Closed Stoke City 0-4 Chelsea

[gary gordon 1,777]

I don't see him going into coaching if I'm being totally honest.

As for the rest of your post, I don't disagree but I don't think it's that pertinent going forward. The nationality of the players has always been secondary to their contribution to the team, but I'd love for the likes of Chalobah and McEachran to establish themselves in the team. For that to happen though we do need to let the older players move on. Now is the right time for Frank to move on in my opinion. That doesn't make me a twat, okay?

I still disagree, respectively that is. I think Frank will definitely be a manager one day. I can't remember where i read it, but i remember seeing something about Frank have one of the highest IQ's in game. I figure every club should have at least 2-3 players that are 32yo+. for me that's Lampard, Cech, and Terry or Cole.

Found the article

http://metro.co.uk/2009/03/05/lampards-iq-score-makes-him-a-genius-509057/

[The only place to be 11,313]

I still disagree, respectively that is. I think Frank will definitely be a manager one day. I can't remember where i read it, but i remember seeing something about Frank have one of the highest IQ's in game. I figure every club should have at least 2-3 players that are 32yo+. for me that's Lampard, Cech, and Terry or Cole.

Found the article

http://metro.co.uk/2009/03/05/lampards-iq-score-makes-him-a-genius-509057/

Cech and Terry will both be in their 30s (I'd still sign Cole). Cahill, Ivanovic and Ba will all be in their late 20s whilst Mata, Mikel, Luiz and Rami are all in their mid-20s. We actually have a pretty nice spread of ages across the team in all honesty, but we also have young lads who can form the nucleus of a team for a long-time to come.

[gary gordon 1,777]

Cech and Terry will both be in their 30s (I'd still sign Cole). Cahill, Ivanovic and Ba will all be in their late 20s whilst Mata, Mikel, Luiz and Rami are all in their mid-20s. We actually have a pretty nice spread of ages across the team in all honesty, but we also have young lads who can form the nucleus of a team for a long-time to come.

No doubt we do. But Frank is not just some player. He is more. It would be a crime to let him leave.

[The only place to be 11,313]

No doubt we do. But Frank is not just some player. He is more. It would be a crime to let him leave.

No it wouldn't. He's going to be 35, he doesn't fit the system as well as other players and we're in all likelihood going to have a new manager who may not actually want him. That's the point that's being overlooked in all of this - does the new guy really want an this massive presence who the fans love, who earns a fair wedge, in the dressing room?

That's a massive shadow looming over you, as AVB learnt (although he made many mistakes of his own).

[gary gordon 1,777]

No it wouldn't. He's going to be 35, he doesn't fit the system as well as other players and we're in all likelihood going to have a new manager who may not actually want him. That's the point that's being overlooked in all of this - does the new guy really want an this massive presence who the fans love, who earns a fair wedge, in the dressing room?

That's a massive shadow looming over you, as AVB learnt (although he made many mistakes of his own).

Agree to Disagree? leave it at that..

[NishC300 1,865]

http://www.matchhighlight.com/latest-goals/england/premier-league/stoke-city-v-chelsea/

Good Quality Highlights

[Rupert 130]

We'll keep being low on possession (for a top team) until we sign an actual playmaker.

Mata is not a playmaker, Oscar isn't a playmaker (both are attacking midfielders who are given playmaking roles - but definitely not natural playmakers), Hazard likes to be a playmaker but is better given an inside-forward or winger role - So: Benat, Benat, Benat, Benat, Benat please.

Before Pirlo arrived at Juventus, they would rarely have above 50% possession. Now they have around 70% each game. We need that Pirlo type of player to take us to the next level (which is the level to stay in the top 4 with considerable ease; we then need to raise to one more level to compete for the title again IMO.)

I agree with most of what you say: the problem is Chelsea has had this naive idea that you can have wonderfully entertaining attacking football if you buy young starlets and pay them a lot of money. The players were bought in the summer or last year. Rafa had nothing to do with it. RDM showed that entertaining is not the same as winning or being consistent. He paid the price.

Rafa was brought in to try to get more wins and more consistency. He has to work with what he was given. He would have bought different players if he had a say and he would have trained them differently. In the space of little more than ten days he turned them into a winning, high-scoring team with a mean defence during a very packed program with a lot of away games. But the players are still young and inexperienced. Oscar has some skills but is too slow, and loses the ball far too much and, as you say, is not an effective playmaker. Hazard shines in patches but is not consistent - even in a single match - and his form fluctuates from match to match. Mata is more solid and dependable but can also make a lot of misplaced passes and be too slow if he is not in the mood. When he is on form his passes can be very good and his finishing is not bad.

They say supporters make up the 12th man. Chelsea must be the only team in the Premier League that does not have a 12th man. Many of the fans assist the opposition by their stupid "homage" to the last manager (you'd think he had died playing for Chelsea) , their childish attacks on Rafa which, in effect, are attacks on the owner and the senior management, their attacks on el Nino which are disguised attacks on the owner and Rafa. No wonder some of the younger players lose heart at home. Winning teams are not only skillful and consistent they are also pumped up and intense, quicker to the ball in defence and attack, and the crowd and atmosphere plays a role in helping them achieve the desired level of commitment. But not at Stamford Bridge.

[GodZola 630]

No it wouldn't. He's going to be 35, he doesn't fit the system as well as other players and we're in all likelihood going to have a new manager who may not actually want him. That's the point that's being overlooked in all of this - does the new guy really want an this massive presence who the fans love, who earns a fair wedge, in the dressing room?

That's a massive shadow looming over you, as AVB learnt (although he made many mistakes of his own).

You raise a fair point in that the new manager may not want him and this is the only logical reason that the club won't renew his contract that i can think of? I'm not sure of the system you are thinking because Lamp's was our best player Saturday and to me fits in anywhere in Midfield.

The facts are he is still fit and more pertinently still producing and out performing younger players, i cannot for the life of me understand why an average player in Mikel can get a 5 year deal yet arguably the best player we have ever had cannot get a 2 year contract.

What worries me is he could go to Utd and his goals next season could be the difference in them winning the league as opposed to us, i wonder how the heirachy will feel then?

[Rupert 130]

The performance of a good player can drop off dramatically once they are over 32-33 and they can become more vulnerable to injuries - 35 is well within the retirement range - let alone the 38 he would be at the end of a 3-year contract renewal. If it were my money I would not give Lampard a three-year contract and probably not a two-year deal unless there were conditions about performance. Those who say the club owes him a fat contract have got it wrong. He owes the club for a very lucrative and successful career. If he really wants to stay at Chelsea instead of taking the money from other clubs he should agree to a one-year deal a performance-based contract or a reduced salary. People exaggerate his goals - many of them are penalties and free kicks which other players would score if given the opportunity There are other players who could replace his other duties and do them better. None of this says he has not been a great player who should be respected and he is a player who still contributes - but let's not get carried away.

You raise a fair point in that the new manager may not want him and this is the only logical reason that the club won't renew his contract that i can think of? I'm not sure of the system you are thinking because Lamp's was our best player Saturday and to me fits in anywhere in Midfield.

The facts are he is still fit and more pertinently still producing and out performing younger players, i cannot for the life of me understand why an average player in Mikel can get a 5 year deal yet arguably the best player we have ever had cannot get a 2 year contract.

What worries me is he could go to Utd and his goals next season could be the difference in them winning the league as opposed to us, i wonder how the heirachy will feel then?

[GodZola 630]

The performance of a good player can drop off dramatically once they are over 32-33 and they can become more vulnerable to injuries - 35 is well within the retirement range - let alone the 38 he would be at the end of a 3-year contract renewal. If it were my money I would not give Lampard a three-year contract and probably not a two-year deal unless there were conditions about performance. Those who say the club owes him a fat contract have got it wrong. He owes the club for a very lucrative and successful career. If he really wants to stay at Chelsea instead of taking the money from other clubs he should agree to a one-year deal a performance-based contract or a reduced salary. People exaggerate his goals - many of them are penalties and free kicks which other players would score if given the opportunity There are other players who could replace his other duties and do them better. None of this says he has not been a great player who should be respected and he is a player who still contributes - but let's not get carried away.

Nobody's getting carried away, the facts speak for themselves - he is still producing week in/week out, scoring vital goals in the process, he is 35 this year i haven't yet seen his performance drop off to a degree were i feel we need to get rid and yet to hear a football pundit say any different either. I do agree with you that he should be prepared to take a substantial pay cut and knowing the professional he is that won't be an issue, if he stays in the Prem then you can pretty much bet that he will be on a lot less so why would he want to leave for money purposes when he loves the club? I can't stand bacon face but he gets it right were older players are concerned and this baffles me with the clubs policy on older players.

Yes he scores a fair number of penalties but you still have to put them away and contrary to your notion he doesn't score enough from free kicks, what he does do though is have that uncanny talent of getting himself in the right place at the right time and that is the reason he continues to outscore any Midfielder in the Prem, something that i believe he is underrated for and another reason why we must retain his services, he can put all his years of experience to use with teaching/bringing along the younger players - something Fergie also has done with Giggs and Scholes, it is nothing but a win/win situation for the club.

[Thomas Williams 166]

I came to this topic to escape from the madness of the Frank Lampard topic...

Looks like I made a wrong turn at Albuquerque...

Can we make an "argue about shit" forum where fans can talk out there lampard, benitez, and other stuff? I tire of hearing the same arguments over and over with just new vocabulary thrown in.

[Magic Lamps 11,655]

No it wouldn't. He's going to be 35, he doesn't fit the system as well as other players and we're in all likelihood going to have a new manager who may not actually want him. That's the point that's being overlooked in all of this - does the new guy really want an this massive presence who the fans love, who earns a fair wedge, in the dressing room?

That's a massive shadow looming over you, as AVB learnt (although he made many mistakes of his own).

You always enmesh yourself in your litter of speculations. Cool you can foresee what the new manager thinks and how he wants to handle the player, also cool you know which system he will play. Is there one single case within all the written shit you have produced during the Lampard debate you base your ridiculous thesen on facts and not your persistent brainwanking?

[The only place to be 11,313]

You always enmesh yourself in your litter of speculations. Cool you can foresee what the new manager thinks and how he wants to handle the player, also cool you know which system he will play. Is there one single case within all the written shit you have produced during the Lampard debate you base your ridiculous thesen on facts and not your persistent brainwanking?

The point is that we don't know who the new manager will be, but we can hazard a guess at the type of style he will play

You may call it 'written shit' but it's simply the opinion of one Chelsea supporter. I'm sorry that you see that as brainwanking if you need to.