If the Europa League was played on a Tuesday and Wednesday then their might be a argument for it but the most important thing is to ensure we get top 4 next season and that is going to be tough enough without playing on Thursday's and the sort of travelling involved with the Europa Cup.

We will prob go on some silly pre-season tour of the U.S again which is never a good idea after a tournament year and putting that with being in the UEFA Cup it could end up being very costly as the season goes on.

The Manager next season has not the most easy job as it is. I really don't see what traveling to places like Serbia,Armina etc will benefit our chances of getting top 4 next season.

It requires up much juggling at the the moment and not sure we should be trying to juggle with 5 balls when I think we will struggle to juggle with 3

I really have had enough of you!
You're not going to bully me away from this forum, so you have a few choices to make.
1 - You put me on ignore.
2 - You STFU and stop calling me a Troll. If you call me a Troll once more i shall contact the mods.
3 - You start acting like a grown up and treat me with a bit of respect. By all means disagree with what i say, but keep it cival and respectful, no matter how much crap you might think i speak on here.
I hope you choose option 3.

And the same goes for one or two others on here who call me a Troll whenever i say something they don't like.

Do what you like mate. However, I will continue to pick you up when you completely contradict yourself.
If you don't like that then either put me on ignore or remember what you post in future.
See when you right off Conte before he even arrives yet you were prepared to give Rafa, a hated figure at Chelsea, a chance, they were your words, then you tell me how that looks eh...........
Why give an ex-Liverpool manager a chance but not a winner like Conte.
You write what great resources we have and then want small time managers employed
Thats not consistent pal, is it

No to me putting you on ignore as that would let you get away with the troll bashing.
I can say what i like within forum rules . if you think I'm talking crap then that's fine with me. I have no objection to that!
If Conte comes in and plays normal football then I will change my opinion of him just as I did with Rafa. However, if he consitently resorts to destroying games as a spectacle in order to try and grind out a result then I will want him out ASP!

But in other posters defense you did not say that.

You said it was a bad appointment full stop. Just on the strength of what you been told. You was willing to give Rafa a chance when most of his previous jobs had proven he was not good enough while saying someone's else C.V says he might be good enough is not good enough to be given the same chance.

What's "normal football" ? I just want to see winning football. I presume you mean "attractive football" ? West Ham were admired for playing attractive football for decades but never won anything apart from the odd FA cup. The same with Spurs, even as a Chelsea supporter I have to admit they have played some excellent football down the years, but haven't won the title since 1961.
I want to see winning football, if that can be combined with attractive football, so much the better. Actually, if you look back, it generally is. Over the course of 38 games, you will need to grind out a result at times. But you won't get to win the PL title playing like that week in, week out..and I don't think any club ever has done ?

So you agree then you are the troll and I can bash you

A real fan wants winning football to have a successful team. You seem to want attractive football only irrespective of the result.
You obviously like attractive football first and Chelsea winning second.
A strange way to support a team but each to their own mate.
We're you like that when you used to go many years ago ?

You have a very short memory!

I have said numerous times there are games/periods of a season where winning IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!
Again, if i were a Leicester, Spurs or Arsenal fan i wouldn't be giving a toss about how we won games from here on in. The same goes for those in a relegation or promotion fight.
When we won the CL i didn't give a toss that from the semi final to the end of the final, it was grim, backs the wall fight to survive and triumph at the end. It was incredible and every bit as thrilling and entertaining [in a gruesome kind of way] as any time when we have played great football and won.

Contrary to what you might think, i do not want us to play Gung-Ho football or watch 5-0 or 6-5 games every week. All i want is for us to go out and approach games in a positive manner and let our most talented players express themselves whenever they can. There are times when we will be outplayed or off form, and we then resort to trying to grind out a dour 0-0. I am all for that every now and then because you don't win titles not doing that.
What i never want is to see us play win at all costs football 90% the time, as certain managers do.

Just wanting 'winning football' is what has killed the Italian league and left it a bankrupt, second rate league that is now a million miles behind us in terms of entertainment and ppoularity around the world.
The other week, Inter played Juventus in front of a half empty stadium. The Premier League would go that way if teams played your way.

No what killed the italian league was a bunch of top teams trying to cheat and subsequently being deducted points/relegation. Serie A has been "win at all costs football" for decades and it was the most successful league in the 90s and early 2000s.

Saying that I would like to see attractive football and don't think winning football and attractive football are mutually exclusive, Bayern 12/13 shows that.

There are also times where a team will have to make a game boring and get dirty sometimes(all top teams do this) like you say.

I remember the best players in the world only wanted to play in Serie A The Spanish league was probably the third best in europe but over the years the Italian league has been running out of money and the only way to compete was to get rich owners or a better TV deal like what the Premier League has got

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.c...helsea-profile

Kind of explains what I feel about Conte. I disagree that he probably is a better appointment than Allegri considering Allegri's european ability (at Milan and definitely at Juventus) but he still is a very good appointment and is clearly a very flexible manager. The likes of Verratti/Pogba etc. have a lot of good things to say about him too and he clearly redefined Juventus.

One thing though is that while people compare Pirlo with Fabregas(being less dynamic playmakers) they ultimately positioning wise are different.

The Prem was the third/4th best in europe post Heysel with La Liga being the second best league. Although in the mid 2000s La Liga was probably the 3rd best league with the prem being the best.

Italian league has run out of money partially because of the italian economy going to crap in recent years and because the likes of Milan and Juventus got caught in the calciopoli scandal. Prior to that scandal serie A was still the best/better league. PL started rising in stock because of rich owners and TV deals like you say. However Serie A now have rich owners when you look at the Milan clubs. Juventus are richer now because of the new stadium too.

The Premier League (and even the old first division) was always very popular with overseas fans though. Even when we were (quite frankly) rubbish I was always surprised at how many European fans would follow British teams. I think (in those days) our frenetic style provided a contrast to what they were used to. Either that, or they just enjoyed laughing at our general lack of technique.

Good read. Cheers

48 hours and more and NO posts before or after a huge European tie? You fairweather posters, you!

Willian didn't deserve to be on the losing side tonight. Serious question - em you think you'll have issues keeping tie likes of him with no CL next season? I know Hazard will probably go if the price is right but others must be tempted to agitate for a move now givens some of the egos on show?

No complaints about the result. Far better team won.

All those key players are on long contracts so ultimately it's down to the club. If they get good prices I can see a couple going. Hazard for sure I would say

I am sure the new manager will have some fresh ideas.

How come the Italian clubs still cant compete with the Premier League and La Liga for the best players in the world even though they have got the money

Yes, PSG always looked in control. But we were in with an outside chance until Costa went off. I watched it in the pub and said at half time that PSG would score again, we just looked too shaky at the back. It was heart in the mouth time whenever they mounted an attack, that's so different to the Chelsea teams of old.
We can take some comfort in the fact that we (again) looked great going foward at times, Willian was superb, and Costa was a constant threat while he was on. Pedro also had a decent game in my opinion, and Hazard was ok in spurts.
But there's a lot to do in DM and at the back for any new manager if we're going compete successfully at this level.

Not sure there is too much to say.

Game went as expected in every single way. You really could have written the script anytime from the last month or so. Good but not good enough on just about every single level what counts when it comes to the difference between going though or being unlucky and not going though. The players look like they have learned nothing since the tie from last season and that is a worry,

We have enough to get though the rest of the season and then the new manager (who even if we have not announced who it is) has to be making decision's before the final whistle has gone. Very easy for us fans to sit here and say we need massive changes or no changes or small changes here and there but he has got to make those and make them early as we cannot allow the mistakes made at the end of last season and the start of this season to happen again. Making mistakes is fine but not learning from them? At this level that is the difference between "celebrating" some over-hyped FA cup record and actually still being a actual title fight at this part of the season and I would rather be in the actual title fight camp no matter if we win it or not.

In all honesty PSG are just the better team, Chelsea had done enough to win the game but PSG were just better. Chelsea tend to be more defensively solid in these games and it was clear that PSG were getting a lot of space via the wings. Chelsea play within themselves and the instinct of the Chelsea players is to go narrow at every opportunity. It only works if you can stretch the opposition and be able to provide a switch ball and quicken the tempo with accurate incisive passing. Chelsea's play was incredibly predictable near the end.

Costa is great for the fact that Fabregas can always find him with the early ball as he makes good runs.

Chelsea clearly need a player who can shoot from distance so teams can't just put blocks of 4 between the player and the goal and watch the team be bereft of ideas too.

When Costa went off it was clearly game over.

I don't think PSG are that much better than Chelsea(shown by the fact that the ties have been tight), just that they are playing better this season than Chelsea who are still not at 100%.


TV deals in PL and La Liga(well the big 2) are much higher than that of Serie A.

PSG were impressive and if it was Bayern or Real putting in that performance, then people would talk them up more.

Separate note, Hazard has just signed a little deal with biscuit company Lotus Biscoff

Yes, they're an old Belgian company, we have been buying their caramel biscuits for a long time..delicious. I did notice they have a promotion where you can win a meet and greet with Eden. If I win, I'll ask him what the hell's gone wrong with his form this season.

Yep, they are good biscuits!

Sure it wasnt Iwanna beoff.