Reports of Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge are now extensive with the debate now centering on whether he resigned or was fired. Here are the latest articles from a couple British newspapers with their take on the shock development - the Times and the Guardian. The Daily Telegraph and the Independent currently are without a story although the Telegraph contains a link to ESPN Soccernet.

With Ballack in the mix, Lampard's role become less clear and subsequently the English midfielder became less effective. Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge Ballack has been the fulcrum of the midfield at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and with the German national side. Two players trying to play the same role did not work as England has experienced when Steven Gerrard and Lampard were teamed together.

While the problem of Ballack and Lampard in the midfield became more obvious as the season progressed the issue of Shevchenko's role was more apparent, in fact almost from the start. In order to play Shevchenko, Mourinho had two options - the first was to opt for the former Milan man over Drogba. Although Drogba struggled at times in his first Premiership season in 2005, it was clear to all by season two that the Ivory Coast striker was a game-winner and not someone who needed to play second-fiddle to anyone.

That left Mourinho with the option of moving to a 4-4-2 formation which he fielded for most of last season. It was a system that rarely flattered Chelsea and left them generally looking disjointed and lacking the balance and pace that was on show during Mourinho's first two seasons in charge.

What's more Chelsea seemed to lose the mental edge and application that had been such an important part of their game when the won back-to-back titles. As the fear receded in other sides Chelsea was forced more frequently to come from behind to salvage a draw or to pull off a win - a position they had rarely found themselves in before.

With rumours rife of the owner and the manager not speaking the club appeared to grow more dysfunctional as last season progressed. The move to bring in Avram Grant looked to be the straw that was to break the manager’s back but a peace deal was brokered that appeared from the outside to have everyone comfortably playing in their own sandbox. However, reports that owner Abramovich was on a mission to sign Ronaldinho just before the August 31 transfer deadline, was perhaps a clue that the fix was only a band-aid solution and the cracks quickly reemerged.  

Over the last two or three weeks the issues have compounded – an unsatisfactory explanation as to why Michael Ballack was left of the Champions League roster; the Shevchenko dilemma escalated as the Ukrainian striker put in good performance against Italy something not seen in a Chelsea uniform; a loss to Aston Villa and a draw with Blackburn in the Premiership; an embarrassing tie at home in front of a small crowd to Norwegian team Rosenborg; and then perhaps the final sign that Mourinho had cracked – his egg story at a press conference this week.

So what now for Mourinho? It’s not good news for incumbent managers. Knowing that Mourinho is again on the market provides any trigger happy Chairman with a ready replacement should any of the big clubs stumble in the next few weeks.

As for a replacement two names will be prominent. Fabio Capello is available and if Chelsea is looking for a proven and tested winner then Capello fits the bill to a tee. The other is Guus Hiddink, currently in charge of Russia’s national team. Abramovich is rumoured to have brokered the deal that placed Hiddink in charge and so there does appear to be a prior relationship.

That potential move does however come with complications beyond Hiddink dumping Russia and it comes in the form of Frank Arnesen, the current Sporting Director at Stamford Bridge (another chief!). Arnesen and Hiddink worked together at PSV Eindhoven a few years back until PSV management opted to dump the Dane in a power struggle that Hiddink won.

Atleti – Would this proposal by Platini affect Spain in the same way that it affects England (in terms of handing a Champions League spot to the Copa del Rey winner)?

Bobby - My understanding is that it would impact on the countries that receive four spots every year.

Curtains – Bert Trautmann wasn't British. He was a German POW before he started playing soccer in England.

Bobby – I think you have to appreciate that Charlton “wrote” the first autobiography in 1964 when they were only a handful of non-British players who had ever played in England. When he said it was his British XI I’m sure he meant it to cover players who had played in Britain rather than actually being British. Trautmann was never capped by West Germany but he did play for and captained the English Football league in a League international. These types of internationals were fairly popular for a time. The teams were based on the league you played in rather than your nationality. I think Denis Law may have played for the Italian League while he was with Torino.

Gaza - Would be nice to hear a comment from you on a subject of Chelsea performance. I think they look really boring, playing this sort of midfield soccer. And what I do not understand is why Shevchenko and Joe Cole are not involved at all. They both showed pretty good form in their international games.

Bobby – I did not watch Chelsea on the weekend as I was flying to Toronto for the MLS game so it would not be fair of me to comment. Having said that I guess my question back to you is what’s the difference between Chelsea’s performances this season so far and their performances over the last three seasons under Mourinho?
I didn’t think Cole looked to be anything special against Germany and I didn’t catch Shevchenko against Uzbekistan.  

wyofc - If they terminate Yallop (or if he quits) and they do the un-thinkable and hire Klinsmann - what else does the Galaxy need to do to start winning? Also, do you think the next coach will keep Landon or let him go? Is there any chance of them making the playoffs?

Bobby – I think in the case of the Galaxy they need a complete makeover. The bottom line is that they are a very poor team and David Beckham alone is not going to turn them around. I cannot see them making the play offs given their schedule and player pool – rather than battling for a play off spot it is probably a case of avoiding finishing in last place this season. As for Landon Donovan’s future my gut tells me that LA will try to keep him around but if they could use him as trade-bait to strengthen the side overall it might prove to be too tempting to resist. 

Therealrico - What is your opinion of Chris Coleman being the Nats head coach? And do you think there is a snowball's chance that would ever happen?

Bobby – It is an intriguing suggestion but I would have to say that it is a real outside chance. Coleman is very much schooled in the UK style and has no experience in international competition as a manager.

MasMaz - Please enlighten me, how can the linesman signal that Schmeichel has come off his line and the referee choose to ignore him?

Bobby – Rightly or wrongly the referee is ultimately the sole judge of decisions and can choose to accept or reject an assistant referee’s call.

Craigyf - What did you watch at the weekend and what results surprised you. You were there; in Toronto; on TV DC United looked formidable and comfortable. How good would you rate them after seeing them in the flesh?

Bobby – I recorded the early game (Liverpool and Sunderland) on DVD and watched it on the plane. The TFC vs. DC United game obviously and then on Sunday large chunks of the Juventus and Inter games. Finished off with United and Spurs and all the highlights on Sunday and Monday when I got back home.
I had watched DC United the week before against the Crew and thought that they looked very good in the second half. They’re a team looks very confident in their ability to hold possession by passing the ball – they really hit their rhythm in the 2nd half against Toronto. To beat them you would have to press them very hard for 90 minutes and not allow them to settle - otherwise they will pick you apart.

Craigyf - So how would Platini's plan affect the UEFA CUP? Currently don't you go into the UEFA Cup if you win either of the two English Cups?

Bobby – The UEFA Cup needs a major makeover anyway. They would probably change the criteria so that if a team that finished in the top 3 also won the FA Cup then the FA Cup runner up would qualify for the lesser trophy and the 4th place Premiership team would get a CL spot.

Eponymous - Would like to Bobby to weigh on this - I think UEFA/FIFA needs to make some kind of decision as to the consistency of 3rd party ownership across leagues in Europe (and elswhere).

Bobby – The third-part ownership thing is a real can of worms. Despite what we have heard over the last year or so regarding the Tevez situation third-party ownership is not illegal in England. What does constitute a problem is when a third-party owner retains the right the make a decision regarding the player – for example Player X won’t play this weekend because the third party owner says he is injured and has the contractual right to withdraw the player. However, I would agree that the present situation is a mess and needs FIFA to rule. The problem is that is some areas of the world third party owners provide a real service by helping players get overseas contracts by actively promoting the player to foreign clubs – something that local clubs may be unable to do.
Finally I think when you strip away the third party issue with Fernandes you find that it is no different than what has been going on for years – players changing their mind. It’s how Roy Keane finished up at Old Trafford rather than Ewood Park.

Bigdavedisaster – What’s your British 11 all time?

Bobby – Here goes. Criteria post 60’s and 4-3-3 formation.
Gordon Banks; Alex Hamilton, John Charles, Bobby Moore, Danny McGrain; George Best, Bobby Charlton, Dave MacKay; Jimmy Johnstone, Denis Law, Jimmy Greaves.
Substitutes – Pat Jennings, Paul Madeley (he really could play any position), Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Bryan Robson.

CIAO - I just read that Solskjaer retired due to his long running injury troubles. Have you heard the same? How did you rate him? Even though I dislike United, somehow I became a fan of Ole Gunner.Also do you think SAF will be back in the market for a striker? If so, I would imagine Gudjohnsen would be the perfect replacement -what do you think? I bet SAF is kicking himself for letting Rossi go.

Bobby – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was one of the best pure goal scorers in the last decade or so. However, beyond that I think he will be remembered by United fans for his loyalty. This is a player that had many chances to move away and get regular first team football but opted to stay and fight for his place and to sit on the bench waiting for his chance if need be. The problem that United has it that there is literally only hours left to do a deal and their doesn’t seem to be much on the horizon – there again he may pull a rabbit out of the hat once more although I would surprised if it was Gudjohnsen. He’s more a supporter striker and United need someone who plays up top.

CIAO - What do you make of the following reports:
1. Chelsea are bidding for Ronaldinho
2. Inter are considering loaning out Adriano
3. Inter are considering bidding for Deco
I personally think Chelsea might be better off as is. If they do make the bid then I imagine they would need to sell off Ballack. I don't really think Inter will make a bid for Deco, if they had plans to do so they would have already done so... right?

Bobby – Adriano on loan makes sense. As for the Ronaldinho story – a bit late to start making a move I would say. Deco – same thing.

Henry14 - 1.What do you know and can you pass a judgment on what’s going on between Portsmouth and Nugent.
2. Red Rom wants Ronnie do you see it happening by Friday although l do not have an idea why they would wait until the last minute?
3. Who is the better player Martins and Owen as we see them and going into the future if they both stay fit?

Bobby –1. Sometimes a player just doesn’t fit in to a new club and it’s often better to move him on. 2. A move for Ronaldinho makes no sense to me either. And I thought Mourinho was supposed to calling the shots again.
3. A fully fit Michael Owen is a much better player and scorer than Obafemi Martins.

Henry14 - Q1 What do you make of Kroenke guy's increase in stake, what do think are his intentions?
Q2 l saw Milan and they are really catching form at the right moment do you see them having a shout out red hot united because l feel Inzaghi and Gilardino are not good enough for Milan. Do you feel that the second leg being at Milan can be a disadvantage for United?
Q3 What do you make the kissing and hugs of Roman and Jose?
Q4 l do not feel the premier league is the best league because they are four teams that really and this season two that are in the title hunt were as in Germany and Spain the race is interesting which do you think is the best league and what does it take for the premiership to have a four way race?

Bobby – 1. To state the blindingly obvious Stan Kroenke's intention is to make money. The question is how will he go about it? He could be looking to take the club over himself and his present stake gives him a foothold. Second option is that he thinks someone will come along to buy the club and he will be able to turn a profit on his present stake – the JP McManus/John Magnier Manchester United strategy. The third possibility is that he foresees a battle for control coming from multiple sources and he might want to position himself as a potential “kingmaker”.
Q2 – Two seasons ago I picked United to beat Milan because I didn’t think that Milan could control Giggs and Ronaldo – they did it with ease and went through to the final. Milan have got better as the competition has progressed and I thought they looked very comfortable in beating Bayern Munich in the second leg. As for Inzaghi and Gilardino not being good enough for Milan – it doesn’t really matter one way or another at the moment as these are the boys that Ancelotti will have to go with. I wouldn’t bet against either or both scoring against United. At this stage I am not sure that home or away second really makes any difference although given a preference I would take the first leg at home.
Q3 – I choose not to read any of the Abramovich/Mourinho soap opera stories.
Q4 – I have never understood the argument/discussion about what constitutes the “best-league” without spending an eternity over the definition of best. If the point is what league is the strongest then based on performances over the last four or five years the answer is Spain. It might marginally help the marketing guys to say that their league is the best but the bottom line is that if spectators and TV viewers don’t find the league exciting or engaging they won’t watch it. Soccer is a game that can be enjoyed at every level so I am constantly amazed at the number of so called fans that tell you that they hate such-and-such a league because it is ####. You don’t need two teams with great technical ability to provide an entertaining spectacle – that is part of the beauty of the game. 

RINGO - How many non-league teams have won the FA Cup?

Bobby – As Venti_vidi_vici answered – Tottenham. It was actually part of the FA Cup preview article a few weeks back before Chelsea played Spurs in the quarter final. One piece of trivia to add to Spurs 1901 Cup win. Spurs started the tradition of hanging club colour ribbons to the trophy.

RINGO - I was just listening to the Thursday podcast of World Soccer Daily and they played another Mourinho parody, could you please post the address like last time?

Bobby – There seems to be a few of them out there. Check out the link.  

Spike24 - There's a little controversy brewing among Reading supporters over whether we should be trying to secure a place in European competition this year or not. Some are disappointed that it seems we've given up on it, while others thing trying to get there would be too much too soon. Which way do you think Reading should be going? Knowing of course that Coppell is too smart to pull an Ipswich even if we were to qualify.

Bobby – I don’t any team is going to give up on a chance to play in Europe even though it might be considered “too early”. Reading have made great progress this season but the real test will be year two as so many teams have found out. It looks like Sidwell will be moving on and that will leave a big hole to fill. I sense that a couple of defenders might also be on the summer shopping list.

Gongatore - Can you chat a bit about what makes a player like Keano be able to lead a side like Sunderland to success so quickly? Does being coached by Sir Alex for all those years and his influence have much sway here?
Also how much has Sheva contributed to making Drogba a better player this year?

Bobby – Given his record as a player then I can imagine (and has earned) that he has garnered instant respect from the players. After losing their first four games he also came into a situation where the players were looking for leadership and bought into his ideas. If you look at the number of times Sunderland have come back to win or turned a draw into a win this year then I think that is a strong indication of the confidence and drive that he has instilled in the players. He has also made some very good moves in the transfer market. Character players have been brought in while others have been moved on – I think something like 14 players have moved in or out since Keane arrived.

You have to remember that Keane’s first professional coach in England was Brian Clough so he has played under tow of the very best who have ever managed in England.

The Sheva/Drogba question has come up before and I do think that Shevchenko’s presence has helped Drogba although Drogba has been awesome this season.

henry14 - What do you think about the new Arsenal kit for 2007 which has petitions for rejection.

Bobby – I don’t think very much of it but there again kits have never been a big thing for me.

Venti_vidi_vici - I have a great deal of respect for the job Martin Jol has done at Spurs given his relative inexperience, especially the record performance last year when they pushed Arsenal all the way in the battle for fourth place. Is his job in jeopardy, especially if he misses out on Europe in a season where the goal was fourth place?

Do you think there is any possibility that the FA Cup final will be moved back a week, particularly if the same two teams are in the UCL final? Unfortunately having the FA Cup final a few days before the UCL final could force one or both of the managers to keep key players out of the Wembley showdown. Furthermore England doesn’t play a qualifier on 2-June, then visit Estonia on 6-June.

Bobby – If Tottenham had not turned their domestic season around then I think Jol would have already been gone. I would be surprised if he was fired now. Spurs have been very entertaining over the last few months and I think the fans – although disappointed with the overall results – would be disappointed if he was let go. There again the North London derby does go this Saturday.

There is no way that the FA Cup final will be moved nor do I see either manager resting players. 

Verbal97 - Where do you think Michael Owen will be getting treatment next year - Newcastle or is there a chance he'll go to Old Toilet. If he goes to Man U, he might as well burn down Anfield.

Bobby – If Manchester United were going to sign Michael Owen surely they would have done that before he moved to St James’ Park rather than waiting till after he has missed almost a full year due to injury. That rumour is one of the most bizarre of the season.

Gunner44 - My question to you is do you think Giggs deserves to be nominated or should Vidic be the one nominated or even Essien?

Also who would you pick if you starting a team next season C. Ronaldo or Kaka if given the choice at the end of this season? Explain why?

Bobby – It is always more difficult for a defender to get the nod over an attacking player. Giggs – and Scholes – have both turned back the years this season so I find it difficult to say that they do not deserve the nominations. Essien has been terrific this season and I would agree that he is very unlucky not to be considered. I would say the same of Ricardo Carvalho.
My choice would Cristiano Ronaldo over Kaka as I think he is a bit more versatile and a bit more willing to impose himself on a game. However, if I was a manager I would not be complaining if Kaka arrived at my door one day asking for a game.

Carneade - Have you ever heard of this "Unofficial Football World Championships" ?

Bobby – We talked about this on the Fox Soccer Report during the last Euro qualifying week of games. We mentioned that Scotland was in a position to become the “World Champions” if they beat Georgia but in turn Italy had the opportunity to hold both crown simultaneously if they then beat Scotland. And that is how it turned out.

djnima19 - Last week I heard Steve Cohen and Nick Geber (your fellow pundits at FSC) call for Italian clubs as well as the national team to be banned from all UEFA matches for a couple of years due to the violence from ultras, lax match fixing, and corruption. He noted that Juve are well back on their way to Serie a, and that one of the execs at Juve who resigned now sits on the Italian FA. Do you believe something that harsh is justified and if enforced, would it improve Serie A in the long run? He mentioned the England ban and how it improved the league.

Bobby – Last things first. After the Heysel disaster in 1985 the FA – under pressure from the UK government – withdrew English teams from European competition. UEFA banned English clubs – not the national team – from European competition after the FA withdrawal. Linking the ban on English clubs to how the league improved is not something that history supports. It is widely acknowledged that the turning point in the English game was the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster which had nothing to do with hooliganism. The Taylor Report recommended the upgrading of stadia including all-seater facilities for the top leagues in England and Scotland and that recommendation was pivotal in turning the game around in England. The Premier League, Sky TV etc are other critical elements but the Taylor Report was the first important step.

In fact the Taylor Report played a critical role in killing off a Thatcher government proposal that would have required all fans attending games in England to carry identity cards. This was the governments answer to combating hooliganism.

Suggesting that Italian football would be cleaned up if the national team and clubs were banned from European competition because it helped clean up the English game is faulty logic at best.

Finally if you cast your mind back to Euro 2000 which country was it that would have likely got tossed from the competition because of hooliganism but, as it was, they failed to qualify from the group stage – England was it not.

Henry 14 - What do you make of the claim that the Prem is becoming an old firm with United and Chelsea dominating an Liverpool to a certain extent, but there is a feeling that Arsenal are surely the club that could easily lose their top 4 status which to some extent l painfully agree with.

Bobby – The game has always had era’s of dominating teams and this one is no different. Check out how many league titles Liverpool won in the 70’s and 80’s.

MasMaz - Would like you to drop your objectivity, which you never do, and comment on Roy Keane. I believe you are a closet Man U supporter. What is your opinion of him? As a player and as a man.
-And do you think Henry will be back next year?

Bobby – MasMaz join the line up behind the others who think I am a Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, and Celtic fan! Keane was a fantastic player – one of the best I have ever seen – and he looks as if he could become a fascinating manager – as someone said he seems to have reinvented himself. However, I read his book and I thought it full of self-justification. Yes – Henry will be back next season even if he has to play full back.

Verbal97 - Beasley has just scored against Arsenal, which makes it 4 goals in 18 apps, not bad for a winger on Man City. He was easily the player of the match, though it was a dire match, against Liverpool. Why wouldn't Pearce, who made some cryptic comments yesterday, not want to make his loan deal permanent? He's got more goals than in 10 starts/18 apps than Corradi (a striker) does in 23 starts/28 apps, even on goals with Vassell (another striker) who has started 27 times/31 apps, and just 2 fewer than leading striker Samaras, who's started 19 times/38 apps.

Bobby – We don’t know what sort of money PSV is looking at plus we don’t really know how Beasley has applied himself since moving to City. Beasley has the pace and ability but something went wrong after a great start in Holland. However, I would hope that he does stick around and City signs him permanently.

Chelsea’s win over Norwich in the FA Cup 5th Round was of the routine variety. A deflected shot from Shaun Wright-Phillips just before half time set the Pensioners on their way. Didier Drogba put the game beyond Norwich with a goal early in the second half and then Essien and Shevchenko scored in injury time to give to scoreline a look that Norwich probably didn't deserve.

Now Chelsea faces a Premiership side for the first time this season although they do have home advantage once more. Tottenham provides the opposition and it is difficult to guess how Spurs reacted to the quarter final draw. On the positive side they did beat Chelsea 2-1 at White Hart Lane in November after falling behind to an early Claude Makelele goal. Conversely it was only the second time that Spurs had beaten Chelsea in their last 38 meetings.

Spurs looked to have finally got their season on track and although they continue to have trouble keeping the opposition off the score sheet the goals are flying in at the other end. Four straight wins in all competitions before the UEFA Cup match against Braga has seen Spurs score 14 goals.

The first win of this current run was 4-0 over Fulham in the FA Cup 5th round at Craven Cottage. This brought Tottenham’s goal tally in FA Cup to 11. Cardiff were beaten 4-0 in a replay (after 0-0), and other Championship side Southend went down 3-1.

Only Manchester United and Arsenal have won the FA Cup more often than Tottenham Hotspur but neither can match Spurs’ record of losing only once in the FA Cup final. Eight times Spurs have won the FA Cup (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982 and 1991) and the first win in 1901 was while playing in the Southern League. Spurs remains the only non-league to lift the trophy since the advent of the Football League in 1888.

The only loss came in 1987 to Coventry and even then a Spurs player scored the deciding goal. Clive Allen and Dave Bennett swapped goals in the first ten minutes of the Wembley final but a Brian Kilcline own-goal just on half time sent Spurs in with a 2-1 lead.
A flying header from Coventry striker Keith Houchen took the game into extra time and then Spurs centre back Gary Mabbutt’s knee gave Coventry the Cup as he deflected a cross passed his own goal keeper.

Chelsea and Tottenham met for the first time in the FA Cup nearly a century ago. In 1910 Spurs beat Chelsea 1-0 in the second round and since then Spurs have retained a slight edge with four wins, three losses and one draw. Chelsea knocked Spurs out of the FA Cup in both 1964 and 1965 but Spurs gained revenge two years later when faced each other in the Final for the only time. It was the first time that two London teams had made it to the final.

The record shows that Spurs were the much better side on the day and goals from Jimmy Robertson and Frank Saul gave them a comfortable lead even though Bobby Tambling pulled one back with five minutes to go.

The line ups read like a Legends game.
Tottenham Hotspur – Jennings; Kinnear, England, MacKay, Knowles; Robertson, Mullery, Venables, Saul; Greaves and Gilzean.
Chelsea – Bonetti; Harris (A), Hinton, Harris (R), McCreadie; Hollins, Cooke, Baldwin, Boyle; Tambling and Hateley.

The full quarter final draw can be found here and this is a link to the latest news from the official FA Cup website.

The FA Cup payments to clubs can be accessed here.

Past Featured Games
Extra Preliminary Round    Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A.  5-2    Billingham Synthonia.
Preliminary Round             Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A   5-4    Thackley F.C
First Qualifying Round        Fleetwood Town                   3-0    Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 
Second Qualifying Round  Fleetwood Town                   4-2    Goole AFC 
Third Qualifying Round      Fleetwood Town                   2-0    Warrington Town
Fourth Qualifying Round    Fleetwood Town                   2-0    Wisbech Town
First Round                         Salisbury City                        3-0    Fleetwood Town
Second Round                   Salisbury City                        1-1    Nottingham Forest
Second Round Replay       Nottingham Forest                 2-0    Salisbury City
Third Round                       Nottingham Forest                 2-0    Charlton 
Fourth Round                    Chelsea                                  3-0    Nottingham Forest
Fifth Round                       Chelsea                                  4-0    Norwich City

The Times “Fink Tank” ranks Europe’s top team with some interesting results.

Rob Hughes on the financial benefits of Champions League success.

A Spanish referee was busy this past weekend.

The first mention that I have come across about a suggested expansion of the European Championship from the present sixteen teams to possibly twenty-four.

Alan Hansen on Chelsea’s Shevchenko and Ballack.

First of all my aplogies to anyone who logged on earlier expecting to share half time and full time thoughts. My Internet service provider became my internet no-service provider this morning. Normal service has just been resumed.

And to the game. I enjoyed the game and the time flew past. There was always the threat o####oal or a controversial incident to keep me glued to the set. A share of the points I thought was fair over the ninety minutes with United no doubt regretting their failure to put Chelsea away in the first half.

United were terrific in the first half. The back fire was water tight and the midfield was much brighter and quicker in thought and deed than their Chelsea counterparts. With Giggs being given the freedom to room the United game plan seemed to consist of getting the ball to Ronaldo and allowing him to run free or alternatively, to move the ball quickly through the midfield and isolate Makelele.

The United goal started with Giggs popping up deep on the right side and the ball was quickly relayed to Saha. Saha showed the deftness of a pickpocket as he almost passed the ball into the net.

Mourinho’s key move was taking off Geremi (a lovely passer but not the most mobile of players) and slotting Essien in as a right wing back. We saw Essien’s versatility a couple of weeks ago against Tottenham as Chelsea tried to salvage the game. This time Essien did turn the game. He did a fine defensive job but he also provided Chelsea with much needed width on the right side and an extra man in midfield. I am pretty certain it was Essien who was up in the United penalty box and who forced the corner from which Carvalho scored.

I don’t think SAF will be disappointed in any of the performances from his players although Jose Mourinho is unlikely to feel the same way. It looks to me as if Claude Makelele is beginning to show his age against teams that move the ball quickly. Ballack and Shevchenko both disappointed and not for the first time this season.

Up to this season Mourinho’s teams have exceeded the sum of their parts - that is not the case this season. Chelsea is far from firing on all-cylinders. 

Finally a word about the referee Howard Webb who did a fine job.

Gunner 44 - I think what we should learn from this is the EPL is a marathon not a sprint. But even in a marathon you don't want to be last for a long time you have to keep moving up as the race goes on. But anyways on Friday I heard you say that you don't see Arsenal winning the title and I just have to ask why? Because I think they have as much chance of winning it as Man U and Chelsea.

Bobby – My reasoning is that as the weather deteriorates Arsenal will drop points. I am also not convinced that they have got their wide midfield and full back players sorted out and in particular the left hand side where have been playing without a naturally left footed player. With Clichy back it will help but he will need time to get back to full match fitness.

Manchesterboy4life - I am just wondering what you think of Man U having a strong start to both the premiership and Champions league and if you think they have the depth to go deep in Europe and still hold off the Blues on the home front? Also do you hear of maybe some transfer news that we who are not in the know may be oblivious to?

Bobby – I cannot see United succeeding on two fronts. If they get passed the last 8 in the Champions league I will be surprised. They look to me to be a side that looks better equipped to have a run at the league title. They have surprised me by scoring the number of goals they have this season so far.

USAEnglandfan - Bad to worse at West Ham... really breaks my heart because they were one of my favorite teams to watch last season, they have some of my favorite players, and Pardew has that easy-going air that I really like. I have only been able to watch a select few EPL games this season so I'm a bit out of the loop, but how are NRC and Benayoun doing? What can this slide be attributed to? It has to be something more than the Argies signings.

Speaking of which, I don't fully buy the Argentina-England incompatibility theory. Heinze has done fine, Arca was Sunderland's only bright spot and was pretty highly sought after in the EPL this summer, and am I wrong that D'Alessandro had a solid run at Portsmouth? Personally I think the issue is that most of the talented Argentinians are snapped up by Spain before the EPL cares to look.

Last question: West Ham has a decent amount of stars. If West Ham goes down, what big name guys do you guys think would sink with them?

Bobby – I have only seen a limited amount of West Ham games this season so I am probably not in a great position to comment…but. It appears to me that there is just a general malaise about their play. Zamora was on a good run early on but nobody else is picking up goals. I know Dean Ashton only played the second half of the season but I think he was a big reason why WHU finished strongly last season. I expected better this season…a lot better but we might be seeing that a number of the players just played over their heads last season.

Your comments about Argentine players are well stated. Just with any nationality – some will work out and some will struggle. Back in the late 70’s when Villa and Ardiles signed for Spurs was a fantastic success while Villa – despite his fantastic goal to beat Man City in the FA Cup – was a disappointment.

Djnima -  Very interesting article on Rosicky. I agree with the article in that Wenger is playing Rosicky out of his natural position. However, the professor has no alternative. I don't think he can play Rosicky and Cesc in the middle of the pitch without being soft at the back. Gilberto has to come into the equation to help out in defense. I think playing Rosicky on the wing to adapt him to the EPL will smooth out his transition.

I am not an arsenal fan but it has been such a pleasure to watch them play football!

Bobby – I agree that Rosicky is being played in a wide position to allow him to accustom himself to the Premiership. I still believe that Rosicky has been signed to replace Bergkamp and you will see him paired with Henry but just a little deeper.

neophyte -  Since we are on the subject of Keepers (I enjoyed that article about it being the safest spot on the field) who are your top three EPL Keepers? May I taint your opinion a bit--Is there anyone out there with as good of technique as Van Der Sar?

Bobby – The good ones to choose from: Van der Sar, Cech,  Lehmann (didn’t think I would ever say that), Friedel, Reina (last season), Robinson, Given and ….David James.

I will discount age. I would place Cech first, Van der Sar second and then I have trouble splitting Lehmann, Freidel and Given for third place.

bigdavedisaster - All this talk about the EPL lacking teams with skills is simply wrong in my opinion. I’ll put up the skills of Arsenal Man U and Chelsea (all of which I hate) up against the top three teams in any other league. As in most league the teams at the top with the players tend to play a more skilled "pretty" game while the lesser teams have to scrap and hustle for the few chances that they get. Comparing leagues is simply a matter of taste. It’s comparing apples to apples and the champions league helps do that.

Bobby – I have never understood the argument of which league is “the best” and fans dismissing leagues because the quality is poor. The beauty of the game is that it can be played in many different ways that emphasize different qualities and attributes. It is also a game that can be played at any skill level. To me the issue is not which is the best league, it is whether or not what you are watching entertains and engages you.

gooner17 - Maybe Hunt did or didn’t mean to hit Cech but how come no one is saying anything about Ferreira? iI was taught as a defender to shield off attackers to protect your keeper in those situations and to make sure the keeper wins the ball first. Instead he just points to where the ball is (like Cech couldn't see it) and lets his keeper get nailed. Ferreira should feel just as bad as Hunt.

Bobby – Excellent point on Ferreira. I saw another example today in the Chelsea game of something that shocked me. It was the second half and Shevchenko was in a central position and passed the ball to Lampard(?) in the inside left position. Shevchenko then made to go beyond Lampard and to move into a position around about the edge of the penalty box on the left.  I was taught never to run in front of a teammate who has the ball…..which is exactly what Shevchenko did. Shevchenko should have side stepped Lampard and made a run behind him which would have allowed Lampard to thread a ball through to Shevchenko who would have then been moving at full throttle. As it was Lampard had to hesitate because he could not pass the ball till Shevchenko was out of his way and by the time he could pass the ball Shevchenko had run into an offside position.

buffytvs - 1) Today Charlton reaffirmed their faith in Ian Dowie. Isn't such an announcement usually the immediate prelude to a firing?

2) Seems to me a disproportionate number of 'Goals of the Week' emanate from the MSL. Who picks these things?

Bobby – Aaah – the dreaded vote of confidence. Time for Ian Dowie to update his CV.
As for who picks the “Goals of the Week” – I have to say I don’t know. 

henry14 -  l have to say first congratulation to Liverpool and Chelsea, but when l look at their game it was one of the worst attitudes to football by Jose Mourinho, what was a back four quickly became a back seven, it was boring , similarily to the game arsenal played against CSKA Moscow, it was a miserable game , they had 8 men in the box which is a very poor approach, the performance does not give me much to think they can go all the way, what did you think watching the game

Bobby – I didn’t see the Arsenal game but I did watch Chelsea and Barcelona. It was a disappointing affair. Chelsea forced Barcelona to play into congested areas of the park and their tactics worked almost to perfection. Without Eto’o Barcelona is missing speed through the centre and that allowed the Chelsea defense to play tight on the forwards. If anyone was likely to score for Barcelona it looked to be Messi.

And finally there was a lot of discussion on the Cech injury and the role played by Stephen Hunt. My take is that there was no intention on the part of Hunt to injure Cech. Quite simply if you are going to go after someone you would put the boot in; you would not use your knee. You have to be an absolute #### to try to inflict injury by the use of a knee given that the odds are that you will come out the worst of it. Hunt was going full speed, Cech slid into his path and Hunt when to go to ground. Gravity takes over at that point and there is no way to avoid the collision.

Mourinho’s comments about the ambulance taking 30 minutes to get to the ground were another example of the Chelsea manager’s unfortunate tendency towards exaggeration in times of stress. Two seasons ago he said he saw Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard enter the dressing room of referee Anders Frisk at half-time only to have to back down and admit that he had never seen anything of the sort. Now he claims 30 minutes when the records apparently show the actual time taken was only 7 minutes. It is not an endearing trait of Jose’s.  

A whole series of questions relating to Makelele foul on Angel as he broke free and Zokora’s blatant dive.

bliss_street - Makelele's tackle on Angel would have earned him an unnecessary roughness penalty in the NFL. I wondered whether referee Graham Poll was going to give him a straight red card or let him off with a yellow. Imagine how flabbergasted I was when he made no call at all!

henry14 - I have to say they is a tendency for Chelsea to go away with the most decisions, on all their games l have seen they have been given fair decisions on penalties, but the officials were not consistent when they are guilty, l felt Makelele deserved a straight red card. The most outrageous decision to me was the way Zokora sunk so low to fall to the ground, it is one thing to make the most of a tackle but to fall to the ground is tacking cheating to unprecedented levels. I think the FA should ban players who do so for games if they go unpunished in the game, because it is so unprofessional

AlexMorph - I'll probably be immensely unpopular for suggesting this, but I think that Angel played Makelele for the foul because he knew that he couldn't outrun him. The Frenchman was right on his tail, running off to the side a bit, and Angel showed him his back without bringing the ball. He went across the direction of the ball and Make ran into him (ok, he didn't have to use his arms), so the ref probably saw it as obstruction from the Villa striker.

travel_coach - Since the ref. made no call on Zokora's dive in the Pompey game, cannot the FA review the incident and penalize Zokora with some time off and a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct?

Ducky_Jones -  I've read comments from Glenn Hoddle & Tony Adams about the Zokora phantom penalty; they're calling him a cheater and that if he wants to stay in the EPL he can't do that sort of thing. Is there a double standard in how they treat foreign players compared to English ones? I've seen Rooney dive in the area and get the penalty call. I'm sure that I've seen other English players do the same thing. What gives?

bigdavedisaster - As a Spurs supporter in the EPL I can not defend Didier Zokora’s dive. There is no place for it in football except for apparently the EPL, La Liga, Serie A Champions league (Giggs) the world cup and just about all the other leagues and competitions until something is done it will only get worse! As long as diving continues to produce results it is here to stay in today’s big dollar global football world were wins mean so much....oh and with all those dollars come all those cameras so we can see the dive from all angles as to be sure not to miss one

Bobby – I have watched the challenge by Makelele on Angel and in my opinion Makelele was very lucky to stay on the park let alone get away without even a foul being given against him. Angel is not the quickest forward in the Premiership but he was in front of the Chelsea player, heading for the goal with the ball under his control. I can agree that Angel played for the foul but the ball was always within his playing distance so an obstruction call couldn’t be given by Graham Poll. Makelele was all over Angel – Chelsea was very fortunate in that situation.

In terms of Zokora the FA’s position would be that the referee made his decision and so calling Zokora to account for the dive would be undermining the ref’s decision. If Zokora had punched Mendes off the ball without an official seeing it then video evidence could be used as the referee did not make a decision.

However in the case of the elbow Thatcher threw at Mendes – and connected with – the referee gave a yellow card but the FS still used video evidence. Although I can see the difference – the Thatcher decision involved further punishment of a foul correctly called by the referee versus what would essentially be the retroactive overturning of a referee decision – it does not seem to me to be that great a leap to make sure that dives such as the one by Zokora are punished using video evidence. Bringing the game into disrepute is a pretty good catch-all for something like this I would think.   

And yes – there is a double standard in terms of diving. Foreign players are singled out. Diving may not have been so prominent before foreign players became more prevalent but it was definitely there.

davard - Could you please explain the Makelele/France situation to me? Can a player not retire internationally but still play in a domestic league? Does this mean McClaren could, within his rights, declare Paul Scholes onto the nat’l team, with or without his consent? In fact, he should, just to see Fergie's reaction.

Bobby – We went over this one a couple of weeks back if I remember correctly. I don’t believe FIFA anticipated their rule that a player can be suspended if he doesn’t report for international duty would used to force a player into reporting when he had already announced his international tournament. The rule was imposed to try and deal with situations where players were being pressured into calling off “injured” after being named to a national team. Your point is well taken. McClaren could name Scoles to the squad and force a suspension if he didn’t turn up. The obvious solution is for FIFA to create a register of retired international players. Then the likes of Makelele would register his retirement and would not have to bother with the antics of Domenech. 

neophyte - Great pieces on the Yanks at Reading. We have been following them in our household. They are everyone’s favorite 2nd team. Question: Why doesn't USSOCCER promote the Americans abroad? I would think they would be the poster kids for the up and coming generation.

Did you see Villarreal against Zaragoza? Riquelme put on a show! Note to the rest of La Liga, do not make him mad. You won't like him when he's angry. I think the press in Argentina pushed too far and now they (the Argentines) will be looking even more troubled against their South American competition.

Bobby – I guess the question is better put to the USSF. However, what would they promote – that Reading has two US players? I think US soccer fans know that so they would really be preaching to the choir.
I didn’t see the Zaragoza – Villarreal match but I have noticed that Villarreal’s performances have improved over the last couple of weeks and they are moving up La Liga – to my relief seeing that I picked them to finish third!

spike24 - What do you think about Reading's Ibrahima Sonko? It seems he must be considered one of the surprising standouts of the new season. The only games Reading has failed to get a result were the ones he missed from his red card. And in the games he has played, he's been a dominating force - neutralizing Rooney against Man Utd, and coming up with tackles and deflections to preserve 1-0 wins against West Ham and Man City.

Will we see him playing as a French International any time soon? I understand that since he's never played for the top squad, his time at Senegal does not invalidate him from playing for France.

Bobby – I am holding judgment just a little bit longer on individual performances from Reading. As a team I think they are an entertaining team to watch and their goalscorers will get enough goals to keep them out of relegation trouble. However, after so few games we will have to wait and see who is playing above their normal level. I understand he was ready to join Senegal for an African Cup of Nations qualifier this weekend but called off through injury.

gregz – What’s the deal with Shevchenko? He is a much more lethal striker than Drogba and yet Drogba has been totally outshining him. I wonder though is it a case of Sheva making Drogba look good because he attracts so much attention from defenders which leaves Drogba open to score goals. And what of Tevez is it too early to expect anything good from him.

Bobby – I think generally fans have unrealistic expectations when big signings move to another club and sometimes another country. I am convinced that Shevchenko will come good. At the moment Drogba is carrying the load in fine style. As for Tevez and Mascherano – it far too early to tell.

wickedzoot - Regarding the West Ham meltdown. I saw a not on the rumors page that at least one of the Argentines is already bucking for a transfer. I kinda lost track after that. Was that smoke? I haven't seen much reporting on WH lately so I wonder if I've missed something. Will they get a chance to turn things around or are we just waiting for the next window to see where they go?

Bobby – It is a normal type of rumour when a player has moved in a high profile transfer and success hasn’t been immediate. There was the ridiculous story earlier this week that Shevchenko was heading back to Milan in January. At the moment the Argentine pair have not made an impression and so what other European teams would be looking to step in anyway? I find it interesting the Chelsea conspiracy theorists have gone strangely quiet since the pair arrived and WH has not won a game since. 

MeanSucka - Becks' work rate seems to have greatly increased since being brought off the bench, most notably against Dinamo Kiev. Think he was gunning for inclusion on the England squad? Or trying to get back in Capello's starting 11? Or both?

The shot of he and Ronaldo sitting on the bench at the beginning of the game was interesting. I guess they're discussing the best places to live in the states! Now if we could only get an MLS franchise here in Miami - especially since we recently lost our only draw - Romario.

Bobby – I think the chances of a Beckham recall to the England national team is very low. But one thing is for sure – he will not be called up by Steve McClaren if he is not a first choice for Fabio Capello.

Venti-vidi-vici – Many people (Jose Mourinho included) seem to think that Inter Milan is, ON PAPER, one of, if not, the best club teams in the world. Crespo-Ibrahimovic-Adriano is arguably the best trio of strikers anywhere, along with Figo, Vieira, Cambiasso, Solari and Stankovic in midfield and a very experienced back-four, Inter should amount to a formidable force. I guess, like Real Madrid teams of recent years, it’s not always about the sum of the parts. Unfortunately, most of the Inter team is (or at least acts) semi-retired !!!!

On the other hand, Milan is simply trying to get used to life without Sheva. Gilardino had an excellent first season at the club, and if Oliveira can find the form which saw him claim the La Liga scoring title, the two can form a lethal partnership for many years. In the mean time Sheva is very sorely missed. The midfield of Gattuso, Pirlo Kaka’, Seedorf, now in their fourth or fifth year together, can play from memory, and Gourcuff (incredible potential) will fit in nicely. The back four with Nesta, Simic, Jankulovski and Kaladze, along with the elder statesmen of the game, is one of the stingiest in Europe. Do you think it will all come together for the rossoneri?

Speaking of Milan’s defense what do you think of the careers of Milan’s aging defenders, Cafu, Costacurta and, in particular, Maldini? Paolo represented Italy 126 times, including 23 consecutive World Cup finals games (all starts), losing a final, a semi and a quarter all on penalties, and losing the final of Euro 2000. He has played in seven Champions League/Champions Cup finals (winning four), and holds the record for the fastest goal ever scored in a UCL final. He is in his 23rd season with Milan’s senior squad and has now played over 800 games in all competitions for Milan. He is the first and only defender (excluding goalies) ever to win the World Player of the Year Award (1994). When he retires at the end of this season, where will he rank among the all time greats of the game?

Note: When Maldini made his debut for Milan, he played alongside Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley, and a couple of his current teammates were not yet born!

And who are your top 5 midfields?

 
Bobby – I was surprised that Milan did not make more moves in the summer. The Milan midfield looks to be a solid unit once again but they have relied on the full backs to give them width. When the full backs fail to get forward Milan tends to become a bit predictable. Maldini has been the greatest defender of his generation and history will consider him one of the greatest ever – right up there with Franco Baresi. The World Player of the Year title he won was from the publication “World Soccer” rather than thee FIFA award. If FIFA has any sense at all they should present Maldini with a special award for services to the game and to recognize his outstanding play over 20 years at the end of this year.

Top 5 midfields? I am assuming current midfields. In no particular order I would have Milan in the top group and Chelsea – more on potential than current form though. Barcelona has to be included. If Alonso could find his form again then Liverpool would be another. Valencia would have to come into the reckoning especially if Vicente can stay fit and once Joaquin settles in. Given that Lyon have lost two excellent midfield players over the last two seasons and they are still producing great football then they would also be up for consideration.

buffytvs - You missed listing another atrocious call -- the blatant handball on Paul Scholes' shot by a Newcastle defender (whose name I've blotted out I think) was ignored. The Richard Dunne block I've never seen a good enough angle on, but it looked really su####ious too.

Bobby – I am surprised that there is not more debate over handballs. The appropriate section of law 12 states “A direct free kick is … awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following ….offences: handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)”.

Liverpool fans will find the bracketed section ironic I am sure. It is what constitutes deliberately that is the problem. It seems to me that for many referees the rule is flexible and has much to do with where the “offence” occurs on the field.

Richard Dunne did very well to save the ball and not with his hand either.