Heeeeeeeeere's the RATINGSSSSS!!!!

[rebel23]

Play well consistently over the season.

ok, i'll get back to you, but I think you'll find he's picking up right where he left off for Sociedad; scoring important goals and being a key player. let's hope it continues

[Rehan]

do you not think that scoring an important goal on your debut that might be worth as much as £15-20m to the club in financial terms is not 'doing well'?

Yeah i think he did really well today, scored a good goal and put an excellent cross in aswel.

I think some people are expecting too much off him though, it will probs take him a while to settle but made a good start

[Rosco]

ok, i'll get back to you, but I think you'll find he's picking up right where he left off for Sociedad; scoring important goals and being a key player. let's hope it continues

He played a couple of stinkers and came off the bench for three minutes.

I think he's going to get kicked around in the beginning, and he's not quite strong enough yet to deal with it. In saying that though he does already look a bit stronger than he did when he played Ireland.

[disco]

He played a couple of stinkers and came off the bench for three minutes.

I think he's going to get kicked around in the beginning, and he's not quite string enough yet to deal with it. In saying that though he does already look a bit stronger than he did when he played Ireland.

I thought he was Chile's best player vs Ireland.

HOWEVER, I was on holiday, had had several beers and had my red-tinted spectacles on

[Don Quixote]

I want to argue, but I'm agreeing with you?!

Let's go by last season, because we haven't seen yet how they'll use Drogba and Schevchenko

Makelele = Alonso
Essien = Sissoko
Lampard = Gerrard
Robben = Kewell/Gonzales
Cole/Duff = Pennant
Drogba = Crouch/Bellamy

Chelsea played all the formations I mentioned with the same 6 players.

Gerrard played mostly on the right. And Essien spent some time doing Makelele's job, so it's difficult to make that comparison.

I'm just talking about the shape of the teams.

Chelsea:

*with the ball*
---Cole Drogba Robben
-Lampard Makelele Essien

*without the ball*
----------Drogba
Cole Lampard Essien Robben
---------Makelele


Us:

*with the ball*
----------Crouch
----Kewell Garcia Gerrard
-------Alonso Sissoko

*without the ball*
-----------Crouch
-----------Garcia
Kewell Alonso Sissoko Gerrard

[Shaggy]

I think your being kind on Riise, I thought he was awful. 4/10 at best IMO.

Hear ****ing hear. Riise was woeful all night, as was the hapless Zenden. I never want to see him playing left wing again.

[red g]

He played a couple of stinkers and came off the bench for three minutes.

I think he's going to get kicked around in the beginning, and he's not quite string enough yet to deal with it. In saying that though he does already look a bit stronger than he did when he played Ireland.

thought he did well against ireland?? only saw the highlights mind

[rebel23]

He played a couple of stinkers and came off the bench for three minutes.

I think he's going to get kicked around in the beginning, and he's not quite string enough yet to deal with it. In saying that though he does already look a bit stronger than he did when he played Ireland.

what stinkers? i've always seen him give his best in competitive match's, tonight was no exception. he's a very good player

[Rosco]

I thought he was Chile's best player vs Ireland.

HOWEVER, I was on holiday, had had several beers and had my red-tinted spectacles on

He was good but the best player was the baldy No.26 in centre midfield (sorry I don't know his name! I didn't buy a program.... €42 to see Gonzalez was enough that evening)

[red g]

Hear ****ing hear. Riise was woeful all night, as was the hapless Zenden. I never want to see him playing left wing again.

i will drink my last stella to that!! I think Zenden will be this seasons smicer(not champion league smicer) he isnt going to play enogh to get into his stride.

[singlerider]

Reina: 6 - Little more than a spectator for most of the game, made one good save, leaked a goal that wasn't really his fault.

Finnan: 7 - Mr Consistency, didn't put a foot wrong except for one dodgy moment. Overlapped well.

Hyppia: 7.5 - Solid

Carra: 7.5 - Solid

Riise: 5 - Slightly worse than mediocre, at fault for the goal, looked unconvincing in defence and offered little in attack. Bad game.

Zenden: 5 - Anonymous. Except when he stood out for being pants.

Xabi: 7 - Found Pennant time after time - and Gonzales for the goal. Think he'll really benefit from having speedy wingers to pick out.

Sissoko: 7.5 - 2nd best player on the pitch. Broke up their game again and again, showed some nifty feet and some good passing. Just wish he'd learn to keep his shots out of the rafters.

Pennant: 8 - Our best player. Always an option, worked his socks off, raped his fullback all night long. Only criticism I'd make (and it sort of isn't valid, as he was only doing what we bought him for) was that somtimes I thought he might get some joy from being a little more selfish, cutting in and going for goal himself (but then we did buy him because we wanted a winger to provide us with width, so what am I saying )

Gerrard: (by his standards) 5.5 - Never really got the game by the scruff of the neck as we're used to, but then again never really played in the right position, so . . . otherwise showed the usual brilliance in terms of great touches and vision, eye for a pass etc. Lets just hope we don't see him wasted like that too often.

Bellamy: 7.5 - Good debut, made a nuisance of himself, took his goal very well, had a slight tendency to drift out to the wing and leave no-one in the middle, but is that his fault or the gaffer's? Anyway - already looks like a good great signing.

Garcia: 7 - Good performance, at times inspiring to watch, didn't really frustrate other than a few "Ohhh, if only . . ." moments, which to be fair were more down to decent defending (or $hit refereeing ) than a lack of effort/quality on his part.

Crouch: 6 - Didn't really do anything of note (except fluff a couple of half chances) but gets marked up purely because having him on the pitch terrified the defenders and created more room for everyone else.

Gonzales: 7 - Very well taken goal. The briefest of cameos and *adopts Brucie voice* didn't ee do well? Hopefully all of this 'best thing since sliced bread' hype has gone to his head and he believes he's the messiah, the buddha and roy of the rovers all rolled into one. Start as you mean to go on son

Rafa: 4.5/5 - Poor. Bad formation, slightly made up for it with substitutions, but still shot himself in the foot by not quite knowing what to do with Stevie. So much for "We're gonna build the team around him" eh? SACK HIM! Errr, on second thoughts - you've got till we win the league and then it's "THANKS FOR THE PREM NOW FCUK OFF!"

Officials: 3 - How that dirty cheating whinging little fcuk from Brazil (forgotten his name already, but you know the one - he scored the goal) was still on the pitch after taking a swing at Xabi, not to mention diving all over the shop and putting it about a bit, is quite beyond me. Add to that several bizarre decisions and dodgy calls and if you ask me they had a shocker tonight, but hey ho.

[disco]

Don, I think we're talking about the same thing from different angles and just annoying the **** out of each other

IF we play Alonso, Gerrard, Sissoko fairly central (with Gerrard and/or Sissoko more attacking) with 2 of Kewell/Gonzales/Pennant/Garcia and 1 of Fowler/Bellamy/Crouch, then our set-up would be very similar to Chelsea's last year.

[Rosco]

what stinkers? i've always seen him give his best in competitive match's, tonight was no exception. he's a very good player

Where have I said he's not a good player , just out of interest.

I remember you getting all worked up on Koptalk about this too. Should I bring a whole bunch if sticks with me next time i visit here so you can grab the wrong end of each one of them too ?

[red g]

He played a couple of stinkers and came off the bench for three minutes.

I think he's going to get kicked around in the beginning, and he's not quite strong enough yet to deal with it. In saying that though he does already look a bit stronger than he did when he played Ireland.

he did say picking up from soceidad .....played 3minutes, great cross, great goal.....great start to his career

[Shaggy]

Was it me or did Pennant and Finnan look like they've been playing together for years?

I didn't realise Pennant hugged the line quite so much, and he appears particularly adept at whipping great crosses in from seemingly lost causes/blind alleys. I like.