₦airaland Forum

cabali:
We bind you with some sort of huge force

No need to bind am, let him go and remove the plank from his eye (Arsenal) before worrying about the speck of sawdust in our eye.


Merry Christmas y'all.

West Brom should be a nice Christmas present.

Guys, I don't agree. Mikel is best where he is right now IMO.

The old days where you had a playmaker whose job was simply to spray passes, (Valderamma, Rui Costa etc) are gone. If you are going to play behind the strikers, you must have some end product. Unfortunately, Mikel spent too many years playing monkey post in Jos and never learnt how to shoot the ball. He also lacks the energy or movement to drive beyond the opposition midfield and get himself into the box.

If you go and watch the 1995 Champions League again, you will see that Makelele was an attacking/conventional midfielder for Nantes. He had all the passing and ball retention skills that Mikel has now, but he had no end product so they moved him to DM. It is the same with Pirlo who was a trequartista. I am sure you remember him playing upfront in 2000 Olympics. Unfortunately he lacked the pace and physicality to burst into the box so they moved him into DM. Many have treaded Mikel's path before e.g. Redondo and Guardiola - all gifted passers of the ball who lacked the energy, pace or goal-scoring ability to play as an attacking midfielder. Others, such as Michael Ballack and Gerrard have made the opposite switch from DM to AM.

I didn't watch the match yesterday, neither have I seen the highlights, but an away draw against Everton seems fair to me, especially as we had 10 men. The Times match review tells me that Ballack and Deco did nothing again and that Drogba looked disinterested. We need to give Ballack three weeks off to get his match sharpness back. Scolari's slavish devotion to Deco needs to be checked. . . . and what is up with Drogba?. . . . same old story for the last 18 months. . . . if his mind is elsewhere, lets sell him sharp sharp and move on.

I was hoping we could steal Schweini just like we stole Ballack. I really thought he was gonna leave on a free.

Nateevs, leave Sparky alone. Man City players are all unsettled plus he is missing Michael Johnson who brings the steel to their midfield, otherwise they have no midfield. . . . and he was not my choice for Chelsea gaffer, I just preferred him to Ancelotti when it seemed only both of them made the final shortlist. . . . my choice was always Guus Hiddink.

As for McGeady, he's not ready yet. Many believe he will struggle with the physicality of EPL, although I don't know about that. My main concern is that I would like a winger who can beat a man from a standing start. Messi, Ashley Young, Ronaldo, Robinho etc can all do that. . . . .McGeady has to be on the run before he beats a man. . . . . and with the tight spaces we play in, he will not be afforded that luxury. . . . . I am sure you remember the worst winger at beating a man from a standing start. . . . SWP. . . i.e he can only beat his man when running at full pelt. . . . the days of those kind of wingers are over. Gervinho is the man for the job, although I question his delivery. Afellay is also good and Marin is one for the future.

Did you not just say his freekick made Cech foolish, alluding to a brilliant freekick when it was merely a lucky deflection?

The fact is Robinho is a good player, but he is not a £32m player.

Madrid were ready to sell him for £20m last January. Only when Chelsea stepped in did they decide to play hardball because they know we have money. They flatly refused him a new contract and he was a bit part player throughout last season. Thats how much he meant to them. They leaked stories to the press that he escapes the training ground by jumping out of the window in order to avoid meeting the fans and the press at the front gate. They said it was Cassano who showed him how to jump the window. The fact is, he is inconsistent and has always been, whether for Man City, Brazil or Madrid. Lest we forget Dunga was caught on camera saying to his assistant that Robinho always struggles in the big games. Latest rumours are that his teammates at Man City are unhappy with him and held a meeting to discuss the situation because he refuses to play for the team, always ignoring tactical formation. This just came out in the press today. Read your newspaper or check the BBC website. I am always wary of Brazilian players, especially the party type. IMO, the difference between Man City of last season and this is that they are carrying an extra baggage (Robinho) tactically and their whole formation breaks down too easily, exposing them to the counterattack. There is much better value for £32million. Were we not quoted £25m by Bayern for Scarface in the summer? Scolari does not seem to know the market very well. I know 3 or 4 players that will solve our creative problems instantly, and they do not cost anywhere near £32m. We need a winger that can beat a man from a standing start, not only when he is on the run. They are very few, but Robinho is not the only one.

Arsenal were in trouble when they played Man City. Robinho freekick against Chelsea was a deflection off Carvalho.

Look at his hisory, both for Brazil and Real Madrid and now Man City. He only shines when his team are winning by a landslide and there is space all over the pitch. Robinho is a weakling. Lets not forget that Madrid were desperate to get rid of him in January. He is a featherweight.

The fact we are even having such a discussion proves how ridiculously overhyped Gerrard is.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=196587.msg3246183#msg3246183 date=1229706677]Soccernet says he is 57 keys but thatz their problem.[/quote]You sef think about it now. . . . how can Ashley Young weigh less than Arshavin and Robinho. . . . it's not logical.

Yeah, Gervinho from CIV.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=196587.msg3246082#msg3246082 date=1229704691]Arshavin------------9.8 stones(62kg)
Ashley Young--------9 stones(57kg)
Robinho--------------9.4 stones(60kg).


Arshavin would be good for Chelsea, abeg!!!! Sign him!!![/quote]Ashley Young is 65 kg. . . .

http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-league/teams/player/item14815/

Besides, its not about weight, its about aptitude and attitude. . . that was what I meant when I said I want meat on my players. . . . all of Ashley Youngs body mass is hard muscle, you can bet. . . . . Ashley Young is a hustler. . . . Arshavin does not want to be touched lest he breaks his bones. . . . if you notice, I mentioned Gerviho, Marin and Affellay as my preferred players for Chelsea and they are all under 10 stone, but they are hustlers. . . Dennis Wise, Lionel Messi etc are all little titch's, but they are hustlers.


£20 million for Arshavin? Hell no! When all other top teams have baulked at even £14m asking price, why should we take such risk. There's no longevity in such an acquisition and no resale value. It is the same mistake we have been making in the last 4 years, buying players in their mid-to-late 20's. Arshavin was available for £10m before the Euro's and no one made a positive bid. Why should they make a £20m bid now just because he shone in 2 or 3 games at a tournament. Conventional wisdom states that you do not sign players just because they have a good tournament.

nateevs:
@Ibime,

Robinho does play in the prem now and is not doing badly . .

He has been highly inconsistent, doesn't show up away from home, refuses to follow tactical instruction, often leaving Garrido exposed at left back. . . .he may look good, but the team suffers as a result. . .  . he has been highly inconsistent, just like he was at Real Madrid. . . .if you look at his goal record, they come in flushes. . . . hatricks against Stoke and the like, none in any games that really matter. . . . .we made a good decision not to sign him, certainly not for £32m.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=196587.msg3245045#msg3245045 date=1229689674]And u wanted Robinho??[/quote]Not me Sir, that was Nateevs. I called Robinho an inconsistent bantamweight when stories of Chelsea's interest first emerged.

[quote author=~Sauron~ link=topic=196587.msg3245045#msg3245045 date=1229689674]What about Samir Nasri, Ashley Young, Rafael da Silva?? How are they faring despite weighing less than 10 stones??
Players with meat is a red herring and huge players can also be useless. Titus Bramble and Michael Ballack are classic examples.[/quote]In boxing terms, if we take their weight, Arshavin is a light welterweight, whilst the players mentioned above are light middleweights. Ashley Young is a qualified middleweight, plus Rafael Da Silva has 5 lungs.

If you are small, you have to be superfast or super skillful.

Look, forget buying 27 year old Russians who flitter in and out of games, or mentally unstable Brazilians (Fabiano and Adriano). All I want for Christmas is Gervinho, Marko Marin and Ibrahim Afellay.

Arshavin is a bantamweight just like Deco. I prefer players with meat on them.

Dayo, stop making mouth mehn. Bayern should be scared of drawing Chelsea, not the other way round. I hope you still remember the 4-2 win from 4 seasons back. . Tell me Lampard's goal wasn't special.

You must be having a laugh. We have not even finished comparing the great white hype with Lampard and you are trying to compare him to Ronaldo.

Paul Ince is a slowpoke. He fully deserved the sack.

What kind of idiot will sign Robbie Fowler who couldn't cut it at Cardiff when he already has 4 top strikers in Santa-Cruz, McCathy, Roberts and Derbyshire, not to talk of Maceo Rigters of Holland U-21 fame who can't get a game at the moment? To add insult to injury, he actually started Robbie Fowler twice and brought him off the bench once when McCarthy was still on the bench.

Further evidence of his stupidity is shown in his signing of 28 year old Keith Andrews for £2m, a man who couldn't cut it at Wolves and Hull, even when Hull were in League one.

To add insult to injury, his defensive coach, Nigel Winterburn lives in London and only coaches on certain days of the week.

And who said Paul Ince is black? We revoked his ghetto pass a long time ago.

Dayokanu is right. English coaches are rubbish. They refuse to study the game and they refuse to watch foreign football, spending millions on rubbish English players when they could buy better players abroad at a fraction of the price.

Every time Scolari makes a subsitution, he demoralises the players and takes the fight away from them. . . . the idiot doesn't know what he's doing. . . . . it is the same thing we have been saying here on Nairaland for the last few weeks. . . . I would have been surprised if the players were not saying the same thing. . . . the old fool needs to learn fast or ship out. . . . and take Deco with him!. . . . . like my friend told me at the start of the season, Deco might be shining now but he will disappear by Christmas. . . . soon enough he will be better known for his nightlife exploits than his performance on the pitch. . . . next thing I know, we are being linked with Adriano.

Chelsea keep lurching from one dangerous extreme to another. . . . from spending zillions to spending zilch. . . . from having a manager who only plays long ball to a manager who only plays tippy tappy passing game. . . . how about taking the middle ground for a change?

Nateevs, did you know you can watch Chelsea training for only £1?

I am going next week. Get ya ass down to Cobham.

Olaolufred:
However, Chelsea fans turns everything to blind arguments so that they can turn each argument to fight.

Watch all abusive languages on Nairaland sports, they are originated by chelsea fans.

Mikel is good, fine. Not in this area better than Alonso.

But i will not talk more than this, because these Chelsea fans are good at breaking bottles and stabbing.
However, this may be because they are born and raised under the bridges.

No wonder, many of them are under Oshodi and Iyana Ipaja bridges.

Hehehehe. . . .this guy, you are funny. . . .

Mikel style of passing is called "Give I give". . . it doesn't go anywhere, but it keeps possession.

From all these stats, we can see that Lampard is the King of assists. . . .48 chances created already and the season isn't even halfway through. . . . .

What is Sauron talking about?. . . . 2000 team was a joke. . . . did we not start Chukwu in the final? . . . . what is the name of that Ijaw boy that used to play centre-back? . . . . Furo Iyenemi, abi something like that. . . what a joke . . . that team was rubbish.

No doubt 1994 was the best team. Amuneke and Finidi on both wings can never be surpassed. Westerhof said that those boys were so fit, there was no need for a second defensive midfielder alongside Oliseh. The amount of work that Finidi and Amuneke did both defensively and offensively meant that the defensive frailty of Okocha was nuanced. Not to mention that The Bull was pressing defenders so hard up the pitch, they couldn't venture forward to put pressure on our somewhat light central midfield.

debosky:
If Arsenal could stretch teams at Highbury, space is not your constraint. Look more at your tactics/players - there is a disconnect somewhere in there.

You are completely wrong. . . . Arsenal of Highbury played counterattacking football with Vieira and co breaking from box to box with just 2 or 3 passes. . . . . it is a completely different style of play to the way they play now. Their last season in Highbury was the only year they played a style similar to Chelsea's. . . . and they would have finished 5th that season if not for some dodgy lasagna.

Damn. . . . Steve McLaren must be loving it at FC Twente

[quote author=lai-lai link=topic=196587.msg3224932#msg3224932 date=1229305985]i believe with u guys current samba style, stamford bridge is too small for chelsea
a more expansive stadium suits u guys better[/quote]Sharp post. . . . . I have been saying that we need to knock down the first five rows of seats and expand the pitch. It is too easy to get 10 men behind the ball in a confined space and shut the game down. You can never try that in the Nou Camp.

After years of investment, we are left with a squad of 30 something year olds who are passed their peak.

Doyin, Ballack was shit as well. . . .either he's getting old or he needs a pre-season programme like the one Drogba undertook.

Should have brought off Deco for Belletti, put Belletti on the right, moved Joe Cole to the left. Put crosses in and win the game simple.

Deco needs to phock off back to Rio De Janeiro.

Scolari always refuses to substitute his son.

I remember that JM almost made the mistake of signing Deco, but later admitted that Deco would have been too weak for Prem. The same still stands. Deco needs to phock off. Modric is also struggling at Tottenham. Prem is not for playmakers. QED.

Heriva Illunga put Bosingwa in his pocket. . . . and Alan Curbishley resigned because Gianni Nani sold George McCartney to make way for Ilunga?. . . . what a joke. . . . just shows he knows nothing about transfers . . . . Jackal, I hope you remember our argument about Curbishley in August when I told you that Ilunga is ten times better than McCartney. . . . .

Phock you Scolari


[size=50pt]TAKE DECO OFF!!!![/size]


Deco, please back your bags. I am tired of this weak bantamweight.

Nateevs, you lost the argument. Premiership is not for playmakers.

PHOCK DECO!

nateevs:
We need those 3pts. . West Ham are not the best at parking the bus in front of goal. . if they do, this will be the day we break that fecking yoke!. . . Common Phil . . Let's go for it. .

They are actually. . . . just ask Liverpool's Anfield where they went and drew 0-0. . . . Hayden Mullins is a good disciplined DM who can sit there all day and they also have Scott Parker and Mark Noble. . . . lets see. . . . by the way, Drogba is starting on the bench tomorrow. . . .LFS says he ain't rushing Drogba back cos he just had two knee operations.

Where do I even start. . . . . Somze, I am fatigued mehn. . . . . someone should take over from me, I don talk my own. . . . JM was short term gain, long term pain. . . . . All his decisions smack of a man who is not thinking about the future. . . . not only in terms of player acquisitions, but our runaway wage bill . . . .if Jose had spent wisely, we would not be complaining about the squad now. . . . Like I said, we should have a squad similar to Barca of 2006 by now. . . by the way, Ranieri did not spend £120m, Pini Zahavi did. . . . phock Ranieri anyway, who said he is a good manager?

No time. . . . let me just correct something. . . .


Marseille quoted Juventus £14m for Drogba and they had made a bid for him. . . . until we stepped in.

Man Utd were preparing a bid for Essien, until we stepped in.

Carvalho is the only one where we were the only bidders. We made the bid quickly and when other teams looked at the price, they simply baulked.

Cole was a deadline day transaction. . . . are you telling me no one else was interested in Cole when he was probably the best LB in the world?. . . the only reason we were the only bidders is because Arsenal wanted Gallas as a caveat to sweeten the deal.

Chelsea paid Lyn £80,000 for Mikel Obi's education. He was already in our squad, but we couldn't sign him due to work permit restrictions. We had a gentleman's agreement with Lyn that they would sell him back to us but they stabbed us in the back. Even Mikel Obi thought he was a Chelsea player, that was why he got confused when the Man Utd saga unfolded. He didn't simply train with us, he was someone we had planned for way before Mourinho arrived.

Now, lets put to bed this myth about these players being Great Acquisitions. They are not Great Acquisitions, they have simply performed to the level expected of the amount of money we paid for them. A great acquisition is when you buy players like Daniel Agger @ £4m, Martin Skrtel @ £6m, Vidic @ £8m, Evra @ £7m, Maicon @ £5m, Bakary Sagna @ £7m, Gallas @ £7m, Pires @ £6m, David Villa @ £8m, Lampard @ £11m, Henry @ £11m, Ronaldo @ £12m, Kaka @ £5m, Ribery @ £17m, Ronaldinho @ £23m, even Torres @ £20m - £25m as his value has doubled.

Dare I say, if Ivanovic was given a proper run in the team, the £9m we paid for him will look like chicken change. That will make him a great acquisition.

Drogba, Essien, and Carvalho are simply acquisitions which hold their value. You cannot sell them for more than you bought them, and if so, not much more. They have simple performed to the level of expenditure. They are Value-For-Money acquisitions.

SWP did not fail to blend. He is simply a talentless road runner who lacks technique.

As for Ranieri, he still has 4 of his players in the first 11, namely, Cech, Terry, Lamps and Joe Cole. Three were signed under his watch whilst he brought Terry through from the youth team.

Thiago Silva already signed for Milan. . . . he's a top defender not a cheap option by the way. . .

Are those girls obeying the laws of Sharia being semi-naked like that?

Well, God knows if the reports are true. . . . certainly the value of his shareholdings have dropped by £12bn if the journalist did his investigations correctly. . . . shareholders are listed and it should be easy to check how much Roman was holding in all these companies. . . . not to fear, the market will rise again if he holds on to his hares long enough and this will just be a temporary glitch. . . ,  or it could be argued that his initial valuation was overinflated anyway as the shareprices did not reflect the true values of the company. . . I only said he lost half his wealth because I wanted to give the journalist a little room for error. . . . but going on his recent reactions, it is clear he has lost a lot. . . way more than £1bn.