₦airaland Forum

RuuDie: I don't think we are gonna go out tonight. . . .Bilbao just do not have enough fuel in the tank to finish what they've started!

You want to revisit this?
This is football of the future.

Reference: I disagree. Manchester City and the traditional top four of United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in one form of transition or another that affects all teams. Give it another couple of seasons and you will find four EPL teams in the last 8 UCL places as has been. The EPL remains the most competitive. They have only suffered recently from aging squads and player power. With all due respect Bilbao and United are not to be found on the same pitch. Na condition.

You forget one very important scenario. . . "Evolution"

While the English spend decades backing kick and follow, the Spaniards were building the future.
Folks will make you believe this sort of football will not work in England.

This is the 5th placed Spanish team. United cannot match them over two legs and they (United) lead the league.
While your argument about transition may hold truth, it's not the entire picture.

BlueDiva: The likes of nateevs have lost their bragging rights here.
I wonder what AVB would be thinking?
Imagine your assistant turning things around.

Are you freaking kidding me?
Lost bragging rights?

You and I belong to different schools of thought.
You think results right here right now. . . what happens on the field matters.
Everything else is secondary.
According to you, "all those talking about FFP are hypocrites".

On the other hand, I think stability, spending less, breaking even,reducing wage bill, life after Roman.


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While you seem to be surprised that RDM is turning things around, I had written about this months ago.
If AVB is sacked, the new manager will default to what works, results will be achieved and the season will end well.
RA will hire another another continental manager (talks about Marelo Bielsa gathering pace) who tries to introduce a new style. He will struggle, players will revolt and he will be sacked. Damage limitation manager takes over, defaults to what works and folks like Diva will call it "turning it around" while Chelsea racks up more debt by paying off managers and huge wages .

Is that what you call losing bragging rights?

afrodoc: thank God u said REQUESTED! it wasn't forced down his throat or has he been robbed of free will?
and if u check my post,i mentioned that even when his back was against the wall,he didnt change! he was still trying to force an impossible style through.
so the owner wanted him to play fancy football but its not working and d same owner is about sack him,shouldn't common sense tell him to revert to d tried n trusted (since even u said it works....simples ).then with a series of victories u get to d end of the season and then u make ur changes.instead he went mouselike to the guillotine like a timid french comtesse!

Now this is proper analysis. Yes I will hold my hands up and say yes he should have changed it and continued his "project" next season.

The problem was, too many egos had be trampled upon and AVB reverting to what works would have meant calling truce with the likes of Lamps, Essien and Cole. This is the only place where I agree with Diva's point of view of the management.

Where I disagree is that AVB is crap or the Osupa boy's view of "AVB was a disaster".

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I am not trying to argue that it was impossible to AVB to have played like we played tonight.
My argument is that it is silly not to try to understand why he didn't. Simple.

afrodoc: @nateevs
chelsea actually played good football today and still beat a tough opponent,so playing tippytappy shouldnt hav stopped chelsea from winning under AVB.
anyways d fault is his for trying to change a team's style when he didnt hav the tools i.e players for the new style he was preaching.like i said he is like the doctor who shouldn't handle patients but be left in the classroom teaching students or in d lab mixing formulae.
do u think JT would hav come to him,pulling his hand to offer a suggestion? and even if JT did,would AVB have listened? he stuck to his wet guns and laboratory formulae even when it was obvious to even christian chukwu that the "project" was derailing.even with his back against the ropes,it was more of the same!
it wasnt just the results but the general game play was POOR! i repeat chelsea played well today(very well),not just dt they won

I am sorry dude. This is where you got it wrong.
Do you think the fella who spent 1.2bn pounds sat in the background, paid 15m for AVB to come and play long balls to Drogba? Nope.

It was RA's mistake. He still believes this team can play like Barcelona and brought in a manager who could do it.
Except the ingredients were incomplete for the recipe.

AVB was doing what was requested of him.

StarBoard: Abeg go and sit down.
After blabbing all season long and being all over AVBs nether regions,is this all you can come up with?
What circumstances?
The same maligned senior players dug in their heels and delivered.Stop throwing words about and face it that you goofed again along with coogar.
You think you know it all.
AVB is a dullard.If he were in charge, would we be talking about Chelsea progressing?
Answer required.

Jeez! I hate people who quake in their boots because a fellow human gives a point of view.
WTF do you mean by "You think you know it all? "

Do I need to read you your rights? I give an opinion, you have a right to disagree.
Stop replying with self defeatist crap!

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You have to be silly to not recognise the stark change in styles of football.
This is the style the team is configured to play. Play this way and you'll get the best out of the players.
Change the style and any manager will struggle. Every Chelsea manager post JM who has attempted to change the syle struggles.

Every manager who reverts to what works achieves . . . simple!
I can't even believe I need to explain this.

afrodoc: hmmm after considering the circumstances one still feels AVB won't have been able to extract this kind of performance from these guys

Of course he wouldn't. Because the job description of either managers is completely different.
RDM is not required to win the league and play tippy tappy. He is required to stabilize the atmosphere.

What do you do? Revert to the mechanism that worked with the players.
Simple. . . which is exactly what GH did.

Also, do not fool urselves into believing that this is all RDM.
We all saw how JT pulled RDM's arm asking Essien to step back into CB when Luiz was injured.

StarBoard: Drogba to Ivanovic.
And coogar tells us that the oldies are 12 months older.
nateevs laughs at fat Frank and cries for Mata in his place.
I said it here:the new jacks can't hang with the old boys.
AVB was a full to think he could rid the side of the old boys.
This is a sharp contrast from Naples 3weeks ago.
AVB must be a neophyte.

And I tell you that it's silly to take this point of view without considering the circumstances.

Jeeez! Eduardo Vargas is on!

OMG! What a game! Bad thing is one goal conceded sends us out.
Pandev on! Game on

Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllll

Torres

Mata off.

OMG! What a game!

How is that not a penalty?

yeeess! Game on!

Penallllttyyyyy

Hehehehe. Peops are going to murder RDM for that sub.

StarBoard: nateevs,
Old guard doing the job.What you gotta say?
Andre Villas Boas was an unmitigated disaster who shouldn't have come near Stamford bridge,let alone coach Chelsea.
Same goes to coogar.
You both should be thinking of your defence if the score line stays the same or improves.Because its not looking good.

I am sorry but your post lacks insight.

Jeeez!

Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllll

Great half. Nice tempo to begin with and tempo sustained for the half which was very crucial. Both teams in a crucial situation at this moment as the next goal could determine the tie. I hope the next comes from us.

On our side, the plan should be to score 3. Napoli can get a goal easily.

What is this new interface all about? Sometimes simple is bliss.

dayokanu:
Sharappppp Nateevs
You see married woman you dey get footie analysis errection
Why you no come analyse footie with ppl of your size, Na married woman you pick
Why not pick your size
Let me throw in my lil homie coogar for you to spar with, If you succeed I would give you Debo , Ibime finally afrodoc before you can even talk to me
Nonsense

Go siddon . . . Isi ewu. . .
This is a shesi mata. . . Wetin consign you?

BlueDiva:
For the club to give a player 5yrs when he still has 2yrs of his contract left speaks alot.

Of course it speaks a lot. . . it speaks a lot of their stupidity. It means they are idiots. The same people who keep PF on the payroll.
Same guys who spend 80% of revenue on wages. Same guys who buy Lukaku without asking if he's needed.
Same guys who refuse to give Borini a decent contract and now watch him earn a permanent shirt at Roma and his first call up for his NT.
Same guys who spent £18m a piece on Ramires and Zhirkov when Real Madrid was picking Khedira, Mesut Ozil and Nuri Sahin for way less.
Same guys who spend a fortune on young Gokhan Tore and Miroslav Stoch - two exciting wingers - and sell them for peanuts.
Same guys who watch Tomas Kalas dazzle away on loan after spending £6m on him (around £10,000pw on wages - cheaper option) . . . instead of bringing him back, go out and buy Gary Cahill for £7m and pay him 80,000pw.

Don't get me started.

Ramires surging runs into opponents box has helped get us a couple of important goals this season.
We've seen lot's of fouls inside or just outside the opponents  box as defenders foul him while trying to stop his runs.
We've seen how he helps in counter attack situations.

Oya fetch how many fouls Ramires earns and compare to other midfielders in the team and in the league.

Why would you compare Ramires to Yaya Toure or Modric? You are being unreasonable.
No where did i say he is a world class midfielder. I said he is better than Malouda and Mikel.

So why are we giving a 5 year contract to a midfielder who in your words isn't world class?

And i repeat i am referring to this season.
The comparison i made was for this season.

It doesn't matter what season it is. Ramires has played more minutes than anyone else.

Malouda used to be something very special for us, something Ramires will only dream of.
However, Malouda ain't worthy to lace Ramires' boots right now.
Mikel? The one whose only specialty is passing backwards? Get serious.
Funny enough, it's Meireles who hides during games.

Malouda can't lace Ramires' boots. Hehehe. Ramires can't even get into the Brazilian team.
The Brazilian is perhaps at it's worst talent level of all time.

Because Mikel isn't a blind bat running into defenders doesn't mean he isn't doing anything.
The only thing you criticize Mikel for is his pace and speed of execution.
Mikel's football brain is at least 10 times that of Ramires.
And to think he only passes sideways.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-7T2rza3k

Remind yourself what Mikel can do in a blue shirt.
Mikel has vision from deep in midfield that Ramires' will never have till retirement.

BlueDiva:
Ramires      (g) 8   (sg)    25     (a) 3                 
         
Raul Meireles  (g) 2  (sg)   12    (a) 3                   

John Mikel Obi (g)  0  (sg)   2   (a) 0                     

Florent Malouda (g) 1 (sg)  17  (a) 6

Only a fake analyst like Diva will pull stats out like this without adding the all important stat. . . 'Appearances'. 

dayokanu:
Nateevs where did you copy those posts from cos you couldnt have typed them in a 30 seconds interval

isnt it the standard on this forum to post the source?

Silly goat. . .

I prepared the post. I found it will be cumbersome to read in one go. I cut it in two. Posted one bit and the other right after.

On the worthiness of a 5-year contract. . .

Look, Ramires plays because of the dearth of quality mid-fielders in the team. You don't give a 5-year contract to a player whose place is already under threat in the new season. If Chelsea bought two midfielders in the mould of Yaya Toure and Luca Modric and a hard working and technically astute sitting midfielder like Sandro, Arturo Vidal or a deep lying playmaker like Danielle De Rossi. . Ramires will not smell the reserves. Unless you are telling me Chelsea needs not buy these players for Ramires is around. . .

I have defended Ramires on this forum before against Ibime when it was needed. I know what Ramires is. Ramires makes more interceptions than any other Chelsea players except David Luiz. However, that's all. There's no luxury for that sort of player in Chelsea. . especially in midfield.

Let me tell you what Ramires is not.


Ramires is not a Darren Fletcher. . .  Fletcher tackles and makes use of the ball. Ramires harries, tackles collects the ball, loses it again in a painful-looking pass attempt. Then harries, tackles and collects the ball and repeats the cycle over and over. Then pops in the box because of his pace and scores a goal after a gazillion attempts.

Ramires is not a DM. A DM, apart from providing a shield for the defence, needs to have the ability to start attack and retain possession very well. Ramires cannot retain possession. Ramires cannot play in tight spaces. One of the difficulties of the role of a DM is being able to play in tight spaces, wiggle out of them and start an attack with the right pass. This area is where most of the actions occurs. Ramires lacks the football intelligence to do that.

Ramires is an illusion of a counter-attacking player. Ramires has to run because he lacks the vision to supply the right pass. Find me a link of Ramires with a key pass or a 10 or 20 yarder to find a forward. I can fetch you at 3 beautiful attempts of Alex Song (comparison because many confuse Ramires for a DM) finding Van Persie from seemingly impossible positions all resulting in goals. A counter attacking player has purpose. Chooses the right space to run into and most times delivers a pass, a cross that threatens goals. Ramires possesses none of these.

Ramires is not a CM. A CM needs vision, above average pass completion rate, decent on and off the ball movements,
awareness and great positional play. In Ibime's famous words. . .Ramires hides from passes. . Making a mere 21 complete passes when co players in midfielder make an average of 60. Ramires' complete passes are 95% 5 yard passes. Find me a link of Ramires with a through-pass of more than 10 yards.

Ramires is no nothing. Who can point out the role he plays perfectly? No one says what he does. . . "Oh Ramires has drive, energy, pace" is all I hear. . .

Ramires is in the defensive class of the Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon players who look like they are running a lot yet delivering nothing. When they eventually find something, everyone raves about it. The only position I can give to Ramires is RB however he lacks good positional sense to play the role. .

Ramires does not deserve a 5-year contract on the back of an average season. (8 goals and 3 assist - His lovers make you believe it's more). These are my reasons. Disprove them.

BlueDiva:
Could we be talking about 98/99 season?

Can you cut the crap please?
Just sock it up.

"Ramires is way better than Mikel, Malouda and a ton of others on the team" is a huge statement to make in footballing sense. It's a statement you would have uttered regardless of his new contract. Please don't try to tell me you were defending his new contract. To then come back with a lazy back up of what he's done this season just does my head in.

Whichever way you look at it, it's an error of massive proportions. I may, 'may' have tolerated your statement if it went as this 'Ramires deserves his contract for the effort he put in this season'.

To come back and then say he is "way better" than Mikel, Malouda and a ton of others, you must be willing to spend time at your pc typing useful stuff.

Way better? Malouda and Mikle have infinitely better technique, awareness, passing range, pass completion rate, eye for goal(Except Mikel), off and on the movement, than Ramires will ever dream of and can ever achieve. I will back this up with empirical evidence in any typical season comparing all these indices in any random match. 9 times of out 10 Malouda and Mikel will make better use of the ball than Ramires will.

You want to stake this on one season? please! Go look at what Malouda and Mikel achieved in the title winning season under CA. How dare you call a player "way better" than others on the back of a few goals in one season?

And who the hell are the "ton of others" you refer to?

BlueDiva:
Ramires just answered you.

Ramires for one has scored important goals this season.
His pace puts opposition under pressure.
Very valuable in counter attack situations.

Tell me what advantages Malouda and Mikel have over him this season.

Now you are shifting the goal post to "this season" . . .

Gooal. . My stream is so late.

What are they playing sef? No pattern, no style, no effort, nothing.