We need a John Hartson, that's what i'm getting from tonights TV match
I know the feeling! It would be great if we still had Drogba, just to see what he would do with Mata, Hazard and Oscar. He didn't have that kind of service when he was here, i'd love to see him bullying both centre backs whilst they ran riot in the gaps.. ahh well.
I see the papers are laying into Chelsea already, describing how it's all fallen apart and Di Matteo will be gone soon. It's a load of crap, we're closer in the title race than I, or any 'pundit' thought at the start of the season. Whilst being in a fight to get out of the group stages of the Champions League was always likely, Shakhtar and Juventus are great teams.
The problems that the papers blame the manager for are stupid, Terry being missing and injured, Cole injured, Lampard injured, Torres as hopeless as ever, Essien and Meireles moved on. The squad is thin, hardly the managers fault.
I know the feeling! It would be great if we still had Drogba, just to see what he would do with Mata, Hazard and Oscar. He didn't have that kind of service when he was here, i'd love to see him bullying both centre backs whilst they ran riot in the gaps.. ahh well.
I see the papers are laying into Chelsea already, describing how it's all fallen apart and Di Matteo will be gone soon. It's a load of crap, we're closer in the title race than I, or any 'pundit' thought at the start of the season. Whilst being in a fight to get out of the group stages of the Champions League was always likely, Shakhtar and Juventus are great teams.
The problems that the papers blame the manager for are stupid, Terry being missing and injured, Cole injured, Lampard injured, Torres as hopeless as ever, Essien and Meireles moved on. The squad is thin, hardly the managers fault.
Yeah I don't think Roberto is going to be sacked, he'll be given a full season at the least; Roman owes it to him.
Though are you starting to see what I was getting at regarding letting Meireles and Ess leave? Raul would have fit in perfectly right now and Ess is doing alright in Spain, it seems he's fit in their system better than Modric has. Chelsea is desperate for experience at the center of the park. And Essien can cover in defense too. Cole's off to PSG, Lamps is gone in January, and now the boss will go too if the press are right :roll: Lukaku should come back. So should de Brunye.
(but to be fair Essien needed to get out of England, he's still young-ish and great when fit, but all those years in the Premier League have taken a toll on his knees. Perhaps a refresher in Spain is all he needed, perhaps he'll be able to last a season there. With that being said, Chelsea were dumb to let him leave after a decent preseason and fit, I personally think he'll be this year's "Sneijder", meaning the cog that just makes the team work infinitely better, straight into the Champions League title like Mou did before at Inter, he got Wesley at a bargin price and he just was the piece that was missing to make the team work. Madrid need an all-action defender/midfielder who's got speed, size, a wicked shot off both feet, and the ability to move forward. He's played left back before under Mou and he could fit in as a wingback at Madrid, kind of like Coentrao who tends to drift into the center of the park to help with the attack)
Madrid didn't need Modric, his best role is already taken up by Alonso and now he's forced out on the wing, where creativity goes to die. Essien fits in wherever Madrid need him and adds a rocket shot from range.
Yes, it's ridiculous, total nonsense, if anyone's talking of replacing Roberto. He's utterly turned to the club around, effectively changed how they play (and in a far better manner than, dare I say it, AVB), and in winning the CL, reached undreamt of success. As has been well documented, seems to me they just really badly need that top tier striker to bang in the goals.
Well he's gone for it, he's dropping Torres and playing Hazard up top on his own tonight. It's a brave move, but Torres and Sturridge have been so bad that something has to be done.
Personally i'd of gone with Moses. He can drop back to help in midfield, which we need, he's played the position before and he's been taking chances when he gets them. That's what i'd of gone with.
That was frustrating. Talking of tactics, Roberto's were off tonight! Hazard is a winger or a supporting striker. He isn't a striker.
Didn't realize Juve was so good, don't watch the Italian league usually, so fluid, it's a shame they didn't get RvP, than all of our teams would have had an easier ride this year.
Don't think Dimatteo should be fired but I'd like to see it and see Pep brought in.
That way, we can see what a complete wanker Roman is when he fires him in 2014.
WTF is going on at Chelsea???
Absolutely stupid... I can only think Chelsea have got Guardiola on board - but even then, this is just incomprehensible to me... madness!:shock:
WTF is going on at Chelsea???
Absolutely stupid... I can only think Chelsea have got Guardiola on board - but even then, this is just incomprehensible to me... madness!:shock:
Gutted, even though it was obvious that it was going to happen.
Looks like it will be Bernitez then, which also puts an end to Falcao in January, he loves Torres too much.
Should it have happened though IYO? Did RdM's record etc merit this?
. I like R di M and thought he did well at WBA and well again at Chelsea. But I doubt that he is sufficiently pragmatic for the Chelsea management. I am not sure Guardiola is either. I think someone like Hiddink would be a better choice.
Even though he won the CL I don't think RDM is a top manager.
WBA seem to be a lot better after him than they were with him.
They keep evolving -- good for them. Most of our leading clubs aren't evolving at the moment.
Huntelaar for the gooners?... that's what I just heard.
rding AVB, I actually thought he was a suprising appointment for Chelsea last year as given all the other people Abromovic had hired he had nothing in his CV to indicate anything good might come of it let alone the ability to dismantle the current/old CFC squad and build a new one whilst maintaning the players (almost more importantly owners respect) while doing it.As you say he couldn't say to them (in a proverbial way) "follow me i've got league titles, champ league winners medals etc". I actually thought the europa cup was a bigger deal than winning the Portugal league.
He was being touted as the next Mourinho at the time to be fair, though I did think he would have been better suited trying to keep his Porto squad together for another year and having a go at Champions League first to really see how good he was - suppose you can't really refuse if you get a big money offer from Chelsea though.
As for Di Matteo, yes he didn't have much experience but that some people think he wasn't good enough (not in this thread, but about half of what I've read/heard is of this opinion) is a bit ridiculous. Mourinho was hailed a tactical genius for beating Barca in Champions League with the same tactics yet I read that Di Matteo was lucky? He doesn't even get credit for the 4-1 thrashing of Napoli (who City couldn't beat in two tries) or beating Benfica (who knocked out United), let alone the final where he had a far weaker squad to put out than Bayern had. In between all that was a 5-1 thrashing of 'arry's hotspuds in FA Cup as well as a solid final performance over Liverpool (who aren't doing much better this year by the way..don't see Rodgers under any pressure funny enough).
This year he had them playing some of the best attacking football in the league and until Terry was injured also a solid defence. Then, to top this off he's (allegedly) forced to play Torres every week no matter how bad his performances get because of his price tag. To be only 4 points off the pace in the league though admittedly that's behind the in crisis, no team spirit, uncohesive, unbeaten City side and 3 behind United who just about all will agree did not deserve to win their meeting -- is pretty good imo.
Benitez while decent has never really balanced league with European success and even in his success in Europe got similarly "lucky" as Di Matteo in winning on penalties in the final.
In other words, Roman's a twat as are those in the media who encourage this behaviour.
SAdly for the footballing world he's a rich one who can do as he pleases!In other words, Roman's a twat as are those in the media who encourage this behaviour.
SAdly for the footballing world he's a rich one who can do as he pleases!
As has been said before a "crisis" sells papers, harmony within a balanced squad doesn't.
On a lighter note news from the Azerbaijani Premier League:
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddbal...-as-manager-based-on-computer-game-experience
Maybe we've all got a shot at the CFC job when Pep says no?
Sounds like a plan! I'm sure living on FM13 for the next few months will get you up to speed for the West Ham job
Personally I hope Guardiola does say no, I don't think it's a good fit. Mourinho is apparently leaving Madrid after this season, his daughter is starting uni in London, he still has a home there, the relationship with Abramovich is better than it's ever been. Ferguson and Mourinho are the best two managers out there for my money, obviously only one of those is possible.
I think that was possibly one of the worst games i've seen. The quality was so poor, no surprise both sides aren't getting through the group stages of the Champions League
I hope Abramovich enjoyed what he saw, I can imagine he'll be seeing alot more of it over the coming months.
I thought the villa gooner march from yesterday was the worse but city chels was a turgid affair
I still think the rain had something to do with the quality of both matches, it's not like they never play in the rain but it was really coming down and with no traction, the quality gets bad in a hurry.
Having said that, Rafael and Mancini being in charge of these two sides and they boring way in they deploy them is depressing.
Roman has a problem though. The squad is short of good players. Does he give money to Rafa? Or does he wait to see who he appoints at the end of the season?
Geoff Shreeves is a massive *****. The questions he asks Wenger/Mancini/Benitez are a joke, he speaks to Fergie/Harry like he's their mate.
Talking of Harry, I'm a bit surprised he didn't wait until a bigger club than QPR was available or came in for him. Wonder if he'll do the same as when he quickly revived Tottenham and proceeded to take them ever upwards, or if it will be a repeat of his inglorious time at Southampton when he took them down a division?
As for Hughes, his reputation is now badly damaged. Maybe that's about it from him as any kind of force in the PL?
I don't think it's that he is stupid, he clearly is not but it appears he wants to be entertained and seems to want a say in what/how or who plays each week.Maybe not as bad as the guy who is in control at Hearts but rumours seem to be increasing.A friend of mine is a CFC and was excited when all the money first arrived but he is getting worried that they are just a toy no stability, what top manager really needs the hassle?Was his worry come the summer, valid point.So I come back from a vacation to find out that Chelsea have sacked Di Mateo and replaced him with Rafael Benitez?
What the hell? Who makes such decisions? Surely Roman isn't THAT stupid.
Talking of Harry, I'm a bit surprised he didn't wait until a bigger club than QPR was available or came in for him. Wonder if he'll do the same as when he quickly revived Tottenham and proceeded to take them ever upwards, or if it will be a repeat of his inglorious time at Southampton when he took them down a division?
As for Hughes, his reputation is now badly damaged. Maybe that's about it from him as any kind of force in the PL?
Glad to see Rafa has brought the excitement back to Chelsea
I won't complain about Arsene any more now.
So I come back from a vacation to find out that Chelsea have sacked Di Mateo and replaced him with Rafael Benitez?
What the hell? Who makes such decisions? Surely Roman isn't THAT stupid.
Glad to see Rafa has brought the excitement back to Chelsea
I won't complain about Arsene any more now.
Ross, Bale def looks up for it these days. He and Felliani are both a bit unplayable at times.