Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss at Man City. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 TT 42 8 4 0 2 0 0 10 30 158 7458 178 220 +1 02 Footballoholic 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4682 195 219 na 03 Butch 45 7 3 0 0 0 10 5 15 130 7725 172 217 +0 04 Ossie13 34 8 5 0 2 0 0 10 50 188 6041 178 212 +2 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2117 163 176 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 TT 13 02 Butch 12 03 Footballoholic 9 Ossie13 9 04 Coombsie 4 05 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 Ossie13 = Napoli (h, cl) TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the win over Leicester City in the FA Cup. CONGRATS this time go to TT; for beating me, LOL. Anyway, well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 TT 41 7 3 15 6 5 0 10 50 174 7300 178 219 +1 02 Footballoholic 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4682 195 219 na 03 Butch 44 6 3 15 6 0 0 10 30 139 7595 173 217 +1 04 Ossie13 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5853 177 210 na 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2117 163 176 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 TT 13 02 Butch 12 03 Footballoholic 9 04 Ossie13 8 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 Ossie13 = Napoli (h, cl) TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the ShedEnd Last-11 Competition Standings after the Man City and Spurs matches. With three matches now out of the way, there are just 8 to go! ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- SHEDEND LAST-11 COMPETITION 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L Gd Total ----------------------------------------------------------- 01. Butch 03 2 0 1 -2 6 02. TT 03 1 1 1 -3 4 03. Ballack & Blue 03 1 1 1 -4 4 Sals 03 1 1 1 -4 4 04. Charierre 03 0 3 0 -3 3 Saran75 03 0 3 0 -3 3 05. Footballoholic 03 0 3 0 -4 3 06. Arq 03 0 3 0 -5 3 Midlandblue 03 0 3 0 -5 3 TonyT1988 03 0 3 0 -5 3 07. Connoor 03 0 2 1 -4 2 Thunderdan 03 0 2 1 -4 2 08. Chelseablueboy 03 0 2 1 - 2 Zola 03 0 2 1 - 2 09. Mad_Mac 03 0 1 2 -1 1 10. Chippy 03 0 1 2 -4 1 11. Dorset 03 0 1 2 -5 1 Chelseabootboy 03 0 1 2 -5 1 G4 Squared 03 0 1 2 -5 1 ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the swashbuckling win over Napoli at the Bridge. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4682 195 219 na 02 TT 40 10 5 15 4 5 0 15 30 211 7126 178 218 +2 03 Butch 43 9 3 15 4 10 5 15 15 176 7456 173 216 +1 04 Ossie13 33 10 5 15 4 5 10 15 50 241 5853 177 210 +3 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2117 163 176 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 TT 12 02 Footballoholic 9 03 Ossie13 8 04 Coombsie 4 05 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 Ossie13 = Napoli (h, cl) TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Stoke City. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4682 195 219 na 02 TT 39 8 2 30 0 0 0 10 50 190 6915 177 216 +1 03 Butch 42 7 1 15 2 5 0 5 30 133 7280 173 215 +0 04 Ossie13 32 7 1 15 2 0 0 5 15 113 5612 175 207 -1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2117 163 176 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 TT 12 02 Footballoholic 9 03 Ossie13 7 04 Coombsie 4 05 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the ShedEnd Last-11 Competition 2012 standings after the home win over Stoke City. One down, ten more to go! CONGRATS this time go to TT and yours truly for getting the score correct. Chelseablueboy and Zola, please provide your score predictions too! ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- SHEDEND LAST-11 COMPETITION 2012 ----------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L Gd Total ----------------------------------------------------------- 01. Butch 01 1 0 0 0 3 TT 01 1 0 0 0 3 02. Arq 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Charierre 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Chippy 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Connoor 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Dorset 01 0 1 0 -1 1 G4 Squared 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Mad_Mac 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Saran75 01 0 1 0 -1 1 Thunderdan 01 0 1 0 -1 1 03. Ballack & Blue 01 0 1 0 -2 1 Chelseabootboy 01 0 1 0 -2 1 Footballoholic 01 0 1 0 -2 1 Midlandblue 01 0 1 0 -2 1 Sals 01 0 1 0 -2 1 TonyT1988 01 0 1 0 -2 1 04. Chelseablueboy 01 0 1 0 - 1 Zola 01 0 1 0 - 1 ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over Brum that takes us into the FA Cup quarterfinals in Robbie D's first match in charge as interim Chelsea manager. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4682 195 219 na 02 Butch 41 7 1 15 0 0 0 5 15 115 7147 174 215 -1 03 TT 38 7 1 15 2 0 5 10 30 138 6725 177 215 +0 04 Ossie13 31 7 1 30 0 5 0 10 50 175 5499 177 208 +1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2117 163 176 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 02 TT 11 03 Footballoholic 9 04 Ossie13 7 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Claudio Ranieri Probably a bit unfair on Claudio, who did well (and bought some really good players), but because he wasn't Roman's signing didn't really stand much of a chance anyway. I thought he was sacked a season too soon. Jose Mourinho More than most, this was the "parting of ways" that stunned me. This is Roman's "tinkering" at its finest. He wanted the cake and he wanted to eat it too. Winning trophies was now not enough, he wanted to play beautiful football AND he wanted Jose to fade into the background. I simply don't think there is any way to rationalize this. I don't care about beautiful football. I care about my beloved club being "put on the map" and cultivating an identity Jose had helped create. Barcelona were beginning to run over all and sundry, but we always stood up to them and gave them a good right scare. Those days are so far away now. Definitely "parted ways" way too soon. Avram Grant Was always going to be a stop gap assignment, and I never ever felt any different. I always felt the team were pretty much picking themselves (running on the remaining fuel Jose had put in the tank). Not a sacking in the strictest sense of the word, just a fulfillment of the contract and assignment. We all knew Chelsea were going after Scolari. As such, not too early, if it was a sacking at all. Felipe Scolari I think the man had lost tough with club football, and you knew that as soon as you head about player dissent in the ranks he was a goner. We were used to well drilled teams, but his Chelsea lacked that something, and he looked a bit desperate on the side lines. All things considered, I didn't feel it was too early. He lost the dressing room, and that is a sure sign that things are not going to get better any time soon. Gus Hiddink Similar to Avram Grant, this was an assignment with a known deadline. Really wanted him to stay on, but we all know the reasons he didn't (or couldn't). Carlo Ancelotti Seemed like this was another appointment Roman had been chasing for a while, and like Chippy said, he did bring something of a stability and class to Chelsea while he was here. Similar to Jose, this felt right and also felt like it could last a long while. And like Jose, this one ended way too soon. I felt the double he won us should have given him more time. Another waste. Andre Villas-Boas In hindsite, seeing what has transpired, this was a peculiar appointment. I think most of us knew from the get go that AVB was a promising manager, but he was going to need some time. As such, my understanding of the situation was that Roman was prepared to be more patient, and to back his man in the transfer market. We all knew from the beginning that he was going to have some problems managing this very experienced group of players, and that is how things developed. The disappointing thing for me is that we really never signed enough key players that would come in to do the job and slowly replace the current players that AVB didn't rate (for whatever reason). And therefore, the fact he was trying to replace the key players with players that were simply not any better was always going to be a problem, both for the star players being replaced, as well as for the fans (and the likes of Gourlay and Buck). Like Scolari before him, AVB quickly lost the dressing room, and the sack was inevitable, if the key was immediate success (including winning a CL place in the league). Again, I thought Roman was prepared to be patient because this was always going to get ugly before it got better, but in the end, it is the same old Chelsea, undoing all the effort that has gone in. My biggest fears are (a) this desperate measure does not work, and (b) it will have to be re-done in the summer and a large part of next season. So this can go either of two ways depending on the principle. Based on the understanding that this was the plan all along, i.e. to revamp the squad, then this sacking occurred too soon. However, if that was NOT the plan, then this was a risky appointment to begin with and the sacking may have come too late. In terms of the new appointment, I think we all know there is only one that could have any success with the current squad, and it is not Guardiola. Considering how things have gone in the past 3 to 4 seasons, I have to say it is likely we will continue to chop and change until Roman comes to his senses and sees there is simply no alternative but to admit he made a mistake. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss at W.B.A. CONGRATS this time go to Footballoholic; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 24 11 5 0 4 0 0 5 65 226 4682 195 219 +2 02 Butch 40 9 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 136 7032 176 216 +0 03 TT 37 11 5 0 2 0 0 0 45 203 6587 178 215 +2 04 Ossie13 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5324 177 207 na 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 13 11 5 0 4 0 0 0 30 186 2117 163 176 +3 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 02 TT 11 03 Footballoholic 9 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Could you please confirm whether a 3-1 away score is a win or a loss? Thanks. Butch

My predictions: 1. 10/03/12 Stoke City (h) 1-0 2. 19/03/12 Man City (a) 2-1 loss 3. 24/03/12 Spurs (h) 2-1 4. 31/03/12 Villa (a) 1-1 5. 07/04/12 Wigan (h) 3-0 6. 09/04/12 Fulham (a) 0-0 7. 14/04/12 Newcastle (h) 2-1 8. 21/04/12 Arsenal (a) 1-1 9. 29/04/12 Q.P.R. (h) 4-1 10. 05/05/12 Liverpool (a) 1-1 11. 13/05/12 Blackburn (h) 3-0 Cheers, Butch

Don't forget the scores! Please add them by editing your posts as opposed to creating new posts. Thanks. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, It is that time of year again; time for the SHED END LAST-11 competition! So please include your predictions (scores as well as result for clarity) for Chelsea's last 11 EPL games of the season as replies to this post, and I will post the points tally and standings at the end of each of the EPL games. These should be in before March 10th, when we play at home to Stoke City. The last 11 matches are as follows: 1. 10/03/12 Stoke City (h) 2. 19/03/12 Man City (a) 3. 24/03/12 Spurs (h) 4. 31/03/12 Villa (a) 5. 07/04/12 Wigan (h) 6. 09/04/12 Fulham (a) 7. 14/04/12 Newcastle (h) 8. 21/04/12 Arsenal (a) 9. 29/04/12 Q.P.R. (h) 10. 05/05/12 Liverpool (a) 11. 13/05/12 Blackburn (h) Don't forget to include your Shed End handle (i.e. name) with your predictions. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after we beat Bolton at the Bridge. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! If only you were slightly more optimistic about the scoreline! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 23 10 6 15 2 0 0 10 0 183 4456 194 217 +1 02 Butch 39 10 6 15 2 10 0 10 0 193 6896 177 216 +2 03 TT 36 11 7 15 2 5 10 10 80 298 6384 177 213 +4 04 Ossie13 30 11 5 15 2 5 0 10 30 218 5324 177 207 +2 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 07 Chippy 12 11 6 30 0 5 0 15 45 265 1931 161 173 +11 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 02 TT 11 03 Footballoholic 8 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 298 TT = Bolton (h, epl) 02 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 03 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 04 265 Chippy = Bolton (h, epl) 05 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 06 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 07 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 08 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 09 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 10 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

True, it was only Bolton, but that hasn't stopped us in the past, e.g. at QPR, etc... I've mentioned before how important I feel the midfield is, for both defending and attacking, and that the midfield trio of Meireles, Mikel and Ramires simply is not one that is going to give you any creativity going forward. So I was mighty happy to see AVB start the trio I really wanted to see against Napoli: Lamps, Essien and Ramires. I think this is the midfield that gives you balance and experience in equal measure, and carries at least some semblance of a goal threat. Opposition defenses can snuff us out quite easily when the only goal threats are our front three. Again, I don't want to wax lyrical about the performance, keeping in mind once again it was only Bolton, but my great relief at the win and seeing Chelsea play something vaguely akin to how we're used to seeing them play makes this more than a little difficult. I am particularly happy about the performances of two recently maligned players: Lampard and Luiz, who also happen to be two of my favorite players. I want to start with Luiz: from the word go he was on his game. He defended solidly, and probably more important on the day, he chose well when to drive us forward. And one such foray led to the all important flood-gates opening goal. His hairdo and personality are already garnering a cult following; I personally feel he can become a really important player for Chelsea moving forward. Let's hope he continues to improve, as he has done over the past few months. Frankie Lamps; a Chelsea legend of the biggest proportions, and I am not calling him fat like Hammers' fans do. While I agree that AVB should have complete control of the squad, and that no player is bigger than the club, my confidence in AVB is called into much question at his insistence on dropping Lamps to the bench for the start of big games. Despite him maybe having lost a yard or two in speed, and finding it increasingly difficult to beat players on the dribble to get into good shooting chances from distance, I simply don't see anyone in our current bunch who can do a better job. He made a very fair comment as far as I am concerned, something along the lines of "Of course I want to play, but if I am going to sit on the bench, I want to see Chelsea win". He is nothing if not one of the most professional players I have ever seen at Chelsea, and I truly believe he has Chelsea in his heart. It must really hurt him to be shoved onto the sidelines. If the players asked to replace him were doing the business on the pitch, it would be one thing. I have not seen Meireles or Malouda do anything to deserve their place at his expense. If the general performance is going to be about the same, I know who I'd rather have on the pitch when we need a goal. So to see him arrive late into the box to prod home our third against Bolton was simply fantastic. Let's hope this does help us turn a corner. As Lamps said, we cannot let this be a false dawn. We must go on a run now. Cheers, Butch

The problem I am seeing is that, in addition to our defenders making individual errors in judgement and application, our midfielders cannot pass the ball. If you add this to the fact our wide defenders can't consistently cross the ball (and our supposedly attacking midfielders like Malouda can't even get into position to cross), I think you can imagine that our strikers, whoever they are, are being starved of decent service. Think about it, are our strikers missing clear cut opportunities or are they simply not getting any? I am getting tired watching this pattern repeat itself over and over again. If not for the intelligent running of Mata, the energetic running of Ramires into attacking areas from time to time, and Studge's ability to turn things on every now and again (but not often enough), we wouldn't be able to create any chances whatsoever! But I am not seeing any modification of the system to try to address this. We had a midfield of Mikel, Meireles and Ramires against Everton. Last night, we had a midfield of Miereles, Malouda and Ramires. They created pretty much zilch over the two games in terms of scoring opportunities for team mates. Malouda and Ramires every now and again pops up with a chance for themselves but neither are putting them away. We are missing Lampard big time (I mean the effective one); someone who can pass the ball and can get good shots in on goal from distance. Cheers, Butch

Quite a few players did things in fits and starts, meaning no one had a stand out game: Petr made some great saves to keep us in the tie, especially in the first half. Ash's dramatic goal line clearance also keeps us in it. Luiz, apart from his mistake that led to their third goal, put in a good shift, including trying to push us forward in search of the equalizer at 1-2. Studge is looking more and more like a slightly more promising version of Gronkjaer - fancy with the footwork but doesn't get him anywhere much and too selfish to make an important pass when he does get into good positions. Malouda looked good in fits and starts, but he just doesn't take on his man often enough or try hard enough to get to the byline to make the cross. Mata was the brightest of a drab bunch, and more than most, his goal (potentially worth two) keeps us in with a shout for the return leg. The rest pretty much had forgettable games: Bosingwa - can't believe he starts almost every game and even ahead of Ash (thought Ash was injured). Same goes for Meireles, a hard worker on the pitch for sure but can't pass to save his life. To think he keeps Lamps and Ess on the bench! Even Romeu! Ramires' passing was all over the place on the day, and squandered probably our best chance other than the goal (even though his clever running set it up in the first place - if that had gone in, it would be pretty much tie over). Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss in Naples in the first leg of the first knock out stage of the Champions League 2011-12. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4273 194 216 na 02 Butch 38 7 3 15 2 0 0 0 15 128 6703 176 214 -1 03 TT 35 8 4 0 0 5 0 10 50 185 6086 174 209 +1 04 Ossie13 29 8 4 0 0 0 0 5 30 155 5106 176 205 +0 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 06 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 07 Chippy 11 7 2 0 0 0 0 5 0 95 1666 151 162 -5 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 02 TT 10 03 Footballoholic 8 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 02 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 03 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 04 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 05 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 07 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 08 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 09 233 Butch = Man Utd (h, epl) Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) Ossie13 = Arsenal (a, epl) Ossie13 = Valencia (h, cl) 10 231 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Keep hearing Willian is as good as a done deal. Cheers, Butch

I think AVB will start: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Terry (or Cahill), Essien, Ramires, Lampard, Sturridge, Mata and Drogba. The reason I think Drogba will start is because he brings the "x" factor. He has the physical presence to make things happen from nothing, which may be important if we don't have the ball for long periods, playing away at a good team and all. Torres needs better service, and would just be running around like a headless chicken without that service. I've been just as disappointed in Drogba this season as I have been with Torres, maybe even more so, but horses for courses and all that; I think Drogba would do better on the day. We will need experience to get through this, especially the intimidating atmosphere in Naples. That is why most of the players I have chosen are seasoned professionals. They've been through our excursions to the Camp Nou. I think they will thrive at Napoli. The midfield of Essien, Ramires and Lampard are also "all-action", meaning able to defend and attack, which I think Chelsea will need to do in equal measure. The energy of Ramires is needed for sure; as for Lampard and Essien, let's hope the right versions show up. I also believe our defense will need to first and foremost defend. Cole will likely be asked to get up and down that left flank as usual, but I would hope the other three stand their ground and defend. If JT isn't 100% fit, I would most definitely not ask him to play. I believe Cahill can do the job. Napoli have dangerous weapons, but they are not without their weaknesses. As long as we show up, we have a good chance of getting a positive result. As Drogba says, a lot of us may be lacking some trust in the team at the moment and probably not many of us are expecting a win in this first leg (more like hoping to avoid a decisive defeat!). I rather think that the usual "old" suspects that have been finger pointed as the root of our problems this season probably know this is their last chance of a hurrah in this competition together as a team. I hope that wakes them up. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home draw against Birmingham in the FA Cup. CONGRATS this time go to yours truly; thank you very much! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4273 194 216 na 02 Butch 37 9 3 0 2 5 0 0 50 173 6575 178 215 +1 03 TT 34 8 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 98 5901 174 208 -1 04 Ossie13 28 8 2 0 2 5 0 0 15 118 4951 177 205 -1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 06 Chippy 10 9 2 0 4 0 0 0 30 136 1571 157 167 -1 07 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 12 02 TT 9 03 Footballoholic 8 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 02 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 03 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 04 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 05 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 07 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 08 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 09 233 Butch = Man Utd (h, epl) Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) Ossie13 = Arsenal (a, epl) Ossie13 = Valencia (h, cl) 10 231 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss at Everton in what was a truly dismal showing. CONGRATS this time go to Footballoholic; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 22 10 5 15 2 0 0 10 50 223 4273 194 216 +2 02 Butch 36 10 4 0 2 0 0 10 30 178 6402 178 214 +1 03 TT 33 9 5 0 2 0 0 0 15 153 5803 176 209 +0 04 Ossie13 27 9 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 126 4833 179 206 -1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 06 Chippy 09 9 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 116 1435 159 168 -5 07 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 11 02 TT 9 03 Footballoholic 8 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 02 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 03 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 04 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 05 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 07 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 08 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 09 233 Butch = Man Utd (h, epl) Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) Ossie13 = Arsenal (a, epl) Ossie13 = Valencia (h, cl) 10 231 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

So sick and tired of EPL referees; I really am. There is such a huge disparity in the reading of the game. And make no mistake about it, that second penalty kick to United gave them the lift they needed, while also getting us to drop our heads and lose the plot. Sure, you can say our players have to take some of the blame for not showing cooler heads and riding it out, but still I come away from this match feeling extremely hard done by. I can't help it. If you had offered me a draw before the game, I probably would have been happy enough to take it. But from 3-0 up and cruising, the manner in which United were let back into the game leaves me extremely frustrated. I'm happy to see you are with me on this, Dorset. I think it must have something to do with us being long-suffering Blues fans. It becomes ingrained in you, sadly. But anyway, I'm going to look to the positives: (1) Mata, what a boy and what a goal! (2) Mata, what a free kick taker from shooting distance! Can we just make him our number one free kick taker from here on in? (3) Essien - he was back and for about an hour he was solid in midfield. Considering two awful injuries to his knee, seeing him perform like that has given me some hope he may fully recover to be the player we need. (4) Ivanovic - he, more than most, had a great game in defense for us, keeping United mostly at bay. That was never a penalty in a million years. (5) Luiz - I have seen improvement in him over the past several matches. Still has the propensity to have the odd lapse in concentration and the penchant to want to go walkabout up the field, but an exciting player nonetheless who is tightening up his defending. (6) Torres - the lad badly needs a goal, but his general play is good, bordering on very good/excellent. His link up play is good. He shows willingness to work hard. He also creates opportunities for his team mates, and what a cross for Mata's goal. He just needs to shoot more and get on the end of final passes/crosses. (7) Sturridge - frustrating as hell on the day, but on a positive note, he ran Evra ragged and should have been kept on as a threat, however inconsistent, to the United left back. (8) Cahill - solid debut and if that late shot had gone anywhere but straight down De Gea's throat, I dare say he wouldn't have got to it to tip it over. Then we'd really be talking about a terrific debut. In general, we lacked a bit of leadership that the likes of Terry and Lampard give you, but despite this we went toe to toe with United and our attacking threats were able to hurt United, even though our passing was sloppy. I still don't think the balance of the squad is quite right, and I think AVB needs 1 or 2 key players to address this, but despite missing so many of our key players, we were able to hold our own and, gulp, take a 3-0 lead. That is both surprising and grounds for a bit of optimism. The blooming' ref though, just can't get over him, LOL. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the draw at home against United. CONGRATS this time go to yours truly; thank you very much! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4050 193 214 na 03 Butch 35 10 6 15 2 0 10 0 50 233 6224 178 213 +3 02 TT 32 9 4 15 4 5 5 0 15 166 5650 177 209 +1 04 Ossie13 26 10 5 15 4 0 0 0 30 191 4707 181 207 +1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 06 Chippy 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1319 165 173 na 07 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 11 02 TT 9 03 Footballoholic 7 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 02 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 03 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 04 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 05 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 07 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 08 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 09 233 Butch = Man Utd (h, epl) Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) Ossie13 = Arsenal (a, epl) Ossie13 = Valencia (h, cl) 10 231 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the draw at Swansea. CONGRATS this time go to yours truly; thank you very much! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2011-12 The ShedEnd Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Footballoholic 21 10 6 0 2 5 0 5 30 198 4050 193 214 +1 03 Butch 34 11 6 30 0 0 0 5 65 270 5991 176 210 +4 02 TT 31 9 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 128 5484 177 208 -1 04 Ossie13 25 10 6 0 2 0 0 0 15 173 4516 181 206 +1 05 Coombsie 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2879 160 178 na 06 Chippy 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1319 165 173 na 07 MK Blue 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1683 153 164 na 08 TeaBarBoy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 722 144 149 na 09 Osuji O 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 640 128 133 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 10 02 TT 9 03 Footballoholic 7 04 Ossie13 6 05 Coombsie 4 06 Chippy 1 MK Blue 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 280 Ossie13 = Man City (h, epl) 02 270 Butch = Swansea (a, epl) Coombsie = Swansea (h, epl) 03 256 TT = Newcastle (a, epl) 04 250 Ossie13 = Spurs (a, epl) 05 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 241 TT = Portsmouth (h, fac) 07 240 Butch = Valencia (a, cl) 08 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 09 233 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) Ossie13 = Arsenal (a, epl) Ossie13 = Valencia (h, cl) 10 231 Footballoholic = QPR (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch