The Fat Waiters FC

First topic message reminder :

Brief:

Team Wilshere
Marky
Zebs
Hero - CAPTAIN
Gregers
Afro

The second task - DEADLINE 2359 ON THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER - is as follows:

You are Rafael Benitez, recently appointed as Interim Chelsea Manager. You want the job on a full-time basis. To get the job, your mandate from the owner is this - win the league, get to at least the semi-final of the Champions League, and win the FC Cup like last year. In order to do this, you can buy/sell as many players as you want in the January transfer window. In addition to funds raised, Abramovich has given you £50m to spend.

So that's it - win stuff, spend some money to do so. What I want from you is the detailed plans you would put together - from now until Christmas how you'll set up, who you'll buy in January, and how your team will set up from then until the end of the season.

Hero, you are the Captain of Team Wilshere, and Trebs, you are the Captain of Team Scholes. Please ask questions if you need any clarity.

Lord Azzy Mahmood

Will do at lunch Hero mate, shall we have a bit on how Benitez can turn the fans around?

I'm struggling for time atm, but will try and get something to you this afternoon.

ZZZ - we have three sets to do (pre Jan CL, pre Jan League and post Jan), which do you want to do. Just let me know which one(s) I need to do and I'll get on with them.

On Fellaini, he can play DM, but he definately at his most effective playing box to box.

ZZZ - we have three sets to do (pre Jan CL, pre Jan League and post Jan), which do you want to do. Just let me know which one(s) I need to do and I'll get on with them.

Im happy to take the CL match.
Do you want to do Post Jan Prem?

Then for Pre Jan Prem we can collectivly do it.

Okay.

Can we agree on formations and teams first so that we aren't to wildly different.

On the pre-Jan ones, I strongly feel the key is getting the best out of our only striker and there is no point carrying on with Chelsea's current formation/approach as it has proven ineffective

Can we agree on formations and teams first so that we aren't to wildly different.
On the pre-Jan ones, I strongly feel the key is getting the best out of our only striker and there is no point carrying on with Chelsea's current formation/approach as it has proven ineffective

I was going to stick with the current formation 4-2-3-1 and drop Hazard in behind Torres, get him playing off him, Mata & Oscar on the wings.

So more of a 4-4-1-1 really?

If I was Azzy, I could really easily highlight how 4-2-3-1 does not work for Torres, negating our only real choice of striker.

I don't think the pre-Jan CL and pre-Jan league will be that different then.

I'm thinking then post jan transfers...

I don't think the pre-Jan CL and pre-Jan league will be that different then.

Agreed. Id say:

Your Post Jan above looks fine.

Line up pretty much done. Style of play?
Going on Real Life chelase are better attacking than defending.
Terry should bring the cohesion back to the defence. Drop Luiz as he is erratic at times, we need nice and steady.

I agree. I still think its need to be shown as a 4-4-1-1, rather than 4-2-3-1 for the reasons around Torres that I mentioned earlier.

Ask me to prove why 4-2-3-1 doesn't work with Torres - easy. Ask me the same with 4-4-1-1 and I can only theorise why it doesn't work with Torres, and in fact give you examples of him playing well in it at Liverpool

Tell me to leave it if none of you agree and I will shut up

More like that then

That is what I would look at doing for the Torres reasons.

Others may disagree

Id say roll with it. Get Hero to confirm first?

Courtois/Fellaini done

Zinedine_Ze_Zebra wrote:Id say roll with it. Get Hero to confirm first?

Confirmed, looking good so far guys, great write up on the two transfers by Gregers as well

If you want me to write anything else let me know mate

Afro, how attacking do you want to play Pre Jam CL & League?
As Ivan & Cole can push up and overlap allowing Oscar & Mata inside which means I would have Mikel sitting deep and staying there as to cover & protect our CB's

Exactly my thinking Zidane.

With the FBs, Ivan/Cole or Azpili/Cole, we should utilise their attacking ability, so Mikel sitting to protect is a good plan. I will do the same, but with Ramires and Fellaini sharing the responsiblity

How long are tactics supposed to be?

Nothing on the scale of your weekly tactics guys.
Just clear instructions with your reasoning behind why you think that.

Anyone want Jenkinson?

I'll do my short write up this evening and PM it to Hero.

Cheers Marky

Well played lads

A good team effort.

Got to say I was surprised at Azzy liking the M'Vila signing. I can't think of a worse player to bring into a dressing room that is already full of egos.

I didn't get the issue with Lukaku, considering he'd only be 3rd choice, but he's 3rd choice at WBA anyway!

I was the same with Ivanovic at CB, not RB, but we won anyway, so who cares

M'Vila - I think his 'attitude' is like Pogba's, over-inflated by the media and not a problem on the pitch.

Lukaku is second-choice at the Albion, but ALWAYS gets on the pitch. And he gets chances, gets on the ball, scores goals. With Cavani and Torres, he'd never get a chance.

Chelsea did brilliantly earlier in the season with Ivanovic at RB, at CB he's good but his best comes from RB in my book.

M'Vila (IMO) would be an awful signing for Chelsea

Fair enough. Different opinions is what makes the game so enjoyable.

Ivanovic has been brilliant at RB, but I think Rafa will want to make them more solid at the back, so Ivanovic will move to CB IRL as well IMO.


I would say the fact M'Vila has been banned from the French team for 4 years, given the personalities they put up with, says it all about him. He is also seriously overrated as a player, but that is neither here nor there

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Lukaku is second-choice at the Albion, but ALWAYS gets on the pitch. And he gets chances, gets on the ball, scores goals. With Cavani and Torres, he'd never get a chance.

Far be it for me to question your WBA knowledge, but don't both Odemwingie and Long start ahead of Lukaku?

And as we're the managers and tacticians, who's to say he wouldn't get a chance? In my write up I mentioned having him as an impact sub, to provide the Drogba option that isn't there anymore. And 3 strikers, when City and United have 4, is hardly too much. We'd need that third striker IMO.

Although what's done is done, and a great task

We play

Foster
Jones-McAuley-Olsson-Ridgewell
Mulumbu-Yacob
Odemwingie-Morrison-Gera/Brunt
Long

And he always comes on for Long, or starts ahead of him.

Lukaku was at Chelsea last year when Sturridge was injured and they only had Torres, yet still didn't get the games. He hates the club, hates the owner, and would really hate being stuck behind Cavani and Torres. Because let's face it, with Cavani on the pitch, there's no need for extra goals is there?

Fair enough about WBA, but him not being picked last season was under a different manager.

If Cavani and Torres were both on the pitch and not playing very well, and Chelsea were chasing the game, would you not put Lukaku on for one of them?

M'Vila (IMO) would be an awful signing for Chelsea

It would be dodgy for any big team signing him. I honestly think he wont do much in his career now.

Zinedine_Ze_Zebra wrote:

M'Vila (IMO) would be an awful signing for Chelsea

It would be dodgy for any big team signing him. I honestly think he wont do much in his career now.

To be fair I don't think he was ever that great, Capoue is likely to become a far better player

M'Vila has one great season and one decent season. Since then he has had an average year and a half believing his own hype.

The disruption he has caused at Rennes is ridiculous as well.

No one will touch him with a barge pole now

There are 3 or 4 DMs who will be ahead of him in the pecking order for France, had he been available that is.

In fact Joey Barton would be ahead of him for France these days


Genuinely, M'vila is no better an option than Barton at DM, yet Azzy has it as a good thing. I think he has lost his marbles

Genuinely, M'vila is no better an option than Barton at DM, yet Azzy has it as a good thing. I think he has lost his marbles

No comment.
Pogba is ahead of him IMO.