Chelsea v Newcastle United

[Holden McGroin 6471]

Yeah. But we’ve got to have perspective of where we have come from. 
 

There has been some great memories already this season and the injury crisis has given players like Tino and Miley the chance to break through which can only be a good thing long term. 
 

im really worried about the FA Cup though. Our away from has dropped off a cliff - and it’s just not the results, it’s the performances as well. Also pinning your hopes on a cup competition when you could get Man City or Liverpool away is dangerous.

[Kid Dynamite 6985]

55 minutes ago, wykikitoon said:

Aye. He almost single handedly stop us being relegated. But nah let's forget that. 

No-one has forgotten that. The anti-bed wetting on here is as bad as the bed wetting  

[Dr Gloom 21790]

32 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

27 games left between now and the end of the season, including all rounds of the FA Cup. 

 

That's a schedule this squad can cope with and thrive and then we go again in the transfer market in the summer. 

 

I reckon par performance for this squad is probably 7th or 8th. We've got (ranging from) little to no right to expect this squad to finish ahead of:

 

Man City

Arsenal

Liverpool

Villa

Spurs

Man United/Chelsea

 

To be clear I'm talking about squads here and I'm including Man United. /Chelsea as a joint one cos SQUAD WISE, at least one of them should expect to finish above us. I'm including Villa cos 2 years ago when Howe took over, Villa was already a professionally run club with an actual strategy in the transfer market. It's now gone on to strengthen from that already relatively strong position and appointed a very good manager. 

 

The fact that we're able to even dream of finishing above them with our squad is down to incredible coaching and a great set of lads that are fully bought in to the vision. But that'll change with each passing transfer window as we gain ground and eventually go past these teams. 

 

Hopefully trophies come too, but this team at the minute is a victim of its own premature success. You can see it on here - expectations have been raised prematurely, and the reaction to not having them met has been.... a bit weird/hysterical to me. 

we’re pretty measured on here. Twitter is chump central 

[Gemmill 44242]

I also think it's mental to have ANY expectations that we could just go and win the Europa League after over 20 years outside of any European competition.

 

You can't claim you don't have an expectation problem and then in the next breath say you think we could have just won the Europa League, just like that, first time in the tournament in over 20 years, with a squad that you scratch the surface of it and you're bringing Matt Ritchie on to try and win/see out games. 

[Renton 21214]

13 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

Listen, a genuine robot wouldn't react to this and call you an emo crybaby fanny, you emo crybaby fanny. 

 

I'm loving the football right now so want to keep it interesting as long as possible. It's more than 8 months until the next season kicks off. I don't see us having the consistency to do much in the league other than qualify for a minor european cup - the type you turn your nose up because they don't come with much money. The FA cup, well, if we beat the mackems and have a run of some easier or home games then maybe. But then if we go out you will reverting to this type of post again. It's just been a hugely disappointing week which has really fucked up the whole season imo, and I'm still feeling a bit crap about that. Not weird, not hysterical. 

[Isegrim 9707]

5 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

27 games left between now and the end of the season, including all rounds of the FA Cup. 

 

That's a schedule this squad can cope with and thrive and then we go again in the transfer market in the summer. 

 

I reckon par performance for this squad is probably 7th or 8th. We've got (ranging from) little to no right to expect this squad to finish ahead of:

 

Man City

Arsenal

Liverpool

Villa

Spurs

Man United/Chelsea

 

To be clear I'm talking about squads here and I'm including Man United. /Chelsea as a joint one cos SQUAD WISE, at least one of them should expect to finish above us. I'm including Villa cos 2 years ago when Howe took over, Villa was already a professionally run club with an actual strategy in the transfer market. It's now gone on to strengthen from that already relatively strong position and appointed a very good manager. 

 

The fact that we're able to even dream of finishing above them with our squad is down to incredible coaching and a great set of lads that are fully bought in to the vision. But that'll change with each passing transfer window as we gain ground and eventually go past these teams. 

 

Hopefully trophies come too, but this team at the minute is a victim of its own premature success. You can see it on here - expectations have been raised prematurely, and the reaction to not having them met has been.... a bit weird/hysterical to me. 

It’s still a remarkable season so far after overachieving last season. It’s not uncommon for clubs suffering from the pressure and fixture list when comprting on multiple fronts.

 

We just suffer from a mixture of bad luck, misfortunes and stupidity in the dying minutes of some matches. The PL table as well as us progressing in cup competitions would look totally different if we hadn’t wasted results against Liverpool, West Ham, PSG, Milan and now Chelsea. We have been just seconds ot inches away from greatness.

[MrBass 2640]

The disappointment for me isn't the fact we lost last night, it's the manner in which we lost.

 

With the benefit on hindsight, Howe brings on Hall instead of Trippier and moves Tino to the right, we see that game out and are in the next round. As it is, the players gave their all for fuck all in the end, well I guess some got some precious high stakes penalty experience if that's of any use*. 

 

*It's not, the only decent pen was Wilsons and he doesn't need the practice. The rest were a fucking shambles.

[ohhh_yeah 2939]

 

 

[wykikitoon 19859]

The cunts should have a fine or something because of what that 'fan' did 

[Isegrim 9707]

Just now, wykikitoon said:

The cunts should have a fine or something because of what that 'fan' did 

Not just because of the fan, the players as well. Especially Jackson the übercunt and the way he was making a fuss when Colwill stamped on Krafth. Even Colwill who was totally aware of what he did tried to calm him down he kept on.

 

Maybe they knew that taking Krafth out of the game would increase their chances…

[LongTimeAdmirer 1239]

 

 

[wykikitoon 19859]

14 minutes ago, Isegrim said:

Not just because of the fan, the players as well. Especially Jackson the übercunt and the way he was making a fuss when Colwill stamped on Krafth. Even Colwill who was totally aware of what he did tried to calm him down he kept on.

 

Maybe they knew that taking Krafth out of the game would increase their chances…

Aye trying to pick him up. Fucking useless cunt. 

[ohhh_yeah 2939]

 

 

[Gemmill 44242]

Back to full strength, we're gonna start knacking teams btw. 

 

We were a minute away from winning at Chelsea for the first time in forever, and we were probably just a Joelinton away from a comfortable win. Similarly, a minute away from a win in Paris with just a first 11. 

 

If we can get even half of those currently absent back to full fitness, we're gonna start demolishing teams. 

 

Barnes, Willock, Joelinton, Isak, Schar back in contention and we're a completely different prospect. Home and away. Add Tonali plus more signings next season and we're going STRATOSPHERIC! 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Gemmill

[Dr Gloom 21790]

1 hour ago, Renton said:

 

I'm loving the football right now so want to keep it interesting as long as possible. It's more than 8 months until the next season kicks off. I don't see us having the consistency to do much in the league other than qualify for a minor european cup - the type you turn your nose up because they don't come with much money. The FA cup, well, if we beat the mackems and have a run of some easier or home games then maybe. But then if we go out you will reverting to this type of post again. It's just been a hugely disappointing week which has really fucked up the whole season imo, and I'm still feeling a bit crap about that. Not weird, not hysterical. 

the disappointment of exiting two cup competitions in a week is raw but it will probably benefit our league position. We’re sitting in 6th despite all the extra games and injury problems. We can make a proper go for top 4 again now. Minds will be focussed. No distractions. Our home form is imperious. Sort the away form and we can do it again. 

[Dr Gloom 21790]

And even if we don’t, we’re still where we have wanted to be for decades: a team that busts a gut for the shirt, plays an attacking game and competes at the right end of the table. A team to be proud of again, even if they do fall short of last season’s triumph.  

[Dr Gloom 21790]

2 hours ago, Tdansmith said:

Absolutely correct.

[Renton 21214]

12 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

the disappointment of exiting two cup competitions in a week is raw but it will probably benefit our league position. We’re sitting in 6th despite all the extra games and injury problems. We can make a proper go for top 4 again now. Minds will be focussed. No distractions. Our home form is imperious. Sort the away form and we can do it again. 

 

Aye, you're right. We really need to turn this round now though otherwise the gap will be unassailable. Got to get 6 points from the next two league games, including fucking this "kenny" person I keep hearing about. NYD is probably a write off.  

[Alex 34765]

1 hour ago, wykikitoon said:

The cunts should have a fine or something because of what that 'fan' did 

I don’t mind ohhh_yeah tbh. Nee idea what the fuck he’s getting at 95% of the time but even then it’s usually funny 

[Toonpack 9163]

53 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

Back to full strength, we're gonna start knacking teams btw. 

 

We were a minute away from winning at Chelsea for the first time in forever, and we were probably just a Joelinton away from a comfortable win. Similarly, a minute away from a win in Paris with just a first 11. 

 

If we can get even half of those currently absent back to full fitness, we're gonna start demolishing teams. 

 

Barnes, Willock, Joelinton, Isak, Schar back in contention and we're a completely different prospect. Home and away. Add Tonali plus more signings next season and we're going STRATOSPHERIC! 

I fucking hope "we're going stratospheric" isn't the new "Everton are going down"

[The Fish 10681]

Not read the thread because there's the stench of overreaction pouring off it, so here's my unimpeachable take;

 

It's Trippier's fault we are out of the Cup. He was under little pressure, in the final few minutes of added time and needed only to head/boot it away, pretty sure he could have ducked under it and let it go out of play as Dubravka did a couple of times. He fucked up and it cost us badly. He compounded that error by smashing his penalty wide.

 

That said, he wasn't supposed to be playing a full half and only came on because Colwill got away with a foul on Krafth that would have seen the Chelsea player sent off. Trippier carried us to safety in his first season, and lead us on and off the pitch into the Champions League last season. He's been not only our best right back and the League's best right back, he's been our best player and best performer more times than not. He's in a bad run of form lately, but even in this poor run 99% of his game is good it's just that his errors have cost us more than those of others have. Livramento headed the ball back, across goal, and nearly set up Gallagher. We were lucky then and nobody is digging out Tino for that error, but it was as bad as Trippier's.   Trippier is clearly in dire need of a rest, get his mind and his body right. We have the perfect deputy in Livramento, and now that Botman and Burn are back there isn't the need to play him on the left. 

 

Chelsea should have seen at least one of theirs sent off, and had Caicedo seen red in the first couple of minutes I'm sure we would have seen the game out, as it is he didn't, Gordon was struggling from then on and while we posed a few questions on the break a combination of fatigue and too many players gifting the ball to Chelsea had us sitting deeper and deeper and inviting pressure. Keep inviting that amount of pressure and mistakes will happen. 

 

Passing was atrocious throughout the game and I wonder if that's because we have to set up deeper due to missing Pope's sweeping ability? That said, we still created a few opportunities and I wonder if away from home we'd be better suited to returning to last season's approach; having Burn shift to a back 3, while the right back marauds forward? Gives a stronger base, more defensive while still committing men forward to attack?

 

Gutted to go out of the cup like that, but I, as ever, am zen as fuck.

[Dr Gloom 21790]

On 16/12/2023 at 17:15, Gemmill said:

[PaddockLad 17053]

Did Gemmill resign or did actual forum grown up Meenzer stage an intervention?

[Gemmill 44242]

48 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

Did Gemmill resign or did actual forum grown up Meenzer stage an intervention?

 

I suggested last night that one of the "catastrophe queens" start the next thread, and Meenzer misread my post. 

[Renton 21214]

1 hour ago, The Fish said:

if away from home we'd be better suited to returning to last season's approach; having Burn shift to a back 3, while the right back marauds forward? Gives a stronger base, more defensive while still committing men forward to attack