The OFFICIAL Transfer Rumours Thread

[Tom 14011]

I thought they were both central midfield players. Cabaye left, we had a central midfield player that could have stepped up to the plate. For whatever reason, we went to shit without him. The lads we've signed are "completely different players" too. Meaning we haven't replaced what we were lacking when he left.

 

Unless your head is stuck in a flat 4-4-2 I can't see where your going with this.

 

Anita/Tiote are DMs, Cabaye is best deployed as a CAM - which is where you're going to see Cabella/De Jong playing probably. There are many different types of midfielder - even centrally.

[David Kelly 1244]

You only have to look at what happened when Cabaye left as proof of what taking that quality out of our central midfield did to us. We've brought in quality further up the pitch but we're still lacking it in the engine room. Anita hardly grabbed his opportunity with both hands and made the position his in the second half on the season, did he?

When Cabaye left we had nothing in the team in terms of creativity. We now have Cabella and Dejong. The fact that those players don't play in the same position as Cabaye doesn't change that. Yes Tiote, Anita and Colback (even Sissoko if we played him centrally) don't have the range of passing that Cabaye has but that doesn't really matter with the players in front ot them.

Mourinho has often deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation at chelski that has had the central two being players like Mikel and Ramieres. Neither of them are particularly gifted passers of the ball. Instead as Tom suggests, they win the ball and move it on to the more expansive players further forward. I don't see any problem with us looking to play this way.

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

 

Unless your head is stuck in a flat 4-4-2 I can't see where your going with this.

 

Anita/Tiote are DMs, Cabaye is best deployed as a CAM - which is where you're going to see Cabella/De Jong playing probably. There are many different types of midfielder - even centrally.

 

I thought De Jong was going up front and Cabella in a wide position? This is what I mean, nobody has any clue how we're going to shoehorn the players we've got now into a starting line-up. There's no obvious ways to do it.

[Dr Gloom 21912]

 

I thought De Jong was going up front and Cabella in a wide position? This is what I mean, nobody has any clue how we're going to shoehorn the players we've got now into a starting line-up. There's no obvious ways to do it.

 

there's ever reason to be sceptical about the new season as long as ashley is in charge and pardew picks the team.

 

but there's plenty more to be positive about this time around than last year, when we signed no one.

 

are you not in the slightest bit looking forward to seeing how these new players adapt and line up?

 

i'm supposed to be the negative one around here but you're outdoing me.

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

 

there's ever reason to be sceptical about the new season as long as ashley is in charge and pardew picks the team.

 

but there's plenty more to be positive about this time around than last year, when we signed no one.

 

are you not in the slightest bit looking forward to seeing how these new players adapt and line up?

 

i'm supposed to be the negative one around here but you're outdoing me.

 

This is what's getting at me. We were down this time last year because we'd signed nobody. But when I look at it like-for-like. The players who've left since then and the players that have come in. We're no better off. If you'd asked me last September who our 3 best players were I'd say Remy, HBA and Cabaye. All 3 of them have gone (effectively anyway). Debuchy was class last season he's gone. We've signed is replacements who will have to be excellent to equal their predecessors, and it's probably unlikely. Not to write them off but they've got big shoes to fill. Beyond that, we've done nothing to improve. We've signed some players, it's clouding people's judgement. We had a better team last September.

[Christmas Tree 4725]

 

I thought De Jong was going up front and Cabella in a wide position? This is what I mean, nobody has any clue how we're going to shoehorn the players we've got now into a starting line-up. There's no obvious ways to do it.

I think it's pretty obvious Pardews love is 4231 and his probable starting line up allowing for no newcomers or miraculous recoverys will be.

 

 

Kru

 

Jan wil col hai

 

Tio col

 

Sis dej cab

 

Riv

[Andrew 4748]

Haidara

[David Kelly 1244]

I think it's pretty obvious Pardews love is 4231 and his probable starting line up allowing for no newcomers or miraculous recoverys will be.

 

 

Kru

 

Jan wil col hai

 

Tio col

 

Sis dej cab

 

Riv

I think this is very likely and in that set up only really Sissoko could be considered playing out of position.

[Tooj 17]

People keep putting Santon in teams. Isn't he out til November?

 

Also with regard to De Jong. I'm imagining him being like a better version of Nolan when he attacked a lot during the Championship.

 

Is that close?

 

Nah far from it as he's a much better footballer.

[Bictor 0]

 

This is what's getting at me. We were down this time last year because we'd signed nobody. But when I look at it like-for-like. The players who've left since then and the players that have come in. We're no better off. If you'd asked me last September who our 3 best players were I'd say Remy, HBA and Cabaye. All 3 of them have gone (effectively anyway). Debuchy was class last season he's gone. We've signed is replacements who will have to be excellent to equal their predecessors, and it's probably unlikely. Not to write them off but they've got big shoes to fill. Beyond that, we've done nothing to improve. We've signed some players, it's clouding people's judgement. We had a better team last September.

 

When we had Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Remy all in the team last season we were 6th at Christmas...

 

Obviously we don't know if de Jong, Cabella and Riviere will give what those three gave, but saying we aren't improved from last season because we've replaced three players that we didn't have for the majority of 2014 doesn't make any sense. We might not be a team that looks like it's going to threaten the top 5/6, but it's entirely possible. Cabella could easily be better than Ben Arfa (who was extremely inconsistent) and it wouldn't shock me if de Jong/Riviere could together score more goals than Cabaye/Remy.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Someone send the man some Prozac.

[Dr Gloom 21912]

i think we've got enough quality to be hovering around midtable. we'll have the odd shit game where we get dicked by some minnow, we'll have the odd good game where we give a top 4 side a decent match.

 

although that isn't particularly inspiring, it's not the horror show i was fearing before this window. i was so apathetic about it all after the way we failed to sign anyone last year and gave up in the second half of last season

 

we could well end up giving up when we secure 40 points again this season - it's never going to be a perfect world with ashley running the shop but at least we can look forward to this campaign with an outside chance of us playing the odd decent game. we were relegation candidates as things stood in may. i don't think that's the case now.

[ohhh_yeah 2964]

Mourinho has often deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation at chelski that has had the central two being players like Mikel and Ramieres.

 

 

 

Park that bus w/ the addition of the return of Drogba. Aging forward w/ his best days behind him. Hope this ends disastrously.

 

What was that comment about Eto'o, Ba, & Torres? Wonder how many match days it will take before he makes disparaging remarks about his lack of a quality striker.

[aimaad22 4156]

i think we've got enough quality to be hovering around midtable. we'll have the odd shit game where we get dicked by some minnow, we'll have the odd good game where we give a top 4 side a decent match.

 

although that isn't particularly inspiring, it's not the horror show i was fearing before this window. i was so apathetic about it all after the way we failed to sign anyone last year and gave up in the second half of last season

 

we could well end up giving up when we secure 40 points again this season - it's never going to be a perfect world with ashley running the shop but at least we can look forward to this campaign with an outside chance of us playing the odd decent game. we were relegation candidates as things stood in may. i don't think that's the case now.

 

Thing is with another 2-3 good players we could have a great squad. But I dont expect Ashley to go for that. He'll sign a striker probably but thats about it. It'll be infuriating, being on the verge of something potentially great but afraid to take the next step. Much like the summer we finished 5th.

 

People saying we'd be relegation fodder at the end of May were being dramatic. The fat man has learned to at least invest enough to keep us away from that sort of trouble.

[Rayvin 5217]

This may have been said, but I'm looking at Southampton currently and thinking that we actually got off lucky this time...they've sold off half of their team already, with three others refusing to sign contracts apparently. And interested parties in another two...

 

At least we're buying people.

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

 

When we had Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Remy all in the team last season we were 6th at Christmas...

 

Obviously we don't know if de Jong, Cabella and Riviere will give what those three gave, but saying we aren't improved from last season because we've replaced three players that we didn't have for the majority of 2014 doesn't make any sense. We might not be a team that looks like it's going to threaten the top 5/6, but it's entirely possible. Cabella could easily be better than Ben Arfa (who was extremely inconsistent) and it wouldn't shock me if de Jong/Riviere could together score more goals than Cabaye/Remy.

 

 

Sorry but just no.

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

Someone send the man some Prozac.

 

 

I'm more pissed off at the misplaced optimism than I am about the state of our squad. We've lost some proven good players and signed some potentially good ones. Yippee we might be as good as last year if they come good. Chances are we'll be shit and if for some reason we're not, and we rocket to 40 points by January... SALE TIME!

[Christmas Tree 4725]

 

 

I'm more pissed off at the misplaced optimism than I am about the state of our squad. We've lost some proven good players and signed some potentially good ones. Yippee we might be as good as last year if they come good. Chances are we'll be shit and if for some reason we're not, and we rocket to 40 points by January... SALE TIME!

 

 

 

[Bictor 0]

 

 

Sorry but just no.

 

Lol. I didn't say I expect it to happen. I said it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Cabaye and Remy scored 21 in 45 appearances last season. Hardly an impossible task. Add in Hatem's goal tally and the three combine for 24 goals in 72 games. Cabella, de Jong and Rivere could well replace the goals of our "three best players".

 

But, doom and gloom! The world is ending!! I'm sure you said the same at the start of the 2011/12 season because we didn't spend the Andy Carroll money and lost Barton/Nolan/Enrique. If anyone had said they thought we could finish top 5 was your response "sorry but just no"? And any optimism at the start of that season would've been "misplaced"? *yawn*

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bictor

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

We need to more than replace those goals, we need to drastically improve upon it. In case you were asleep last season, we went on a record breaking losing run and displayed relegation form for about 5 months. That's kind of the point I'm making. We need to improve, not just replace. As it stands, we can't even say we've replaced because we've lost some very good players and it's unlikely that those we've signed will reach the same levels.

 

We scored 43 goals. 28 of those were from players who won't play for us next season and 2 of them were own goals. So the players we've retained managed to score 13 league goals between them last season. If you think we've signed the players to drastically improve upon that then fair enough. We'll see won't we.

[ChezGiven 0]

During that run, Cabaye wasn't with us and Ben Arfa and Remy hardly played. When Remy did play he was showing the form that he was producing in Ligue 1 before he was sold.

 

We are about as good as we were first half of last season with a bit more depth and options in my view. Rivière being the biggest unknown but if he chips in with double figures and Cabella provides a creative spark then we will be better off than the first half of last season as we will have more depth and flexibility. I can understand the doubts but the thinking from Pardew etc is fairly clear to me. We'll see if it works out.

[Bictor 0]

We need to more than replace those goals, we need to drastically improve upon it. In case you were asleep last season, we went on a record breaking losing run and displayed relegation form for about 5 months. That's kind of the point I'm making. We need to improve, not just replace. As it stands, we can't even say we've replaced because we've lost some very good players and it's unlikely that those we've signed will reach the same levels.

 

We scored 43 goals. 28 of those were from players who won't play for us next season and 2 of them were own goals. So the players we've retained managed to score 13 league goals between them last season. If you think we've signed the players to drastically improve upon that then fair enough. We'll see won't we.

 

How do you not grasp that when we went on that run, Cabaye had left, Remy missed time through injury and Hatem was on the bench being fat? After Cabaye left we had three goals in the last 14 games of the season from those three players (all Remy), that according to you, were still part of the team when we went on that losing run. Saying we won't improve on the second half of last season, because Cabella, de Jong and Riviere aren't better than Ben Arfa, Cabaye and Remy is ridiculous.

 

The front 6 that went on that run was more like:

 

Sissoko Tiote Anita Gouffran

Luuk Cisse

 

Cabella, de Jong and Riviere should be significant improvements over Gouffran, Luuk and Cisse. Therefore, we should be better. It's not hard to understand.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Bictor

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

Aye during that run Cabaye wasn't with us and Remy was in class form when he played. That highlights how good these replacements need to be for us the be as good as we were in the 1st half of last season. Don't understand the 'flexibility' thing though, it's a struggle to find even one formation to fit these players into where you can truely say nobody is out of position. Not having any proper wingers (that are going to realistically play) hinders our options tactically as does our very limited strike force.

[ClubSpinDoctor 0]

 

How do you not grasp that when we went on that run, Cabaye had left, Remy missed time through injury and Hatem was on the bench being fat? After Cabaye left we had three goals in the last 14 games of the season from those three players (all Remy), that according to you, were still part of the team when we went on that losing run. Saying we won't improve on the second half of last season, because Cabella, de Jong and Riviere aren't better than Ben Arfa, Cabaye and Remy is ridiculous.

 

The front 6 that went on that run was more like:

 

Sissoko Tiote Anita Gouffran

Luuk Cisse

 

Cabella, de Jong and Riviere should be significant improvements over Gouffran, Luuk and Cisse. Therefore, we should be better. It's not hard to understand.

 

 

Can't see where I've said that so the rest of your post is pointless. I think I've been quite clear in saying that I think we're a worse team than we started last season with.

[ChezGiven 0]

Remy's form in Ligue 1 in his last season at Marseille was shit. Marseille didn't win for 14 games and were very poor, Remy looked disinterested but popped up with a couple of goals. Sounds a bit familiar? His form for us when he was on the pitch second half of last season was also shit. Not sure you picked up what I meant there.

 

As for flexibility, it's simple. Cabella can play on both wings and through the middle. I see him on the left and Sissoko on the right and de Jong in the middle. You can also play Colback who can pass well behind them, with Tiote. Gouffran and Sammy provide other options out wide.