The Official Thread of Chelsea FC

[ross4life]

Pleeeease tell me Jimmy got his memory back?? 

Ones club is in a bad situation when ones owner is dictating who should be taken off and brought on

Wha?

And Rossie... Surely you watched the 2008 CL final?

Yes. did i miss a ghost goal or something?

Rio Ferdinand escaping a clear second yellow card? Have you forgotten already?

You don't always get sent off for two/three fouls you know? Torres,Essien proved that tonight.

[Norf Tyrone]

Pleeeease tell me Jimmy got his memory back?? 

Ones club is in a bad situation when ones owner is dictating who should be taken off and brought on

Wha?

And Rossie... Surely you watched the 2008 CL final?

Yes. did i miss a ghost goal or something?

Rio Ferdinand escaping a clear second yellow card? Have you forgotten already?

You don't always get sent off you two/three fouls you know? Torres,Essien proved that tonight.

Your right. It all depends if it was a yellow card offence. It was... if not a straight red. However don't mention the Rio incident, nor the Macheda hand ball. Don't speak of. IF it's never spoke of, it never happened.Shuuushh.

[ross4life]

Macheda hand ball or the ref using common sense with Rio in 08 really made a difference like? Drogba getting himself sent off & Terry's penalty miss are closer to the mark & you wouldn't want to blame any of those guys.

[new devil]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

[Norf Tyrone]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

I was surprised to be able to type two words together last night to be honest!!

I sat down last night and just hoped my viewing wouldn't be ruined by an official. However true to form it was a Spanish official that made the shocking decision last night. Does Cesca not know that Jonah is underage? I mean sleeping with the fella is one thing, but then eloping to Gretna Green! What was she doing?

[nrico2006]

Pleeeease tell me Jimmy got his memory back?? 

Ones club is in a bad situation when ones owner is dictating who should be taken off and brought on

Wha?

And Rossie... Surely you watched the 2008 CL final?

Yes. did i miss a ghost goal or something?

Rio Ferdinand escaping a clear second yellow card? Have you forgotten already?

You don't always get sent off for two/three fouls you know? Torres,Essien proved that tonight.

And Ramires.  What the hell did Chelsea buy him for, offers nothing.

[AQMP]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

Norf might still be in shock so I'll give it a go...Chelsea are dung at the moment. 

I couldn't believe how casual Chelsea were in the first 20 mins, trying little flicks instead of giving a simple 5m pass.  The number of times they gave away the ball in midfield was astonishing.  Still stand by what I said about Torres yesterday.  However I think part of the problem is that Chelsea fanny about too much for a player like Torres.  When he was good it was because L'pool got the ball to him quickly in space allowing him to use his pace.  By the time Chelsea get the ball to him he has 3 or 4 defenders between him and the goal and he's never been the sort of player who'll beat a couple of men and score.

Yes it was a penalty but Man Utd were the better team and deserved to win although Lampard should have buried that chance just before half time.  Looking at the bigger picture I would worry about either of those two teams going up against Barca or RM (or even Schalke!)

Last words...Ryan Giggs...what a player!

[Norf Tyrone]

Strange sort of a game last night. Chelsea were poor in patches and just alright in others.

The passing last night from Chelsea was incredible. Incredibley poor. I can't believe the passing stats from UEFA showed that Chelsea had greater accuracy! The problems again are paramount in two places- as per Norf's CL preview- right back and midfield.

Bosingwa has been poor this season, but was even worse last night. In his defence- not a word he'd be comfortable with- he was alright going forward and put in a peach of a cross in the first half that deserved someone coming onto. However defensivelly he is a liability. Exhibit one being the goal.

The second major is the middle of the field. Chelsea have had a 3 man midfield for 6 or 7 years, and it worked. A holding midfielder (Makalele, Mikel etc), an engine (Essien) and a goalscorer (Lampard). What have we seen since Torres came? A change to 4-4-2.

Hence there is no holding player. Note Rooney's goal in the league and last night, and see how he exploited the space between the lines of four. Sometimes Mikel appears not to contribute, but he fills gaps well and protects the back four.
In the absence of the holiding midfielder, Lampard is lost. He hasn't got that energy anymore that'll bomb him up and down the pitch, add in the additional responsabilities and you negate the goals and threat that he brings.
As for Essien. Anything circa £10million and he can go tomorrow. I've said it contless times on here. He has been awful for 18 months. However some players NEVER get dropped.

Where United won the game last night was with their workrate and tackling. They never let Chelsea settle in the midfield or at the back at all.

That takes us to Ramires. I think he is going to be a class act for Chelsea. Can't believe Nrico's assesment of him to be honest. He was one of the few players to emerge with credit last night (JT and Ivan the others). Good in the first half- playing out of position-, and when they took Bosingwa off last night, and moved Essien to right half back with Ramires going central, Chelsea really took over. That's not a coincidence.

With the midfield doing little, you need something creative out wide. Zhirkov filled Malouda's boots perfectly last night. He did nothing. In truth Drogba and Torres weren't that bad. The created some good chances by themselves, but are being let down by those around them.

Saying all that, Chelsea did deserve at least a draw. VDS got man of the match in several papers this morning, with 2 or 3 excellent saves. Match that with the penalty incident (What the f**k does the guys behind the goal do!!), the post, Ramires' header, the ball off the line and the fact that United produced little bar the goal, and a cross that Hernandez nearly got something on and you get the picture.

On to Old Trafford, and Chelsea's favourite ground!

[Bingo]

Totally unimpressed by Chelsea again, no urgency, no spirit, no creativity - much like Liverpool under Roy. At least we have spirit now.

What is the story with Frank Lampard, seen him in a few games recently and to me he just adds nothing to the team. His passing is short and safe, which is fine but not when you are the creative outlet in midfield. He always scored goals and this made him very effective but these goals have dried up and he is offering very little to the team. Very slow and the one chance he got he missed, cleared off the line but should have been buried.

Get the feeling that there will be a massive clear out at Chelsea in the summer.

Best not even to mention Torres but at least he forced a couple of saves last night.

[Norf Tyrone]

Totally unimpressed by Chelsea again, no urgency, no spirit, no creativity - much like Liverpool under Roy. At least we have spirit now.

What is the story with Frank Lampard, seen him in a few games recently and to me he just adds nothing to the team. His passing is short and safe, which is fine but not when you are the creative outlet in midfield. He always scored goals and this made him very effective but these goals have dried up and he is offering very little to the team. Very slow and the one chance he got he missed, cleared off the line but should have been buried.

Get the feeling that there will be a massive clear out at Chelsea in the summer.

Best not even to mention Torres but at least he forced a couple of saves last night.

The last bit in bold is very applicable.

I've a feeling there will be a clear out too. Bosingwa, Ferreria, and Drogba for a start.

There may not even be the need for any buys with those 3 gone, but they do need width.

Benayoun coming back will help with the creativity problem!

[ross4life]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

Man Utd were the better team and deserved to win

Very honest opinion Quinn martin i respect that.

Saying all that, Chelsea did deserve at least a draw. VDS got man of the match in several papers this morning, with 2 or 3 excellent saves. Match that with the penalty incident

With Chelsea at home & the midfield United started with last night i was expecting VDS to be overworked but that wasn't the case.. yes he made a excellent save from Torres header but the others were routine saves & btw most the reports i read (including UEFA) had Carrick MOTM believe it or not.

It's your opinion of course if you think Chelsea deserved a draw but if they play like that in OT Chelsea will be beaten again.

[Norf Tyrone]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

Man Utd were the better team and deserved to win

Very honest opinion Quinn martin i respect that.

Saying all that, Chelsea did deserve at least a draw. VDS got man of the match in several papers this morning, with 2 or 3 excellent saves. Match that with the penalty incident

With Chelsea at home & the midfield United started with last night i was expecting VDS to be overworked but that wasn't the case.. yes he made a excellent save from Torres header but the others were routine saves & btw most the reports i read (including UEFA) had Carrick MOTM believe it or not.

It's your opinion of course if you think Chelsea deserved a draw but if they play like that in OT Chelsea will be beaten again.

The fact that you think Chelsea deserved to lose merely strengthens my argument. Thanks.

[ross4life]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

Man Utd were the better team and deserved to win

Very honest opinion Quinn martin i respect that.

Saying all that, Chelsea did deserve at least a draw. VDS got man of the match in several papers this morning, with 2 or 3 excellent saves. Match that with the penalty incident

With Chelsea at home & the midfield United started with last night i was expecting VDS to be overworked but that wasn't the case.. yes he made a excellent save from Torres header but the others were routine saves & btw most the reports i read (including UEFA) had Carrick MOTM believe it or not.

It's your opinion of course if you think Chelsea deserved a draw but if they play like that in OT Chelsea will be beaten again.

The fact that you think Chelsea deserved to lose merely strengthens my argument. Thanks.

I'm not surprised you think Chelsea deserved a draw last night, you also thought they deserved a draw in this game http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/9385584.stm

Very similar games but the match stats might strengthen your argument.

[Norf Tyrone]

Norf you having give you usual honest run down of the game?

Man Utd were the better team and deserved to win

Very honest opinion Quinn martin i respect that.

Saying all that, Chelsea did deserve at least a draw. VDS got man of the match in several papers this morning, with 2 or 3 excellent saves. Match that with the penalty incident

With Chelsea at home & the midfield United started with last night i was expecting VDS to be overworked but that wasn't the case.. yes he made a excellent save from Torres header but the others were routine saves & btw most the reports i read (including UEFA) had Carrick MOTM believe it or not.

It's your opinion of course if you think Chelsea deserved a draw but if they play like that in OT Chelsea will be beaten again.

The fact that you think Chelsea deserved to lose merely strengthens my argument. Thanks.

I'm not surprised you think Chelsea deserved a draw last night, you also thought they deserved a draw in this game http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/9385584.stm

Very similar games but the match stats might strengthen your argument.

Did I say Chelsea deserved a draw v Liverpool?

If I did it probably would've been emotive, as they didn't (I think).

Secondly... How do you remember what I said about a game a few months back???

[ross4life]

I remember at the time you got RLL knickers in a twist so you must have?