From a neutral perspective, you deserved to win. Only reason you didnt was due to last-ditch defending from the Chelsea defenders, and poor finishing.

Thanks bloodred!

First half was shocking from both sides, played mostly at walking pace - actually dire.

Second half we came out lively, Ade should've scored but Cahill made a great saving block. Bale frustrated all game with hopeful long-range shots and refusing to stay on the left for more than a minute at a time.

I wouldn't worry about staying up late/getting up early for MOTD

Thanks for that bales, Im hoping this game will give us alittle bit of momentum for the run in and a bit of confidence. Fingers crossed!

Why is Harry so keen on giving Bale a free role? Was he not far more effective on the left? Chelsea had Bosingwa at right back today - I reckon Bale could have made a mug of him had he played there.

Fingers crossed indeed, sure the speech will go well

I was hoping you were going to win today.

how was the wedding ?

Bloodred

Bale was more effective on the left when he first broke into the first team, and at the beginning of last season. The problem was that after he destroyed Maicon he was being marked out of every game. This is no doubt where the idea came from, and for much of this season it's worked.

However when Lennon's out this leaves us with no width.. why Harry stuck with it today is anyone's guess

Bãle's left boot (U9410)

This is no doubt where the idea came from, and for much of this season it's worked.
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When was that exactly?

Right up till Capello resigned kimchibaka.. did you not notice how well we've been doing all season? Actually, it stopped working so well after we signed Saha and Harry had to play him in every game

it just shows how badly we need some pace on the right. you cant double mark everyone.

Exactly JPB

Bale's - Bale mincing about the park hasn't worked at all, ever. The fact we were doing so well was despite that, not because of it (and in any case he's mainly been doing it since New Year - if you like you can contrast our form before then to after, then please post the results back here).

You're talking nonsense

You clearly disagree with me kimchibaka - fair enough - but there's no need to be rude

From what I remember Bale has been doing it to varying degrees all season, for example against Norwich in December:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxbGWExZ400

You clearly disagree with me kimchibaka - fair enough - but there's no need to be rude
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Jpb - the wedding is going well, nobody heard my best man speech and its a free bar. Happy days! Sounds like we did enough to win but didn't quite have it in the final third

No rudeness meant mate, honestly, so sorry if you took it like that - we are all passionate fans and sometimes we make our points in the heat of the moment and they may be taken the wrong way, peace

Back to your point, OK, Bale did it well against Norwich and in bursts against Newcastle till he went off, but apart from that I can't remember a single instance where it's worked all season, so they're not typical. My point is it's made us worse not better. I don't think I'm the only fan on here who's deeply frustrated by the role Bale's increasingly been playing since Christmas, and imo it's cost us points. Have you watched the last four or five games where BAE constantly gets the ball in wide-left areas, in acres of space, only to do nothing with it? Shouldn't that be where Bale is, rather than mucking around in the centre when the ball never even gets there?

How about the four or five times today when he was waltzing across the CM position from one flank to the other and got in Modric's way? Do you not think we have enough in CM with Parker, Modric, VDV (who strays there) Sandro and now Bale as well?

Did we not score against Bolton when he was actually on the left, did a great job there, and put in a tremendous ball?

Like I said, contrast our form before all this free role nonsense started this year with our form after and please post the stats - I'd love to see them.

chill out chewbacka.

Have a smoke and calm down there JPS. See what I did there? Clever, huh? Dunno what inspired me

Fair enough Kimchibaka, however repeatedly inisting that I find stats is very confrontational - what makes you think i'd do anything you ask of me? Regardless, where are your stats? They won't prove anything either way - as you say - games can be won and lost in spite of a single player or because of them. You could just as easily put our new year form down to players leaving, new ones joining, and speculation surrounding Harry.

I am not especially a fan of Bale moving in off the left but the reasoning is sound. He was being marked out of games and he has got goals from different positions this season - as I illustrated. I also would bring to mind the game against Everton in January where he repeatedly pulled Baines out of position leaving big holes in their defence.

Bale stuck almost (save for a short period) exclusively on the left against Stoke and was nullified - the opposition know how to deal with him now. As i said in my earlier post - this tactic makes sense IF we still have some pace down the wings in the form of Lennon. Who has also missed more games than he's played this year.

So neither of us can hope to be "right" about this - unless you have some highly detailed statistics combining Bale's touches of the ball, completed passes, crosses, assists, goals and results. And some kind of algorithm that incorporates the team as a whole. Not forgetting the relative stats of each team we were playing against. Impossible.

So for now we will have to agree to disagree. You seem certain that it never has and never will work. I propose that it can, and has worked - but only if we have a winger that will stay wide when Bale doesn't.

i thought it was interesting seeing adebayor picking the ball up on the left today. he seemed a bit frustrated that there was nobody out there in that role. unfortunately he hasnt got the cross on him that bale's got.

Indeed JPB, I thought it was interesting how he kept carrying the ball inside from that position as if to encourage the overlap. He must want some crosses coming in

Fair enough mate, we will have to agree to disagree (but I am right ).

I asked just for simple results with Bale in that role and without it (the results, statistically, are black and white btw), but you avoided that and now you're asking for algorithms and all sorts, which is going a bit far for me. I just watch every game and see what I think works and what doesn't, it's not rocket science. Bale's free role doesn't work for me, rarely has. I posted some questions (e.g. about him and Modric getting tangled up four or five times in the centre today, presumably because neither knew what the other was doing etc) which you've avoided answering. I never said it 'will never work' but what it has done so far, in my opinion, is cost us (so far) what should have been a nailed-on third place.

Thing is kimchibaka - the reason I went off on one about the stats - is that it's pretty impossible to definitively say which position he was in for each game

I missed those questions because you wrote quite a lot and my post was long enough already. Yes, you're right - Benny does seem lost with the ball when Bale's not in front of him. I can't say i particularly noticed him and Modric getting in each other's way today, more that Modric got frustrated with him shooting from the edge of the box all the time.

I think it's a bit harsh to blame Bale's positioning for our poor run of form but your opinion is yours and i'm not going to change it

Laters