Butch

My take on Torres is that (1) it's all about rotating players and keeping them fresh and happy, and (2) it's not important. With regards the match versus Sunderland, the goal by Studge was brilliant, and, importantly, shows he's confident. I like that. The pass from Meireles to send him through was absolutely fantastic, so while the defensive discipline you get with Mikel was somewhat missing, I think the range of passing he brought to the team more than made up for that. I didn't think Danny had the best of games in terms of influence, and feel people sometimes get a bit ahead of themselves with the superlatives (I don't mean on here), but he did take his chance very well. Mata was also very lively, similar to against Norwich, and he also showed Zola-esque technique on the free kick, which leads me to my plea to AVB: make him our #1 free kick taker for close-ish distances that require some "panache". He is going to be THE key player for us this season. Cech brought some much needed solidity and confidence in our defense, yet we always seem to have that lapse in concentration that costs us much consternation. I've heard people blaming Bosingwa for that goal, but where were our 2 CB's? Bossa had to go to challenge Bendtner, and only the Dane's loose touch meant the ball rolled on to the free Korean to sweep home. Bossa didn't have much to do with that. I feel he actually in rising in confidence from the games he's getting, and along with Ash up the left, is an important weapon for us. We do need to concentrate more in defense. I have to say that while Mata is the most eye-catching of our players, the one who made the biggest difference to the way we played, and to our shape on the day, was Meireles. That difference was quite an eye-opener. I think there will be games when Mikel's defensive presence will be required, but it is really nice to have this alternative for games when we need more offensive penetration. Too bad we didn't get to see Torres from the start, but he will have his chance to play in this more fluid, attacking line-up soon enough, and thus should remain patient. Again, our domination of the match was almost total, and the scoreline flattered Sunderland quite a bit. We will improve in this regard, but for now the win is all that is important. City and United are looked very, very impressive indeed, but they haven't played anyone really "on their level". Next week will be a big one, and we will really see where we all are. Let's keep the faith. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the away win over Sunderland in the EPL. Good performance, lax defending at times, but ultimately an important win to keep on the coat tails of United and City. 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 Butch 04 9 5 30 0 5 0 10 50 235 786 197 201 na 02 Chippy 04 8 3 15 2 5 0 10 0 138 741 185 189 na 03 Coombsie 02 9 3 15 2 0 10 5 30 178 346 173 175 na 04 Ossie13 04 8 3 30 0 5 0 0 15 160 674 169 173 na 05 BlueSkies 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 170 170 171 na 06 TeaBarBoy 04 7 3 30 0 5 0 0 0 135 619 155 159 na 07 TT 03 9 3 15 2 0 0 10 0 143 449 150 153 na 08 Merit A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 44 45 na 09 ED Martins 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 42 43 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners' Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 2 02 Chippy 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 02 235 Butch = Sunderland (a, epl) 03 225 Chippy = WBA (h, epl) 04 218 Butch = Stoke (a, epl) 05 215 Chippy = Norwich (h, epl) 06 198 TT = Norwich (h, epl) 07 195 Ossie13 = WBA (h, epl) 08 178 Coombsie = Sunderland (a, epl) Ossie13 = Norwich (h, epl) 09 170 BlueSkies = Norwich (h, epl) Butch = WBA (h, epl) 10 168 Coombsie = Norwich (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

That was a nerve-wrecking transfer deadline day for Chelsea fans, if only because we all knew there was one area that absolutely required reinforcement in terms of depth (due to Essien's injury and Benayoun's imminent departure). We've added freshness (Lukaku, Romeu), creativity (Mata) and now a bit of depth to the CM area with Meireles. I know many on here wanted Modric, and if I am honest it would have made for a perfect transfer window, but Meireles is no slouch and surely Modric is not 28M quid better than him. Everytime I've seen Meireles play for Liverpool, he's shown some metal, a solid engine, surprisingly crisp passing and a bit of a wonder shot on him (he hit 2-3 amazing goals for them last season). I wouldn't bank on the latter, as the shots were pretty flukey, but let's just say he has an eye for goal and is not afraid to take a shot. The fact that AVB has managed him before (at Porto) must mean he knows him pretty well, and is well-aware of the attributes he brings to the team. Also, he's had a season in the EPL under his belt so will not require much bedding in time in terms of the speed and physicality of the game. If I had to guess, I still think AVB would start with a midfield three of Lamps, Mikel and Ramires, but I believe Meireles could play in any of those 3 roles (he played both box-to-box and holding roles at Porto). Don't forget that Malouda and Mata can also both play a bit deeper so it is not beyond comprehension that they could both feature at the same time. Then there are Josh & Romeu, who can be brought in as AVB sees fit, rather than being forced in because we don't have enough depth. So to be honest, we have addressed the 2 biggest concerns with the signings of Mata and Meireles, and we have the added some much needed freshness in Lukaku and Romeu. Hopefully, Danny will also be able to bring his pre-season form into the season proper and can force his way into the squad. And of all the signings, Mata is the key. If we are to do better than last season, it will likely come down to him in the main because he is the one significant signing we have made that can impact on the way we play. Now to get this darned international break out of the way. Cheers, Butch

I don't think we ever put in a 40M cash bid. Cheers, Butch

(1) Luka Modric - IN I sincerely doubt we will get him by 11 PM UK time tonight. I didn't harbor any real hopes of us signing him the minute Levy painted himself into a corner with the very clear message that Luka would simply not be sold, no matter for how much dosh. Nothing that has emanated out of WHL has given me even a sliver of a feeling anything has changed. The only thing that has likely kept the press excited is the actions of Luka himself. However, as I feared, Spurs look like they will try to make an example of Luka, and not bow in like they did with Berbatov and show the world they are a selling club. (2) Alvaro Perreira - IN I have a feeling this deal is going to keep us occupied right up until the transfer deadline. What seemed like a sure thing, despite Chelsea fans' bewilderment at what they perceive is a solution to a non-problem, looks like becoming complicated due to Porto's insistence of Chelsea meting their asking price (30M EUR). I would not be surprised at Chelsea's hesitance to meet this figure, despite the player seemingly being a top AVB target. I do think Roman will want to support his new manager and will eventually "cave in". I do expect this one to happen. (3) Raul Meireles - IN Hate to be a "stick in the mud" in terms of bursting anyone's bubble of hope for an exciting central midfielder signing, but I am of the opinion that Raul IS the main back-up plan to the Modric chase. I sincerely doubt we will be going after Moutinho, especially since that deal is quite complicated (if we're having problems closing the Perreira deal, then...), or anyone else. I think it would have been nigh on impossible for Chelsea to keep such a signing under wraps (would be happy to be proved wrong). I think this has a good chance of happening, if we meet the asking price without Yossi as a make weight. I don't think the purported difference in asking & offered price (11 versus 7 million quid) is going to be prohibitive, and I think AVB will be happy enough with this signing as the final piece of the puzzle. (4) Frank Ribery - IN No chance. (4) Yossi Benayoun - OUT I'd be very, very surprised if Yossi doesn't sign with another club before the transfer deadline. (5) Alex - OUT I have to say this is rather doubtful. (6) Salomon Kalou - OUT I think this one has come mainly from the perceived need for Chelsea to make some room in the forward department, and the unlikely nature of any of the other strikers being transferred, e.g. Torres, Drogba, Anelka, Lukaku, Sturridge. However, Kalou has never angled for a move and never made a fuss about not playing. As such, I don't think we're going to need to let him go. (7) Florent Malouda - OUT I very much doubt this, and I'd have to say we'd be silly to let him go. We were crying out for more creativity in this transfer window and only just got Mata. Why would we release a player who was the main fulcrum of creativity for us last season? No, we must keep him. (8) Patrick van Aanholt - OUT (loan) Very likely. (9) Ryan Bertrand - OUT (loan) Very likely. (10) Josh McEachran - OUT (loan) Rather unlikely, but not impossible. That's my neck on the line then, LOL. Oh, and yes, I do expect the de Bruyne signing (and loan back) to go through as well. Cheers, Butch

I prefer to look at it this way: Ashley Cole (as well as Bosingwa) are, or seem to be, crucial to the way AVB wants Chelsea to play. They provide almost all the width and the attacking options up the sides for Chelsea. If you think of it that way, it is not too big a stretch to see that AVB probably is most concerned about losing either Ash of Bossa for any amount of time. Having another experienced (both internationally as well as in terms of what AVB expects) option as a utility back-up (I expect to see him brought on from the bench quite often) gives AVB an extra sense of security. Also, just because we have Malouda and Mata, does not mean either of those players cannot play on the right, leaving the left for Perreira. We all saw what Mata did against Norwich, both on the left and right side, so it is possible. It is highly understandable that a new manager goes back to his old club to make 1 or 2 signings. It adds to the feeling of security, and reduces the number of players in the squad he has to drill his expectations into. I actually wouldn't be too surprised if we gave up very soon on Modric and went in for Moutinho for exactly this reason. Cheers, Butch

The thing that amazes me is that discussions over a deal can go all the way up until the final seconds of the window. I really cannot understand what is said at half past ten on the night of August 31st that is any different from anything that can be said much earlier in the window. Surely, if Spurs are hell bent on keeping Modric, we would be smart enough to have realized that very early and seriously explored other options. The fact we haven't signed anyone in the ACM position leads me to believe that for all Spurs public posturing, they are indeed willing to do business but at a price that is way over anything we want to pay, and all that has been happening between the lines is haggling over the price. I have to say I find it difficult to believe this deal will materialize. Spurs have not been rumored to be after any replacement for him, and they would be stuck between a rock and a hard place if they were left without him and a replacement. They've had a bad enough start as it is. Cheers, Butch

My Dutch is not so good, but his tweet roughly translates to: "...listened to proposals from Arsenal and Spurs; laughing all the way back to Holland". Cheers, Butch

I don't for a minute blame Spurs fans for feeling let down and disappointed. As has been mentioned, we would all feel the same if Real Madrid came in and turned JT's head. However, it is the way of the world: the big fish eat the little fish, etc... One day, we could find ourselves down the food chain again. What goes around comes around, but at the moment we are right up there and it isn't easy to improve an already very good squad. Spurs can do what they want; Luka's their player and they don't have to sell if they don't want to. However, considering how things are playing out, keeping him would be like cutting their nose to spite their face. Considering they are only bringing in the likes Adebayor and Parker this window, I have to say they could have done so much more had they agreed to sell Luka early in the window. Oh well. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 3-1 win over Norwich City. CONGRATS this time go to TeaBarBoy; 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 Chippy 03 9 4 30 0 5 0 20 30 215 603 201 204 na 02 Butch 03 10 4 15 2 5 0 5 0 163 551 184 187 na 03 BlueSkies 01 10 4 15 0 5 0 10 0 170 170 170 171 na 04 Ossie13 03 10 5 15 2 5 0 10 0 178 514 171 174 na 05 Coombsie 01 10 4 15 2 10 0 5 0 168 168 168 169 na 06 TeaBarBoy 03 9 5 30 0 5 0 20 50 245 484 161 164 na 07 TT 02 10 5 15 2 5 10 5 15 198 306 153 155 na 08 Merit A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 44 45 na 09 ED Martins 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 42 43 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners' Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 1 Chippy 1 TeaBarBoy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 245 TeaBarBoy = Norwich (h, epl) 02 225 Chippy = WBA (h, epl) 03 218 Butch = Stoke (a, epl) 04 215 Chippy = Norwich (h, epl) 05 198 TT = Norwich (h, epl) 06 195 Ossie13 = WBA (h, epl) 07 178 Ossie13 = Norwich (h, epl) 08 170 BlueSkies = Norwich (h, epl) Butch = WBA (h, epl) 09 168 Coombsie = Norwich (h, epl) 10 163 Butch = Norwich (h, epl) Chippy = Stoke (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

My thoughts and prayers are with Didier; man, my heart was in my mouth when I saw his flying in the air unconscious. Let's hope the mild concussion has not lasting implications. Anyone who can say anything negative about Didier in that instance is an a*seh*le of epic proportions. I hope I am not being too unclear. On to the match, all I want to say is that in Juan Manuel Mata, Chelsea has found the proper "#10" that we have been missing since Franco Zola. I won't weigh him down with superfluous expectations just yet, but you know how you can just tell if you've seen something a bit special? Well, in the short amount of time he was on the pitch for Chelsea against Norwich City he exhibited all the qualities you want to see: liveliness, give-and-go, making himself available, speedy up the wing, nice cross from the wing for Nando, long and accurate through ball over the top to put Nic through, speed of thought to sniff out Norwich misplaced defensive pass, and cool head/immaculate control to roll ball inside far post for Chelsea's 3rd to calm the nerves. I don't think he could have done much better, in all honesty. Consider me sold. Now, AVB needs to think who sits for this man because he most certainly cannot sit. Cheers, Butch

Don't know what to think; Levy sounds like he is determined. I think it has become a bit of a matter of pride with him, plus they don't need to sell anyway. If they really needed to sell, maybe you could see him going back on his promise to the Spurs fans. But I agree with the general consensus that if it is to happen, it should happen in the next few days. While it may not be so important to Chelsea when exactly it happens, it will be quite important for Spurs. They will need replacement(s) and will need some time to close any such deals. Leaving it to the last minute would be crazy on their part, so I don't really see that scenario happening. And I do think him being cup-tied for the CL would be a blow for any possible deal. As such, it would signal intent on Spurs part. However, as I understand it, he isn't scheduled to be involved anyway, but is being threatened with not being released for key upcoming matches for Croatia if he doesn't turn out for Spurs against City this weekend. So that will be interesting as well. The longer this drags on, the less inclined I am to believe this will happen. This should not detract, in any way, our excitement for the imminent Mata deal though. I think that takes care of the main concern, keeping in mind we also signed Romeu who can slot into midfield when needed. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the nerve-wrecking home win over WBA. CONGRATS this time go to Chippy; 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 Butch 02 9 5 15 0 0 0 0 15 170 388 194 196 na Chippy 02 10 6 15 0 0 0 0 50 225 388 194 196 na 02 Ossie13 02 10 5 15 0 0 0 0 30 195 336 168 170 na 03 TeaBarBoy 02 7 4 15 2 0 0 0 0 123 239 120 122 na 04 TT 01 8 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 108 108 108 109 na 05 Merit A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 44 44 45 na 06 ED Martins 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 42 42 43 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners' Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 1 Chippy 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 225 Chippy = WBA (h, epl) 02 218 Butch = Stoke (a, epl) 03 195 Ossie13 = WBA (h, epl) 04 170 Butch = WBA (h, epl) 05 163 Chippy = Stoke (a, epl) 06 141 Ossie13 = Stoke (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the tough away draw at Stoke on the opening day of the new season. CONGRATS this time went 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 Butch 01 10 5 15 2 0 0 5 50 218 218 218 219 na 02 Chippy 01 9 3 15 2 0 0 0 30 163 163 163 164 na 03 Ossie13 01 9 4 0 4 0 0 0 15 141 141 141 142 na 04 TeaBarBoy 01 9 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 116 116 116 117 na 05 TT 01 8 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 108 108 108 109 na 06 Merit A 01 4 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 44 44 44 45 na 07 ED Martins 01 4 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 42 42 42 43 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners' Circle 2011-12 ------------------------------ 01 Butch 1 ------------------------------ Record = 19 (TT, 2008-09) -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2011-12 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 218 Butch = Stoke (a, epl) 02 163 Chippy = Stoke (a, epl) 03 141 Ossie13 = Stoke (a, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- Record = 330 (Ossie13, 2010-11) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Sorry I haven't yet posted the standings for the first game against Stoke away; the travails of switching computers! Anyway, I will post both sets of standings (Stoke, a; W.B.A., h) after the game this evening. Let's go Blues!!! Cheers, Butch

Star, isn't this the same player whose dad said would NEVER play for Chelsea? I don't recall what the issue was. Cheers, Butch

I want us to sign the trio of Belgians, but De Bruyne is not the third I am thinking of. Cheers, Butch

I'm actually surprised none of the "big" clubs have been linked to Eden Hazard; one of the most exciting up and coming young players. I'd classify this as a "huge" signing based on his potential. Cheers, Butch

Hey! I liked that red on the back of the collar on last year's kit. Cheers, Butch

We'll have to trust AVB on this one: he's come in, he's had about a month seeing the players close-up (injuries, form, confidence, attitude), and he will know better than anyone what additions the squad needs to be successful. You have to keep in mind, and AVB/Gourlay have said this many times, buying for the sake of buying simply doesn't help anyone. We have a certain level of quality in our current playing set-up. If we can't improve it, why sign anyone? I'm pretty confident AVB has his targets, the only really known one being Modric (we've never mentioned Pastore), but there are many reasons why we may not be successful in signing our targets and not all these reasons come down to us. The selling club, i.e. Spurs, have a say as well. Like most on here, I believe we need a creative spark up top to change things up when we're banging our heads against a brick wall. I'd be pretty amazed if AVB didn't realize that, but these are the sorts of players that are (a) in short supply, and (B) on the expensive side of the spectrum. I'm taking AVB at his word: he's had the Asian tour to see his squad up close and make the assessments. Only now would I expect us to go full steam for our targets. Not saying we'll be successful, but pretty sure we'll be getting serious now. Cheers, Butch

Probably Romeu? Cheers, Butch

My opinion is that PSG and Chelsea met the asking price and thus Palermo allowed us both to speak with Pastore's agent. I think his priority would be to join Chelsea because we are in the Champions League and it would be an immediate step up from Palermo. However, I bet he is also keeping his options open, and thus if Chelsea do not offer him terms that excite him, his agent will probably want to talk to PSG to see what their project is. While a move there would not be an immediate step up, it may have potential depending on what they want to do. I do believe Zamporini's claims that Pastore's agent is in London today, and thus it would seem we have first dibs on the player. It will all come down to the terms of the contract we propose to him. If we really want him, I don't think it will be a problem, in all honesty. The problem is that the PSG "back-up" may make him greedy and ask for an awful lot, in which case it would be Chelsea that walk away from the table. Again, depends on how badly we want him. Cheers, Butch

Paulo was indeed top-notch in the game against Kitchee. Cheers, Butch

Some photos from the match on Sunday: last one, JT holds the trophy aloft, a bit sheepishly, amidst the fireworks. Cheers, Butch

Some photos from the match on Sunday: next up, the lads wait to collect their trophy. Cheers, Butch