ChelseaYankee

On forbes and this site, they list Mansour only at "only" 4.9 billion (US currency) in net wealth. http://www.ameinfo.com/191222.html I admit I'm not an expert on who runs the Man City clown car. It may be a joint investment, but I do think even City have limits on how much they can spend and it's not so much more than everyone else in the football world. I'm just speculating on their intentions. I give you that. But that's all anyone can do at this point. When I listen to what they've said in the press, that's the impression I've came away with. They kept talking about how this was going help with their side of the world--developing football over there and changing the world's perception of them. It wasn't much about Man City except for to say they were using the team as the means to that end. Again, that's how I interpreted their remarks.

How much are they worth? 8 Billion? How much have they spent (total, not just on players)? 500 million? Although I've just made up the numbers that's 1/16th of their wealth already in just under a year. That's not small fry at all. I think it's all about them trying to show the world they are a force to be reckoned with more than it's a love for Man City or the EPL or the game itself. I'm sure they like soccer, but this is all about trying to impress the world with their opulence. They want to control and dominate the world's number one sport. Total short man's syndrome. I think they could stay for a long while, but if they don't get results they might be leaving sooner rather than later with their tails tucked between their legs off for some easier exploits to capitalize on.

You got me, I thought "less class" was going coming after "sh*t load." :)

For anybody who watched through ESPN, didn't Harkes call Lampard a defensive midfielder at one point? Gawd, I hate that guy. He and the other guy don't seem to watch much international ball. They say the names of some of the best players in the world wrong and don't know much about them.

What did you guys think of Carvalho's performance? It seems like guys were covering for him being out of position. Everytime a "Sounder" would break through he was no where to be found it seemed. I couldn't find him anyway. The picture was zoomed out though, it was hard for me to figure out who was who. Ballack seemed anonymous as well. Di Santo had the worst the luck. 3 great chances somehow didn't go in. Sheva made some interesting plays. Really pushed forward a lot. I thought he looked promising despite douchebag Harkes' opinion. Pizarro seemed out of position or overlapping with others too much. I think he needs to play with a different group up front to get a better evaluation. Sinclair also looked harmless.

Do you internationals :D get espn 360 (espn360.com) over in England? If for some reason it is not on TV there, espn360 may be all you need to see it online. It is going to be covered on ESPN2 in the States. Just one more option for you guys planning ahead. Roman's team finally plays against a team whose (partial) owner's wealth dwarfs his own (not counting Saudi Royal family members).

I don't think it matters. It's a broken bone on the outside of the foot. He's one for the future. It has plenty of time to heal and won't effect him in the slightest. As long as he passes his physical for the team (no enlarged heart, torn knee ligaments and the like), I'm not worried about it.

He was born in East Germany I thought?

Our side is becoming the Eastern Bloc. -_- Cech, Ballack, Ivanovic, Sheva, Zhirkov and now this guy. He looks good on youtube. I hope we can develop him.

If you remember, Cech was kind of Coy on whether John Terry was staying or going in the interview with Skysports. At first he said Terry was staying, but then closed about sometimes players wanting new challenges--so you never know. This echos Mark Hughes comments about Terry possibly wanting a new challenge. It's the first I've heard suggesting Terry is upset with the lack of ambition by our club to sign new players though. And this managerial thing is blown totally out proportion. Mourinho left because he couldn't get along wih Roman. Grant was a temp, though I guess we teased him a little bit. Scolari didn't make the cut. Guus was a temp too. So really (ignoring Ranieri from further back) it's just two managers that were fired. One because he couldn't get along with the owner, the other because he couldn't work with our players and the league. Ancelotti is a great coach with great success with some of the best players in the world. I don't know what's to be unhappy about. I guess Terry liked zonal marking and optional fitness drills. I don't see how he thinks there's a way to leave like this with grace. This will get ugly in a hurry if he really does push forth with wanting to leave. For us and for him. It's one thing for a Deco to be upset. Quite another for a Carvalho. And then there's Terry. If he's unhappy at the club, then how can anybody else be happy? If this report is true, morale must be at an all time low in the locker room.

One of the more absurd recent comments on here was that Terry will sign by Thursday. Since the team is leaving for the States (I think on Thursday) and playing games this Saturday and through the rest of the month here, if this rumor had any legs to it all, wouldn't Terry miss the flight to America?

LOL! I guess this Spurs fan has got at least one wrong now. This was one hell of a "belter" post. Best post of the thread. Scientific method, eh? :( I guess Eto'o violated the laws of science.

In psychiatry, that's called projection. You place your unwanted desires on someone or something else.

I'm Midwestern. I don't like the South or rural areas in general that much. Besides the fact that there's not much to do there, I think a lot of the people from there are bigots and unaccepting of cultures different their own. I think it's mostly because they don't often meet people outside their own way of life, but it's still annoying. For instance, I think the majority there would call soccer (football) a gay/girl's sport or a communist sport (because of draws). The coasts are okay even if they are a bit snobby.

If I were from England, I wouldn't claim you (Mancs). The same way I don't claim certain parts of the states :o I think you guys bludgeoned the language. * kidding too. I don't know how you got so many good bands from that area though.

Your accents, silly. They put subtitles in English for English speaking audiences because no one who doesn't have to listen to you daily can understand what you're saying. You guys are just slightly above Geordies, Scots, and Irish in being able to speak English clearly. Listening to some of the crap on here, it's perhaps better off no one can understand what you're saying.

Bayern better worry about losing Lucio. I'd be worried because even though he's on holiday, he hasn't come out with a press conference saying he's not interested. That must mean he's interested. There's a guy on a Citeh website with a 100% record on transfer news and says it's already a done deal. Money talks even though Kaka said "no" to a 100+M transfer, Eto'o said "no," and countless others have turned down big money offers. Bayern is going down hill, Man City is on the way up (even though they won something last year and Citeh won 11th place in the EPL). Heck, they might as well hand Ribery and Podolski over for free.

Has Ancelotti had a stroke in the past? Lyme disease? A palsy (Bell's, etc)? Botoxed only one side of his face? He can't raise his right eyebrow. I just noticed this and was wondering why that is. It completely distracted me from the press conference. LOL http://www.skysports.com/video/clips/0,237...5416807,00.html

Regardless of who used the term "franchise player" (I think I did, for one) it's a correct term to describe John Terry. He is one of the "faces" of Chelsea FC and a guy we've built the team around. I don't get a sandy vag when Brits use their slang, but rather try to understand it. Respect for other cultures ought to be a two-way street.

Does "franchise" have one too many syllables for you? As for "soccer," here's a little history lesson for you: "For a start, the patronising of Americans who call football soccer is getting very tiresome, somewhat pathetic and is seemingly ignorant of the fact that the word soccer was a slang derivation of Association (football) and was used in England as far back as the 1880s and has been ever since. It isn't some sort of New World gaff to call football soccer, no matter how much you sneeringly say the word in a mock American accent." -John Nicholson (http://www.football365.com/john_nicholson/0,17033,8746_5405476,00.html)

Why do Mancs struggle with speaking/typing/comprehending the English language so much? This whole thread is hilarious! Silly Manc, John Terry is NOT going to play for Citeh. Chelsea said "no" already. You can take that back home with you to Manchester.

I guess he should go play for Leeds United if that's your logic they have no where else to go but up at this point. Citeh needs to win something, get out of midtable, and qualify for the Champion's League before big players are going to sign for the club. Especially if they want the franchise players of certain clubs. Let's see UEFA's top ranked English team (http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method3/trank2009.html) or a team that was struggling with possible relegation for part of last season . . . Hmm . . . . Tough choice.

I think Barca will get David Villa. That will leave Eto'o for somebody. He didn't seem to like Citeh too much and Barcelona seems to not like him for some reason. He was part of the Gordinho/Deco/Eto'o evil axis before last season and even now after putting up 30 goals, they still don't want him. He's also older and not a long term fix, but he'd be an immediate force. So that will leave us with the option of: Aguero (if we can come terms on salary), Tevez (if we want him) Villa (if he somehow grows a set) Eto'o ( if we want him) Pato (if Milan would part with him) Adebeyor (if we're insane) One of the old guys might not be a bad option with attacking players like Di Santo, Sturridge, Stoch and Kakuta waiting in the wings.

Do you watch tv through a mirror or something? All the players on the reverse side. ;)

According to wikipedia it's official: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_fc :) I'm surprised they don't have his kit number up yet.