Oh yes, I agree. It's just a personal thing. I preferred the way we used to line up ten years ago before everyone started copying Barcelona. In my opinion we should be playing with a high line to get the best out of our current system, but with Cahill/Terry that wouldn't work. Mourinho is a brilliant manager and he has adapted the system to get results.

Oh dear, pre season odds of us 13/8 favs with MC 3-1 look a bit silly now, still when we beat them on Sunday itll change again!

After one game?

West brom were still on the beach!

Any odds at this point of the season are silly

Its about like people who say "X team have not improved". There is no data to go on at the moment

But completely unlike people who say other teams have not strengthened their defence by buying players - they are based in fact.

Can you only improve by buying players?

No they are based on someone views of certain players (and again based on very little data as they have not seen how the team will play,Where they will play,What their jobs will be)

There are many factors that go in improving certain areas of play.

Buying or not buying players has nothing to do with it.

This is not FIFA 2015 where you "buy" players and just stick them into the team.

Of course

How else are you meant to?

Come on this is rule one of "football according to the media".

If there was any other way Sky Sports and the red tops would have nothing to report on during the transfer window.

Indeed, the apparent disregard for other factors seems odd. Obviously signings are the most instant in terms of impact but if a club has injuries or feels they have the personnel already developing then of course they can improve without new signings.

Certainly as you say its going to take more than 90mins to form any opinions.

And its not only buying "defenders" that can improve a defence.

You could say our defence at times last season was improved by bring back one of the best strikers of recent premiership history.

Its fine having views about how teams have or have not improved but without any data those views are about as relevant as my mum's who would not know which one was which out of Frank Lampard and Andy Cole.

To gain an opinion you need data. At the moment we have very very little information.

This LB we're supposed to be signing.......is he good enough to start right now? (at £17m I would have thought so, but who even knows nowadays?) I was hoping this summer would have been the time we start looking to replace Ivanovic at RB, but making him VC that seems unlikely now. Just think he's not that good anymore, and we already have the superior Azpilicueta to swtich sides. A first choice LB would be a priority for me.

Can't really see the point as to why we got rid of Bertrand. Was probably the best English left back last season and now we have splashed a load of cash on a bit of an unknown.

Also by producing high quality young players like Utd once did.
We have the best youth team in Europe now, but that means jack if they're never going to get a good run in the first team squad.
How can these Euro champs not be of more use to us than tired old cart horses like Mikel and Ramires

From what I've read Rahman is very good at getting foward but he's no Azpil in defence. But he's only 21 and Augsurg was his first biggish club. I can't see him as a starter just yet, unless Ivanovic really has deteriorated as much as you say. Don't forget, Brana was still rated the best RB in the EPL last season !

Yeah, but he wasn't. He's nowhere near as solid defensively as he used to be. Cahill got lumbered with most of the blame, but Ivanovic's poor decisions going forward left us exposed far too often. I know there were all poor on Saturday, but he put in one of his worst ever performances for us . Another FB is a must, regardless, but it would be nice to know it's one who can step right in if his form continues this way.

One question over this Eva situation, if she is banned, as there are some suggestions that she might be, then who have you got to come in, and to try and look after any of your injured players during a match?

.....another physio.

Eva no longer on the bench............swizz!

Do you think a business like any pl team only has access to one doctor?

My goodness.

We going to hold a lottery and each week a new fan will have the chance to do it

What if he bans the kit man?

I remember the time reg the coach driver caught the flu. We forfeited 3 away games whilst he recovered!

Asking a question you cannot possibly not know the answer to.

Does it have to be a Chelsea fan? Could it be a Utd fan? Could I do it? But but but what if it's the week I'm mascot at West Brom??

At least your not just posting to up your post count. What a wonderful well thought out deeply insightful post this is.