FA Cup 3rd round fixtures (5th - 8th Jan 2018) | Replays - 16th, 17th January 2018

[kouroux]

Even when they have their first team its almost always Hazard doing anything exciting. They are very well coached and have two workhorse holding midfielders (Kante and Bakoyoko). You can tell they are managed by an Italian manager

And now only Willian is watchable. Drinkwater is the embodiment of average, Bakayoko is even worse.

 

[breakout67]

And now only Willian is watchable. Drinkwater is the embodiment of average, Bakayoko is even worse.

Watching Chelsea makes me appreciate United. We have several players in the team that do something exciting every game; Pogba, Martial, Rashfotd, Mata, Lingard.

 

[SwansonsTache]

Chelsea are a Hazard to RM transfer away from not being all that.

And, ffs, how hard can it be to come up with something more creative than "chelsea, chelsea, chelsea".

 

[kouroux]

Watching Chelsea makes me appreciate United. We have several players in the team that do something exciting every game; Pogba, Martial, Rashfotd, Mata, Lingard.

If they sell Hazard, they will need to overhaul their football. Change style completely

 

[Pagh Wraith]

Why isn't Hazard playing? Hate this nonsense of not playing your strongest starting eleven in FA cup matches. It's a one-off game and if it goes wrong, you're out. Rest your players in some of the easier league fixtures if you must.

 

[kouroux]

Chelsea are a Hazard to RM transfer away from not being all that.

And, ffs, how hard can it be to come up with something more creative than "chelsea, chelsea, chelsea".

Ah but there still is the famous "Come on Chelsea, come on Chelsea!"..

 

[breakout67]

If they sell Hazard, they will need to overhaul their football. Change style completely

Yeh, if only they had Diego Costa to score a goal and then get sent off for celebrating with the crowd. He's always good for some entertainment.

 

[kouroux]

Batshuayi is a certified clown.

 

[SwansonsTache]

Ah but there still is the famous "Come on Chelsea, come on Chelsea!"..

Also manically chanting a players name, repeatedly. The wit and creativity behind it is astonishing.

 

[kouroux]

Also manically chanting a players name, repeatedly. The wit and creativity behind it is astonishing.

It is not rocket science to write some chants I would think. That cross from Rudiger

 

[breakout67]

Sideshow bob with a good effort from 40 yards, scrapes the top of the net.

 

[Raw]

Conte probably bet on this ending 0-0.

 

[breakout67]

Conte bought on Morata to pump long balls to him, what's going on here?

 

[Canagel]

I was sure I'd seen Murphy playing for Newcastle just a couple of weeks back and now I'm seeing the exact same person playing for Norwich. Just googled the name and found that it's his twin brother.

 

[kouroux]

I was sure I'd seen Murphy playing for Newcastle just a couple of weeks back and now I'm seeing the exact same person playing for Norwich. Just googled the name and found that it's his twin brother.

Haha same for me. They even play the same position

 

[Harry190]

Tell you what, Bakayoko would not look out of place in that Norwich team.

 

[SwansonsTache]

Tell you what, Bakayoko would not look out of place in that Norwich team.

Chelsea's transfers has been underwhelming for quite some time. It doesn't seem like Roman wants to partake in the new and crazy transfer market.

 

[breakout67]

Rudiger faced up to a Norwich fan for throwing the ball away from him; probably the most exciting thing that's happened this game

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Great result for Norwich, another game in the schedule for Chelsea, with a two legged cup semi coming up.

 

[Raw]

FT: 0-0

 

[Antisocial]

Replay for Chelsea - might give us a little help in the race for second.

 

[el3mel]

Glad I bypassed that shite game.

Great result. More games for Chelsea + Conte will be in a terrible mood in the presser so his comment on Jose's ones yesterday will be even more laughable.

 

[breakout67]

Hopefully this fixture congestion means more dropped points for Chelsea

 

[Canagel]

Replays should be scrapped. Why don't they just make it like the League Cup with extra time and penalties deciding things on the night? No need to add extra games to a already tight schedule.

 

[AshRK]

That was crap game. Bakayako is turning out to be one big waste of money, still not too late to sell him for good money to some french/italian club. Morata again gets easily dispossessed in his brief cameo. Conte looks super pissed and hopefully he is ready for a Jose related question.

 

[marktan]

What Chelsea really needed, in addition to a 2 legged league cup tie against Arsenal, was a FA Cup replay. I get Conte's hands were a bit tied with the weakned team given they have Arsenal mid-week, but still not an ideal situation to be in by any stretch. That's 3 less games we'll play than them this month.

 

[el3mel]

That was crap game. Bakayako is turning out to be one big waste of money, still not too late to sell him for good money to some french/italian club. Morata again gets easily dispossessed in his brief cameo. Conte looks super pissed and hopefully he is ready for a Jose related question.

If not for the Ox, Bakayoko would have been easily worst transfer of the season. Maybe he's even worse than Ox I don't know.

 

[Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87]

God, Chelsea's reserves are truly awful. Conte really pulled out a miracle to win the league last season.

Happy that fecking Stoke are out. Now get relegated please!

 

[Damien]

Even before the Bakayoko transfer was done, loads of us were saying it would be a poor signing and they had someone better in Matic. At this rate Barkley will be able to slot into the starting lineup in his place.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

What Chelsea really needed, in addition to a 2 legged league cup tie against Arsenal, was a FA Cup replay. I get Conte's hands were a bit tied with the weakned team given they have Arsenal mid-week, but still not an ideal situation to be in by any stretch. That's 3 less games we'll play than them this month.

Lovely

Now to recharge and enjoy our 9 day rest in Dubai.

 

[Raw]

God, Chelsea's reserves are truly awful. Conte really pulled out a miracle to win the league last season.

Happy that fecking Stoke are out. Now get relegated please!

No European football is a big help, plus getting knocked out quite early from the League Cup.

 

[The Outsider]

What Chelsea really needed, in addition to a 2 legged league cup tie against Arsenal, was a FA Cup replay. I get Conte's hands were a bit tied with the weakened team given they have Arsenal mid-week, but still not an ideal situation to be in by any stretch. That's 3 less games we'll play than them this month.

I don't buy that, 9 changes , changing formation and Arsenal is 4 days away. Conte messed up, IMO.

 

[marktan]

I don't buy that, 9 changes , changing formation and Arsenal is 4 days away. Conte messed up, IMO.

Any other point in the season and I'd agree, but the christmas schedule is too hectic imo. This is your 6th game in 17 days, which works out to a game just under every 3 days. Imo you either give players a break or risk fatigue and injury so tough one really.

 

[giorno]

Also manically chanting a players name, repeatedly. The wit and creativity behind it is astonishing.

they gave us the majestic "We'll just call you Dave"

 

[Nickosaur]

Even before the Bakayoko transfer was done, loads of us were saying it would be a poor signing and they had someone better in Matic. At this rate Barkley will be able to slot into the starting lineup in his place.

Yep. Didn't make much sense at the time and looks laughable now.

 

[UnseenMaster]

Yeh, if only they had Diego Costa to score a goal and then get sent off for celebrating with the crowd. He's always good for some entertainment.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I can't remember Costa ever being sent off while playing for us. He really was a master of walking that fine line of being a cnut but not to the point where he would get his marching orders.

 

[breakout67]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I can't remember Costa ever being sent off while playing for us. He really was a master of walking that fine line of being a cnut but not to the point where he would get his marching orders.

He scored a goal for Atletico recently and went into the crowd while being on a yellow, got sent off, and was bamboozled as if he had just woken up from an acid trip.

 

[Robbo*]

Who does everyone fancy in 4th round?

 

[SteveJ]

This is a cracking read from 2015 ahead of Notts Forest's game against Arsenal today:

Mourinho’s favourite quote? That was when a colleague walked into Clough’s office to find him listening to his favourite singer. “Did you know,” Clough asked, “Sinatra met me once?” Clough was calling himself Old Big ’Ead when Mourinho was at his most impressionable age. It is no wonder he thinks they would have got on and Clough, one imagines, would like the fact Chelsea’s manager is writing the foreword for the book that accompanies the film. “I like the look of Mourinho,” he observed before his 2004 death, “there is a touch of the young Clough about him.”
-------------------------
Imagine Huddersfield Town, 13th in the Championship last season, winning promotion next May, then the Premier League at the first attempt, back-to-back Champions Leagues, a couple of Capital One Cups and creating a record for going unbeaten in the top division – 42 matches in Forest’s case – that would last a quarter of a century.
--------------------------
Larry Lloyd’s signing-on fee was a washing machine Clough pinched from the laundry department. Frank Clark was a free transfer from Newcastle, on the verge of signing for Fourth Division Doncaster Rovers. Robertson, with his chip-fat grin and nicotine-laced chuckle, was drifting so badly Clough’s predecessor, Allan Brown, tried to offload him to Partick Thistle. Peter Shilton arrived as the most expensive goalkeeper in the league and Francis later became the first £1m man, but it was an unlikely assortment of free transfers, bargain buys, rogues and misfits, all turning out to be exceptionally gifted footballers. They piggy-backed through nettles and played hide-and-seek in what passed as training sessions. They held team meetings at a greasy-spoon cafe called McKay’s, where the standard order of 14 chip cobs meant the owner, Bill, had to order more supplies of bread and potatoes. And, against every conceivable expectation, they produced a story that will never be replicated.

Brian Clough and the miracle of Nottingham Forest
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-forest-european-champions-film-jose-mourinho

Also:
Brian Clough memory stirs Wenger’s nostalgia for lost age of management
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...rsene-wenger-arsenal-nottingham-forest-fa-cup

 

[prateik]

Haha same for me. They even play the same position

One of them is married though. The wedding ring makes it easy to tell them apart.