Closed Sparta Prague v Chelsea

[The Skipper 20,593]

Rupert you're not seriously that deluded are you? You're saying we were heading to mid table scrutiny before Rafa came in? What about the fact that RDM has a better record with us this season despite facing a harder run in? What about the fact that we were 4 points off top with RDM, and now we're a mighty 16 points off even though we had a quite easy run in under Rafa?

Not only this - you also then go on to say that Torres' performance against Wigan was "first class" - it wasn't at all. It was just an average outing for Torres who apart from his assist, lost the ball tons of times and broke up quite a few of our attacking moves.

You seriously need to start looking at the situation in a realistic sense.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/rafa-benitez-is-set-to-miss-out-1647415

How does it feel Rupert ?

I guess you fear for your beloved waiter, but the day he fucks off from the club is the day you will most certainly leave this forum.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Rupert you're not seriously that deluded are you? You're saying we were heading to mid table scrutiny before Rafa came in? What about the fact that RDM has a better record with us this season despite facing a harder run in? What about the fact that we were 4 points off top with RDM, and now we're a mighty 16 points off even though we had a quite easy run in under Rafa?

Not only this - you also then go on to say that Torres' performance against Wigan was "first class" - it wasn't at all. It was just an average outing for Torres who apart from his assist, lost the ball tons of times and broke up quite a few of our attacking moves.

You seriously need to start looking at the situation in a realistic sense.

Agreed. Under di Matteo we lost to the likes of Juventus and Manchester United. We beat the rest, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham included. Now under Benitez we're either losing or drawing to the shittiest opposition we've faced in seasons (Reading, QPR and Brentford are frankly utterly abysmal football teams).

[Rupert 130]

Agreed. Under di Matteo we lost to the likes of Juventus and Manchester United. We beat the rest, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham included. Now under Benitez we're either losing or drawing to the shittiest opposition we've faced in seasons (Reading, QPR and Brentford are frankly utterly abysmal football teams).

A week ago the haters were saying they wanted Moyes and Martinez - Rafa has beaten them both recently.

Why do we draw or lose when we have the lead? Where is the Terry and Lampard influence - where are the leaders in this team? Or are they cowed by the booers and don't want to be seen supporting the manager?

Who was responsible for putting together a squad of youngsters and told to play pretty football? Certainly not Rafa. He knows what's wrong and he's putting it right. His Chelsea teams concedes less goals, scores more goals, plays better football than all the recent managers and gets into a winning position more often. The club and the players have to explain why they panic, and consistently fail to close the door when they are winning. It is due partly to inexperience, bad habits under the old manager, lack of discpline from the old days and fatigue. It is also, to some extent, due to lousy supporters who make the players feel very insecure. Now Rafa is getting players back and now he has started to train them you will see an improvement in results - although resulrs are pretty good and most teams would die for them. Despite the stupid haters on here - Rafa is not an unknown quantity he is a winner in Spain and in Britain.

[The only place to be 11,313]

A week ago the haters were saying they wanted Moyes and Martinez - Rafa has beaten them both recently.

Why do we draw or lose when we have the lead? Where is the Terry and Lampard influence - where are the leaders in this team? Or are they cowed by the booers and don't want to be seen supporting the manager?

Who was responsible for putting together a squad of youngsters and told to play pretty football? Certainly not Rafa. He knows what's wrong and he's putting it right. His Chelsea teams concedes less goals, scores more goals, plays better football than all the recent managers and gets into a winning position more often. The club and the players have to explain why they panic, and consistently fail to close the door when they are winning. It is due partly to inexperience, bad habits under the old manager, lack of discpline from the old days and fatigue. It is also, to some extent, due to lousy supporters who make the players feel very insecure. Now Rafa is getting players back and now he has started to train them you will see an improvement in results - although resulrs are pretty good and most teams would die for them. Despite the stupid haters on here - Rafa is not an unknown quantity he is a winner in Spain and in Britain.

One question - why didn't Rafa put on John Terry away to Reading?

[Hutcho 8,443]

A week ago the haters were saying they wanted Moyes and Martinez - Rafa has beaten them both recently.

Why do we draw or lose when we have the lead? Where is the Terry and Lampard influence - where are the leaders in this team? Or are they cowed by the booers and don't want to be seen supporting the manager?

Who was responsible for putting together a squad of youngsters and told to play pretty football? Certainly not Rafa. He knows what's wrong and he's putting it right. His Chelsea teams concedes less goals, scores more goals, plays better football than all the recent managers and gets into a winning position more often. The club and the players have to explain why they panic, and consistently fail to close the door when they are winning. It is due partly to inexperience, bad habits under the old manager, lack of discpline from the old days and fatigue. It is also, to some extent, due to lousy supporters who make the players feel very insecure. Now Rafa is getting players back and now he has started to train them you will see an improvement in results - although resulrs are pretty good and most teams would die for them. Despite the stupid haters on here - Rafa is not an unknown quantity he is a winner in Spain and in Britain.

Managing a thread bare team with a small squad like evertons and be consistently in or around the europa places is no mean feat. If your argument for not getting a manager because rafa beat them then you are really clueless. We beat martinez, who is the manager of wigan by the way. Now please tell me how that is an argument for not having martinez. You do realise we have mata hazard lampard etc, and wigan don't have close to that do you.

Please explain pretty much every substitution he has made? Puts bertrand on when we are losing! Starts Bertrand on the left wing. Doesn't use his subs. Doesn't put fresh legs on. Doesn't put our best leader, organiser and defender when we are protecting a lead. He also has a worse win percentage than RDM and has less clean sheets than RDM, so what are you on about.

And if you think we play better football then you clearly don't watch the games.

[The Skipper 20,593]

A week ago the haters were saying they wanted Moyes and Martinez - Rafa has beaten them both recently.

Why do we draw or lose when we have the lead? Where is the Terry and Lampard influence - where are the leaders in this team? Or are they cowed by the booers and don't want to be seen supporting the manager?

Who was responsible for putting together a squad of youngsters and told to play pretty football? Certainly not Rafa. He knows what's wrong and he's putting it right. His Chelsea teams concedes less goals, scores more goals, plays better football than all the recent managers and gets into a winning position more often. The club and the players have to explain why they panic, and consistently fail to close the door when they are winning. It is due partly to inexperience, bad habits under the old manager, lack of discpline from the old days and fatigue. It is also, to some extent, due to lousy supporters who make the players feel very insecure. Now Rafa is getting players back and now he has started to train them you will see an improvement in results - although resulrs are pretty good and most teams would die for them. Despite the stupid haters on here - Rafa is not an unknown quantity he is a winner in Spain and in Britain.

Oh wow. His Chelsea team concedes less goals? Oh my life. Have you been watching us at all under him?

Rafa hasn't been a top manager for years now. How you completely fail to comprehend that is quite amazing.

You still refuse to tell me - why did RDM do better with this group of players compared to Rafa, even though Rafa clearly had the easier run in? If Rafa's such a winner he'd clearly get more out of this team that RDM did, surely?

Rafa's an average manager and he has been for a while now. Accept it and quit this delusion.

[Stingray 9,441]

I don't discuss football with people who jeer the manager ten hours after he has got the job and before he has managed a game. Nor with people who dismiss Torres whose performance in the last game was first-class and who has played well this season - at least since Rafa arrived.

None of the haters have any legitimacy as supporters. First you hate and then you try to find reasons to justify your hatred. Its called pig ignorant prejudice - very like racism.

So why do you hate Rafa? Because he is "fat" or "Spanish" or because he once correctly said that the supporters of some clubs have no passion for the club and need everything handed to them on a plate. Some of you haters are "consumers" more than "supporters".

Ok. I am done with the insulting myself.

You do realise that classifying people on here into dumb, haters, pig ignorant prejudiced consumers and even plastic fans is so much closer to racism than expressing a criticism on a forum will ever be. The mere fact of labbeling a group like this and attaching moral attributes to them while throwing around some insults - not based on ethnic status but based on opinion is in the same category as racism, sir. Especially since the facts do not seems to support your view but theirs, on Torres and on Rafa. You might say stats and data is nothng to go by, but then ... what is, I ask you? Your personal preference for the two, perhaps?

Edit: one should always beware for people who use moral outrage as a means of debate. That is my opinion.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

This is the Spatra match thread not the Benitez thread. Keep on topic here and move this discussion there.

[Rupert 130]

Agreed. Under di Matteo we lost to the likes of Juventus and Manchester United. We beat the rest, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham included. Now under Benitez we're either losing or drawing to the shittiest opposition we've faced in seasons (Reading, QPR and Brentford are frankly utterly abysmal football teams).

If your perspective was longer than a month you would know that with a much smaller budget Rafa defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona several times to win La Liga twice when he was at Valencia, he also defeated them with 4 goals each when he was manager of LFC and also, by the way, defeated Mourinhos's Chelsea in two CL semi-finals. You hate him because he is a winner - go figure! He's too good for some of you.

Sorry - saw the Moderator's comment after I posted. Please move the post.

[Stingray 9,441]

This is the Spatra match thread not the Benitez thread. Keep on topic here and move this discussion there.

Choulo , you do know : THIS IS SPARTA!

Lol :-)

[BlueLion. 21,491]

If your perspective was longer than a month you would know that with a much smaller budget Rafa defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona several times to win La Liga twice when he was at Valencia, he also defeated them with 4 goals each when he was manager of LFC and also, by the way, defeated Mourinhos's Chelsea in two CL semi-finals. You hate him because he is a winner - go figure! He's too good for some of you.

Sorry - saw the Moderator's comment after I posted. Please move the post.

And if your perspective was out of your backside for two minutes you'd notice that he is no longer the Valencia manager, nor the Liverpool manager. He has since helped drive Valencia into financial melt-down, sabotaged his own team's chances of winning the Premier League with Liverpool, absolutely destroyed Inter Milan (who were the best team in the world when he took over) and is now doing the same to Chelsea.

I don't hate him because he's a winner. I hate him because he's replaced a man who was doing okay, and is doing worse than the guy who was sacked.

[dave30 728]

Results disappointing!!! Chelsea is third in the league when it looked like they were going to finish mid-table before Rafa arrived.

Are you insane we were like 2 points behind united when Robbie left ??

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Sorry Choulo, just seen your post. Indeed. Discuss the Fat Spanish Waiter in the sixteen threads we have for him in the Matthew Harding Stand please!

[bushman 2,043]

Since this Sparta...

they are counting on rousing support from the stadium faithful.

The game is sold out & 3000 Czech dumplings will travel to the 2nd leg to London.

It´s great to hear it, isn´t it ?

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Since this Sparta...

they are counting on rousing support from the stadium faithful.

The game is sold out & 3000 Czech dumplings will travel to the 2nd leg to London.

It´s great to hear it, isn´t it ?

Of course. Everyone wants to beat Chelsea, especially now they can 'smell the blood'...

[bushman 2,043]

Of course. Everyone wants to beat Chelsea, especially now they can 'smell the blood'...

Yes, everyone wants to...but can they ?

This Sparta have not played in any game for almost 6 weeks or so. Should Chelsea be affraid of then ? I´d say, no way.

Chelsea might not have set the PL om fire but still they should beat someone like Sparta, I feel.

[Milan 17,859]

Since this Sparta...

they are counting on rousing support from the stadium faithful.

The game is sold out & 3000 Czech dumplings will travel to the 2nd leg to London.

It´s great to hear it, isn´t it ?

I bet there will be more Czech fans travelling to London as it will be easier to get the tickets. I reckon the Bridge won't be sold out so that's why. Also, there are a lot, a lot of Czech Chelsea fans, the club is really popular in here (thanks to Petr Cech obviously). So West London should be prepared for the Czechs who will come to the Bridge to support Chelsea, not Sparta