Butch

If we sign him for anything over 30 million, and it is unlikely the going price would be any less than that, it is high enough that although many don't expect him to do well, it would certainly look like Chelsea did, and everyone would be waiting for him to fail so that they could laugh at us. Ultimately, however, why should we care what anybody else thinks? If Carlo really wants him, and he is still manager next season, Roman should back him fully. You live by the sword, you die by the sword. Carlo deserves to be able to choose his own players, ones he thinks gives his team the best chance for success. And if things don't turn out, well... Cheers, Butch

Case in point: Lamps wasn't exactly flavor of the day when we signed him. Everyone and their dog was saying we wasted money on "Fat Frank"! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home draw against the Magpies. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 48 8 4 0 0 0 0 5 30 155 9940 207 255 +0 02 TT 51 9 4 0 0 0 0 5 50 185 9862 193 244 +0 03 Butch 51 6 3 0 2 0 0 5 0 93 9548 187 238 -1 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 45 6 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 91 7789 173 218 -1 07 TeaBarBoy 47 7 4 0 4 0 0 5 15 126 7960 169 216 +0 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 13 02 TT 11 03 Butch 8 04 Loz 7 05 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 07 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the ShedEnd Last-11 competition standings after the home draw against the Magpies. With one match remaining, it is a close battle between Arq and TeaBarBoy; quite a bit simpler than the EPL relegation battle permutations on the last day of the season! -------------------------------------------------------- THE SHED END LAST-11 COMPETITION 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------- 01. ARQ 10 4 5 1 -5 17 02. TEABARBOY 10 4 4 2 -11 16 03. FOOTBALLOHOLIC 10 3 4 3 -7 13 04. BOVIS MESSROOM 10 3 4 3 -9 13 05. RANDY36 10 2 6 2 -6 12 06. MAD_MAC 10 2 6 2 -8 12 07. YORKLEYBLUE 10 3 3 4 -9 12 08. THUNDERDAN 10 2 5 3 -8 11 09. MIDLANDBLUE 10 2 5 3 -10 11 10. OSSIE13 09 2 4 3 -4 10 11. SALS 10 1 6 3 -6 9 12. HISDOGSPOT 10 1 6 3 -8 9 13. ALAN’82 10 1 6 3 -10 9 DEG0EY 10 1 6 3 -10 9 DORSET 10 1 6 3 -10 9 14. LAMPS’8’ 10 1 6 3 -12 9 15. BUTCH 09 1 5 3 -10 8 16. ADI 10 1 5 4 -11 8 17. BARRY BRIDGES 10 0 7 3 -7 7 18. TT 10 0 7 3 -8 7 19. ADREN022 10 0 7 3 -10 7 TIM W 10 0 7 3 -10 7 20. YOULOTS 10 1 4 5 -11 7 21. BIGIZZ 10 1 4 5 -12 7 COCO 10 0 7 3 -12 7 22. CHELSEABOOTBOY 10 0 6 4 -8 6 CHIPPY 10 0 6 4 -8 6 23. LOZ 10 0 6 4 -10 6 24. CHARRIERE 10 0 5 5 -8 5 25. ZOLA 10 0 5 5 -10 5 26. SPILLER86 10 0 5 5 -13 5 -------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Just about fell off my chair when I saw this thread! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss at United. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 47 11 7 0 2 0 10 5 80 273 9785 208 255 +2 02 TT 50 10 5 0 2 5 0 0 15 168 9677 194 244 +1 03 Butch 50 11 6 0 0 0 5 5 45 225 9455 189 239 +2 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7698 175 219 na 07 TeaBarBoy 46 10 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 138 7834 170 216 +0 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na 15 Awelewa A 01 8 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 123 123 123 124 na 16 Desmond 01 8 2 0 2 5 0 0 0 103 103 103 104 na 17 Johnson 01 8 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 88 88 88 89 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 13 02 TT 10 03 Butch 8 04 Loz 7 05 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 07 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest ShedEnd Last-11 competition standings after the defeat at Old Trafford. Just 2 matches to go now! -------------------------------------------------------- THE SHED END LAST-11 COMPETITION 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------- 01. ARQ 09 4 5 0 -5 17 02. TEABARBOY 09 4 4 1 -7 16 03. FOOTBALLOHOLIC 09 3 4 2 -7 13 04. BOVIS MESSROOM 09 3 4 2 -8 13 05. RANDY36 09 2 6 1 -5 12 06. MAD_MAC 09 2 6 1 -8 12 YORKLEYBLUE 09 3 3 3 -8 12 07. THUNDERDAN 09 2 5 2 -8 11 08. MIDLANDBLUE 09 2 5 2 -10 11 09. OSSIE13 08 2 4 2 -4 10 10. SALS 09 1 6 2 -6 9 11. DEG0EY 09 1 6 2 -8 9 HISDOGSPOT 09 1 6 2 -8 9 12. ALAN’82 09 1 6 2 -9 9 13. DORSET 09 1 6 2 -10 9 14. LAMPS’8’ 09 1 6 2 -12 9 15. ADI 09 1 5 3 -9 8 16. BUTCH 08 1 5 2 -10 8 17. BARRY BRIDGES 09 0 7 2 -7 7 18. TIM W 09 0 7 2 -8 7 TT 09 0 7 2 -8 7 19. ADREN022 09 0 7 2 -10 7 BIGIZZ 09 1 4 4 -10 7 YOULOTS 09 1 4 4 -10 7 20. COCO 09 0 7 2 -11 7 21. CHIPPY 09 0 6 3 -7 6 22. CHELSEABOOTBOY 09 0 6 3 -8 6 LOZ 09 0 6 3 -8 6 23. CHARRIERE 09 0 5 4 -7 5 24. ZOLA 09 0 5 4 -8 5 25. SPILLER86 09 0 5 4 -13 5 -------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Chins up, lads. It was a bad day at the office, but we were playing Man Utd at home, and don't be fooled by the "worst United team in living memory" comments from supposed "pundits". This United team are a well-drilled unit of hungry players. They deserve some credit. We, on the other hand, looked a bit "tired" out there. We've always been kind of slow starters, seemingly needing to feel our way into matches. We don't have the explosive players we used to in Duffer and Robben anymore. We're all about power, but United are no pushovers themselves. The early goal was a mistake, pure and simple. That final ball still had to be perfectly weighted, and it was, but again credit should go to United. The fact they were faster out the gates should be a lesson to us. From then on, it was all about chasing the game. All things considered, we put in a good-ish second half. Carlo played the risk game to keep Ivan on at RB, bring Alex on for Luiz, and Ramires on for Mikel, but in general you could say it worked to a certain degree for Alex shored up our defense, and Ramires gave us a bit more dynamism and bite in midfield. Ivan also ended up getting an assist for Lamps' goal. All told, this gave us a fighting chance in the end, but we just couldn't take it up a notch and capitalize on United's plethora of missed chances (again, we were chasing the game). I think you can see that I'm not having any of this "we were clobbered 2-1" thingamyjig. Right up until the end, United knew we were still in it; we are that sort of side. I am not saying I am not disappointed, for I am. But if you had offered me second place two months ago I would have bit off your hand, nay arm! The damage was done in that dodgy winter period, not last night. The problem, more than slow, age-ing players in a one off at one of the more difficult places to win against the league leaders, was a lack of suitable back-ups over that important wobble. Ferguson was not far wrong when he queried why it was a given Chelsea would travel to OT and win. It was always going to be difficult. We did beat them at the Bridge, so we are level on that front. Anyway, I refuse to give up hope on this side winning things with some strategic additions to the playing personnel over the summer. We are not too far gone. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the ShedEnd Last-11 competition standings after the home win over Spurs. Just 3 matches to go now. -------------------------------------------------------- THE SHED END LAST-11 COMPETITION 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------- 01. ARQ 08 3 5 0 -5 14 02. BOVIS MESSROOM 08 3 4 1 -7 13 TEABARBOY 08 3 4 1 -7 13 03. FOOTBALLOHOLIC 08 3 3 2 -6 12 04. YORKLEYBLUE 08 3 3 2 -7 12 05. MAD_MAC 08 2 5 1 -7 11 THUNDERDAN 08 2 5 1 -7 11 06. OSSIE13 07 2 4 1 -4 10 07. MIDLANDBLUE 08 2 4 2 -9 10 08. RANDY36 08 1 6 1 -5 9 09. SALS 08 1 6 1 -6 9 10. HISDOGSPOT 08 1 6 1 -8 9 11. LAMPS’8’ 08 1 6 1 -11 9 12. DEG0EY 08 1 5 2 -7 8 13. ALAN’82 08 1 5 2 -8 8 14. DORSET 08 1 5 2 -9 8 15. BARRY BRIDGES 08 0 7 1 -7 7 TIM W 08 0 7 1 -7 7 TT 08 0 7 1 -7 7 16. ADREN022 08 0 7 1 -9 7 BUTCH 07 1 4 2 -9 7 17. BIGIZZ 08 1 4 3 -10 7 YOULOTS 08 1 4 3 -10 7 18. COCO 08 0 7 1 -11 7 19. CHIPPY 08 0 6 2 -7 6 LOZ 08 0 6 2 -7 6 20. CHELSEABOOTBOY 08 0 6 2 -8 6 21. CHARRIERE 08 0 5 3 -7 5 22. ZOLA 08 0 5 3 -8 5 23. ADI 08 0 5 3 -9 5 24. SPILLER86 08 0 4 4 -12 4 -------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Spurs sees us pull within 3 of the leaders. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 46 10 6 15 0 0 0 0 30 205 9512 207 253 +1 02 TT 49 11 6 15 2 0 10 0 65 258 9509 194 243 +2 03 Butch 49 9 3 30 0 0 10 10 15 185 9230 188 237 +1 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 44 9 4 15 2 5 5 15 0 168 7698 175 219 +1 07 TeaBarBoy 45 10 5 15 2 0 0 5 0 168 7696 171 216 +1 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 12 02 TT 10 03 Butch 8 04 Loz 7 05 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 07 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest ShedEnd Last-11 Competition standings after the home win over West Ham. Just four games to go now. -------------------------------------------------------- THE SHED END LAST-11 COMPETITION 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------- 01. ARQ 07 3 4 0 -4 13 02. BOVIS MESSROOM 07 3 3 1 -6 12 03. YORKLEYBLUE 07 3 3 1 -7 12 04. TEABARBOY 07 2 4 1 -7 10 05. MIDLANDBLUE 07 2 4 1 -8 10 06. FOOTBALLOHOLIC 07 2 3 2 -6 9 07. SALS 07 1 5 1 -6 8 08. DEG0EY 07 1 5 1 -7 8 HISDOGSPOT 07 1 5 1 -7 8 MAD_MAC 07 1 5 1 -7 8 THUNDERDAN 07 1 5 1 -7 8 09. DORSET 07 1 5 1 -9 8 10. OSSIE13 06 1 4 1 -4 7 11. BIGIZZ 07 1 4 2 -10 7 YOULOTS 07 1 4 2 -10 7 12. RANDY36 07 0 6 1 -5 6 13. LOZ 07 0 6 1 -6 6 TIM W 07 0 6 1 -6 6 TT 07 0 6 1 -6 6 14. BARRY BRIDGES 07 0 6 1 -7 6 CHELSEABOOTBOY 07 0 6 1 -7 6 15. ADREN022 07 0 6 1 -8 6 16. COCO 07 0 6 1 -10 6 17. LAMPS’8’ 07 0 6 1 -11 6 18. CHARRIERE 07 0 5 2 -6 5 19. CHIPPY 07 0 5 2 -7 5 20. ADI 07 0 5 2 -8 5 ALAN’82 07 0 5 2 -8 5 ZOLA 07 0 5 2 -8 5 21. BUTCH 06 0 4 2 -9 4 22. SPILLER86 07 0 4 3 -11 4 -------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over West Ham; CONGRATS this time go to yours truly, thank you very much. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 45 10 5 15 2 10 0 15 15 203 9307 207 252 +1 02 TT 48 8 4 15 2 10 0 15 0 158 9251 193 241 +1 03 Butch 48 11 6 15 2 0 5 15 65 268 9045 188 236 +2 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 43 10 6 15 4 10 0 15 30 226 7530 175 218 +2 07 TeaBarBoy 44 8 4 15 0 5 0 10 0 150 7528 171 215 +0 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 12 02 TT 9 03 Butch 8 04 Loz 7 05 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 07 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Can I just say that I think JT has had a great season for us? Success-wise, maybe not, but on a personal level he's been rock solid for the most part in a very tough season. Cheers, Butch

Well, I do get frustrated by FloMo as well, but you can't deny that in that particular instant, he found himself completely free with the goal at his mercy, and the easier of the two options was the one he took. I don't think anyone, including Torres, could deny him that. For instance, if he didn't take the shot and elected instead to pass to Torres, and the ball got stuck in the mud again and the opportunity passed, quite a few of us would be questioning why he didn't take the open shot. But yes, in general, I have to say he isn't the typical winger in terms of the consistent provision of chances. He has had his best goal scoring season for Chelsea, which would seem to prove the point about him looking to finish chances rather than (or at least just as likely as to) provide them. Cheers, Butch

I think selling both Anelka and Drogba without any replacement, other than recalling Sturridge, leaves us a bit light in the striking position. Ashley Young, who I agree would be a quality addition, is not a goal getter but rather a provider. We have to think in terms of if Torres is out for a lengthy period, can we rely solely on Sturridge to lead the line. Now, whether that means keeping Drogs, Nic, both, or signing another striker, I am not sure. Cheers, Butch

Now that we're within 6 points of United and, kind of, back in the thick of things, I think Carlo needs to think carefully about how he chooses his team. Clearly, the team that has started the past two matches is clicking into gear, and despite the fact that several stars like Anelka and Torres don't get playing time, I would personally rather Carlo stuck with what is working. There is no time for sentimentality now. The rest will just have to take their chances as they come. I also think that whenever it is that Ramires returns from injury, Carlo has another important decision to make. Mikel, I personally feel, is an important cog in the Chelsea wheel. When he plays, there is a shield in front of our back four, and our midfield also seems to operate better, despite his passing mostly being sideways and backwards. The fact that the ball is kept moving benefits us overall. When Essien plays in that position, for example, while he is dynamic, he often forces things by running with the ball or forcing passes that are not quite there, and the end product is lost possession. We are a rhythm team, and we need quite a bit of possession to wear teams down. I really believe Mikel helps us do that. So, if it were up to me, Mikel would play for sure, and Carlo would have to choose two from Lampard, Essien and Ramires to accompany him in midfield. My vote would be for Lampard and Ramires. And please Carlo, please don't bring Torres on for a creative player and expect him to be able to create for himself, or score goals with no creative support from others. At no point should Drogba, Anelka and Torres be on the pitch at the same time. It has not worked once, and it will never work. Cheers, Butch

My role is to make sure nobody feels bad from finishing last :P Cheers, Butch

Not giving up yet, TT. You may be a broken man but I have an easy run in! :) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Birmingham City. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! Dare we get our hopes up again? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 44 11 6 15 2 5 0 10 65 263 9104 207 251 +2 02 TT 47 9 5 15 2 0 0 10 30 193 9093 193 240 +1 03 Butch 47 9 4 15 4 0 0 5 0 146 8777 187 234 +0 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 42 9 4 15 2 0 0 10 0 153 7304 174 216 +1 07 TeaBarBoy 43 8 3 15 0 0 0 20 0 145 7378 172 215 +1 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 J. Drogba 01 8 4 15 0 5 0 20 15 175 175 175 176 na 12 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 13 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 14 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 15 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 12 02 TT 9 03 Butch 7 Loz 7 04 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 05 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 06 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the ShedEnd Last-11 Competition standings after the home win over Brum. Six down and just five to go now! -------------------------------------------------------- THE SHED END LAST-11 COMPETITION 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------- Name PL W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------- 01. ARQ 06 3 3 0 -4 12 02. YORKLEYBLUE 06 3 2 1 -7 11 03. MIDLANDBLUE 06 2 4 0 -5 10 04. BOVIS MESSROOM 06 2 3 1 -6 9 05. TEABARBOY 06 2 3 1 -7 9 06. DEG0EY 06 1 4 1 -5 7 07. HISDOGSPOT 06 1 4 1 -6 7 SALS 06 1 4 1 -6 7 THUNDERDAN 06 1 4 1 -6 7 08. MAD_MAC 06 1 4 1 -7 7 09. BIGIZZ 06 1 4 1 -8 7 DORSET 06 1 4 1 -8 7 10. OSSIE13 05 1 3 1 -4 6 11. FOOTBALLOHOLIC 06 1 3 2 -6 6 12. YOULOTS 06 1 3 2 -9 6 13. LOZ 06 0 5 1 -5 5 RANDY36 06 0 5 1 -5 5 TT 06 0 5 1 -5 5 14. CHELSEABOOTBOY 06 0 5 1 -6 5 TIM W 06 0 5 1 -6 5 15. ADREN022 06 0 5 1 -7 5 BARRY BRIDGES 06 0 5 1 -7 5 16. COCO 06 0 5 1 -8 5 17. LAMPS’8’ 06 0 5 1 -10 5 18. CHARRIERE 06 0 4 2 -6 4 19. ADI 06 0 4 2 -7 4 ALAN’82 06 0 4 2 -7 4 CHIPPY 06 0 4 2 -7 4 ZOLA 06 0 4 2 -7 4 20. SPILLER86 06 0 4 2 -9 4 21. BUTCH 05 0 3 2 -8 3 -------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Torres is not going to score, as long as he comes on in block changes that take our creative players off as happened today, i.e. Malouda and Kalou off for Anelka and Torres. How in heck is this supposed to work anyway? It puts an awful lot of responsibility on a tiring Lampard, Essien and Ferreira, not to mention Drogba who is more concerned in capping off a good display with a goal himself (as can be seen from him hogging the indirect freekick in the penalty area), and an inexperienced Bertrand (who had an impressive debut). Of course, Torres is going to feel the need to run around like a headless chicken to get the ball, and find himself too far from goal with team mates who he is yet learning about regarding their favorite runs, and so he keeps possession too long and gets roughed off the ball. It is awfully frustrating to watch, partly because you so want him to score, and partly because you just know he won't. While him scoring is not important or crucial for us in the short term, what is the point of bringing him on in this fashion, not giving him a decent chance of scoring, and further knocking his confidence? The better substitution to have made was a Torres/Benayoun double-substitution (if Malouda and Kalou were to come off). At least he would have had a fighting chance of good service, and thus a goal opportunity. I have a feeling Carlo just didn't want to do that and risk Anelka feeling slighted. At the same time, the logical solution if Carlo wanted to give both Torres and Anelka a chance, i.e. taking Drogba off, would have slighted the big Ivorian who was having a good game but who hadn't scored. What a state of affairs! Cheers, Butch

You should remove the HDD from your notebook & stick it into one of those USB external drive kits, mate. That way, you have access to your critical data, with a bit of digging in Windows Explorer. Cheers, Butch

Nice post as usual, Dorset. Sadly, quite a few of us saw this coming, although none of us could have predicted the severity of the "blip" in mid-season, especially after such a fine start. I guess it started to go south when we had some key injuries and suspensions, without the able replacements to step in. Then it just basically snow-balled from there, and while, as you imply, Carlo is not totally at fault, his tactical decisions have at times given cause for a bit of concern. Anyway, I have made up my mind. I've always been very fond of Jose, and I still cannot believe we parted ways with him. It is a mixture of disappointment and "what could have been". But I am not going to yearn for his return any longer, not because I don't want to see him here, but more because the more I think about it, the less likely it is to happen. Also, it feels wrong to be pro-upheaval. Simply put, Jose aside, I don't think there is a better youngish manager than Carlo with whom to pin our club's hopes for the short- to mid-term future. I hope, nay pray, that we will stick with him and give him the support he requires to "rebuild" this Chelsea side. He is still basically managing Jose's team, and although there are some glimpses of change with the regular starts for Ramires and Luiz, he really deserves to be able to make some more significant changes before we really judge his ability to take us forward. I am actually quite tired of us chopping and changing managers; it really is such a short-term view to a solution, and is likely to end in more of the same. That is, we will flatter to deceive and ultimately fall flat in the crucial games. The long-term view to a solution would be to stick with a very good manager, and change the playing personnel, i.e. refresh the squad. We, and the press, talk about Neymar, Hazard, Lukaku, Van der Weil, De Bruyne, etc..., but what I hope more than anything is that Ancelotti gets to choose his own tools. If that means the likes of Pato and Pirlo, well, that is his choice and we should support him. Let's get some continuity going. By the way, I am also sick and tired of the UEFA Champions League. I don't think, as others do, that we actually deserved to lose to United, but they were certainly more clinical and a tad more lucky than we were in the end. However, while I may despise UEFA and couldn't give a rats arse about the competition on a personal basis, I cannot deny that is where it's at, and to really move the club forward, that is where we have to dine regularly; also that once we win it, if we win it, we will really have arrived on the big scene. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the loss at OT in the CL. CONGRATS this time go to yours truly; thank you very much. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 42 10 5 0 2 5 0 5 0 158 8613 205 247 +0 02 TT 45 10 5 0 0 0 10 0 15 175 8774 195 240 +1 03 Butch 45 10 6 0 0 0 0 15 50 225 8435 187 232 +1 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7151 174 215 na 07 TeaBarBoy 41 10 6 0 2 5 0 5 30 198 7070 172 213 +1 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 TT 9 03 Butch 7 Loz 7 04 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 05 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 06 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win at WBA. Congrats this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Butch’s Prediction League Regular Season Standings 2010-2011 The Shedend Forums --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Ossie13 43 10 5 15 2 5 10 0 50 228 8841 206 249 +2 02 TT 46 8 3 15 4 5 0 0 0 126 8900 193 239 -1 03 Butch 46 10 5 15 4 5 0 0 30 196 8631 188 234 +2 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7258 186 225 na 06 Chippy 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7151 174 215 na 07 TeaBarBoy 42 8 4 15 2 5 5 5 15 163 7233 172 214 +1 08 Crystalballs 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6707 164 205 na 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 11 Aribo A John 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1179 168 175 na 12 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 13 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 14 Waldron 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1371 152 161 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 11 02 TT 9 03 Butch 7 Loz 7 04 Footballoholic 3 TeaBarBoy 3 05 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Scooby Blue 2 06 Coombsie 1 ------------------------------ Record = TT (19) – 2008/9 -------------------------------------------------------------- BPL Top-10 Scores 2010-2011 -------------------------------------------------------------- 01 330* Ossie13 – Wolves (h, epl) 02 320 Footballoholic – Arsenal (h, epl) 03 300 Ossie13 – Blackburn (h, epl) 04 295 TT – Arsenal (h, epl) 05 293 Footballoholic – Fulham (h, epl) 06 285 Ossie13 – Blackburn (a, epl) 07 283 Loz – Newcastle (a, epl) 08 278 Ossie13 – Stoke (h, epl) TT – Copenhagen (a, cl) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Chippy – Man Utd (h, epl) Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch