EPL Discussion

[kyhadley]

Kinda my point.

I guess I took exception to the mid-table bit.

Wasn't Chelsea also under performing last year too? Yeah you won the CL, but in the league you weren't that good.

The fact that Chelsea won the CL completely validates not being that good in the league, you can't acknowledge one without the other. Di Matteo rotated heavily in the league games near the end of the season. Like against Arsenal (Bosingwa, Bertrand, Essien, Romeu, Malouda, Sturridge, Torres starting), Newcastle (Bosingwa, Bertrand, Essien, Malouda, Sturridge, Torres starting), and Liverpool (Ferriera, Bertrand, Essien, Romeu, Malouda, Torres, Sturridge starting).

And hey CJ, why don't you try using your words big guy?

[Anthony]

And hey CJ, why don't you try using your words big guy?

You're slagging off Rafa. You probably wouldn't like his words anyway.

[kyhadley]

You're slagging off Rafa. You probably wouldn't like his words anyway.

No I want to see the sort of blind nonsense he can come up with.

[mgoblue2290]

I guess I took exception to the mid-table bit.



The fact that Chelsea won the CL completely validates not being that good in the league, you can't acknowledge one without the other. Di Matteo rotated heavily in the league games near the end of the season. Like against Arsenal (Bosingwa, Bertrand, Essien, Romeu, Malouda, Sturridge, Torres starting), Newcastle (Bosingwa, Bertrand, Essien, Malouda, Sturridge, Torres starting), and Liverpool (Ferriera, Bertrand, Essien, Romeu, Malouda, Torres, Sturridge starting).

And hey CJ, why don't you try using your words big guy?

You weren't very good in the beginning of the season either if I recall correctly. Also, please reread some of the names of those players you listed. Not exactly bottom of the barrel.

Also, I can't believe you're honestly ripping on Rafa for making good tactical subs and forcing a replay. Managers get initial tactics wrong all of the time, thats why you've got subs, to make it right. In fact one sign of a good manager is knowing when to say this isn't working and make necessary changes rather than stubbornly holding out.

You could say that subbing is something Rafa is known well for seeing as his tactical judgments and subs at half in Istanbul helped lead to the greatest comeback in the history of soccer on the biggest stage in club soccer.

[Anthony]

You weren't very good in the beginning of the season either if I recall correctly. Also, please reread some of the names of those players you listed. Not exactly bottom of the barrel.

Also, I can't believe you're honestly ripping on Rafa for making good tactical subs and forcing a replay. Managers get initial tactics wrong all of the time, thats why you've got subs, to make it right. In fact one sign of a good manager is knowing when to say this isn't working and make necessary changes rather than stubbornly holding out.

You could say that subbing is something Rafa is known well for seeing as his tactical judgments and subs at half in Istanbul helped lead to the greatest comeback in the history of soccer on the biggest stage in club soccer.

[Anthony]

Here's the ting. (Showing off my Caribbean flair for slang)

If Chelsea fans somehow don't see that their hissy fits about about Rafa being manager effect the team, lets ask Liverpool how results went when they voiced their displeasure with Owl Face in charge. Or lets ask Blackburn how things went on the pitch when they cried for Kean's head. It's played itself out over and over again but somehow Chelsea fans think this is different. Honestly, I'm all for Chelsea supporters acting like spoiled City supporters. Keep moaning about your "shit" manager, I'm sure other clubs chasing a top 4 spot don't mind.

Just out of curiosity, who was the last manager to not manage Real Madrid or Barcelona and win La Liga? Not once but twice?
I'm sure those trophies look rather fetching next to his UEFA League and Champions League trophies. That's pretty impressive for a "shit" manager.

[kyhadley]

in bold:

You weren't very good in the beginning of the season either if I recall correctly. Also, please reread some of the names of those players you listed. Not exactly bottom of the barrel.

Not sure what thay has to do with anything... None of those names were in our first 11, that was the point I was making.

Also, I can't believe you're honestly ripping on Rafa for making good tactical subs and forcing a replay.

Wasn't ripping Rafa (well I guess I was for getting it so wrong initially), just annoyed that the media's being all "SEE CHELSEA FANS RAFA IS A BRILLIANT TACTICIAN".

Managers get initial tactics wrong all of the time, thats why you've got subs, to make it right. In fact one sign of a good manager is knowing when to say this isn't working and make necessary changes rather than stubbornly holding out.

Well that sure supports my Rafa is shit campaign considering this is the first time since he's been here that he's made a necessary change rather than stubbornly holding out. He usually sticks with his predetermined subs at 75, 85, and 90 minutes.

You could say that subbing is something Rafa is known well for seeing as his tactical judgments and subs at half in Istanbul helped lead to the greatest comeback in the history of soccer on the biggest stage in club soccer.

You could say it, but I have a much bigger sample size that says otherwise.

@"Anthony"

I don't give a "shit" what Rafa's done his past. I've watched him come in after my belovéd manager got sacked, and slowly ruin my team. He rotates, but rotates poorly (too many players at once, subbing players when they don't need rest, not subbing players that do). And as I've mentioned his subs are baffling and incredibly frustrating (RB for RB, Torres when we need to defend etc.)

And before you say "but you're still in 4th!" I don't care, when Rafa came in we were fighting for at least second, only 7 points behind United. Now we're fighting for 4th and it's very possible we don't get it? 4th should not have been an accomplishment with the way our season started and it's a testament to how bad Rafa was been.

I didn't even care that we had hired Rafa back in November. I wasn't nearly as deeply following the premier league back when he was with Liverpool so didn't have the feelings most more experienced Chelsea fans had. This is the first season I have witnessed Rafa as a manager, starting completely unbiased, and in merely three months I'm on board with my fellow fans.

Not sure how the away support feels about calling their anti-benitez songs hissy fits, but they're not going to stop so you and everyone else might as well step down from your high horse, might be getting light-headed up there. The players understand the situation, they know those aren't directed at them. Plus every single anti-rafa chant is followed by a chorus of CHELSEA CHELSEA CHELSEA or Carefree or KTBBFH or some other song supporting the team, for every minute of anti-rafa songs they are 20 of pro-Chelsea. The atmosphere at the recent Chelsea games, home or away, has been fantastic.

[Anthony]

in bold:


@"Anthony"

I don't give a "shit" what Rafa's done his past. I've watched him come in after my belovéd manager got sacked, and slowly ruin my team. He rotates, but rotates poorly (too many players at once, subbing players when they don't need rest, not subbing players that do). And as I've mentioned his subs are baffling and incredibly frustrating (RB for RB, Torres when we need to defend etc.)

And before you say "but you're still in 4th!" I don't care, when Rafa came in we were fighting for at least second, only 7 points behind United. Now we're fighting for 4th and it's very possible we don't get it? 4th should not have been an accomplishment with the way our season started and it's a testament to how bad Rafa was been.

I didn't even care that we had hired Rafa back in November. I wasn't nearly as deeply following the premier league back when he was with Liverpool so didn't have the feelings most more experienced Chelsea fans had. This is the first season I have witnessed Rafa as a manager, starting completely unbiased, and in merely three months I'm on board with my fellow fans.

Not sure how the away support feels about calling their anti-benitez songs hissy fits, but they're not going to stop so you and everyone else might as well step down from your high horse, might be getting light-headed up there. The players understand the situation, they know those aren't directed at them. Plus every single anti-rafa chant is followed by a chorus of CHELSEA CHELSEA CHELSEA or Carefree or KTBBFH or some other song supporting the team, for every minute of anti-rafa songs they are 20 of pro-Chelsea. The atmosphere at the recent Chelsea games, home or away, has been fantastic.

You could say Rafa is a shitty manager, but I have a much bigger sample size that says otherwise. Keep on saying the atmosphere around the ground has nothing to do with happens on the pitch. I honestly don't give a shit, frankly I hope Chelsea lose the plot altogether. But it's your club, I mean Roman's, support them how you want.

If you think this is a high horse, you should see the ones ridden by United supporters. Love you 1ke.

[kyhadley]

The fact that you can only defend Rafa by saying how he won a couple things 5-10 years ago proves my point. Maybe he was a good manager then and maybe he still could be one now. But he has not been a good manager for Chelsea and that is Facht.

My only issue with the anti-Rafa hullabaloo is that it has completely overshadowed that his results just haven't been good enough. The catch 22 being that the results led to more vitriol from the support leading to more "its the fan's fault!" nonsense from the media. Rafa has the worst win percentage in the Abramovich era. Sorry but I'm goin to put a bit more onus on the manager and players when it comes to team performance than the people in the stands.

[Anthony]

L.O.Fucking.L.

http://www.thefootballramble.com/indepth/entry/an-open-letter-from-chelsea-fc-to-you-the-fans

The Ramble has come into the possession of this draft document from the highest levels of the Chelsea executive, leaked by a disgruntled employee. We’re not a liberty to divulge our sources, but we must acknowledge our gratitude to the circle of honour that exists between fellow bloggers.


Dear Loyal Chelsea FC Fan,

We’ve listened.

How could we not? The pride and the passion of the true Chelsea FC supporter is difficult to ignore at any time, but when 41,000 voices sing as one during a fantastic Stamford Bridge matchday, no one could be deaf to their desires.

You want your Chelsea FC back. We want you to have it.

Chelsea FC are therefore delighted to announce that the next permanent First Team Manager will be you, the fans.

Who else could measure up to the high standards of our Club? What traditional manager working in the game today would not be found wanting, or indeed has not had the job for three to five months at some point in the recent past and already been found wanting? We’ve had it with managers, Roman’s had it with managers, and we believe that you’ve had it with managers too.

Managers will always let you down, in the end. They might win a trophy or two, but then they’ll do something unforgivable like oversee an inadequate number of goals scored at home to Everton, or refuse to field a marquee superstar just because he’s failed to find the back of the net in three months – then complain that these are mutually exclusive job requirements and throw an undignified tantrum in Roman’s office, utterly heedless of the damage they’re doing to Chelsea FC’s Brand-Aspiration Proliferation Ratio in emerging markets. Then they just up and leave by completely mutual consent.

Managers are fickle, inefficient and an anachronism in the modern game. Fans though, fans are here forever. That’s why you will make the ideal boss.

How will this exciting innovation work? New media gives us a wealth of opportunities to connect with our hive-mind coaching staff – and our communications partners at Samsung™, Digicel™ Myspace™, and UrbanCarrierPigeonzz™ will enable us to get decisions from your brain to the pitch in a paradigm of real-time synergy unlike anything ever attempted before.

For example, our first order of business is Frank Lampard’s expiring contract. If you, the manager, think that Frank has earned a new deal, text LAMPSYES and the value of the contract you think he deserves in £s p/week to 80085. If however it’s time for the loyal Club servant to move on and enjoy a fresh challenge elsewhere, text LAMPSDOONE instead. We’ll tabulate the results, calculate the average of the proposed contract offer, and if our Handsomeness Profitability Analyst agrees that the numbers look good against the potential shirt sales in Laos – then congratulations! The fans have made their first managerial decision!

New signing targets will be identified by aggregating the comments left beneath articles on caughtoffside.com. Transfer rumours that inspire the most passionate responses from our managers will be pursued most vigorously – so if you want to see, say, Radamel Falcao pulling on the famous blue shirt, get typing. And remember: BLOCK CAPITALS MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!!!!!!!!!1!!!11!!!!1!

Of course, management isn’t just buying and selling – there’s the games themselves to consider, with tactical details requiring constant refinement by the fine footballing brain of our gestalt coach. We realise you’ll be too enthralled enjoying the fine displays of John, Ashley and the boys to be glancing at your phone, so obviously tweeting your instructions is right out. Instead, we’ve come up with an alternative communication tool that we think you’ll love. It’s something that goes right to the core of what being a Chelsea FC fan is all about, something that is dear to the heart of every one of us with blue blood in our veins.

Flags.

Every seat at the Bridge will come with a highly visible plastic flag (sponsored by JKS Investments and Holdings™, ‘the most visible securities traders in today’s competitive marketplace’®) for each Chelsea FC manager to make their wishes known to the players. Not only will communication be clear, simple and precise; the Stamford Bridge Semaphore Displays will also become a famous sight, intimidating for our opponents and highly marketable for our partner companies. And what’s more, it puts you, the manager, right in charge of the action.

Off the pitch, how will training be handled? It won’t. Training is boring, as evidenced by the fact that no one pays to watch it – therefore we won’t waste your or the players’ precious time with it. This should allow us to spend time during the week focusing on making the Chelsea FC Matchday Experience as thrilling, immersive and passionate as possible!

We’re excited that Chelsea FC is on the forefront of this new venture, and we’re confident that no other Club in the world would even attempt it.

So what do you say gaffer(s)? Are you ready to get to work?

Yours,

Chelsea Football Club.

Satire of course.

[kyhadley]

Not sure what point that is trying to make. It's amusing sure but the same sort of thing could be written for every club. Chelsea supporters are as sick of the manager merry-go-round as anyone.

[mgoblue2290]

Lost it at the flags bit.

[calgaryballer]

Whooooooooooooooo.

Well done Aston Villa. Beyond cheering for NUFC to win the Europa League, the biggest goal this season is to see Harry take another club down

/schadenfreud

[Fappin Raptor]

Fuck you Rudi.

[1ke]

Can't figure out where all the city fans been this year.......