Chelsea 4 Manchester United 3

[Sciatika]

@east lowerBrilliant Album

Edited April 3 by Sciatika

[Mark Kelly]

1 hour ago, east lower said:

Rattus Norvegicus - Also the title of one of the best punk bands albums in the 1970’s (first one of The Stranglers).

 

That's a corker. 

[Max Fowler]

 

 

[bertles86]

United are 5/2 on paddy Power. Decent odds those. 

[east lower]

2 hours ago, Sciatika said:

@east lowerBrilliant Album

 

2 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

That's a corker. 

Great band, Hugh Cornwell a legend, Jean Jacques Brunel a bit of a looney. But some real classic stuff. 

Some of their first gigs were in my home town, if I recall correctly they got banned from it for a while too. I remember seeing them at Surrey University with The Damned and I think The Buzzcocks.

[Ham]

2 hours ago, Max Fowler said:

 

 

This is just appalling. I wondered why I'd seen empty seats.  I feared we were suddenly unable to sell tickets because of form but this makes sense. 

 

[east lower]

20 minutes ago, Ham said:

This is just appalling. I wondered why I'd seen empty seats.  I feared we were suddenly unable to sell tickets because of form but this makes sense. 

 

£5k for what is a damn ordinary seat at a football match. Some people have more money than sense. 

[Ham]

There better not be any booing at Mount tomorrow night.  That would not be a good look. 

 

[Max Fowler]

4 hours ago, Ham said:

This is just appalling. I wondered why I'd seen empty seats.  I feared we were suddenly unable to sell tickets because of form but this makes sense. 

 

In fairness I think ticket prices should be controlled by an independent regulator.

Race to the bottom with many owners

[Blue Moon]

So 20% rise in ticket prices scares off ST holders, thus more space for corporates?

[Holymoly]

Gusto back in training after what looked like a significant injury in the last match. If he starts I'm putting money on him aggravating a season ending injury. Pochettino needs to swallow his pride and put Silva back in for this one. Our defense has been so unstable for the last couple of months and we need the stability his presence gives. God knows which team turns up on the night (for both sides to be honest) but it's odds on the Mount will be back to haunt us. I just hope we don't give him the acclaim of booing him. He deserves nothing but our silence.

I can see a win for us where everything clicks although equally I can imagine a turgid boring draw where both sides sign up to risking nothing on the night. Most worrying of all however I can see United getting an early goal, our supporters turning on the club, and things going downhill to a humiliating loss. Who'd be a Chelsea fan, or should I say a fan of BlueCo 2022 FC?

[kev61]

13 hours ago, bertles86 said:

United are 5/2 on paddy Power. Decent odds those. 

Paddy Power is loose with their odds to pull people in.Take the odds and cover your bet on Betfair 

[paulw66]

On 02/04/2024 at 16:39, Max Fowler said:

Club won't allow it since his wife spoke out. He is being sidelined.

His last game we shipped 4 to Wolves.  I think that is more pertinent. 

2 minutes ago, Holymoly said:

Gusto back in training after what looked like a significant injury in the last match

Cramp apparently. 

[Holymoly]

13 hours ago, east lower said:

I remember seeing them at Surrey University with The Damned and I think The Buzzcocks.

I studied at Surrey Uni in those days and the Union were able to get some really iconic gigs organised. Possibly the nadir however was when Gary Glitter played and at the end off the gig disappeared on campus to shag one of the students and the next morning was seen trudging across campus, still in his glitter suit and stack heels, on the walk of shame back to a car.

[Max Fowler]

21 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

His last game we shipped 4 to Wolves.  I think that is more pertinent. 

Cramp apparently. 

And of course, we have looked so much better with a close to prime Disasi in the team...

Edited April 4 by Max Fowler

[east lower]

19 minutes ago, Holymoly said:

I studied at Surrey Uni in those days and the Union were able to get some really iconic gigs organised. Possibly the nadir however was when Gary Glitter played and at the end off the gig disappeared on campus to shag one of the students and the next morning was seen trudging across campus, still in his glitter suit and stack heels, on the walk of shame back to a car.

I’d have been 13 or so at the time. Far too young and innocent to have been aware of anything like that. But, there was something about him that just didn’t sit straight. If the truth did come out about a number of the bands in the 70’s and 80’s there might be fair few more who might have done a bit of time for stuff. 

Vague recollection of Siouxsie and the Banshees gigging there too.

Never intelligent enough for University though. Best I could muster was a brief visit for a concert or a football match. 

They’ve got a great sports park there now, Harlequins have been using it as a training centre.
 

 

[Bones]

I don't think Silva was ever a problem even with a lack of his pace this season, we are clearly struggling without him now. If he is fit he needs to play.

I he doesn't that will pretty much sum up how weak our manager and the board is.

 

[Max Fowler]

52 minutes ago, Bones said:

I don't think Silva was ever a problem even with a lack of his pace this season, we are clearly struggling without him now. If he is fit he needs to play.

I he doesn't that will pretty much sum up how weak our manager and the board is.

Yeah, there was basically this trend on here for a couple of weeks, suggesting that one of the main reasons we were playing badly was that was because Thiago Silva had no pace, and it was affecting the entire team. Fast forward a couple of months and I would love to see the statistical difference playing Disasi and Badiashille has made. Yes, we need a new top level centre back to replace Thiago, but there is a reason he has played the majority of the season

[Mark Kelly]

8 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Yeah, there was basically this trend on here for a couple of weeks, suggesting that one of the main reasons we were playing badly was that was because Thiago Silva had no pace, and it was affecting the entire team. Fast forward a couple of months and I would love to see the statistical difference playing Disasi and Badiashille has made. Yes, we need a new top level centre back to replace Thiago, but there is a reason he has played the majority of the season

I think personally it's why we saw an upturn in goals scored as not being anchored by Silva's lack of pace enabled the side to move further up the pitch as a unit and compress the  opposition further back into their own halves.

This in turn has led to us shipping more goals as well is the feeling I get .

It's still a coaching issue if you ask me ( I know you didn't) , maybe when you don't want to take responsibility for coaching and allow the attacking  players free reign to do as they like , what  they don't like is working hard to get goal side and stop the opposition attacking? 

Edited April 4 by Mark Kelly

[Max Fowler]

3 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think personally it's why we saw an upturn in goals scored as not being anchored by Silva's lack of pace enabled the side to move further up the pitch as a unit and compress the  opposition further back into their own halves.

This in turn has led to us shipping more goals as well is the feeling I get .

It's still a coaching issue if you ask me ( I know you didn't) , maybe when you don't want to take responsibility for coaching and allow the attacking  players free reign to do as they like , what  they don't like is working hard to get goal side and stop the opposition attacking? 

Mark the increase in goals conceded is also, because Thiago Silva is an elite level defender who is past his prime but still largely defends brilliantly and is also one of the best distributing defenders of the last two decades, versus Disasi and Badiashille who may do better under a different coach but frankly have shown little to suggest they deserve to lace Thiago’s boots. Mistake after mistake on the ball and off it - complete lack of leadership and we look a mess.

[Rob B]

24 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think personally it's why we saw an upturn in goals scored as not being anchored by Silva's lack of pace enabled the side to move further up the pitch as a unit and compress the  opposition further back into their own halves.

This in turn has led to us shipping more goals as well is the feeling I get .

Is my feeling as well.   Not sure the stats back this up given that Thiago played in the 4 goal defeats to Wolves and Liverpool before he got dropped though?   From memory it also seemed to coincide with his wife's outburst on Twitter. 

I wonder if someone can validate whether we are now playing higher up the pitch? 

[Mark Kelly]

33 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Mark the increase in goals conceded is also, because Thiago Silva is an elite level defender who is past his prime but still largely defends brilliantly and is also one of the best distributing defenders of the last two decades, versus Disasi and Badiashille who may do better under a different coach but frankly have shown little to suggest they deserve to lace Thiago’s boots. Mistake after mistake on the ball and off it - complete lack of leadership and we look a mess.

Well yes , I agree , he's certainly our most experienced defender and one of our best too , I suppose we'd have to ask the Hopper why he isn't playing him but having sat through most of his press conferences and watched the coaching masterclass that was posted earlier I'd rather do something more relaxing like nail my nads to a coffee table than listen to that nonsense again. 

[Max Fowler]

17 minutes ago, Rob B said:

Is my feeling as well.   Not sure the stats back this up given that Thiago played in the 4 goal defeats to Wolves and Liverpool before he got dropped though?   From memory it also seemed to coincide with his wife's outburst on Twitter. 

I wonder if someone can validate whether we are now playing higher up the pitch? 

Thiago wasn't dropped - he got injured. I do suspect there may be some internal pressure for him to be phased out though.

Meanwhile we have conceded the highest amount of goals over the last 5 games without him than we have all season.

Including 2 Championship teams, Burnley and a Brentford who had lost 6 on the bounce. Go figure.

[Max Fowler]

1 minute ago, Mark Kelly said:

Well yes , I agree , he's certainly our most experienced defender and one of our best too , I suppose we'd have to ask the Hopper why he isn't playing him but having sat through most of his press conferences and watched the coaching masterclass that was posted earlier I'd rather do something more relaxing like nail my nads to a coffee table than listen to that nonsense again. 

If it helps Mark I agree when we defend this badly Poch has to take a lot of the blame, but frankly I don't think the players are good enough either

[paulw66]

2 hours ago, Max Fowler said:

And of course, we have looked so much better with a close to prime Disasi in the team...

 

2 hours ago, Bones said:

I don't think Silva was ever a problem even with a lack of his pace this season, we are clearly struggling without him now. If he is fit he needs to play.

I he doesn't that will pretty much sum up how weak our manager and the board is.

 

In 90 minutes, we haven't lost a game since Silva was dropped. 

Sure the defence hasn't been brilliant, but the overall benefit on the team of not having a player who can't run is obvious.