JaneB Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Please use this thread for all posts relating to our Carabao Cup Semi-Final match against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium before, during and after the game. The match is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 hours on Tuesday, 9th January 2024 (Local UK time/date) (Live on Sky Sports) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarefreeMuratcan Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 The tail end of the Luton game aside, based on our current form, we should be ok here. Very excited for these games, I will always be excited and enter a transcendental state whenever we are close to or in finals. This is what every football supporter dreams for their team to do. I know we have done it on repeat for 30 years, but it still feels special every time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwmh Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Curious. Is this going to be the dominant team that overwhelmed Palace (64% poss, 2.96 - 0.96 on xG) but was lucky to squeak a late win through an unnecessary foul gifting us a penalty? Or the rubbish team that got out played by a newly promoted team (Luton had 51% possession and up 2.84-1.57 on xG) but held on because Luton left it late and we produced some stunning finishing for perhaps the first, second and third time of the season. Indeed which was the better performance? (I'd want a lot of both and to ditch a lot of both too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thiago97 Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 2 hours ago, Dwmh said: Curious. Is this going to be the dominant team that overwhelmed Palace (64% poss, 2.96 - 0.96 on xG) but was lucky to squeak a late win through an unnecessary foul gifting us a penalty? Or the rubbish team that got out played by a newly promoted team (Luton had 51% possession and up 2.84-1.57 on xG) but held on because Luton left it late and we produced some stunning finishing for perhaps the first, second and third time of the season. Indeed which was the better performance? (I'd want a lot of both and to ditch a lot of both too) Very much sums up the enigma wrapped up in a riddle of this team. We could do with a blend of both of these performances/stats. Winning by giving up 51% possession at Luton is very much a Mourinho style win. Though it would have been far mor comfortable. In some ways , we need more of this. The problem is we are not defensively good enough to give up possession like this on a regular basis, as we make far too many unforced and unnecessary mistakes . Three commanding top players aged 26+ required through the spine. Not necessarily all in January, but it would make a huge difference overall. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
east lower Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 2 hours ago, Dwmh said: Curious. Is this going to be the dominant team that overwhelmed Palace (64% poss, 2.96 - 0.96 on xG) but was lucky to squeak a late win through an unnecessary foul gifting us a penalty? Or the rubbish team that got out played by a newly promoted team (Luton had 51% possession and up 2.84-1.57 on xG) but held on because Luton left it late and we produced some stunning finishing for perhaps the first, second and third time of the season. Indeed which was the better performance? (I'd want a lot of both and to ditch a lot of both too) I think the 70 minute performance in the Luton game was ok, as you say we were clinical with the claiming of chances/half-chances. The change in fortunes aligned with the coaches substitutions, because as is the way his substitutions and tactics therein fall well short of improving performance or being able to close out the game. Given where we are, a lead or even a draw to bring back to Stamford Bridge will be ok. A lead by two goals or more would be ideal but I’m never certain which version of us will turn up game-by-game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Blood Is Blue Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 The players should be starting to get some confidence at the moment after 4 wins out of 5 (one was a win on pens but it definitely would have felt like a win from a morale POV). The opposition hasn’t been the strongest, but that doesn’t really matter at the moment. We have 4 very winnable games next, before we face Liverpool, where as much as we want to win, that result matters little, it’s the one following it vs Wolves that is bigger for us this season. Therefore, based on what I’ve said above and the fact this is this teams first chance to win a trophy together, I expect the boys to be really up for this and raring to go and actually think we may put the tie to bed in the first leg. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kelly Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 How tall are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sciatika Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 OK, I need to get a life. I have been thinking about our next few fixtures. Fulham and Liverpool are playing each other in the LC. So, in January, We have PNE, Boro, Fulham, Boro, Liverpool Fulham have Rotherham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton Liverpool have Arsenal, Fulham, Bournemouth, Fulham, Chelsea --------------------------- Now, by the time we play Fulham, Afcon will have started. We will lose Jackson Fulham will lose Ballo-Toure, Bassey and Iwobi Liverpool will lose Endo and Salah. Those players will probably have gone in the week of the first leg of the LC. In addition to that, Liverpool won't have Matip, Robertson, Thiago, Macaliister, or Tsimikas through injury. So, we play PNE, Boro, a depleted Fulham and a tired Liverpool without Salah and some of their better players. To me, that makes January a very promising month. As I said, I need to get a life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulw66 Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 37 minutes ago, Sciatika said: OK, I need to get a life. I have been thinking about our next few fixtures. Fulham and Liverpool are playing each other in the LC. So, in January, We have PNE, Boro, Fulham, Boro, Liverpool Fulham have Rotherham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton Liverpool have Arsenal, Fulham, Bournemouth, Fulham, Chelsea --------------------------- Now, by the time we play Fulham, Afcon will have started. We will lose Jackson Fulham will lose Ballo-Toure, Bassey and Iwobi Liverpool will lose Endo and Salah. Those players will probably have gone in the week of the first leg of the LC. In addition to that, Liverpool won't have Matip, Robertson, Thiago, Macaliister, or Tsimikas through injury. So, we play PNE, Boro, a depleted Fulham and a tired Liverpool without Salah and some of their better players. To me, that makes January a very promising month. As I said, I need to get a life. You sound completely normal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sciatika Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Is that relative to the rest of the people here? If so, @My Blood Is Blue can we have a banner saying "Welcome to the Asylum"? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sciatika Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 (edited) By the way, the Boro backup GK was called up for Senegal. Edited January 1 by Sciatika Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chara Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 20 minutes ago, Sciatika said: Is that relative to the rest of the people here? If so, @My Blood Is Blue can we have a banner saying "Welcome to the Asylum"? Absolutely Sciatica....you are one of the steadiest,sagest members and to my mind as completely insane in a football sense as the rest of us...my alibi is I was a goalkeeper which takes me off the charts....the rest of you are merely insane. (All in a football sense..or more specifically a Chelsea sense.) except Jane who is our Mother Teresa! 🥜🥥🌰🍰 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asvaberg Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Just for fun, a once in a lifetime happening, of course (I really hope.....) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneB Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 29 minutes ago, chara said: Absolutely Sciatica....you are one of the steadiest,sagest members and to my mind as completely insane in a football sense as the rest of us...my alibi is I was a goalkeeper which takes me off the charts....the rest of you are merely insane. (All in a football sense..or more specifically a Chelsea sense.) except Jane who is our Mother Teresa! 🥜🥥🌰🍰 I didn't know Mother Teresa was a Chelsea supporter Chara 😮 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chara Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 27 minutes ago, JaneB said: I didn't know Mother Teresa was a Chelsea supporter Chara 😮 As my old mate Michael says..."Not many people know that!"....... hmm...Matron was always a somewhat harsh depiction of your influence on here...more like Nurse Jean Paget ?...There...a New Year riddle for you all. But then again,,"You can get anything you want at..."...two for one as I start the year off as I mean to go on..wildly off topic but hoping for some head scratching and equally bewildering and whimsical responses from the usual suspects,,,YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL..... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Blood Is Blue Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 2 hours ago, Sciatika said: OK, I need to get a life. I have been thinking about our next few fixtures. Fulham and Liverpool are playing each other in the LC. So, in January, We have PNE, Boro, Fulham, Boro, Liverpool Fulham have Rotherham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton Liverpool have Arsenal, Fulham, Bournemouth, Fulham, Chelsea --------------------------- Now, by the time we play Fulham, Afcon will have started. We will lose Jackson Fulham will lose Ballo-Toure, Bassey and Iwobi Liverpool will lose Endo and Salah. Those players will probably have gone in the week of the first leg of the LC. In addition to that, Liverpool won't have Matip, Robertson, Thiago, Macaliister, or Tsimikas through injury. So, we play PNE, Boro, a depleted Fulham and a tired Liverpool without Salah and some of their better players. To me, that makes January a very promising month. As I said, I need to get a life. It’s the hope that kills you 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chara Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Just now, My Blood Is Blue said: It’s the hope that kills you Indeed Sam...but it's also our Chelsea Life Blood!🌞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sciatika Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Without hope, I am nothing. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwmh Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 1 hour ago, asvaberg said: Just for fun, a once in a lifetime happening, of course (I really hope.....) Ouch. That is what happens with very young teams, when they it goes bad it gets horrid.they Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asvaberg Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 11 hours ago, Dwmh said: Ouch. That is what happens with very young teams, when they it goes bad it gets horrid.they Our team then, average age 23,8 years. Just slightly older than our lineup against Palace recently. You are so correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarefreeMuratcan Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Not had a chance to watch the highlights yet but based on Villa needing a late goal, they must have put up a solid performance last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Moon Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) On 01/01/2024 at 21:45, chara said: hmm...Matron was always a somewhat harsh depiction of your influence on here...more like Nurse Jean Paget ?...There...a New Year riddle for you all. That got me thinking of other nurses - Gladys Emmanuel, Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, Nurse Cramer from Catch-22 … no, maybe at my age, I’ll stay with my mental image of Jane as Hattie Jaques … sorry Jane …. Edited January 7 by Blue Moon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chara Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 3 hours ago, Blue Moon said: That got me thinking of other nurses - Gladys Emmanuel, Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, Nurse Cramer from Catch-22 … no, maybe at my age, I’ll stay with my mental image of Jane as Hattie Jaques … sorry Jane …. Just a whimsical (I hope) follow up...watched "South Pacific" recently...part of the unwritten agreement (Oklahoma a little while back,,sigh) that allows me complete access to all Chelsea games....Mitzi Gaynor as Nurse Nellie Forebush ...a musical that could not be made today!....with Trampas ,,Doug McClure as a hospitalised pilot in the back ground of one scene!...oh and no answer re Nurse Paget?;;from Middlesbrough...memories of an Island hop to watch the FA Cup Final..missing the first goal and "lively" interaction with West Ham fans in a French bar..... Don't know what to think about this game...which bunch will turn up...for either side?...Battling underdogs going for glory....?....Enthusiastic Chelsea youngsters unfazed and clinical..? Whatever the ..increasingly younger...Chelsea line up no Gusto at LB !...need his effectiveness going forward on the right not hobbled on the left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Blood Is Blue Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 I'm really excited about this one, I know it's "only" the league cup, but after the last couple of years, the thought of watching us at Wembley again is really exciting and I think it's such a huge opportunity and experience so early on for this young group of players, which can only be a positive. It has to be our strongest team for this, it's just not totally clear what that is! Will Nkunku be fit? I'm guessing not, definitely not from the start, so I expect us to have to suffer through with Broja again. Hopefully Gusto will be back on his natural side as well. Petrovic Gusto - Disasi - Silva - Colwill Gallagher - Caicedo Sterling - Palmer - Mudryk* Broja *Madueke may get the start. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kelly Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 After his comments to the media yesterday I'd expect Poch will drop Palmer to the bench to show his media mates what a tough guy man management guru he is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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