Media Stories, Rumours and Gossip

[ROTG]

3 minutes ago, chara said:

Hastily calculated stats (and I hate them),,hope I got the figures right.

Lukaku 8 goals 36 games;;;goal every 4-5 games..Sheva 9 goals 48 games...goal every 5.3 games...Torres 20 goals ,,,,goal every 5.5

Torres and Sheva were considered to be "failures" at Chelsea considering their past form..... and I haven't even looked at Morata yet!

Torres repaid his worth with the goal at the nou camp. 

[chara]

Just now, ROTG said:

Torres repaid his worth with the goal at the nou camp. 

Total agreement... I think despite his scouse history he was liked at Chelsea because he tried,,,same with Sheva...the results on here of a  poll  comparing the popularity of the three players would come as no surprise to anyone!

Oh and Morata,,better goal ratio than I thought.

[ROTG]

4 minutes ago, chara said:

That is not my point........ Nationality of a successful coach IS not a measure of their domestic league..plus of course by a player becomes a top coach the era he played in has past..

Not sure where you are going. Italian coaches who have been successful in their own domestic leagues, have the been the most successful in the PL.

Especially when you have a lot of persons on this forum wanting to poch to be replaced by another  Italian coach at Brighton. Although his CV is nowhere near the level  of his predecessors who managed Chelsea. 

[chara]

@ROTG....not "going" anywhere....not questioning any successful coach....just that inmho the ability of a top coach reflects HIS skills not the level of the domestic league of the country he comes from,

Let's not this to become a circular discussion. Different views do not mean one right one wrong.... just opinions.

[RDCW]

1 hour ago, ROTG said:

Not sure where you are going. Italian coaches who have been successful in their own domestic leagues, have the been the most successful in the PL.

Especially when you have a lot of persons on this forum wanting to poch to be replaced by another  Italian coach at Brighton. Although his CV is nowhere near the level  of his predecessors who managed Chelsea. 

I don't think you could name many people on here who would want de Zerbi to replace Pochettino.

[Sciatika]

8 hours ago, ROTG said:

Torres repaid his worth with the goal at the nou camp. 

Agreed, though, without his goal, we still would have gone through on away goals Torres' goal in the 90m put it beyond doubt.

[boratsbrother]

10 hours ago, chara said:

@ROTG....not "going" anywhere....not questioning any successful coach....just that inmho the ability of a top coach reflects HIS skills not the level of the domestic league of the country he comes from,

 

Nobody is doubting the Italians have produced quality managers but as you touched on,  that is not the argument!

During the 80's and into the 90's the Italian league was far and away the highest quality league in football, but it then started to go into decline losing its popularity, falling attendances, stadiums becoming old and decrepid etc. Then we saw the EPL's rise and rise which hurt the Italian league even more.  

The displays of KK highlighted just how weak the Italian league is now. Over there he was one of the top defenders for a decade. Comes over here and it very quickly became clear that the EPL was simply far too fast for him. He was made to look like a carthorse which turned like an oil tanker. 

 

 

 

[Mark Kelly]

🗣Frank Lampard's view of the current Chelsea and Pochettino's work. Everything is bad?

Frank Lampard has come to the defense of Mauricio Pochettino after some Chelsea fans chanted that the manager should be sacked. The Chelsea legend insists the Argentine deserves respect and that one must be very careful about pointing fingers at him or the youngsters.

“I came back for six or seven weeks at the end of last season. It was not an easy decision for me, because I understood that the club was in a difficult situation, and I was just a temporary plug in this barrel. But this is my club, and I wanted to come back, I wanted to try to help, I wanted to try to achieve some results for the club, but also for myself, of course, too.”

“I came to a place where many players had reasons to be upset and depressed - they were either definitely leaving or wanted to leave. This can create a culture in the workplace where excuses become readily available. You know, 'now we have new owners, they want me to go...', some of the guys didn't really want to play at the end of the season, to be completely honest."

“For me it was a real revelation: where the club was and what it takes to perform at an elite level, that is, moving in the right direction with the right culture, with a good idea... It didn’t happen.”

"I talked about it quite often... But people snapped back a little... I said, 'The standards here aren't good enough, they're not high enough.' You have to have a certain level of standards to be a top club."

“Forget about tactics, tactics are the top layer. Everything below must be important - desire, character, effort, and so on. I didn’t see this.”

“A lot of players left in the summer... Perhaps some of them did it right for themselves and for the club, and new players came. It's been a refreshing pre-season for the new manager."

“I respect Mauricio because he is known as a good coach and he deserves respect. But I immediately realized that it would be difficult for any specialist to continue to move forward quickly, as people expected. This has been confirmed."

“I think you have to be very careful before you point the finger at a manager or a young player who is struggling and doesn't have experienced teammates around him that he can rely on, that he can look up to.”

“The strategy was to bring in young players, so now you have young guys coming in at 21 from other countries and trying to get into the team.”

“In my time, when young players were brought into a club, they would sit on the bench or train and see how competitive the training was, watch Didier Drogba how he trains, watch John Terry how he manages the team, learn and get into the team or didn't hit it."

“Asking a lot of young players to do this at the same time and develop is not an easy task. You have to be very careful."

"I think Chelsea's current strategy will certainly be questioned and I think things have already been done that you look at now and ask yourself: 'Could things have been different?' Yes, it could! Now the situation is different and everything is being done slowly but surely. Everything is changing for the better. This will not be an easy or quick process.”

[boratsbrother]

55 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think Chelsea's current strategy will certainly be questioned and I think things have already been done that you look at now and ask yourself: 'Could things have been different?' Yes, it could! Now the situation is different and everything is being done slowly but surely. Everything is changing for the better. This will not be an easy or quick process.”

I agree with everything Frank had to say in this interview but this paragraph absolutely nails it for me!

 

[Ham]

4 hours ago, Sciatika said:

Agreed, though, without his goal, we still would have gone through on away goals Torres' goal in the 90m put it beyond doubt.

Similar to how people think Jesper's goal v Liverpool secured a champions League place. 

[Mark Kelly]

14 minutes ago, boratsbrother said:

I agree with everything Frank had to say in this interview but this paragraph absolutely nails it for me!

 

I think the bit that resonates with me is that loads of the players wanted to leave and weren't happy and didn't want to play  which is exactly what I've been arguing about last seasons pathetic performances and was routinely shouted down over. 

[Backbiter]

1 hour ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think the bit that resonates with me is that loads of the players wanted to leave and weren't happy and didn't want to play  which is exactly what I've been arguing about last seasons pathetic performances and was routinely shouted down over. 

 

Quote

Frank Lampard has come to the defense of Mauricio Pochettino after some Chelsea fans chanted that the manager should be sacked. 

That extract sounds like it was from an interview last summer. Not that I disagree with him about anything he says. I just adds some context to his struggles as caretaker and to Poch's struggles since he took over.

It might even be taken from this very long interview which was done after his role as caretaker came to an end. It's well worth watching.

I think Lamps' weaknesses have been in tactics, selection, and lack of attention to detail, in that he expected things would happen on the pitch rather than demand them from players. I suspect this was because he spent much of his career alongside gifted, experienced  players who maybe didn't need  such individual coaching, whereas the players he managed at Chelsea were either demotivated or were in desperate need of better coaching and guidance than he provided (or both).

He really had a thankless task trying to get the best out of a shambles of a squad, but the whole episode has undoubtedly harmed his prospects of landing another job at a big club. He's a very very bright bloke with an excellent understanding of all aspects of football, and in many ways he seems to have what it takes to make a success of management, but it hasn't worked out that way.

 

[ROTG]

8 hours ago, Ham said:

Similar to how people think Jesper's goal v Liverpool secured a champions League place. 

Secured Roman. 

[Ham]

16 hours ago, ROTG said:

Secured Roman. 

Desailly secured Roman. 

[ROTG]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

Desailly secured Roman. 

Ok. 

[Bert19]

On 16/03/2024 at 06:53, Sciatika said:

Agreed, though, without his goal, we still would have gone through on away goals Torres' goal in the 90m put it beyond doubt.

It also removed the possibility of a last-ditch, very soft penalty being awarded in Barca's favour.  Which given previous events, seemed a far too possible outcome. 

And it was Euphoric for us and absolutely devastating for them.  Which should never be underestimated.  

[Holymoly]

On 16/03/2024 at 10:09, Mark Kelly said:

Frank Lampard has come to the defense of Mauricio Pochettino after some Chelsea fans chanted that the manager should be sacked. The Chelsea legend insists the Argentine deserves respect and that one must be very careful about pointing fingers at him or the youngsters.

To be perfectly honest I don't see the point of sacking him because of the lack of viable alternatives. However I retain my right to criticise him and the players when necessary.

[Blue Moon]

From today's mirror (OK, it's a rag, but what the hell ...):

"Michael Gove has apologised for failing to declare VIP hospitality he enjoyed at three football matches costing almost £1,800.  The Tory Cabinet minister was placed under investigation after admitting he did not register the freebies provided by Queens Park Rangers with parliamentary authorities."

£600 a seat at QPR? I thought they gave them away, or even paid spectators ....

[chara]

1 hour ago, Blue Moon said:

From today's mirror (OK, it's a rag, but what the hell ...):

"Michael Gove has apologised for failing to declare VIP hospitality he enjoyed at three football matches costing almost £1,800.  The Tory Cabinet minister was placed under investigation after admitting he did not register the freebies provided by Queens Park Rangers with parliamentary authorities."

£600 a seat at QPR? I thought they gave them away, or even paid spectators ....

I can understand him not registering....since when has a visit to QPR been rated as VIP hospitality?

I think it more likely he didn't want to take the p'taking if fellow politicos found out! (3 games?..ye Gods)👽

Edited March 26 by chara

[Sciatika]

16 minutes ago, chara said:

I can understand him not registering....since when has a visit to QPR been rated as VIP hospitality?

Since when has it been rated as entertainment?

[chara]

34 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

Since when has it been rated as entertainment?

That was my unwritten line!,,,trying to be kind😁

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Sciatika said:

Since when has it been rated as entertainment?

Since when has any politician paid for or apologised for anything, unless they’re forced to.

[boratsbrother]

A grid picture of a packed House Of Commons with a tick every box with a c**t in it to proceed, sums up my opinion of our Politicians. 

That said. With everything going on in this country and the world outside of it, the fact that they are wasting a second of time investigating an MP for being given a freebie to a game of footie, only underlines what a silly,  embarrassing shower they have become.

Deal with the important shit that matters, not stuff like this which is nobody's else's  business whatsoever!  What next? An investigation after an MP failed to declare someone bought him a pint in a pub?

 

Edited March 26 by boratsbrother

[kev61]

10 hours ago, Blue Moon said:

From today's mirror (OK, it's a rag, but what the hell ...):

"Michael Gove has apologised for failing to declare VIP hospitality he enjoyed at three football matches costing almost £1,800.  The Tory Cabinet minister was placed under investigation after admitting he did not register the freebies provided by Queens Park Rangers with parliamentary authorities."

£600 a seat at QPR? I thought they gave them away, or even paid spectators ....

Michael Gove?....you have to laugh- a guy who would sell his mother to the highest bidder if it meant he would stay in government.Sorry Mod's I can't stand him and his ilk and his refuffle headed mate.

[east lower]

2 hours ago, kev61 said:

Michael Gove?....you have to laugh- a guy who would sell his mother to the highest bidder if it meant he would stay in government.Sorry Mod's I can't stand him and his ilk and his refuffle headed mate.

He’s got a high percentile chance of being the person that Harry Enfield modelled his character ‘Tory Boy’ on. That might be lost on a few of our younger members, but I’m guessing you may be of the generation that might have been around to have watched them. 

The article came from The Mirror, so no surprise it gets reported. All as bad as each other.

For people of the Harry Enfield, Fast Show, Vic Reeves Big Night Out era (and people who just enjoy some good TV) there’s a series that features Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer on one of the less mainstream channels that does 30 minutes of just those two, doing a spot of fishing but generally talking life, and their own friendship. Mortimer had a heart bypass and Whitehouse dreamed up this way of them just enjoying each other’s company whilst letting others enjoy them and their humour. Plus there’s some wonderful countryside to marvel at. They did an episode on the River Test in Hampshire, simply stunning.

Some really funny and genuinely touching moments. A great watch for just chilling, giggling a bit, thought provoking but perfect for relaxing with a cup of tea/coffee/beer/wine or whatever takes your fancy / Or people might find it boring as! 🤣

Anyway, sorry - wandered way off topic there.

Edit: It’s called Gone Fishing with aforementioned characters and looks like you might be able to watch it on the BBC iPlayer or UKTV Play.

Edited March 27 by east lower