Bournemouth 0 Chelsea 1

[east lower]

1 hour ago, JaneB said:

I think he's just power mad and hates Chelsea.

 

34 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

He was everything a ref shouldn’t be last night. The best refs go unnoticed unless something nasty happens and need sorting out.

I actually think both sets of players and coaching staff deserve credit for not reacting more than they did to the situation. Instead, both teams now get fined!

When you consider the combined fines of £50k!!!!!! The FA probably think he's doing a grand job. £50k - I wouldn't pay our £25k, until there was a meeting to run through his performance and now I'd absolutely request his non-officiating of our games going forward. If they refuse that, and they would, I'd get all staff to not engage with him at all, not a word. Silence cannot be  officiated. The most he should receive is a heads or tails call 

It genuinely would not surprise me if the PGMOL got a cut of these booking/game related fines.

Edited Sunday at 12:42 by east lower

[Box of Tricks]

Performance wasn't the best but more than happy to come away with all the points, especially coming that late on.

Nkunku is our best finisher and he's a really adept finisher at that. He's not a towering number nine, I don't see any other reason why he couldn't play as our striker.

Disasi as a backup CB is ok, but I don't want to see him at RB again. Would prefer to see Josh Acheampong over him in future if we're missing Gusto and James. Fofana gave me the willies too, but Sanchez had a very good game.

Nice to have attacking options to change things as not everyone will be on it every game. Neto wasn't but thankfully Sancho was.

 

[RDCW]

An excellent debut from Sancho. Absolute vindication for the careful and considered planning which is driving on the advancement of the club 😉

[Chelsea_Matt]

59 minutes ago, east lower said:

 

When you consider the combined fines of £50k!!!!!! The FA probably think he's doing a grand job. £50k - I wouldn't pay our £25k, until there was a meeting to run through his performance and now I'd absolutely request his non-officiating of our games going forward. If they refuse that, and they would, I'd get all staff to not engage with him at all, not a word. Silence cannot be  officiated. The most he should receive is a heads or tails call 

It genuinely would not surprise me if the PGMOL got a cut of these booking/game related fines.

Like parking wardens - everyone knows they get commission!! 👀💀💯

[Chelsea_Matt]

10 minutes ago, RDCW said:

An excellent debut from Sancho. Absolute vindication for the careful and considered planning which is driving on the advancement of the club 😉

A stopped clock is right twice a day 🤣🤣🤣

[Backbiter]

Lots of backchat and questioning of the ref in the early stages of the Spuds-Arse game. No cards issued. Strange how we're refereed differently.

[east lower]

Doesn’t need any more words!

[Max Fowler]

IMO Jackson leads the line well and I can see why he plays there ahead of Nkunku.

His general hold up play, running the channels and tiring out of defenders is good. He is not absolutely prolific but few teams in the PL have an absolutely prolific striker.

I think Jackson, Palmer, and Caicedo are our locked in players. Everyone else still needs to prove their positions. You could have improved Jackson with an Osimhen but I just don't think Nkunku can lead the line for the whole season. Great player to have if he can stay fit though.

[chara]

@Original 21 & @My Blood Is Blue,, as good an analysis as any could want...agree with it so saves me a lot of typing!

My only addition is, of course, the incompetent officiating.

Biased though I may be, it was as bad a well paid afternoons work by a ref, supposedly one of the absolute top echelon officials, that I have seen.

Cards are supposed to be a way of controlling a game and keeping things from exploding into physical confrontations .stop time wasting and on....how many times have I read that an early yellow would (did) stop things getting out of hand?

Nothing changed yesterday but cards were still dished out for "dissent" self fulfilling acts as it were..the more foolish the cards the more players got frustrated and angry and voiced their anger only to have more cards waved.

Officiating games is a hard job but well paid and by choice,

It is easy to take a small step up and see corruption at worst or bias at least.

Yellows may not lead to game expulsion, but they do add up...that is an insidious undercurrent that may not change a game but down the road affect a team's performance.

To finish a rant.... will players like Sancho, Felix (if they play to their strengths) and Cole, able to make opposition players look silly, get the protection they need or will their protests at being kicked all over the park get the yellow the thugs should be handed ?

Mistakes from officials are annoying and frustrating but are ultimately accepted as such but so often there seems to be "other factors"...not just for Chelsea,

[RDCW]

9 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

IMO Jackson leads the line well and I can see why he plays there ahead of Nkunku.

His general hold up play, running the channels and tiring out of defenders is good. He is not absolutely prolific but few teams in the PL have an absolutely prolific striker.

I think Jackson, Palmer, and Caicedo are our locked in players. Everyone else still needs to prove their positions. You could have improved Jackson with an Osimhen but I just don't think Nkunku can lead the line for the whole season. Great player to have if he can stay fit though.

Nothing about Jadon, though Max?

[Siidi]

12 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Pretty terrible performance for the most part and quite fortunate to walk away with three points. That said, I'll take it.

Sancho, Sanchez and Cucurella probably the three standouts. Nkunku with a bit of quality as well right when it was needed. 

Also a perfect example of why Enzo is important. Sure, he has limitations, but his ability to receive the ball and then move it forward is unmatched by anyone else we have. We really struggled with that for virtually the entire game until things opened up and we went a bit more direct.

I try and stay objective about Enzo and I know there are strong opinions about him either side. But I think he would have struggled with the intensity of Bournemouth press in the first half.  He is a talented passer, but his slow speed of turn means Bournemouth would have targeted him.  

I thought Veiga did okay in the middle of the park, but the player who would have relished that battle is Lavia. 

I also thought Caicedo did well. But if we are to move up the next level, we need more from him. Breaking up play is fine. But he could get across the park quicker,  like Kante, to be that extra person in every midfield battle. And he must lead the transition, driving the ball aggressively forward when the opposition is most vulnerable. Too often we allowed Bournemouth the time to regroup, and Caicedo was responsible for some of that. 

Edited Sunday at 14:21 by Siidi

[Max Fowler]

Just now, RDCW said:

Nothing about Jadon, though Max?

I will say a couple of things

I thought Felix had a dreadful cameo which reminded me exactly why we shouldn’t have bought him. Selfish, childish, weak, give me Jackson any day over Felix.

Sancho was brilliant. Can’t say otherwise. When they replaced the full back I thought he became more ineffective but of course credit for the goal.

He has a long way to go and IMO we will also rue signing Sancho when the going gets tough. We thought Madueke was brilliant one week and then he goes missing. I think Jadon will go even more AWOL when the going gets tough.

everyone deserves another chance and I hope he can play like that every week, but leopards don’t tend to change their spots 👍

[Max Fowler]

2 minutes ago, Siidi said:

I also thought Caicedo did well. But if we are to move up the next level, we need more from him. Breaking up play is fine. But he could get across the park quicker,  like Kante, to be that extra person in every midfield battle. And he must lead the transition, driving the ball aggressively forward when the opposition is most vulnerable. Too often we allowed Bournemouth the time to regroup, and Caicedo was responsible for some of that. 

I thought caicedo was absolutely outstanding second half, or at least final 30 mins. Felt like he won the ball back so many times and imo there’s no one better in the league than that. And I liked his quick forward passing

[chara]

@Max Fowler,,couple of posts with well balanced observations there Max,,,pretty much agree apart from not quite given up on Felix yet.

[My Blood Is Blue]

31 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

IMO Jackson leads the line well and I can see why he plays there ahead of Nkunku.

His general hold up play, running the channels and tiring out of defenders is good. He is not absolutely prolific but few teams in the PL have an absolutely prolific striker.

I think Jackson, Palmer, and Caicedo are our locked in players. Everyone else still needs to prove their positions. You could have improved Jackson with an Osimhen but I just don't think Nkunku can lead the line for the whole season. Great player to have if he can stay fit though.

Jackson is such a tricky one. I like a lot of what he does, but he’s so inconsistent and still gets a lot wrong. The split level decision making needed at the very top level just isn’t there with Jackson, at least not at the moment anyway.

Nkunku is a completely different level and made a huge difference last night (as did Sancho and Tosin). I think it’s about Maresca working out where to play Nkunku against which opponents, sometimes it will be as striker and others deeper, but he has to play.

[RDCW]

7 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I will say a couple of things

I thought Felix had a dreadful cameo which reminded me exactly why we shouldn’t have bought him. Selfish, childish, weak, give me Jackson any day over Felix.

Sancho was brilliant. Can’t say otherwise. When they replaced the full back I thought he became more ineffective but of course credit for the goal.

He has a long way to go and IMO we will also rue signing Sancho when the going gets tough. We thought Madueke was brilliant one week and then he goes missing. I think Jadon will go even more AWOL when the going gets tough.

everyone deserves another chance and I hope he can play like that every week, but leopards don’t tend to change their spots 👍

Excellent ! So the FACT is that Sancho played much better than you predicted and was indeed named man of the match. Your OPINION is that this was probably a-flash in the pan and that he will be crap in the long term. Perhaps you are beginning to understand the difference between fact and opinion. The next step on your journey is in using the two correctly in formulating your monologues and in avoiding repetition and the introduction of straw men. I am an optimist; you can do it!

[Siidi]

9 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I thought caicedo was absolutely outstanding second half, or at least final 30 mins. Felt like he won the ball back so many times and imo there’s no one better in the league than that. And I liked his quick forward passing

Yes, Caicedo did better second half,  And you could see the difference it made to our control of the game. 

The good thing is, Caicedo is actually capable of all the stuff I'm talking about. But sometimes, he has looked like an all round dancer who turned up at an 80's discotheque in a pair of waltz shoes. 

You have to get down and dirty defensively and offensively, no matter how skilled and talented. That is what stands the PL out from any other.  

[RDCW]

36 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I will say a couple of things

I thought Felix had a dreadful cameo which reminded me exactly why we shouldn’t have bought him. Selfish, childish, weak, give me Jackson any day over Felix.

Sancho was brilliant. Can’t say otherwise. When they replaced the full back I thought he became more ineffective but of course credit for the goal.

He has a long way to go and IMO we will also rue signing Sancho when the going gets tough. We thought Madueke was brilliant one week and then he goes missing. I think Jadon will go even more AWOL when the going gets tough.

everyone deserves another chance and I hope he can play like that every week, but leopards don’t tend to change their spots 👍

Oh, by the way, even the snide, Chelsea hating Guardian thought Felix played pretty well and contributed to our overall ball retention and distribution when he came on. Opinions, eh...like arseholes.

Edited Sunday at 14:55 by RDCW

[chara]

@My Blood Is Blue...I like Jackson but am beginning to think he is never going to step up from where he is now, hope I am wrong and think he can do a job for Chelsea,,a job..not THE job is what I'm starting to believe.

Madueke is another player I'm beginning to doubt on a long term .... almost classic old time one in how many games brilliant winger.

Aside....not specifically the Chelsea England performers this break but easy examples... Colwill and Madueke as "International" talents?

To take the '66 side as a template,easily identifiable, not just OG eyes...could be any group over the years,,I saw all the winning side playing domestic football and not just against Chelsea...every one of them played at a level that showed their, and proved, their ability and status as International level players and some World Class...sadly Colwill and Madueke and others are nowhere near that level,,,just my OG opinion.

[Max Fowler]

17 minutes ago, RDCW said:

Excellent ! So the FACT is that Sancho played much better than you predicted and was indeed named man of the match. Your OPINION is that this was probably a-flash in the pan and that he will be crap in the long term. Perhaps you are beginning to understand the difference between fact and opinion. The next step on your journey is in using the two correctly in formulating your monologues and in avoiding repetition and the introduction of straw men. I am an optimist; you can do it!

Leave it out, bro. I’ve explained how many people state their opinions like facts on here. It’s called a forum. You can assume people are posting their opinions.

I’ve tried to use IMO more often but many people post the opinions on here like facts. I understand that they’re still giving their opinion.

If you don’t like my posts, maybe you can ignore them? I don’t know why you are coming for me personally because I’ve never come after you personally.

I’ve always tried to focus on the football - @JaneB and @My Blood Is Blue if you think these kind of personal attacks are what the forum should be then that’s up to you.

I have strong opinions on football, on Jason Sancho, on Joao Felix. If that’s not what the forum should be about, then I’ll go.

But in my opinion, the forum should not be about this kind of personal diatribe. Maybe I’m alone in this one too 👍

Edited Sunday at 14:49 by Max Fowler

[RDCW]

Overall I think our performance was lethargic, ponderous, lacking in focus on the end result (creating scoring chances) and generally worryingly ineffective. Obviously much of this was down to the absences in midfield and defence, but the fact remains that in its nascent (for us) form the possession based football lacks attacking incisiveness and is risky in the face of an energetic press. When Bournemouth attacked they did so at pace and with the obvious intention to create a chance. When we attacked we moved the ball around in the hope that we could manipulate their defence out of position. Our best chances came when we actually played more ambitious forward passes.

One positive was the introduction of some variation in playing out from the back, sometimes going long in order to put some doubt in the minds of the pressing players.

It's very obvious that we are a work in early progress. It's equally obvious that we have some supremely talented players. Had Jacko stuck away 1 or 2 early chances and Noni made a couple of correct decisions in the first quarter we could have had a comfortable afternoon.

The road ahead is going to be rocky, but I, for one, can accept that we are heading for the right destination in the not too distant future.

[Max Fowler]

17 minutes ago, Siidi said:

Yes, Caicedo did better second half,  And you could see the difference it made to our control of the game. 

The good thing is, Caicedo is actually capable of all the stuff I'm talking about. But sometimes, he has looked like an all round dancer who turned up at an 80's discotheque in a pair of waltz shoes. 

You have to get down and dirty defensively and offensively, no matter how skilled and talented. That is what stands the PL out from any other.  

I think Kante to be fair sometimes had his limitations going forward too

[Max Fowler]

24 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Jackson is such a tricky one. I like a lot of what he does, but he’s so inconsistent and still gets a lot wrong. The split level decision making needed at the very top level just isn’t there with Jackson, at least not at the moment anyway.

Nkunku is a completely different level and made a huge difference last night (as did Sancho and Tosin). I think it’s about Maresca working out where to play Nkunku against which opponents, sometimes it will be as striker and others deeper, but he has to play.

The problem is over 90 minutes or the course of a season, you don’t just need players who can make the difference in moments, you need players who can cause physical problems, tire out the opposition, create a mental battle etc. 

We don’t have enough of those players but IMO Jackson is that. And if Nkunku is kept quiet he will cause less of a problem. 

I personally think he’s still a great option to have coming off the bench, but maybe injuries mean he has to start at some point anyway

 

[RDCW]

14 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Leave it out, bro. I’ve explained how many people state their opinions like facts on here. It’s called a forum. You can assume people are posting their opinions.

I’ve tried to use IMO more often but many people post the opinions on here like facts. I understand that they’re still giving their opinion.

If you don’t like my posts, maybe you can ignore them? I don’t know why you are coming for me personally because I’ve never come after you personally.

I’ve always tried to focus on the football - @JaneB and @My Blood Is Blue if you think these kind of personal attacks are what the forum should be then that’s up to you.

I have strong opinions on football, on Jason Sancho, on Joao Felix. If that’s not what the forum should be about, then I’ll go.

But in my opinion, the forum should not be about this kind of personal diatribe. Maybe I’m alone in this one too 👍

Max, if I want your opinion, I'll give it to you 🤣

[RDCW]

20 minutes ago, chara said:

@My Blood Is Blue...I like Jackson but am beginning to think he is never going to step up from where he is now, hope I am wrong and think he can do a job for Chelsea,,a job..not THE job is what I'm starting to believe.

Madueke is another player I'm beginning to doubt on a long term .... almost classic old time one in how many games brilliant winger.

Aside....not specifically the Chelsea England performers this break but easy examples... Colwill and Madueke as "International" talents?

To take the '66 side as a template,easily identifiable, not just OG eyes...could be any group over the years,,I saw all the winning side playing domestic football and not just against Chelsea...every one of them played at a level that showed their, and proved, their ability and status as International level players and some World Class...sadly Colwill and Madueke and others are nowhere near that level,,,just my OG opinion.

For me, Chara, the issues with Madueke and Jackson are polar opposite : Madueke appears to be fundamentally a selfish player who doesn't have the instinct to make the right choices for the team, whereas Jackson is a willing runner and a real tryer who lacks the coolness of a top striker. I hope both of them will develop the skills they currently lack, remembering that they are both pretty young!