What would it take to turn the season around?

[Spike 12,049]

I'm not one to post formations often but something needs to change. Personally I believe two players need to be a license to do whatever they want, freedom of defending and structure. Hazard and Fabregas would be my two. Perhaps the freedom will ease the burden of pressure and allow them to approach the game in the manner they want to.

Perhaps something like this? It isn't that different from the 4-2-3-1 formation really...

Hazard - A Not Shit Striker - Wilian

Fibreglass

Mikel - Matic

[El P. 1,354]

Ok, football-wise.

1. Start playing 2 natural fullbacks. That will bring much needed width, especially in our squad with no natural wingers. So, Azpi and Baba, or Azpi and someone new.

2. Bring quality box-to-box midfielder in january. Fernandinho-like player. Maybe Witsel, or I don't know.

With that 2 we would solve 80% of squad problems. Bring one great centre back and then it's 95%.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Sacking the manager.

[iseah100 5,612]

10 new players. Keep Azpi.

[obiwan92 217]

10 new players. Keep Azpi.

I think you're being unfair to our goalkeepers.

[iseah100 5,612]

I think you're being unfair to our goalkeepers. [emoji14]

Ok. 9 Azpis and 2 Begovics.

[Melanicus 5,208]

1) Switch to 4-3-3 formation.

2) Sell players that don't want to play for this team/manager. Even if they're our best players. No hard feelings.

3) Start choosing players based on their performances and hunger and not on their reputation/names.

4) Integrate youth - especially RLC, Kennedy.

5) Buy central back (no need to explain why), box to box midfielder to play beside Matic and striker that is more time in the box rather than fighting opponents.

I'd play this if I was a manager:

[BlueLion. 21,491]

WE MUST STICK TOGETHER.

The best thing about this season is we now know the answer to "where were you when you were shit?". We're shit now, and we're all still here.

[zolayes 14,489]

WE MUST STICK TOGETHER.

the battle cry of the Lemmings charging to the edge of the cliff top

[CurlyHairLikeLuiz 1,625]

Push on and get a proven goalscorer to partner Diego up front, RLC, Matic and a proper box to box mid (Carvalho?) and Mikel as midfield options as well as getting Courtois back and we can salvage this season. Still 90 points to play for.

[zolayes 14,489]

Push on and get a proven goalscorer to partner Diego up front, RLC, Matic and a proper box to box mid (Carvalho?) and Mikel as midfield options as well as getting Courtois back and we can salvage this season. Still 90 points to play for.

we dont play 42 league games any more ..try 26 x 3...

[Muzchap 8,966]

we dont play 42 league games any more ..try 26 x 3...

Yup and we're 13 points off CL spot.

We need about 22 wins and 4 draws from those to stand 'any' chance

If we get a Pele, Maradonna, Figo, Zidane and Klinsmann we might just do it

[zolayes 14,489]

Yup and we're 13 points off CL spot.

We need about 22 wins and 4 draws from those to stand 'any' chance

If we get a Pele, Maradonna, Figo, Zidane and Klinsmann we might just do it

just need to sign J C from Nazareth F C

[cosmicway 1,333]

5 signings.

The exact replica of the Chelsea situation was Olympiakos Piraeus of 1987-88.

In 1986-87 they won the championship.

In 1987-88 they became relegation strugglers, quite against expectation.

Then the tycoon George Koskotas became board manager and started buying everything. It was late but Oly came back and they won the cup.

In the summer more signings took place, the famous one being Lajos Detari from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Koskotas family were engulfed in a huge economic scandal just a little later and in fact the government had to resign, but that's a different story.

Had it not been for the Koskotas money (scandalously earned as well) Oly was a write off, for years at any rate.

[mccg 1,528]

Alot of common points put together in this post,we need to change formation for different games and different opponents as imho we r 2 easy 2 play against and Jose has been 2 stubborn. After the 3/4 league loss and shipping a shit load of games,we should have shut up shop and played to our strengths.Up front we been shit also so back to the other points about changing formation comes to play,Costa needs help or dropped.No way Cfc should have lost this many games and played so bad in so many games.If we lose 3 more by the end of 2015 i hope Jose does the club, and us the decent thing ...

[robsblubot 3,595]

Nothing. It's just not possible.

We can stabilize the team... have a good go for top4 and miss it by little, but we have no business in CL and I don't really care about form. Our roster is not strong enough to challenge in Europe.

As unprepared and mismanaged we might have been for this season, the only explanation for this form is down to a poor roster. If a player is not performing at an acceptable level and you got little no no option, then you got problems.

[zolayes 14,489]

Nothing. It's just not possible.

We can stabilize the team... have a good go for top4 and miss it by little, but we have no business in CL and I don't really care about form. Our roster is not strong enough to challenge in Europe.

As unprepared and mismanaged we might have been for this season, the only explanation for this form is down to a poor roster. If a player is not performing at an acceptable level and you got little no no option, then you got problems.

excellent we might as well write off this year ,, I doubt if we can make top 6 ,, The FA cup is a possibility to regain some pride .

I would be happy if we got rid of Falcao and Costa ,, got a decent striker , bring back Bamford and Solanke AND PLAY THEM .. together with RLC and Musonda.

If we make CL semi it would be a massive bonus . I dont think these things will happen though

[robsblubot 3,595]

excellent we might as well write off this year ,, I doubt if we can make top 6 ,, The FA cup is a possibility to regain some pride .

I would be happy if we got rid of Falcao and Costa ,, got a decent striker , bring back Bamford and Solanke AND PLAY THEM .. together with RLC and Musonda.

If we make CL semi it would be a massive bonus . I dont think these things will happen though

yup there are two ways to go about it: you either develop the talent or you buy the talent.

We've been doing neither, but we "think" as a club that we developing the talent as we break records on number of players loaned out.

At the very least we'd be able to find out who is ready and who needs to go.

The "developing" part may require a different type of manager though.

[Viper22 2,418]

Drop the 4-2-3-1. It's had it's time and it's beyond useless now in this cyclic way that formations go.

I'd go for a 4-3-3 but a 4-4-2 or maybe even 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3 would still be preferable if Mou is feeling particularly bold.

With a 4-3-3 play a formation like:

Subs:

Courtois Begovic

Azpilicueta Terry Zouma Baba Cahill

Matic Ramires, Fabregas

Oscar RLC Kenedy, Hazard

Pedro Willian Remy

Costa

In January a new mobile CM and a new top class CB are vital acquisitions. Witsel/Pogba/Gundogan and Stones/Marquinhos/Hummels are some suggestions but tbh the name doesn't matter, it's just the quality of what they'll offer us that is the most important now. They'd replace Oscar/RLC and JT in the above formation.

If Roman is feeling so generous with his money that we have money left over then Higuain or Cavani would be great signings but i'm willing to give Costa more time due to his obvious ability, even though he's really not playing brilliantly ATM.

We need to try and realise we have serious shortcoming and stop ignoring them. JT is far to slow to play a high defensive line any more, Cahill backs off his man far far too often, Zouma is still raw positionally, Ivanovic makes all LWs look like Ronaldo and Baba isn't the greatest defending LB in the world. Accept this, play a low block system and have Matic and RLC sweep up in front of the back 4 in the defensive phases. Don't allow them to cross the damn ball so easily and don't allow them to pass through us. Make it so if they're going to score it'll have to be by a bit of magic or a worldie from 25+ yards. In the attacking phases someone needs to put an electric collar on Costa in training that sends 800 volts through him if he drifts wide more than once every 10mins as he's never fucking there when the balls are played into the damn box. Pedro and Willian should play very wide roles and not coming drifting into the already cramped centre of the field and actually give us consistent width. Oscar can provide the playmaking from a deeper position than he's used to but he has to be deeper to make up for our defensive frailties. When they have the ball in their own half press them as a team. Costa and Willian do it but Pedro and Oscar need to join in too and maybe RLC. Mark the easy get out balls and force the defenders of the opposing team to either panic and give the ball away or have to play a hopeful long ball forward that our defenders and Matic can deal with.

It's not the perfect set of tactics and there's definitely holes in there and it won't be the most exciting brand of football but tbh ATM I couldn't care less.

We need the players to play with the same passion we fans in the crowd feel. If they aren't up for the fight then drop them to the U21s and sell them at the first opportunity, we can't have passengers at our club.

Oh and call back Bamford ffs. We should never have let him go in the first place and seeing as he's not playing at Palace he might as well be on our bench instead. at least the guy will show some damn passion!!!

Finally Mourinho needs to stop saying anything to the press at all, win or lose. Send Stevey Holland, stop giving the vultures the soundbites that they're after.

[BleedsBlue 1,549]

A reliable striker. Need to get rid of Falcao in January and bring a Ba type player soon.