The Barclays Premier League thread 2015/2016

[Benji]

Stok deserves the best :/

[9 to 5]

The ginger Mourinho is available....

[stokeriño]

17 minutes ago, Social Justice Nerf said:

I dunno about that.

Nothing like a Liverpool fan's unrelenting bitterness to cheer me up.

[Moses Julep]

Stoker, how much of Chelsea being awful is down to the players? Has the fact that Courtois has been injured changed anything?

[stokeriño]

Nothing to do with Courtois. Begovic has been very good.

Most of the outfield players* have been shocking for various periods of time. Even the ones that have been alright have tended to just phase out/cock-up/do something stupid at least a couple of times per game. Is this their fault individually? Collectively? The management? I don't fucking know. But it's been a different kind of something to the "devoid of ideas" or "not wanting to play" or "manager doesn't even try to change anything when we're losing" shitness that is more familiar and/or explainable.

* except Willian. Willian has been super.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Whilst Begovic is a solid keeper, he isn't Courtois. Losing him certainly hasn't helped. Something's going wrong with the defence though. Ivanovic was doing us no favours, but we seem to have started to actually phase him out now, which should help improve things, but Zouma on the right isn't particularly working either from what I've seen. We need a new fullback in my opinion.

[stokeriño]

^ You say we're 'phasing out' Ivanovic. He played every game then got injured.  

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Didn't know he was injured, just assumed he'd finally been dropped

[Nerf]

26 minutes ago, stokeriño said:

Nothing like a Liverpool fan's unrelenting bitterness to cheer me up.

Bitter about what? It is my experience that Chelsea fans are among the worst in the league. They deserve Mourinho; both the success and failures he brings.

[stokeriño]

Okay.

[The Lusophone]

I mean...some Liverpool fans aren't great (and I'm well aware that the reply to this will be some United fans sing about Hillsborough etc etc).

All clubs have shit groups within the fan base.

Except MK Dons. All their fans are shit. Fuck MK Dons.

Edit: Actually, I'd take any set of British fans over the sorts you see in South and Central America, and across mainland Europe. At least our lot aren't shooting policeman with flares or trying to beat fans to death.

[Baddar]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but Jose has been given a 1 match stadium ban and a fine.

Spurs are 2-0 up at HT against Villa. The goal before the break made my mind up on going to bed early.  

[stokeriño]

5 minutes ago, Baddar said:

Don't know if it's been mentioned bit Jose has been given a 1 match stadium ban and a fine.

If he's going to be banned for what is supposedly his last match, I'd say there's a decent chance he parachutes into the centre circle mid-match and then just starts RKO'ing everything that moves.

[Gazz]

Mourin-K-O?

I don't know if Jose is trying to get Chelsea to play a different pressing/man marking system than he did last season because defensively, Chelsea have no shape whatsoever whereas last season, they defended as a unit, generally working in sets of three (Matic/JT/Cahill when the ball is cental, Matic, RB, RCB when the ball is on the right etc.), two covering whilst one presses. Matic seems to have given up pressing full stop this season for some reason (or when he does, it's needlessly clattering people on the touchline), which is a big reason that other defenders are getting pulled out of position to try and take up the slack.

[Baddar]

This is probably why they're waiting until after the Stoke game. This way, he can see out his ban, rather than having to wait until he is re-hired by Chelsea in 3 years to serve the ban.  

[Gazz]

The Secret Footballer (who has a new book out ) has tweeted that there is a player revolt at Chelsea and that Cesc is the ring leader and the causes are Jose's treatment of Eva Carneiro and the team's 'boring' style of play.

[stokeriño]

This is the Cesc who's just as undroppable as Ivanovic, has repeatedly gushed over being managed by Mourinho whenever given the opportunity, and been praised by Mourinho in turn, right? Even when many of us thought it wasn't deserved...

This is his public response to the story, at any rate:

 

Quote

"I would like to clarify that contrary to a few reports form some online websites, I am extremely happy at Chelsea and have an excellent relationship with the manager.

There maybe certain individuals from the outside trying to destabilise this club but I strongly believe that we will bounce back and come good again."

 

 

 

[Benji]

13 hours ago, stokeriño said:

If he's going to be banned for what is supposedly his last match, I'd say there's a decent chance he parachutes into the centre circle mid-match and then just starts RKO'ing everything that moves.

John Terry, unexpected meme?

[stokeriño]

We also have the Drogba leglock meme to add to our collection.

[DavidMarrio]

I actually don't think there is some big revolt over playing under Mourinho but I could understand players being pissed off with how he's handling things at the minute. 

Seen as though he comes across as a petulant man baby who thinks the world is against them. 

The stat on MNF was quite mad in that only Mourinho and Ancelotti have lasted longer than 13 months since Mourinhos first stint at the club.