Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea

[The Big Drog 1,110]

I feel like nothing good is going to come from letting Torres average one start a month..how can we get him back to form..

We know the potential is there, I say let him start 10 consecutive matches in the league and maybe try out some different alternations in regards to formation etc. If he still can't produce anything of value we might as well let him go for a huge markdown but be prepared to see him flourish at a new club..

I also feel like Drogba might be past his prime (my opinion), havent seen anything impressive lately (granted he haven't played much)

£50m wasn't spent on Torres for him not to be our first striker choice, no?

I feel like nothing good is going to come from letting Torres average one start a month..how can we get him back to form..

We know the potential is there, I say let him start 10 consecutive matches in the league and maybe try out some different alternations in regards to formation etc. If he still can't produce anything of value we might as well let him go for a huge markdown but be prepared to see him flourish at a new club..

I also feel like Drogba might be past his prime (my opinion), havent seen anything impressive lately (granted he haven't played much)

£50m wasn't spent on Torres for him not to be our first striker choice, no?

It's not as if we haven't tried playing him, we have, it hasn't worked.

Do we know that the potential is there? How long has this dip in form been going on? At what stage do we accept that this isn't a dip in form and that he is past his prime?

Drogba is probably past his prime too but a past his prime Drogba is still a hell of a lot better than Torres, Drogba's performance against Leverkusen was better than any Torres has played in a Chelsea jersey.

No we spent that money expecting him to be first choice, its a testament to how bad Torres has been that Drogba has gotten this run of games and fair play to Didier, he has played well enough to retain his place and I expect him to do so again tomorrow.

[Rubber bullets 1,183]

Has Drogba really been playing well this season? For all of this talk about him bring that target manthat Torres does not have, his first touch has been horrible lately and it means we constantly give possesion back to the opisition when we try and lump it to him. And witth the new style we are trying to develope he constantly sticks out like a sore thumb and just seems to be a hinderance. We complain about Torres not scoring, but 2 goals in 10 games is not exactly covering yourself in glory for a supposdly top striker. And the worst things is this. If what his agents says is true, then I am not comfortable of giving a consistent run of games to a player who will be worrying more about where he can get that big juicy paycheck then how the team is performing. He is simply not gonna give a shit

I think we should think about putting Danny up in the middle again and risk it with Kalou until we can get another winger. The transfer window is opening soon.

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Has Drogba really been playing well this season? For all of this talk about him bring that target manthat Torres does not have, his first touch has been horrible lately and it means we constantly give possesion back to the opisition when we try and lump it to him. And witth the new style we are trying to develope he constantly sticks out like a sore thumb and just seems to be a hinderance. We complain about Torres not scoring, but 2 goals in 10 games is not exactly covering yourself in glory for a supposdly top striker. And the worst things is this. If what his agents says is true, then I am not comfortable of giving a consistent run of games to a player who will be worrying more about where he can get that big juicy paycheck then how the team is performing. He is simply not gonna give a shit

I think we should think about putting Danny up in the middle again and risk it with Kalou until we can get another winger. The transfer window is opening soon.

Yes he has. His performance against Liverpool was good and he was amongst the best of a bad lot. His performance against Leverkusen was close to vintage Drogba, he was easily our best player on the night and his performance against Wolves was understated but impressive. Check the Leverkusen game, still nobody makes a ball stick up front quite like Drogba does, at any given time we can play it long, let Didier hold it up and bring others into play and build the attack from there. Luckily Didier has (and has always had) a lot more to his game than goals, unfortunately Torres doesn't. Also luckily his integrity and professional attitude is exemplary, he is a leader on the pitch and judging by his performances so far, his future hasn't had any kind of impact on his performance.

No, nobody needs to see Kalou again.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

Has Drogba really been playing well this season? For all of this talk about him bring that target manthat Torres does not have, his first touch has been horrible lately and it means we constantly give possesion back to the opisition when we try and lump it to him. And witth the new style we are trying to develope he constantly sticks out like a sore thumb and just seems to be a hinderance. We complain about Torres not scoring, but 2 goals in 10 games is not exactly covering yourself in glory for a supposdly top striker. And the worst things is this. If what his agents says is true, then I am not comfortable of giving a consistent run of games to a player who will be worrying more about where he can get that big juicy paycheck then how the team is performing. He is simply not gonna give a shit

I think we should think about putting Danny up in the middle again and risk it with Kalou until we can get another winger. The transfer window is opening soon.

Please don't exaggerate.. I agree he's been below-par this season, but its his so-called "horrible" touch that has led to at least two goals in the past two games, namely the one against Bayer and the one that set up Mata's against Wolves..He can still bring down the ball from the air better than anyone else I've seen this season

[Henrique 9,133]

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/124188.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

We are back to 4-3-3 and it seems Didier will start again.

Torres is not playing well, but Drogba is not playing well neither. Torres is our patrimony, and we paid 50m for him, VB must try everything to make Torres succeed. He is not trying, he is acting like a stupid man insisting that Torres still will be a juge success while he is not playing.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

http://www.espn.co.u...tml?CMP=OTC-RSS

We are back to 4-3-3 and it seems Didier will start again.

Torres is not playing well, but Drogba is not playing well neither. Torres is our patrimony, and we paid 50m for him, VB must try everything to make Torres succeed. He is not trying, he is acting like a stupid man insisting that Torres still will be a juge success while he is not playing.

Its also possible that he doesn't give a sh** about Torres...He's not the manager that bought him anyways...

[Sheva. 5,373]

Please don't exaggerate.. I agree he's been below-par this season, but its his so-called "horrible" touch that has led to at least two goals in the past two games, namely the one against Bayer and the one that set up Mata's against Wolves..He can still bring down the ball from the air better than anyone else I've seen this season

The only person exaggerating anything here is 'The Big Drog'

In both their last four starts, Torres has 2 goals and an assist. Drogba has 1 goal.

So how exactly has Drogba been a lot better than Torres? i'm lost

[Henrique 9,133]

Its also possible that he doesn't give a sh** about Torres...He's not the manager that bought him anyways...

If he doesnt give a SHIT about Torres then he is an idiot, because Torres is our patrimony and we bought him for 50m less than a year ago. He should respect more this club than his "philosophy".

[The Big Drog 1,110]

The only person exaggerating anything here is 'The Big Drog'

In both their last four starts, Torres has 2 goals and an assist. Drogba has 1 goal.

So how exactly has Drogba been a lot better than Torres? i'm lost

Excuse me, I forgot that stats are the be all and end all of football. Luckily I have eyes, I've seen each of them play this season and anyone with eyes will be able to tell you that Drogba in his last 3 games has been better than anything Torres has mustered this season but you can't measure that gulf in class purely by stats.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

So how exactly has Drogba been a lot better than Torres? i'm lost

Not saying he was better...was just contesting the "fact" regarding his first touch...

Ah hell..its a worthless argument anyway...

[Sheva. 5,373]

Excuse me, I forgot that stats are the be all and end all of football. Luckily I have eyes, I've seen each of them play this season and anyone with eyes will be able to tell you that Drogba in his last 3 games has been better than anything Torres has mustered this season but you can't measure that gulf in class purely by stats.

I expected that. If the stats favoured Drogba, i'm sure you would have brought it up too.

But no it doesn't, so it's useless right?

Drogba in his last 3 games has been better than anything Torres has mustered this season

Lol

[Blue Armour 4,439]

If he doesnt give a SHIT about Torres then he is an idiot, because Torres is our patrimony and we bought him for 50m less than a year ago. He should respect more this club than his "philosophy".

I thought a manager is supposed to make the best use of the squad he has, and not pick names just for the sake of it...I'm not saying his team selections are always right, but this "respect for the club" is something that has cost a few of our previous managers their job...he should just get on with his job and choose whatever works best (and I mean whatever wins matches) for him, I feel.. This team has dropped too many games and points to afford experimenting this season...

[Henrique 9,133]

I thought a manager is supposed to make the best use of the squad he has, and not pick names just for the sake of it...I'm not saying his team selections are always right, but this "respect for the club" is something that has cost a few of our previous managers their job...he should just get on with his job and choose whatever works best (and I mean whatever wins matches) for him, I feel.. This team has dropped too many games and points to afford experimenting this season...

I thought it was a transition period, where you are supposed to make experimentations, but a player that is set to leave in the end of the season has to play to bring victories ( isntant success ).

You people defending VB must at least not condradict yourself so often.

[Thor 2,711]

Excuse me, I forgot that stats are the be all and end all of football. Luckily I have eyes, I've seen each of them play this season and anyone with eyes will be able to tell you that Drogba in his last 3 games has been better than anything Torres has mustered this season but you can't measure that gulf in class purely by stats.

Drogba is far and away my favourite player for our club ever, much like yours, although I seem to be slightly more objective when it comes to viewing his current season. Obviously both have been under par, but I don't think it's personally close between the two. Torres has been far and away better on the field with our start formation. He links up far better with Danny and Mata, and does a fantastic job when Meireles is on the field along with him.

To be honest Torres has been quite unlucky as well. The miss at Manchester, Blackburn, and he could have had a hatrick at Valencia if it wasn't for some of the finest goalkeeping I've seen in a while. He's simply creating more opportunities for himself, and that's important for our strikers as well.

Torres is inconsistent when it comes to game to game performances, but if he starts off well, he will most likely have a good game. And at 27 you are not past your prime, you are entering it. Clearly there is something going on in Torres' head and it won't be helped by sitting on the bench, particularly when he's sitting behind someone that I think most objective Chelsea fans will agree he's currently better than.

[Blue Armour 4,439]

I thought it was a transition period, where you are supposed to make experimentations, but a player that is set to leave in the end of the season has to play to bring victories ( isntant success ).

You people defending VB must at least not condradict yourself so often.

Not to the point where you're going to lose everything, namely top 4 and progression to CL knockout stage..AVB probably made a mistake in experimenting with his starting 11 for too long since the start of the season (its been 4 months now)..If he was going to use Torres he should have stuck with him for the month of November...more rotation at this stage will not be good for the team and certainly won't be good for the season..

Abramovich might be more lenient with our new manager , but if he screws up this season royally (in Roman's eyes, not mine) then he will get the chop (which will put us in an endless cycle) ..I think AVB also realises this and is looking to make amends..

[nullabletype 987]

We still on about Drogba v Torres? Sad as it is, Drogba's has been sub-power just like Torres. We can talk about stats, or we can talk about watching them. Either way, Torres has been the better player. Which is really unfortunate for the club because other than a few good flashes (and they were pretty good) he has been tripe 90% of the time. Drogba's performance in the Wolves game was probably one of his best games this calendar year. Like it or lump it, Torres is part of the future of this club, with Drogba likely out the door in the summer. As that's the case, we might as well start trying everything we can to get the best out of Nando since he's highly likely to be sticking around.

Edit: Hoping for a win tomorrow obviously, not expecting one though. Happy with a draw to be honest.

[BLionheart 516]

Can't really see how any of you can defend either Torres or Drogba !!! the fact is they are both shit atm that you can't really decide who has been shittier as each of them had his fair share of shitty moments .

[Kojo 4,676]

Can't really see how any of you can defend either Torres or Drogba !!! the fact is they are both shit atm that you can't really decide who has been shittier as each of them had his fair share of shitty moments .

Drogba has to play, enough said, Torres cannot play in our team, our players can't assist him.

[manpe 10,861]

I thought it was a transition period, where you are supposed to make experimentations, but a player that is set to leave in the end of the season has to play to bring victories ( isntant success ).

This is not a transition period, AVB said it himself

[Henrique 9,133]

This is not a transition period, AVB said it himself

So stop saying it.