Butch

Does the coming summer become the first to be included in the "financial fairplay" scheme? If so, spending huge amounts of money may not really be an option, and selling to bring in money, as well as shave off a significant amount of the wage bill, would be a must. But, in very general terms, I think we do need to start planning for our future as our key players are struggling for consistency. The problem is, I wonder how much we could expect for many of the players rumored to be leaving. Let's take, for example, Drogba. I've heard some fans think we can get 20 million for him, which I feel to be quite an overestimation of his value to another club, most likely Marseille (or possibly Madrid, if Jose is still there). The problem is that he is also on pretty high wages. As such, I don't for a moment believe we'd get significantly more than about 10 million for him, if that, and he'd likely have to agree to take a cut in wages as well, so some behind the scenes agreement will have to be cut, likely cutting into any amount we would want for him. I also can't see anyone paying over 10 million for the likes of Anelka, Malouda and Kalou, others who've been rumored to be leaving. Roman and Carlo are going to need to think long and hard about this. Players we simply cannot replace at this important juncture are Terry and Lampard. It is absolutely key that these leaders on and off the pitch stay to provide something of a continuum. Also, while the likes of McEachran and Chalobah are looking pretty good in terms of making it at Chelsea, I'm wondering where the next Chelsea captain to lead us through the next decade is going to come from. That is as important as any new additions to the footballing side of matters. Cheers, Butch

I find it difficult to fathom supporting any other club than this Chelsea, for better or for worse. I was happy enough when we were yo-yoing between the then first and second divisions, having our bottoms handed to us by the likes of QPR, Forest, Luton Town, etc..., but I am also mostly happier with how things are now. There is no perfect situation and you just have to make the best you can of the one you find yourself in. You know, there was a time, in the very, very early days of Abramovich, when I was extremely worried about where this club was headed. I cannot explain the relief I feel today that we have actually moved forward, and I can only thank Ken and my luck stars that Roman has turned out to have football in his heart. I believe we are very, very fortunate. I don't believe it is, or has ever been, the plan to sign players on expensive fees and for colossal wages. That is just the way of the world. The fact Roman brought in Arnesen, built up Cobham and developed the academy says a lot for the effort to try and do the right things. I'm a little disappointed Arnesen's leaving, but it doesn't sound like Roman had much to do with it, and so we'll see what happens with our academy now, but I trust it will continue to develop under a new tutelage. With expensive players comes big egos, etc..., which I guess we will have to live with; a disappointing part of things but I guess you have to take the good with the bad, or vice versa. I'm just not feeling that the "old" Chelsea is, in essence, being taken away (or has been taken away) from the fans. I understand some of the sentiments, e.g. fans being priced out of attending games regularly, newer/younger/different fans being attracted and thus the atmosphere around the club being different than it used to be, more foreign/different players being brought in and thus fans are exposed to different styles/personalities that may clash with what they want/expect, etc... I understand how fans, especially the older fans who've known a "different" Chelsea can feel alienated. However, I propose that this is happening at all clubs, except maybe at an accelerated pace at Chelsea (as well as the other larger clubs). I find it hard to believe any club is actually holding off on developing for a fear of what that development would bring. I think the only reason a club would try to slow things down is to make sure the development is sustainable, i.e. they don't go bankrupt. So no, as things stand I couldn't possibly see myself supporting any other club, whatever the name. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the shoot-out loss to Everton knocks us out of the FA Cup. 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 34 11 6 0 2 0 0 5 65 238 7167 211 245 +2 02 TT 36 10 5 0 0 0 0 5 0 155 7162 199 235 +0 03 Butch 36 9 3 0 2 5 0 5 0 128 6905 192 228 -1 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 32 10 6 0 0 0 0 10 30 200 6013 188 220 +1 06 TeaBarBoy 32 8 3 0 2 5 0 5 0 118 5602 175 207 -1 07 Chippy 33 10 5 0 2 5 0 5 15 173 5661 172 205 +1 08 Crystalballs 35 8 3 0 2 5 0 5 0 118 5851 167 202 -1 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Durty Hurty 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 579 193 196 na 11 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 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 Waldron 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1228 154 162 na 15 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 16 Anosike Peter 01 4 1 0 4 0 0 5 0 51 51 51 52 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 TT 7 03 Butch 6 04 Loz 4 05 Footballoholic 3 06 Scooby Blue 2 TeaBarBoy 2 07 Chippy 1 Coombsie 1 Crystalballs 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) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

I agree with all of this. I fully support Carlo, and it is my sincerest wish he succeeds. But, as in all other professions, I think there is a "minimum" expectation by the club (in this case, I mean Roman) and Carlo is already probably all too aware of this. Cheers, Butch

He's just sad and bitter, and you can look down your nose at him all day long, wherever we finish in the league. Cheers, Butch

With regards to the sacking of Wilkins, I very much doubt it was the cause of our slump, although maybe it has played its part in prolonging it. More than anything, I think it is a convenient excuse. I love him to bits (always defending us on the various shows - what a great ambassador for the cub; still says "we" when he talks about Chelsea), and I don't doubt the players also do, but the players are professionals. As to the signings of Torres and Luiz, I can find no fault in the logic. I think the squad needed strengthening. We took a bit of a gamble on Fernando, but I think it was a calculated gamble with a significant chance of success. Yes, he will give us a bit of a kick in the Champions League, where his lack of fitness/form/confidence may not be so cruelly exposed, but I think more than anything else this is a long-term signing with the objective of ultimately replacing Drogba (not immediately but soon enough). With Luiz, this was an immediate fix to an Achilles heal of ours: defending. Now we have him, Ivan can slot back at right back and our defense becomes more solid immediately. As such, I really cannot find fault with the decisions that have been made. Cheers, Butch

I think Carlo did enough last season to indicate he has "something" to offer Chelsea Football Club. This season has not been ideal, but after a lot of soul searching I have to say we don't have a divine right to win everything, or indeed, anything. I think he deserves to be given a fair crack of the whip, meaning until the end of the season, to turn things around without having to worry about getting the sack at every less than stellar performance. Fair's fair though and the minimum expected has to be 4th place in the league. Anything less than that would be detrimental to the continued development of the club. As long as he delivers that, he should be given the backing needed to "rebuild". Cheers, Butch

I don't expect Josh to be ready to start for us on a regular basis and carry us on our shoulders. However, having said that, when the game was crying out for something different in our midfield, I would have at least brought him on for a few minutes to try and avert disaster. Just wish Carlo would be a little more proactive. I mean, he isn't even very reactive! Cheers, Butch

To comment on your query, there are a lot of young, new fans who may not fully understand the essence of being a supporter. Again, while I feel it is a shame, I find it to be understandable. I totally understand your frustration about the "only needing to know the last 10 years of history" comment, wherever that came from. But that is the same short sightedness of opposing fans (cough...Liverpool...cough) who say we have no history. It's a shame they don't look at themselves through the same lens, for if they did they'd be pretty much a nothing club wouldn't they? Anyway, in more general terms, as long as we all exercise some patience I don't think any differences of opinion, wherever they may stem from, should be the source of heated exchanges. Our real "enemies" are on the outside, LOL! By the way, I am fully behind Carlo as I've intimated in some of my other posts. My comment about Jose is only because I've always been a big fan and never wanted him to leave...so mostly nostalgia. This club craves a bit of stability IMHO. Cheers, Butch

I've always professed my love and respect for Jose, and I would always take him back in a heartbeat, such is the impression I have of him. Not only does he have the tactical nous, I also love his personality and his propensity to grab the bull by the horns no matter how big the beast may be. Chelsea as a club will always be "underdogs", and I believe underdogs need to have some "bite". Anyway, that is besides the point. I doubt he'll ever be back as manager at Chelsea, for a myriad of reasons. I read absolutely nothing into his presence in the stands at Fulham. Despite wanting there to be something in the grapevine (for my own admittedly selfish reasons - nothing to do with Carlo), I wouldn't believe any Tom, Dick and Harry who said anything about any rumor linking Jose with us. We should all do our own digging and forming our own conclusions. But in very general terms, I am quite disappointed at the readiness by which many jump on a fellow poster, new or old, or his ideas. Everyone is entitled to their own ideas, foolish or not. Anything we say on these forums is our own opinions; again, whether they paint us out to be foolish or not. If I were to say something to get a hugely negative response, e.g. "name calling", I'd be just as culpable, if maybe not as obscene. This is one of the main reasons why the quality of the banter on this forum has, in general, gone down the drain. I think we used to exercise a lot more respect for other people's opinions when they clashed with our own, and our responses were much more toned down. And if people voiced what we perceived to be foolish opinions, it was either a very classy funny comment or nothing at all; certainly nothing offensive. Just my two cents, and no offense meant to anyone. Cheers, Butch

I really didn't think we played too bad at all last night. I thought David Luiz was outstanding, bar the late lapse in concentration that could have been cruelly punished (the PK award itself, while understandable and acceptable, was disappointing considering we had an even better should for one turned down), and I felt that the Petr and the back four of Ivan, Ash, JT and Luiz (shall we call him Bob?) had a solid game. I take heart from this and feel that we can build upon this defense for the rest of the season. In the middle, of course Lamps and Ess are not at their best; however, I have faith in them and am more than happy with their application, if not their form. Ramires continues to show us why Carlo signed him in the summer. Up front, as most have suggested, is where we need some work. Torres, on an individual note, is off form, low on confidence, and still feeling his way around. All that will come with game time. I don't expect that he should start or end all games he plays in, and there likely will be quite a bit of rotation. I think this is understandable and in the long run will benefit us. I also think Carlo will need to continue experimenting in real match situations (as opposed to practice sessions) to settle on a formation that works best, and find that understandable and acceptable. I've already accepted that it will be very difficult to defend our EPL title successfully. We simply had too long a string of bad results and I don't pin it all on the players or Ancelotti. I think key injuries and suspensions took their toll, and a sapped confidence as well as improved general quality of the EPL has made it difficult for us to rebound quickly. Of course, Carlo has his weaknesses and each of the players their own. Nobody is perfect. I still think that overall we have one of the best squads, if not the best, now that we've had two key acquisitions in Torres and Luiz. We should have a great chance to defend our FAC crown, and a much improved shot at the CL (as opposed to when we didn't have Torres and when a lot of key players were unavailable). I really hope Roman keeps his trust in Carlo. I think he has shown us through leading us to the double last season that he does have what it takes to help us be successful. I'm tired of the chopping and changing, and I don't think it will benefit anyone. Of course, this doesn't mean there aren't any expectations whatsoever. Fourth in the league is still the minimum, and I am confident we will be able to do that. I just think Carlo and the squad need a little time to get back on a run of form. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the unlucky and lucky 0-0 draw at Fulham. CONGRATS this time go to TeaBarBoy; 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 33 9 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 136 6929 210 243 -1 02 TT 35 10 5 0 4 0 0 0 15 161 7007 200 235 +0 03 Butch 35 10 5 0 2 0 0 5 30 183 6777 194 229 +1 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 31 10 5 0 2 0 0 5 30 183 5813 188 219 +1 06 TeaBarBoy 31 10 6 0 6 0 0 0 50 204 5484 177 208 +2 07 Chippy 32 9 5 0 8 0 0 0 0 132 5488 172 204 +0 08 Crystalballs 34 10 4 0 6 0 0 0 0 134 5733 169 203 +0 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Durty Hurty 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 579 193 196 na 11 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 12 Aribo A John 07 10 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 144 1179 168 175 -4 13 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 14 Waldron 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1228 154 162 na 15 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 16 A. Yusuff 01 5 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 74 74 74 75 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 TT 7 03 Butch 6 04 Loz 4 05 Footballoholic 3 06 Scooby Blue 2 TeaBarBoy 2 07 Chippy 1 Coombsie 1 Crystalballs 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) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Talk about a must win! I can see this being a bit of a tough ask, despite us being superior on paper. A lot will depend on our shape up front and whether we can sustain pressure on their goal. Going for a tough 1-0 win, with Lamps getting the winner in the second half. Just hope we can keep Fulham out. Duffer's in a bit of form. Cheers, Butch

I think we're all pretty desperate for him to do well for Chelsea and be that player we all think he could be. And quickly. That's quite a bit of pressure on the young man's shoulders. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home loss against Liverpool. 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 32 11 6 0 4 0 0 0 45 211 6793 212 244 +1 02 TT 34 11 5 0 4 0 0 0 15 171 6846 201 235 +0 03 Butch 34 11 6 0 2 0 0 5 65 238 6594 194 228 +2 04 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 05 Loz 30 10 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 146 5630 188 218 +0 06 TeaBarBoy 30 11 6 0 8 0 0 0 30 192 5280 176 206 +2 07 Chippy 31 10 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 144 5356 173 204 +0 08 Crystalballs 33 8 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 111 5599 170 203 -1 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Durty Hurty 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 579 193 196 na 11 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 12 Aribo A John 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1035 173 179 na 13 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 14 Waldron 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1228 154 162 na 15 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na 16 Hyacinth 01 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 106 106 106 107 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 TT 7 03 Butch 6 04 Loz 4 05 Footballoholic 3 06 Scooby Blue 2 07 Chippy 1 Coombsie 1 Crystalballs 1 TeaBarBoy 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) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

I think this is a case of Kenny 1, Carlo 0. As a team, as Just said, Liverpool came with a game plan and executed it pretty well. Individually, Carragher played very well. Chelsea lined up wrong, meaning Carlo's team selection was not quite right, and he didn't change it very much when it didn't work. Also, Petr and Ivan, not to mention Ash, were suspect in defense and the Liverpool goal was down to a defensive mistake rather than any Liverpool magic. A fair score would have been 0-0, considering the lack of any real chances for either side, but since when has football been a fair game. The main problems as I see it are that: (a) Carlo seems hell bent on accommodating all three of Drogba, Anelka and Torres. I know for a fact that Drogba and Anelka provide us with little movement off the ball and very quickly diminishing speed. They are more about physical strength and cutesy footwork/ball movement, respectively. Torres, from what I've seen of Liverpool in the past, isn't so much about off the ball movement either, as it is about speed on the ball and accuracy of shot. As such, those three together lack some important ingredients in a forward line - movement and dribbling ability (I mean dribbling to beat players, not dribbling to keep possession in non-threatening areas like Anelka does); (B) our midfield has lost its spark. Lamps is still feeling his way back and looks a yard off the pace and not getting into scoring positions like he used to. Essien is completely off the boil. Mikel is error-strewn with his passing. Malouda is stop/start. Ramires is the only one, despite the slow start, who is looking like coming into a bit of form; © our defense has been disappointing to say the least. This is exaggerated a bit by our inability to get goals in tight games, but on the whole we make too many individual errors. My biggest concern is our full backs' defending of crosses, particularly since Cech, Ivan and JT have not been as commanding as in previous years. This is not panic stations. The Liverpool result was disappointing, particularly in the big picture of the title chase, but although we were not able to take advantage of the United slip-up, we haven't fallen further behind either. Maybe we have one less game to use to catch up with them, but I honestly don't think it is significant in the grand scheme of things. We really just need to concentrate on our own form, and getting this good squad of players playing together as a team is the main issue. I really didn't like our 4-4-2D formation against Liverpool. As a matter of fact, I will go on record as saying that we will find it difficult to break down most teams with that formation and starting-11. Carlo will probably stick to it to accommodate Didier, Nic and Fernando, but I really would much rather we revert to 4-3-3, reinstate Malouda on the left of the front three, and rotate the three strikers, and Kalou, to fill in the other two positions. In midfield, I'd keep Mikel (I certainly see his qualities and while he passes sideways more than up front, I believe his ability to keep the ball moving does help out over the course of the game), keep Frank (who I still feel is the heart beat of our attacks), and rotate Essien and Ramires. In defense, I'd like to see a change. I think Ivan played very well at RB for us last season, and although his preference may be CB, I think we need a defender at RB. Now that we have Luiz, who looked quick and comfortable on the ball against Liverpool, we can afford to play Ivan at RB. Having three "defenders" should solidify our defense a bit. Ash can continue manning the left touchline, but I think with Malouda in front of him, their interplay and covering should make us more solid. The addition of Torres and Luiz has made our squad the best in the league, bar none. It has added that little bit of cover and experience it was lacking earlier. Now, rather than cramming players into the starting line-up to accommodate egos, Carlo should concentrate on picking a "team" equipped to win each match. He really will have no excuse for finishing outside the top 4 in the EPL. As for the Liverpool match, apart from what I've already said, can I just say the referee was ridiculous in his decision not to award us a penalty for Glen's shove in the back of Ivan? Considering all the other penalty kicks being awarded in the league this weekend, some of which were soft as you like, that was a better shout for a pen than most. He had no intention of playing the ball and gave a clear shove in Ivan's back to stop him from playing it. Absolutely ridiculous. It wouldn't have been much use, 1 point is better than none I guess, but what does that have to do with anything? Just my opinion. Cheers, Butch

I expect us to finish fourth at the very least. Of course, if you consider that our play has been at times pretty disappointing, there is a chance we could fall short. We've had our "slump", but I think we've turned the corner. We just need to pull up our socks, Carlo included. But all the raw materials are in place and we're better placed than most to have a good second half to the season. Cheers, Butch

I've criticized Drogba a lot for his form (or lack thereof) this season. He's been disappointing. It is, however, his attitude, which is disappointing when he is in form but absolutely unacceptable when he's off form. For that, I don't think there is much we can do. It's part and parcel of Didier Drogba, I suppose. It is a tough call to make, and that is why Carlo is paid the big bucks. Personally, I kind of agree with Chippy that he probably is going to need games to get back to sharpness. It is probably a lack of confidence as much as anything else. Most of the squad are suffering from the same thing at the moment. On the other hand, I think sometimes he needs a kick up the backside, and so starting on the bench is not a bad option either (from time to time). That is in general. As for the Liverpool game, I kind of blame Carlo. The thing I've been most disappointed about Carlo is his lack of tactical nouse and his inability to change games to improve our chances of a result when things are not going well. As soon as he saw Liverpool lining up 3 center halves, and certainly as soon as he saw us squeezed in the middle and full backs stifled on the wings, something should have been done. I feel sometimes he's stubborn or over-confident in his players. After the first half, I would have brought on Malouda immediately for Anelka as it simply wasn't working and we needed to somehow stretch that back three. Sadly, it happened too late and the rest, as they say, is history. So, I'm not sure I'd lay the blame squarely at Didier's feet for this one. Back to the generalization though, I hope Carlo is aware that the triumvarate of Drogba, Anelka and Torres may be able to conjure up something for certain games, but for others it would be crazy to stick with those three. In all honesty, I think having the three of them should really be looked upon as giving Carlo the possibility of rotation to keep them all fresh and hungry. Benching Malouda, who is one of our more creative players, is crazy. We're creating little as it is. On the day, we needed a cute passer of the ball and a slasher to pull defenders wide. I can see many days when that will be the case. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the away win at Sunderland. CONGRATS this time go to TeaBarBoy; 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 31 9 4 15 4 5 5 0 0 151 6582 212 243 -1 02 TT 33 9 4 15 4 5 0 0 0 146 6675 202 235 -1 03 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 04 Butch 33 9 4 15 4 5 0 10 15 171 6356 193 226 +1 05 Loz 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5484 189 218 na 06 Crystalballs 32 9 4 15 2 10 10 0 30 193 5488 172 204 +2 07 Chippy 30 9 2 15 2 5 0 0 0 128 5212 174 204 +0 08 TeaBarBoy 29 9 5 15 2 5 10 10 50 228 5088 175 204 +2 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Durty Hurty 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 579 193 196 na 11 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 12 Aribo A John 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1035 173 179 na 13 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 14 Waldron 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1228 154 162 na 15 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 TT 7 03 Butch 5 04 Loz 4 05 Footballoholic 3 06 Scooby Blue 2 07 Chippy 1 Coombsie 1 Crystalballs 1 TeaBarBoy 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) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

Torres shouldn't be afraid to face Liverpool, and Chelsea shouldn't be afraid to play him. That would be ludicrous, and most definitely fodder for the hounding press. Having said this, there are many other factors that should be considered, including: i) is Torres fully fit (to play 90 minutes), ii) if not, would it be more desirable to start him and feed off the buzz, or bring him on later in the game, iii) the team dynamics - I've said before that this squad we have at Chelsea is an established squad with some "big" players. Nobody can just walk right in, even if they cost 50 million quid. There will be at least two days of training in preparation for this match and that is when Carlo will need to make a decision. The team has been showing some improvement, so it may indeed be a case or rewarding players for their performances and starting Torres on the bench. That would not be out of place. You have to keep in mind Torres will only have had two days of training with his new teammates. iv) Carlo will know better than anyone how he intends on using Torres, tactics-wise, and from training he will know when we are ready to implement those tactics (if any changes are indeed necessary). Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the draw at Goodison in the FA Cup. 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 30 11 6 0 2 0 0 10 15 193 6431 214 244 +0 02 TT 32 11 5 0 2 0 0 0 15 173 6529 204 236 +0 03 Footballoholic 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3180 212 227 na 04 Butch 32 11 5 30 0 0 0 10 65 265 6185 193 225 +3 05 Loz 29 11 7 0 2 0 0 0 60 238 5484 189 218 +3 06 Chippy 29 10 4 0 2 0 0 5 0 143 5084 175 204 +0 07 Crystalballs 31 10 4 0 4 0 0 5 0 141 5295 171 202 +0 08 TeaBarBoy 28 10 5 30 0 0 10 15 15 220 4860 174 202 +3 09 Scooby Blue 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3649 182 202 na 10 Durty Hurty 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 579 193 196 na 11 Coombsie 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2794 164 181 na 12 Aribo A John 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1035 173 179 na 13 Derek Dove 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1801 150 162 na 14 Waldron 08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1228 154 162 na 15 ChelseaBootBoy 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 631 158 162 na --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ BPL Winners’ Circle 2010-11 ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 TT 7 03 Butch 5 04 Loz 4 05 Footballoholic 3 06 Scooby Blue 2 07 Chippy 1 Coombsie 1 Crystalballs 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) 09 276 Footballoholic – Wolves (h, epl) 10 275 Loz – Arsenal (h, epl) Ossie13 – Arsenal (h, epl) -------------------------------------------------------------- *New Record (previous record = 320 by Footballoholic) Cheers, Butch

My favorite Spanish Chelsea player: Chappie Ferrer Most anonymous Spanish Chelsea player: De Lucas Forgotten Spanish Chelsea player: Maniche? I'm hopeful Torres can make a name for himself here. Cheers, Butch

Some of my favs: @DannyTheJourno - breaks a lot of Chelsea news @chelseafc - official @chelseayouth - usually get good commentary on Chelsea youth matches @RickGlanvill - good ol' Rick Cheers, Butch

Think it is something about Alex Ferguson not wanting us to win, LOL. Oh, and of course the poor Liverpool supporters needs a few more days to get over the heartbreak Cheers, Butch

Never. The league must always be the priority. I don't know how you can turn performances on and off at will anyway. Need to keep the consistency going and get players into form. Then, the incentive to excel in the Champions League will take care of itself. Besides, if we don't pull up our socks in the league, we may not even make it into the Champions League next season. Cheers, Butch