In the last State of the Squad I talked about are current back line. So now it's time to address some of the backups on the back line and at goal keeper.


Henrique Hilario: Ah Hilarious. There's really no need for him to be a paid football player at this club. For some time I've been hoping he would just find his way back to Portugal and end his career there, yet he still hangs on. He'll be here next year, but don't expect to see him on the field.

Ross Turnbull: He's really in a similar boat to Hilario. No real need for him, decent backup I suppose. There was a time when he was considered to have some potential but that was a while ago. I would rather see Rhys Taylor or another one of our young goalie's to get the backup spot.

Jose Bosingwa: The man with the unibrow is one of the most interesting players we have on Chelsea. He has a habit of breaking long spouts of poor play with tremendous game. His offensive "prowess" is a largely a myth as far as I'm concerned, Ivanovic has an equal attacking skill to him. It would be best for everybody if he was offloaded in the summer for 5 million pounds or so (for some reason I can't find the british pound symbol on my key board).

Paulo Ferreira: Paulo has been a great player for us for so long and I don't think that has to end. Some analysts and fans have been calling for his departure but I couldn't disagree more. Paulo comes up big in situations where we have injury issues. He makes smart decisions defensively and offensively and provides a good veteran prescience (I assume).

Gary Cahill: The former Bolton man's form for the Wanderers in the early part of this season made many (including me) cringe at the purchase and Cahill's high wages. To be honest, he's really proved all his doubters wrong. Cahill has been solid in every aspect of his defending and assured in his passing. These consistent performances bode well for his Chelsea future.

Ryan Bertrand: The young left back has carved out a nice role as Ashley Cole's student this year. However, next season we should be looking for Bertrand to take on more starts if he is realistically going to be "The New Ashley Cole" (Don't you hate when the media call someone that). I'd like to see him and Van Aanholt rotate at Left Back eventually.