one must wonder why the guy comes here to say shit about us, roman, the board, etc...

damn, Belgian? Sorry to have hurt your feelings, love.

He's already got Eva on his corner... And she has that latina quality in the way she moves her hips just when he's jumping the bench. And that was cute all around... I love this tradition and I wish we had vids of ALL initiation songs.

jealous? All those clubs have money been injected at them. Are you jealous Roman didn't buy yours? Which one is that anyway? Liverpool? Arse? Or the place to be known as Everton?

It's not only what he says, but also what he doesn't say, Ron. "I had the feeling that it was the place to come and grow as a footballer." So Chelsea isn't, I suppose? If he wanted to say in general he would have said a place to come and grow, but when he said the, it means here wasn't. Roberto has been very influential. He is someone who knows football very well and he’s someone I can develop under as a player. He lets us play good football This 'he let us plays good football' is a jab on Mourinho's spread antifootball approach some insist on propagating. I told them very quickly that I wanted to work under Roberto and play at this club Again, the main thing here is I want Roberto. It's all okay if he thinks Martinez is better than Mourinho, but it's so clear he wanted to send a message when he insisted on talking about it. The veiled message is that Mourinho and this club didn't play good football or aren't as good as Everton and Martinez. Here I have the confidence in the technical staff and here I can develop and grow. Same as above. “I don’t have harsh feelings against Chelsea. They gave me the oportiutnity to come to England and the hopes of playing European football. Without them I wouldn’t be here, so I want to thank them as well.” This couldn't sound more half-arsed if he tried hard. If he wanted he could have focused on different things, but repeatedly talking about Martinez not personally, but professionally, never mentioning the fans, and when he couldn't find anything good to say about us he said about hopes of playing European football? The whole press conference is a festival of passive-aggressiveness or I'm reading too much in between the lines. There are ways and ways to praise a club, an environment and the staff. He's the guy who's implied for months that he left Chelsea because Mourinho made a decision about him and only when Mourinho said that he had a big mouth and said a lot of things except what really happened, he retracted and admitted asking the loan. It's a lie in my book, but others would say half truths. Choose your preferred, but given his record with his tongue, I think his agenda with this PC was very clear and he aced it, being subtle, something he must have taken express classes during his vacation on how to do it. Again, it could be my bias.

doesn't Jay play for Southampton?

I don't like having to be obliged to vote to a sub to have my vote for the MOTM counted. Matic through and through, but as I couldn't not vote, I went with Boga because I love the kid, but others were probably better. I just couldn't choose. Matic was simply Magic. Pun intended. The moment he was asked to play as the most advanced pivot player he showed nearly the same quality there as Cesc. Of course he doesn't have the same instinct to play those deep through balls, but when he tried them, it was glorious. He was everywhere, completely killed the game. One of our best signings in the last years (I believe Cesc to be the very best tied with Eden). Cesc didn't produce as much as a #10 as he did as a #8 the other day - or even in the 4-3-3 we played in the second half against Olimpija, but that doesn't mean he can't do well in the position. It's just that I think he offers something so special and damn good from the deep that it seems almost a waste to play him as #10 when we could give Oscar another try, or test Willian and Hazard there as well. Cesc isn't bad there, but he's much better as a #8 imo, as I've been saying for a while. It's only one match though and it's the right time for Mourinho to make those tests. Too bad the rest of the AMs aren't here for us to do other tests as well. Costa was amazing. He's been here for two matches and he's already proving me wrong about him and I'm so happy to write it. I don't rate him high but if he keeps the trend I'll do it rather quickly. He could have scored those two goals he assisted, but he went for the assist as he saw someone better positioned than him. He's a striker and one with great finishing, but he's still selfless and think of the team enough to pass the ball to someone better positioned even if he's in a great position as well. I would have never criticized him for taking the shot himself in either or both cases, but I'm sort of touched by his commitment with the team rather than his personal gain. Cech had ups and downs and Luís wasn't as good today as in the previous two. Actually he was a bit sloppy if you ask me, but that's all part of pre-season. It was good to see Eden and Thibaut in the bench and know we can count on them from now. There were a few negatives but I won't waste my time on them. This is pre-season, the players aren't on their best shape yet and the positives were way better. We pressed and played wonderfully, marvelously to homage one of their players (lol forever at someone named Marvelous). The team is starting to show some shape that will take some more matches to be carved, but I like most of the things I'm seeing and I know there's only room for improvement that will certainly come. And let's give a round of applause for Cesc Fàbregas - set-piece wonder. His corners and that goal were also glorious. It feels so damn good to be a fan these days, a lot of great stuff to talk about.

we've just bought Cesc Frigging Fabregas - at his peak, being homegrown too for 27m pounds. We've been making wonders in those deals. Simply wonders. well, isn't it a beautiful symmetric poetic parallel image from the 'New Didier Drogba'? Both had their last touches for us in an European final, against Bayern in penalties shoot outs. One came back - even if I don't approve technically, but my heart hasn't been happier since seeing DD wearing our shirt again - even if only the training kit. Now this one I don't expect to see here again.

as if he didn't fuck up the trust of the staff and fans at this club. He can go to hell for all I care. He's full of shit and someone said that it would took us longer to say shit about him that he'd say about us. And yeah, I'm not holding back at all. Rom, I respect dearly my elders, but sweetie, he didn't waste one sec to badmouth us and the club... I guess you may have been wrong about him.

thank God!!!!!! This thread has been one of my worst experiences in this website. Too bad it's going to be moved to the ex-players section and not locked up. The amount of shit that piled up against our manager, fans, board and whats not because of guy who spoke a lot of shit, who left because he wanted - when we may have needed him the most (bc of the HG status and as a #2 striker (let's not forget what Holland - representing the club - said only a couple of weeks ago about them expecting him to join). He won't be missed at all. Good riddance. I held back while he was still our player, but now that he isn't... he can fuck off.

Matic deserved that goal As for Costa, 2 matches, 1 goal and two assists (could have been three goals if he wanted) Amazing from him

I also think Cesc plays better from the deep Matic is doing the through balls Cesc did for us last match. Which is no problem for the team, but Cesc is much more useful and offers more impact from the deep than he did in this first half. His set piece - direct or assisting - are just huge. He's the biggest addition to the team this season. Costa is great - as we had some chronicle striker problem, but Cesc just bring us to another level of team for all he can do, including assisting Costa

I saw him destroying a great counter around 35-40 mark with a basic pass he couldn't make

and no more fasting, so it can't be the excuse

can you guys kindly share the links again? the one I have, the ifeed stops and goes every 2 secs

in theory yes, but in the pitch the others were better organized defensively. They don't seem to be able to move from their first third edit: and as I write this Cech makes a wondeful save, lol

Vitesse is clearly the weakest overseas team we've played so far in PS, right? We're playing way better than we did the last two imo - despite having Torres (and yeah he's the weak link) but Vitesse seem so poor

I honestly thought so. He's been far much better than I expected and that's not even a full match since his first touch for us...