www.bbc.co.uk/go/homepage/d/int/ ... 879638.stm

www.bbc.co.uk/go/homepage/d/int/ ... 879638.stm

Bit unfair on Scolari. Drogba hasn't been available that much, and Cole and Essien have long-term injuries. Plus he never got the chance to bring in his own players.

I'm sure if he sold the players he wanted to replace, he could have done

Typical kneejerkery modern day football fuelled by Championship Manager fans.

I read things early on about Scolari, saying his training was very much 'old school', involving a lot of running, and not much with the ball.

He didn't really rotate his side, and he played his strongest side when possible near enough, and he's paid the price.

I know all sorts will be said, but letting Steve Clarke go was a bad move, he knows the club inside out and it was foolish letting such a highly regarded coach leave, especially when you look at how well he and Zola have done at West Ham.


Chelsea will never learn, though, they have to get a manager and put the faith in him, they can't persist with sacking manager's whenever they like, they need stability and continuity, if they get a new manager in, whether it's now, or in the summer, they'll need quite a few fresh faces at the club, in my opinion.

Billinge Lump

[iDidn't Ronaldo get referred and let off for doing the exact same thing earlier in the season?

I don't know if he was referred or not but I do know that he certainly wasn't hacked down and then kicked as he lay on the floor.

I don't think it's a case of the FA stitching someone up (City don't seem to need the help at the moment) more 'Big 4' club players get away with more. Which they do tend to do at times.[/i


I don't think the FA are anti-City. More pro-top 4. The current process is not transparent. This seemingly allows them to manipulate it to their benefit.

"City don't need the help at the moment"? I've never been happier as a City fan. No money worries and we have quality players at the club and the best academy in the country. Yes, we really do seem to appear to be making a mess of things. We signed a player regarded as world class? How many times has a player, regarded at the time, as a world class player, signed for an English club?

Sven should get the chelsea job

20 Sep 2007 - 9 Feb 2009

3 managers - madness.

[iHollow, holllow, hollow,
Chelsea's succes was f*****g hollow,
With all the money they took,
from that big Russian crook,
And they'll never win three in a row[/i.

I mentioned this a while back. Do either Cech or Torres count? They're about the best I can think of.

Spot on, IMO.

This kneee-jerk reaction thing has reached fever pitch this season. Liverpool lose at the weekend and it's "title dreams are over and Benitez is under pressure". Then on teh Wednresday Liverpool win and it's "Liverpool on fire".

Liverpool have lost the league about 10 times this season, and won it on about 12 occasions.

I blame the press.

Benitez has outlived a few managers since he was due to be sacked the other Christmas.

I'd certainly agree with Torres.

I'm not saying no English club has signed a 'world class' footballer. I'm making the point that it rarely happens, yet we have managed to do it.

Good call.

Thank god, but with the yanks "eyeing up" Klinsmann, it was probably more to do with fans reaction at the time than their willingness to keep him, that kept him at the club.

Oh, I agree. For all the talk about this being the best in the world (which is highly debatable) and the richest (which it almost certainly is) the players signed have, in the main, not been the very, very best players. We've had good players, sure, but the real quality inevitably still ends up in Spain or Italy.

Michael Owen was when he signed for Newcastle




Veron when he signed for United?

Crespo when he went to chelsea?

Tevez and Mascerano to the hammers?


Hmmm all argies whats going on

I have always held the same opinion.

Sheikh Mansoor could change that though. I'd love to see the best players in the world play in England. It would be great if an English club, I don't care who, managed to sign Messi. That would be incredible. It would certainly make me want to watch that team more often.

But then again, when to Spanish and Italian sides sign World Class players from abroad? Kaka for example, bought from Sao Paulo, Robinho from Santos iirc, Ronaldinho wasn't world class imo at the time he signed from PSG. Messi came through the Barca system etc.

I'm not sure, English clubs never really sign established 'BIG' name players, but then, how many clubs are willing to sell those players?

We sign top players and they become world class in England.

Just think, Chelsea have signed the likes of Drogba, Carvalho, Ballack, Essien, Shevchenko, Lampard and Robben as top players, and turned them into world class players (although Robben has left for a very tidy profit). Forget Shevva in that, but he was signed as world class.

When you say 'the real quality', what do you mean?

I'm sure Italian/Spanish clubs would love the likes of Fabregas, Adebayor, Sagna, Clichy, RVP, Torres, Mascherano, Alonso, Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carvalho, Ballack (in his day), Lampard and many more.

I think Italian clubs are vastly overrated, and ever since the relegation of Juve, that league's been on the slide for a while now.

Good win for us yesterday, playing a team bang in form and with Liverpool winning it became vital we win to keep the gap. Routine for Liverpool in my eyes, once Rafa realised he had to play half decent players then it was a stroll, they'd have been 3-0 up at halftime had Torres and Alonso started.

This isn't true for the last 5 years or so. The CL Winners & English clubs dominance in the competition proves our league is the strongest.

On the subject of World Class Players, there's more players making the move to the Big Clubs in La Liga than the other way around isn't there ? Robben, Hleb, Henry, Diarra, Heinze, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Pique, Gudjohnsen etc. If you let them, they'd sign another 50, Fabregas, Drogba, Ronaldo, Torres, Adebayor, RVP, Lampard, Gerrard and on and on. They poach our talent as oppose to years ago, they didn't give The Premiership a look in, in the 90's not many, if any footballers left England to go to Barca or Real.

I think coaches look at our Top 4 players and admire them far more than our coaches look at there's if you get me ? Say Barca, take away Messi, Eto'o, Xavi & Iniesta, there's not many you'd want. Real - Casillas, Ramos, Raul ? Not many like.

Overall, 1-20 teams in the league, I think La Liga is stronger than ours, more gifted anyhow, poor sides have a quality player, generally one that Barca or Real have tossed away.

I find it unfair on Big Phil because they aren't that far away from the top. Also they are still in the champions league. He hasn't really had Essien or Drogba at full fitness who are both key players, but had a feeling he could be on his way out. IMO Mourinho or Zola will take over. Either way I think Steve Clarke will return as assistant manager.

It's not unfair, he's woefully inept. Chelsea players have been moaning for months now about his antiquated training methods. These were probably fine in International Footall, you only met up with the bloke once every two months. Every day, the same drills, they've been bored less. Also, they say you spend very little time in training doing ballwork, I think for some of the longer serving players, your JT's, Carvalho, Essien, Lampard et al, they'll obviously compare it to Mourinho and his regime and they've felt it was light years behind. I think because Big Phil was a nice guy, it is a shame, but it's not a nice guy competition is it, it's The Premiership.

They eeked through an easy CL group, were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Burnley. Struggled past Southend in the FA cup, have a replay at Ipswich to come. Failed to beat Hull at home, were mighty lucky against Stoke. Haven't beaten any of the Big Four (well Villa, if we aren't including Arsenal). He had to go, it's not good enough. The next appointment will tell all about Chelsea, I think it's a club really on the way down, I think any manager taking the job will want to know the plans on investment and such, and who is appointed will be an indication of this. I think Chelsea fans should prepare to be underwhelmed.

Wonder if we can beat last seasons record of getting 3 Managers IIRC sacked in consecutive weeks after they all lost/drew against us?