I hope Chelsea appoint Di Matteo

manutddjw

Guys like Di Matteo or Avram Grant are exactly what Chelsea need at the moment. They know they aren't good enough to be where they are, so they let the likes of Terry and co. do as they please without protest. What this does is keep them happy and when they are happy the team does a hell of alot better and there is less drama.

When they have a manager who has won things and knows what he's doing, he'll make decisions that are what's best for Chelsea, not just now, but in the future. A future that doesn't include the old guard. The problem is it is a crime against humanity to even think about resting Frank Lampard or even dare to try to give a young player experience.

AVB made alot of mistakes, but he really was trying to set Chelsea up for the future. Di Matteo hasn't made any mistakes, but in the long run, the problems that will eventually lead to Chelsea's demise will not be addressed until it is too late.

::sonny::

Good enough to reach the final with a squad of zombies

A simply and smart guy, more swiss-german than italian.

Bear Attack

This. It's all about short term pain for long term gain. Chelsea are just exacerbating their administrative problems but if that's the way it has to be done without uprooting their entire team, then so be it. I forgot which poster it was that made a very good point about Hodgson being a pragmatist and lowering Liverpool's standards so they can have more potential improvement.

ravelston

Mata, Lampard and Ramires are Chelsea's highest rated players. Why is it a surprise that they should play the big matches? And when it comes to that, which young players are you talking about? He's given Sturridge a lot of games and given Bertrand his first 3 or 4 starts. Other than them who do they have - McEachran isn't ready yet (look at his sub appearances) and Romeu is a step down from Mikel (who is only 25). Or are you talking about Lukaku - the Belgian Donkey. So far as I can see, Di Matteo has rotated his squad intelligently using the right players at the right time. He's given young players who are ready their chances and changed system where it made sense. I actually think he's doing a great job. Oh yes, and their "old guard" aren't that old - Drogba (34), Lampard (33), Terry and Cole (31) are not exactly geriatrics and they're all playing better than the available alternatives.

Sarni

Indeed, my timeline has gone wrong. Still, Grant got better results than Scolari.

manutddjw

If you compare United to Chelsea, Sir Alex is always looking to future and will bring in players and give them opportunities, even when the players they are replacing in the future are still at the top of their game. We've replaced Giggs as a left winger, we've replaced Ferdinand and Vidic and were always looking for the new Scholes, Keane or whomever, albeit with some poor signings.

The players respect this and you will never see Paul Scholes or Rio Ferdinand voicing their displeasure at being left on the bench, even if the player playing instead of them isn't on their level. With Chelsea's resources they could've easily brought in quality young players and because of their success had the extra games or opportunities to bed in these players for the future, the way United have.

In regards to Terry, Cole, Drogba and Lampard. A few outstanding performances in the Champions League, doesn't define them for the whole season. Cole has been as bad or worse than Evra this season, Drogba's scoring record is anything but that of a prolific striker, Lampard's stats from penalties flatters to decieve because he's been annonymous in alot of games.

ravelston

Point is, you're criticising Di Matteo for things that are out of his control. He doesn't have viable alternatives to the "old guard". Sturridge has got a lot of play and Drogba relatively little while he's been trying to ease Torres back into confidence without sacrificing results. Lampard is still well up in the top 20 in the Prem (on Opta's statistics), Terry is still Terry and what alternative does he have to Cole (other than Bertrand, who he's given 3 or 4 starts). You can't criticise him for not having a long view when he's had no input into transfer activities to this point.

Livvie

Be fair. He doesn't say they won't. Just that nothing is guaranteed.