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"Smertin..."

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why Jose "I'm better than you" Mourinho keeps fielding this guy. When you consider he was out on loan to Pompey for the entire duration of last season, and whilst he played well he hardly shone, returning to find a place in the Chelsea line-up each game seems a tad odd. It's Chelsea, for crying out loud. Joey Cole, Scotty Parker and more of the same are challenging for a spot in the middle of the park, all worth their place. But Smertin seems to rise above them all. Is there something I'm missing?

Oh, or is this just another ploy to let Mr. Moron-iho (I apologise) further up Abramavich's ass, with the Russian-ness and all. I spotted Roman perched on a seat in his Russia shirt in the Euro Championships, he probably thought "Zat long-haired guy looks a bit good...Peter, Peter! BUY HIM FOR ME!" Before Kenyon replied "I think we already have him, boss, although I must say I haven't noticed him around".

Yes. Yes, you idiots. That's because he was loaned out to Pompey because he wasn't bloody good enough.

Rah.

Forssell's still learning. He'll be back next season.

Bruce is a good manager and Mikael will learn a lot from him. Whereas Smertin was with Redknapp... and he's 29 so he wont learn much more anyway.

Right i will start by saying i will happily be the one to show smertin the door if Roman says the word. But smertin has had an excellent preseason and against man utd i'd go so far as saying he was the best performer on either side. Criticism from you is unjustified. However i will want rid off him at the end of the season, he is 29 and hardly one for the future and we can do better for the long run. Would have liked Alonso, but he has gone to the hubcaps. Still stevie G will do instead.

cut Makalele and smertin replace with G.

Cut geremi and maybe one other, sign Joaquin and wright Phillips,

play Kezman up front with Robben/Duffer, Wright-Phillips/Joaqun as his support players and sit back and watch us humiliate any record arsenal ever built.

Yes, but Forsell was out on loan to Birmingham all last season and looked better (and more consistant) than any striker playing up front for Chelsea. I can't work out why he's out on loan again rather than challanging on the bench or getting started, yet Smertin slots straight in after his return.

Its Russian-ness, I tells you. Forsell isn't russian enough.

When watching the Chelsea Vs Man United match, I thought Smertin played well and was one of the best players on the pitch.

Har Har Vialli was our most successful manager ever probably. Won the FA Cup, Cup Winners Cup, Super Cup, and led us to third in the league and to the quarter finals of the Champions League.....

Smertin's only in the team because Ambramovich wants to see one of his compatriots playing for the club he owns. To be perfectly honest, I don't think he's much use except as a substitute, but if he fits into Chelski's game plans and plays well, he has every right to stay in. My solution would be for players to be rotated, so that tactics can be varied and players' fitness conserved. But this has never really worked at Chelski, especially when Vialli tried it, with all the players of varying nationailites even at the time, so it may not be the right tactic.

Ashman wrote:
> Poor Parker doesn't even get a look in, he made the wrong decision
> joining you lot. I

No he says he enjoys the challenge/money..... ?

Not sure which one he said...

Smertin is the man.

Speaking bad of him is blasphemy.

He works harder than anyone else in your team that's for certain.

Poor Parker doesn't even get a look in, he made the wrong decision joining you lot. I was expecting Bobby Robson to chase him up, with him being a buyer of young, talanted players, often English.

Oh well.

The guy's a quality player. I watched all of our pre-season games live, in which he played nearly all of them, and he looks class. He puts himself about as much as any player in the premiership but manages to go without conceding too many fouls. He scored a left footed 25 yarder into the top corner in pre season, and I have been very impressed with his breaking up of play, chasing back, and attacking actually. With 2 mins to go against United, they were all over us, when he decided to pick up the ball in our box and play with it in United's corner, taking on half the team to get there.

However, we do not need both he and Makelele in the team, as they are both holding defensive midfield players. So I agree that Joe Cole should be in the team etc, but due to injuries to both our wingers, we need two solid midfield players on the flanks, and Smertin is currently doing the job on the left.

Not a spectacular player, but he does the job, quietly and well.