What a shame! We can't take advantage.
We are perpetually 4th.

Norwich's first clean sheet in the league and it's against Chelski. If that doesn't tell the story I don't know what will.

Make Coogar come explain Torres failure to score again. . . The match ball was made in China?

Well some people have argued for years that Chelsea does not need natural wingers. Its games like this where the stark difference between natural and play-maker wingers is exposed.

If Ashley Cole doesnt make overlaps (which he's stopped doing these days) we are unable to stretch the play. Bosingwa does stretch play but always wastes the final ball.

Finally. . . . you sometimes get results like this when you dont have a striker. The boys are even trying small considering we are the only top 6 team without a striker to speak of.

Lukaku should be given a run. He showed more threat in 15 minutes than Torres did in the previous 75.

Isn't it obvious we don;t have a coach? Chelsea FC is too big for that young man (AVB), the sooner we realize that the better. The team does not have direction anymore, its a shame to watch Chelsea these days. AVB is not good for us. He should respectfully step down to avoid embarrassment and allow a competent person to take charge. my 1 cent

its embarrassing that Chelsea have now become an ordinary team.
the only respite to take from this game is that we lacked real firepower and we played away
i dont understand what Lukaku does at times. . .its like he's too heavy to carry himself
i remember the cross from Sturridge towards the last minute of the game. . .Lukakau couldnt even get to it and he was there, his effort was very lazy. that's bullshiit.

At least Liverpool and Newcastle are self-destructing as well.

Watching the Liverpool V Bolton game and it's difficult to understand what's wrong with Liverpool.
Best football Bolton've played in a while. Playing Liverpool off the park.

Meanwhile best result for us tomorrow is for City and United to win.
I have said for a while we are not in the title and Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool are the main threats to our season.

All that megede fegede AVB is yarning saying we are not looking at more players is counter productive.
If I were him I will be breaking the bank for effective players now and worry about fair price later.
We are not in a position to dictate the market. Let's consolidate on the lead we have over Arsenal and Liverpool.
If we miss out on a CL place, we won't attract the players we want.

I just hope city and united win tomorrow so as to gain some ground

Suddenly we're into the permutations business and the season is not really far spent yet.

King ruins it for Spurs in the last minute.
The exact result that favours Chelsea needs.

^^^^
He is old but he still knows where the goal is, unlike our good friend.

Coogar I beg we nid a straight swoop for FT and rooney. If not;shut d Bleep up and move on. Dere's no way in dis earth we are goin to let DD go for FT. Bleep CA 4 spillin those bullshyte.

diggz:

Coogar I beg we nid a straight swoop for FT and rooney. If not;shut d bleep up and move on. Dere's no way in dis earth we are goin to let DD go for FT. bleep CA 4 spillin those bullshyte.

you are a ninny! a complete one at that!
did you see the chance van persie missed today - it's worse than torres' miss.
that shows you any striker can miss a chance.

[size=14pt]A year of frustration: Are Chelsea paying the price for persisting with struggling £50m man Fernando Torres?[/size]


Nearly a year on from his high-profile transfer to Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard boasts some depressing statistics - can the club afford to wait for an upturn in his form?

Fifteen minutes into the second half and it seemed that Norwich City’s resistance was finally broken. Chelsea had not been at their best but were dominating possession and turning the screw after the restart. Jose Bosingwa stormed down the right and delivered into the box. This was it – the end of the drought.

Then Fernando Torres missed.

As the one-year anniversary approaches of the day when Chelsea broke the record for a transfer fee paid by a British club by throwing Liverpool £50 million, the Spanish striker is still in what you might generously term his settling-in period.

Three hundred and fifty-five days into Torres’ time in blue and the statistics aren’t good. Five goals in 42 appearances. £10m per goal. Since his last league strike against Swansea on September 24, 181 other players have etched their names on the Premier League scoresheet.

Saturday’s miss, a lame toe-poke from close range when it would have been easier to score, and the 0-0 result to which it contributed, extended his goalless run to 11 consecutive league games, his worst ever period.

“What a waste of money,” the Norwich fans gleefully sang – but is it time for Chelsea to cut their losses and admit as much? Can Torres ever overcome his Stamford Bridge malaise?

There are reasons to say no, that there is hope yet in persisting with the misfiring marksman. The simplest is the adage that form is temporary and class is permanent – before his 12 months as a Blue, Torres racked up 172 goals in 384 matches for first Atletico Madrid and then Liverpool, a fearsome record.

You cannot, of course, simply ignore what has been a humiliating nosedive of a year for the striker, but you can point to evidence that players can overcome barren spells of this kind.

Take the example of Inter’s Diego Milito. The Argentine hitman struck twice in the Champions League final in May 2010 to cap off a treble-winning season in which he scored 30 goals and confirmed his reputation as one of Europe’s finest strikers.

But he too endured a horrific calendar year in 2011. The 32-year-old netted just seven times in that period and was awarded by Italian fans the little-coveted Bidone d’Oro award (‘the Golden Bin’) as the worst player in Serie A. Yet, two games into 2012, Milito already has three goals and looks back to his best – and this is a player older than Torres.

It is not a direct comparison - Milito did not have a £50m price tag weighing on his shoulders, for one thing - but it offers hope to the Blues’ No. 9 that there is always a way back if you keep putting in the effort.

The more convincing case, though, is that it might be better for everyone if both Chelsea and Torres were to call it quits.

The 27-year-old’s problem is hard to address as it seems an acute mental one. There have been signs, for example, that his all-round game is coming back, particularly against Sunderland a week ago but also at Carrow Road.

Torres was energetic, particularly in the first half, finding some promising positions and even bursting into life to conjure a chance before the break, only stopped from assisting Daniel Sturridge by an alert Anthony Pilkington.

But, close in to goal, when all he had to do was tap into the poacher’s most natural instinct, he could not pull the trigger. It looks like a classic case of what golfers call ‘the yips’ – a mental barrier that is only exacerbated by spending time dwelling on it.

Overcoming this would be an easier prospect if Chelsea were prolific enough to push through and help him to rediscover his old self free from burden, but they simply are not.

Since his arrival, Chelsea have scored an average of 2.5 goals per match when the Spaniard has not featured, but only 1.68 per game when he has. The difference is startling and a clear sign that the Blues rely on a centre-forward to drive not only the scoring but the creation of their goals.

While Torres flounders in that role he prevents Sturridge, whose average of 0.30 goals per game on the right wing dwarfs the Spaniard's apologetic 0.12 in the middle, from having a chance to flourish in his preferred central position. Young Romelu Lukaku also showed promise with a marauding run after coming on late against Norwich but has few opportunities while faith is kept in the £50m man.

The Blues are a side undergoing rejuvenation. The acquisition of Gary Cahill this month is a continuation of the makeover Villas-Boas began in the summer by buying the likes of Mata, Lukaku and Oriol Romeu.

The ageing Stamford Bridge outfit are set to say goodbye to Didier Drogba at some point in the coming months, with Frank Lampard also slowly being phased out and more likely to follow. But can this fresh start complete itself while the Torres monkey clings firmly to the club’s back?

The No. 9 has become a figure of both comedy and pity at Stamford Bridge, so much so that it is hard to imagine that he will be able to shake the image in the eyes of the nation’s fans. An escape from the Premier League, ideally back to his native Spain, might well be the healthier option for the player.

Torres’ form had already been dipping when Roman Abramovich, seemingly on an impulse, produced the enormous cheque to prise him away from Anfield on deadline day last winter. Maybe now is the time for Chelsea to concede that cutting their losses would be healthier for them as well.

Ibime:

Since his arrival, Chelsea have scored an average of 2.5 goals per match when the Spaniard has not featured, but only 1.68 per game when he has. The difference is startling and a clear sign that the Blues rely on a centre-forward to drive not only the scoring but the creation of their goals.

Shape keeping at its finest.

AVB or the players? Someone gast to sit up!

Only a few hours after AVB declares we are not chasing players who are CL ineligible, Shaktar' Chairman reveals we've had a bid rejected for Willian Borges, Silva.


What's the point making such comments?



Meanwhile rumours are gathering that Eden's reason for being at the United v Arsenal yesterday was to have talks with Chelsea with a view to concluding a deal this weekend.

nateevs:

Only a few hours after AVB declares we are not chasing players who are CL ineligible, Shaktar' Chairman reveals we've had a bid rejected for Willian Borges, Silva.


What's the point making such comments?

Two possibilities - either AVB is not in charge of negotiations (unlikely) or he is just trying to deflect attention from his potential signings. As I mentioned earlier in the Lukaku case, it's not easy to prove either way but I suspect it's the latter.

no be only bullshit na bullmesssssss

Coogar go look bush wit Ur pointless logic and names calling. How can U compare RVP 1 match miss to FT's Countless Misses? FT's open net Misses actually Tops Yakubu's. D one against ManU is still very very fresh. I will love to see him throw a couple of chances away 1ce in a while,if only he can find d back of d net as much as RVP. Shekina!

diggz:

Coogar go look bush wit Ur pointless logic and names calling. How can U compare RVP 1 match miss to FT's Countless Misses? FT's open net Misses actually Tops Yakubu's. D one against ManU is still very very fresh. I will love to see him throw a couple of chances away 1ce in a while,if only he can find d back of d net as much as RVP. Shekina!

i am sure testicles float in your cranial cavity. . . .
a miss is a miss. van persie's miss was as bad as torres' miss against united. . . .

instead of chelsea fans to berate the pitiful service torres gets from the midfield, they blame him for not scoring. . .
would torres dribble from the petr cech and score goals in the other end of the pitch? the only quality service he got in the last game, his attempt was world class but was matched by a world class save!

^^ Are you sure you watched it? The glaring miss where he couldnt hit target was whose fault?

In the last game thankfully Lampard barely played they played Mata you campaigned for behind him yet he failed as usual

dayokanu:

^^ Are you sure you watched it? The glaring miss where he couldnt hit target was whose fault?

In the last game thankfully Lampard barely played they played Mata you campaigned for behind him yet he failed as usual

they did not play mata behind him. . . . .
villas boas has not played mata behind torres this season.
the front 3 = mata + torres + sturridge. villas boas plays 4-3-3.

pay attention to details next time.

WHo played behind Torres in the game?

In games where Lampard played, you claimed Lampard was behind Torres, Now that Lampard is out do you mean Lamps position is now vacant

In the 59th minute, when Torres poked a clear chance wide of the post, Did he get the supply from Cech?

dayokanu:

WHo played behind Torres in the game?

how daft can this boy be?
lampard started and was subbed in the 36th minute.
malouda came on and dropped behind the 3-pronged attack as a left midfielder.

In games where Lampard played, you claimed Lampard was behind Torres, Now that Lampard is out do you mean Lamps position is now vacant

it's not. . . . .it was taken by meireles/ramirez/essien/malouda.
mata plays as a left winger, sturridge as a right winger and torres as the arrow-head.
if ordinary team formation is ambiguous to you then heaven help your daily endeavours.

If we bring in Hazard,Xavi , iniesta to make assist for FT he will still fail , hes goal shy unless he learns how to position himself in front of goal, Chichartio would score more than torres

dyabman:

If we bring in Hazard,Xavi , iniesta to make assist for FT he will still fail , hes goal shy unless he learns how to position himself in front of goal, Chichartio would score more than torres

who would supply the tasty passes to put hernandez through on goal?
chelsea's midfielders are too lethargic to play a quick pass. . . . .this is what torres suffers from.
he doesn't get the quick passes to put him one v one against goalies.

*sigh* You would say just about anything, wldnt you?

coogar:
Quote from: diggz on Yesterday at 08:04:30 PM

Coogar  go look bush wit Ur pointless logic and names calling. How can U compare RVP 1 match miss to FT's Countless Misses? FT's open net Misses actually Tops Yakubu's. D one against ManU is still very very fresh. I will love to see him throw a couple of chances away 1ce in a while,if only he can find d back of d net as much as RVP. Shekina!


i am sure testicles float in your cranial cavity. . . .
a miss is a miss. van persie's miss was as bad as torres' miss against united. . . .

instead of chelsea fans to berate the pitiful service torres gets from the midfield, they blame him for not scoring. . .
would torres dribble from the petr cech and score goals in the other end of the pitch? the only quality service he got in the last game, his attempt was world class but was matched by a world class save!                  Coogar are U GEJ in disguise or U guys are cut from d same cloth of stupidity? I beg just shot ur  gutter and go back to Ur thread. U are worse than a beer parlour analyst walahi. For what so ever reason U want d world to believe dat Cfc squad players are responsible for d shekpe keeper not finding d back of d net and I say NO. FT is a Useless player for 50mil rite nw.