Chelsea Banter Archive April 09 2018

09 Apr 2018 15:09:44
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Legends of the game part 4: Johan Cruyff

09 Apr 2018 13:54:49
With many clamouring for the club to have a massive clear out of players in the summer, it will not happen as no hierarchy would sanction that. In reality it is who you think they will move on. For all the disappointments with Moses and to a lesser degree, Alonso, neither will be let go. Cahill (33 next birthday), Luiz (31), Pedro (31), Fabregas (31), Eduardo (36) and 'maybe' Willian (30) possibly because of age and/ or sale value. Drinkwater is not happy and there is a good chance he will entice Leicester back in for him; cannot understand why we played Bayakoko so much rather than Drinkwater, the former clearly struggled and the latter never really got a look in and for £75m for the pair it clearly was bad business. That is all I can see being cleared out which leaves Hazard and Courtois. If these two are unhappy for whatever reason we should let them go for as much as possible and along with the other sales or cost reductions, bring in new players. The youth discussion is a problem for me as we clearly at the moment are head and shoulders above nearly all others but our players are usually big solid lads and as they cross over into senior football others catch up and surpass most of them; few of our recent youth players we have let go or sent on loan have set the world alight. Currently I like Ampadu, Hudson-Odoi, Sterling and Musonda but I think he is losing his way at Celtic. The one enigma for me is Morata who I was keen to sign and I have found him to be too fragile for the EPL and as much as he may adapt I also think he is the type not to try.

09 Apr 2018 14:28:27
I agree with a lot of the above post but as an old git I hope the club access a players worth not only by age but also by ability.
I’m not sure what’s happening with Hazard or Courtois but as general rule if players want to go at the end of a season we have a history of releasing them.
I’m also not convinced that Hazard, on current form, should be offered improved terms for a new contract. Although I want him to stay as he is one of the few players that get me excited on the way to a match.
I would also prefer it if Courtois signed a new deal but he justifiably deserves criticism for his form this season.
I’m sure we will sign plenty of players in the forthcoming window and it’s for that reason that I have my doubts about how many opportunities some of our youngsters will be given!
I would like Hudson Odoi, Sterling, Chalaboa, Bakayoko, Emerson and maybe one or two others to be told they will start EVERY remaining Premiership game!

09 Apr 2018 15:06:30
Why do I have this sneaky feeling that C1955 and TomB are actually one and the same! 😉😉.

09 Apr 2018 15:37:43
G8 my man. You only think that because I am an even older git than TomB. We all have our opinions, some similar to mine, some thought provoking and some bloody ridiculous but your conspiracy theory is wrong. I would be mortified if we played Bayakoko the rest of the season, he is an athlete trying to play football. Nothing to lose giving Drinkwater a chance to prove he was worth £35m. Being in the Youth Cup Final (should see off Birmingham in the second leg) and European Youth Final against Porto, I doubt the youngsters will be used too much. I agree ability should over rule age but most I mentioned could still generate a decent return and probably would not be missed and of course there is the clubs over 30 rule.

09 Apr 2018 16:18:43
G8, just put it down to great minds think alike!
Also, having seen over my lifetime my blues go up and down like a hoars draws, what we are currently experiencing seems like relative success!

09 Apr 2018 17:53:55
TomB: Clearly we remember those agonising days of Osgood, Hudson, Cooke, Hutchinson and Webb to name but a few who promised so much in the way of titles and left us wondering "what if".

09 Apr 2018 18:37:12
John Mortimer, Frank Blunstone or even Tommy Harmer. Some highs but a lot more lows!
One day I will bore you all with the story of my Chelsea trial that took place on the Chelsea Car park in front of the ground. Needless to say I wasn’t good enough but I always maintain I was a better player on grass!

09 Apr 2018 20:56:12
I got Roy Bentley's autograph and Ted Drakes and you could read their name, kids nowadays get a marker pen dragged over the players picture.

09 Apr 2018 21:54:13
C1955 is that your year if birth, in which case we are the same age. The new RA supporters are spoilt by success, my best mate in my youth was a Liverpool supporter, I suffered for years and years because of the great Liverpool teams under shanks and Paisley. Very few highlights apart from the "cats" performance in front of the kop and a few others. Liverpool were so dominating in those days.

09 Apr 2018 22:03:15
Now they are two autographs worth having.

09 Apr 2018 23:01:36
Good old autograph books. Not football related, but i got the autograph of Jimi Hendrix in a pub in Chatham, after he had played a gig in about 1968/ 9.

10 Apr 2018 07:18:20
Sorry Sid1 I have endured the agony and ecstasy of supporting Chelsea longer than you have been born. I was born in 1946, started supporting them around 1952 and was taken to my first game at the start of the '55 season after a season of being 'dragged' to Fulham matches (Haynes, Jezzard) . Started hanging around collecting autographs in 1956 for two or three years and still have many locked away somewhere. It all makes me laugh when I criticise someone and I get jumped on as a troll when I have supported them longer than they have. RA raised the bar and that is what we should be measuring against.

09 Apr 2018 07:10:43
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 9th April 2018