Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the BPL standings after the loss on penalties to Man Utd in the CL Final. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! Also, Loz is crowned our new BPL Regular Season Champion, so CONGRATS to you too! I'll post the final regular season standings as well as all the various tables for the various competitions (e.g. Long-Term Predictions Competition, BPL Prediction League Final Standings) soon. [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:3p2cah8p] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 60 11 5 0 2 5 5 0 45 213 9728 162 222 +2 02 Ossie13 57 11 5 0 2 0 0 0 30 188 9372 164 221 +1 03 TT 61 11 5 0 2 5 20 5 80 268 9405 154 215 +3 04 Butch 61 11 5 0 0 0 0 0 30 190 9173 150 211 +1 05 Crystalballs 61 11 4 0 2 5 5 5 15 178 8447 138 199 +1 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 47 10 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 150 6556 139 186 +1 08 Derek Dove 54 10 3 0 4 5 5 15 0 151 6518 121 175 +2 09 Dan Harkin 43 11 5 0 2 0 0 5 30 193 5363 125 168 +3 10 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 11 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 12 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 13 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 14 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 na 15 A Suraju 01 9 5 0 2 0 5 0 0 143 143 143 144 na 16 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 17 Kalpit Vora 11 11 5 0 2 5 0 10 60 233 1377 125 136 +12 18 Emmanuel 01 10 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 126 126 126 127 na 19 Justin 01 9 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 126 126 126 127 na 20 Shaharyar A 03 8 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 98 341 114 117 na 21 Kelvin M 01 9 2 0 4 5 0 0 0 111 111 111 112 na 22 Aziz 01 8 1 0 4 5 0 0 0 91 91 91 92 na 23 O Odeyemi 01 7 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 88 88 88 89 na 24 Jude 01 6 2 0 0 0 5 0 0 85 85 85 86 na 25 Tam Z 01 6 1 0 6 5 0 0 0 69 69 69 70 na 26 Emmanuel O 01 6 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 68 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07), Loz (07/08) [/table:3p2cah8p] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:3p2cah8p] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 13* 02 Ossie13 12 TT 12 03 Butch 8 04 Chippy 5 05 Coombsie 4 Crystalballs 4 06 Nick White 3 07 Pauly 2 08 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:3p2cah8p] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:3p2cah8p] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 268 TT (Man Utd – neutral – CL) 2 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) Chippy (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Loz (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Ossie13 (Fenerbahce – home – CL) 3 263 Coombsie (Birmingham – away – EPL) 4 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 5 256 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CL) 6 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 7 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) TT (Man Utd – home – EPL) 8 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 9 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 10 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:3p2cah8p] Cheers, Butch

Jose is not a stupid person, far from it. IF he were to come back, he already knows what he would be in for and would be ready. I don't pretend to know how long it could last the second time round, but I always thought his return was a possibility (didn't mind the mocking either as part of me also thought it a bit unlikely). But he would be absolutely at the top of my list. I also think his return would take care of a lot of problems on the playing side, e.g. Didier, Essien and Lampard, plus it would help cheer up JT no end. Hiddink and Lippi would be acceptable alternatives for me, meaning I would have quite a bit of confidence in the club's prospects with them at the helm (not as excited at the prospect as for Jose's return though). I'd be a bit underwhelmed with Mancini, I have to say. Rijkaard would be a bit better but still not as positive about them as the above three. Sven, I would have to put in this group. He has shown he can do it at club level, but he has been quite a bit removed from success in recent times. I'm not sure Fergie would feel all that threatened by his appointment. Really, for me Jose is first with two distant seconds in Hiddink and Lippi. Cheers, Butch

I agree that we need to bring someone in quickly, so he has time to see who he wants to bring to the club, as well as plenty of time to work out pre-season, etc... That, however, would tend to rule out my personal favorite (not including Jose), Gus Hiddink. I find it a little difficult to believe Lippi is a serious option for us. I just don't see him tolerating any meddling by Roman. That would leave Rijkaard and Mancini, it would seem. I'm not particularly excited by either, but would prefer Rijkaard if push came to shove. A Euro or World Cup year is always a bit of a difficult one for a new manager to come into a club in the off-season. Many of his players will be starting the pre-season late, losing valuable time to get to know his new manager and team mates. Cheers, Butch

I think best manager we've ever had, but certainly not without "baggage". I'm sure all the top clubs in turmoil have had a look at him, and many probably are very interested. For Barcelona, it is clear there was too much conflict and bad blood from his Chelsea days that could not be swept under the carpet. Real have just won another league title. They didn't do too well in the Champions League, but then Jose didn't win it with us either. I have to agree that the most likely destination is Milan, but which club is open to debate. If you want to gauge how special he is (as if any Chelsea fan would need to), wait and see how he does at his next club. Cheers, Butch

(1) Lampard He doesn't even like West Ham. (2) Zola "God" not enough? (3) Jose Sorry, can't get over him. Cheers, Butch

I like it a lot; not as light a blue as I thought it might be. Looked great on the lads yesterday. I also like the yellow away kit, if that ends up being the real deal. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the final standings of the LAST-7 prediction competition. A big CONGRATULATIONS to Mod for the win. You now qualify for next season's BPL mate! [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8 - FINAL:10l4ho2n] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Gloryhole United 7 3 2 2 -5 11 2 TT 7 2 3 2 -8 9 3 Loz 7 2 2 3 -3 8 4 Murdoch_(8) 7 1 4 2 -6 7 5 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 7 1 4 2 -8 7 6 Oblivion 7 1 3 3 -4 6 Chippy 7 1 3 3 -4 6 7 Youlots 7 1 3 3 -5 6 8 Avn’t Got A Kalou 7 1 3 3 -6 6 Tim W 7 1 3 3 -6 6 9 Sweaty Socks 7 1 3 3 -7 6 10 Maksimov 7 1 3 3 -8 6 11 Butch 7 1 2 4 -6 5 Champions United 7 0 5 2 -6 5 KalpitV 5 1 2 2 -6 5 12 Alan 7 1 2 4 -8 5 13 Ethicalstrategy 7 0 5 2 -9 5 14 Makalele 7 0 5 2 -10 5 15 Dizzie 6 0 4 2 -7 4 16 Enrico 7 0 4 3 -8 4 17 Super Dan Pet Rescue 7 0 4 3 -9 4 18 Gullit4 7 0 4 3 na* 4 19 Bruce for the Noose 7 0 3 4 -10 3 20 Valerie 7 0 2 5 -6 2 21 Bluenut 7 0 2 5 -13 2 -------------------------------------------------------------- *-371,007 goal difference!!! [/table:10l4ho2n] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home draw with Bolton in our final league game of the season. CONGRATS this time go to Loz and TT; well done fellas! With one game remaining, Loz is a whisker in front of Ossie13. It all comes down to the big final in Moscow, doesn't it? [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:1ra0mubx] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 59 10 3 0 2 0 0 5 50 183 9515 161 220 +1 02 Ossie13 56 10 3 0 4 0 0 5 30 161 9184 164 220 +1 03 TT 60 10 3 0 2 0 0 5 50 183 9137 152 212 +1 04 Butch 60 10 3 0 4 0 0 5 30 161 8983 150 210 +1 05 Crystalballs 60 8 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 111 8269 138 198 +1 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 46 9 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 121 6406 139 185 +0 08 Derek Dove 53 9 1 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 6367 120 173 +1 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Dan Harkin 42 8 4 0 6 0 0 5 0 119 5170 123 165 +1 11 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 12 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 13 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 14 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 na 15 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 16 Rahul 01 10 2 0 2 0 0 5 15 138 138 138 139 na 17 Kalpit Vora 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1144 114 124 na 18 O Oladimeji 01 7 2 0 6 0 0 5 0 89 89 89 90 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:1ra0mubx] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1ra0mubx] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 13* 02 Ossie13 12 03 TT 11 04 Butch 8 05 Chippy 5 06 Coombsie 4 Crystalballs 4 07 Nick White 3 08 Pauly 2 09 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:1ra0mubx] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:1ra0mubx] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) Chippy (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Loz (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Ossie13 (Fenerbahce – home – CL) 2 263 Coombsie (Birmingham – away – EPL) 3 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 4 256 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CL) 5 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 6 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) TT (Man Utd – home – EPL) 7 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 8 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 9 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 10 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:1ra0mubx] Cheers, Butch

He deserves it. I actually think he should be in the running for manager of the year (on team's results; I'm still not convinced he has full control behind the scenes as crazy as that sounds). Cheers, Butch

I don't think so, although I will believe in the possibility until the bitter end. The thing is, it is out of our hands. As someone said, I just want us to beat Bolton and make sure we take advantage of any slip-up. Provided we beat Bolton, I'll be happy. I'm already proud of Avram and the boys for what they've accomplished this season, and I believe we WILL win the Champions League. It's in our own back yard for goodness sake! The only thing I don't want to see is us fail to take advantage of a Man Utd slip up. That would be an extremely bitter pill to swallow. That's why I say I just hope we take care of our own business. I do think Man Utd will score one or two in the first half and cruise through the rest of the game. Wigan may get one back in the second half and make things interesting, but I'm predicting a 2-1 win or them. Sorry. Cheers, Butch

Ditto Cheers, Butch

My feeling is that we have spent a lot of money to get together a solid squad of players. However, to take it that extra step, we need a very special player. Those are hard to come by and thus of course don't come cheap. Messi is a super special player. I can't think of many who are the same calibre as he; maybe C. Ronaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho (when he gets his mind back to it). The question is not whether or not he is worth that. I think he is for our situation. The question is do we want to spend that much. I doubt it would forego the signing of other players, which is what seems to be first and foremost on a lot of our minds. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the 2007-8 Last-7 Competition standings after the 2-0 away win over Newcastle. With 1 game remaining, Mod's Gloryhole United has pulled free and threatens to derail TT's season. Will TT really go completely empty-handed this year? The sack is looming large! [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8:1jc9lhil] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Gloryhole United 6 3 2 1 -5 11 2 TT 6 2 3 1 -6 9 3 Loz 6 2 2 2 -2 8 4 Murdoch_(8) 6 1 4 1 -5 7 5 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 6 1 4 1 -6 7 6 Oblivion 6 1 3 2 -2 6 7 Chippy 6 1 3 2 -3 6 8 Avn’t Got A Kalou 6 1 3 2 -4 6 9 Sweaty Socks 6 1 3 2 -5 6 10 Tim W 6 1 3 2 -5 6 11 Youlots 6 1 3 2 -5 6 12 Maksimov 6 1 3 2 -6 6 13 KalpitV 4 1 2 1 -3 5 14 Alan 6 1 2 3 -5 5 15 Butch 6 1 2 3 -5 5 16 Champions United 6 0 5 1 -5 5 17 Ethicalstrategy 6 0 5 1 -8 5 18 Makalele 6 0 5 1 -9 5 19 Dizzie 5 0 4 1 -6 4 20 Super Dan Pet Rescue 6 0 4 2 -7 4 21 Gullit4 6 0 4 2 na* 4 22 Enrico 6 0 3 3 -7 3 23 Bruce for the Noose 6 0 3 3 -8 3 24 Valerie 6 0 2 4 -6 2 25 Bluenut 6 0 2 4 -11 2 -------------------------------------------------------------- *-371,005 goal difference!!! [/table:1jc9lhil] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over Newcastle that keeps us in the title race until the end. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! Seems like your mini-revival is coming just a tad too late?! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:1e6orvun] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 58 7 2 15 2 0 5 10 0 118 9332 161 219 +0 02 Ossie13 55 7 3 15 2 0 5 10 30 158 9022 164 219 +1 03 TT 59 8 2 30 0 0 0 10 50 190 8954 152 211 +2 04 Butch 59 8 2 15 0 0 0 5 15 135 8822 150 209 +1 05 Crystalballs 59 6 2 30 0 0 0 10 15 135 8158 138 197 +1 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6285 140 185 na 08 Derek Dove 52 6 0 30 0 0 0 10 0 100 6259 120 172 +0 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Dan Harkin 41 7 1 15 2 0 0 0 0 93 5051 123 164 +0 11 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 12 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 13 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 14 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 15 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 na 16 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 17 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 18 Kalpit Vora 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1144 114 124 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:1e6orvun] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1e6orvun] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* Ossie13 12* 02 TT 10 03 Butch 8 04 Chippy 5 05 Coombsie 4 Crystalballs 4 06 Nick White 3 07 Pauly 2 08 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:1e6orvun] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:1e6orvun] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) Chippy (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Loz (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Ossie13 (Fenerbahce – home – CL) 2 263 Coombsie (Birmingham – away – EPL) 3 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 4 256 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CL) 5 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 6 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) TT (Man Utd – home – EPL) 7 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 8 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 9 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 10 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:1e6orvun] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 3-2 extra time win over Liverpool in the CL semi's. CONGRATS this time go to Crystalballs; well done, mate! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:24uotzku] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 57 9 4 15 2 5 20 10 15 193 9214 162 219 +2 02 Ossie13 54 10 5 15 2 5 5 10 30 213 8864 164 218 +2 03 TT 58 9 5 15 4 5 0 10 0 166 8764 151 209 +1 04 Butch 58 9 5 15 4 5 0 5 0 161 8687 150 208 +1 05 Crystalballs 58 11 5 15 4 0 0 5 80 256 8023 138 196 +3 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 45 10 5 15 2 5 0 10 15 193 6285 140 185 +3 08 Derek Dove 51 10 2 15 2 10 0 10 0 153 6159 121 172 +2 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Dan Harkin 40 9 3 15 0 0 10 15 0 160 4958 124 164 +2 11 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 12 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 13 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 14 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 15 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 na 16 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 17 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 18 Kalpit Vora 10 10 5 15 2 0 10 10 30 213 1144 114 124 +12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:24uotzku] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:24uotzku] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* Ossie13 12* 02 TT 9 03 Butch 8 04 Chippy 5 05 Coombsie 4 Crystalballs 4 06 Nick White 3 07 Pauly 2 08 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:24uotzku] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:24uotzku] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) Chippy (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Loz (Fenerbahce – home – CL) Ossie13 (Fenerbahce – home – CL) 2 263 Coombsie (Birmingham – away – EPL) 3 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 4 256 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CL) 5 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 6 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) TT (Man Utd – home – EPL) 7 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 8 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 9 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 10 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:24uotzku] Cheers, Butch

Think Barry's going to Liverpool. Anyway, priority number one for our midfield is to keep what we've got. I'm more than happy with Lamps, Ballack, Essien, Makalele and Mikel as the mainstays. I'd rather add someone who is (1) more attacking, and (2) much more creative and talented. Cheers, Butch

I was very impressed by Ericksson's accomplishments in Italy. I liked his "cool" style. I feel he is the kind of figure that the big egos can respect. His spending of money may seem a little bit iffy, but he has bought several good players in his time so I wouldn't be too worried. His time as England manager should not be held against him in the club football arena. He was really handicapped by a lack of talent. Considering the names of potential Chelsea managers, including Grant who must really fancy his chances of remaining at the helm next season now, I would have Ericksson up there close to the top. I am of the opinion that he has the experience and the accomplishment behind him to almost instantly command the respect of the the current Chelsea players, and would also have pulling power for really good future ones. I also like what he has tried to do at Man City this year. Considering they don't have the pulling power, he's been able to bring in some good players (e.g. Petrov) and got them playing relatively well. You don't beat Man Utd unless you set up well so I have to think he's got what it takes and that with a better calibre of players at his disposal he'd do even better. I'm feeling more and more inclined to support Grant for another season though I still have that nagging feeling that I should be trusting my head. If I had to draw a list of managers I'd like to see at Chelsea, they'd be: 1. Jose (of course, but I accept it won't happen) 2. Hiddink 3. Lippi 4. Ericksson 5. Gullit/Rijkaard Cheers, Butch

I have to agree. Never was my choice and never been truly happy with him, but what he's done so far is truly amazing! Cheers, Butch

Malouda...wish he'd just sod off! Cheers, Butch

Can you think of one Chelsea player that SHOULD be on that list? I'm struggling to. Maybe Joe Cole, but a bit of a stretch really. Ballack's been good since he's been back but hasn't played enough to be in contention (at the time the votes were cast). Cheers, Butch

I was disgusted. But not simply as something that "looked bad". It signifies something worse. We're not as united as we used to be or as we often say we are. Also, when Drogba ran across to, I guess, complain, he ran to Clarke. Grant was standing around there and took no part in smoothing things or calming down the situation. JT was also in the vicinity and again, nothing. We should be under no illusions. The dressing room is filled with egos and big personalities that (a) Grant has no control over, and ( JT has little control over. To be honest, I've not seen this happen before anywhere else. Embarrassing would be one way to put it. But again, I'm more worried about what is going on behind the scenes. So, regardless of how well (or not) Grant has done this season, he doesn't seem like the ideal man for the job for next season. Thinking about it all, I'm amazed at the results we've been getting. I don't know quite how we're doing it. Boggles the mind. Cheers, Butch

Who wouldn't? Oh, sorry, my bad... Cheers, Butch

It's all part of the game; I actually don't hold it against him. Remember, Jose did it quite a lot as well, and Wenger and Ferguson do it as standard practice. He is basically trying to pressure the referee to think twice about giving us anything for fear that he would be seen to confirm what Rafa's said. But I trust that referees are above this sort of thing. You have to, otherwise we might as well pack it in and forget it. Rafa is under a lot of pressure. We definitely hold the upper hand and he is just trying to give his side the best chance possible. I'm afraid putting doubt in the referee's mind is part of improving that chance. We might not like it but he's doing his job. Cheers, Butch

In general, yes, but if he were to have made an early questionable tackle, thus really being very much on tenderhooks for the rest of the game, I simply don't have the same confidence you seem to. That final looming large is a huge, huge game, especially for someone like Terry who has been so close many times before. It would be absolutely heart-breaking to miss the final, if the team made it through, especially for the captain. Riccy and Maca need to make sure he isn't put into situations that he would be vulnerable - easier said than done, but I think this is really important. I mean, really, if he goes into an early tackle and gets a warning from the ref, I'd actually consider if it would be in our best interests to take him off. Someone was put in a similar situation before, I think in the World Cup. Potentially it was even Ballack for Germany? He took the card for the team but it was really awful. I felt for the man. I thought something was going to be done about this but obviously nothing has been done so far (postponing suspensions from big finals). On the one hand, yes, rules are rules (and I guess we should stick to that), but on the other hand the impact on an individual cannot be overstated. Cheers, Butch

What I'm worried about is this: Terry is one yellow away from a suspension that would keep him out of the final if we make it. My assumption is he is human and it will affect his decision-making process. Theoretically, it shouldn't, but I am afraid it will. I believe our middle two in defense need the experience and positional cover that Makalele would give them. This is exactly the kind of top-tiered, high-level, high-pressure, high-intensity situation that Makalele would thrive on and that Mikel could possibly wilt under (inexperience and hot temper are not a good combination - the stakes are high). And I agree, Essien does not do well in the position, the reason being he is not positionally disciplined. For those reasons, I would definitely play Maka in his usual holding role. Again, we do not have to force the issue. Essien or Paulo at right back is a dilemma. I think they both have their strengths, and weaknesses. But ultimately, I agree that Lamps is the major factor. The way Ballack and Essien have been playing, they simply cannot be benched. So, with Maka also being important, if Lamps is "fit" to play, Essien will go to right back. It's not so much a tactical thing as trying to fit all the important "characters" onto the pitch. I'm not sure I agree with it, though I understand it. Essien will need to stick to the game plan though, i.e. defend first and attack as and when the opportunities present themselves. I'm not sure what to think about the two up top strategy. We haven't really tried this, and given the situation, I am not sure we need to "risk" it. Provided Drogba is in the mood, he is more than effective as the lone front man, and it gives us a bit more cover down both flanks (helping out the right and left backs in defense). I think we will need that. I think we will need to try and smother Liverpool's midfield, as usually ends up what happens whenever we've played them in recent seasons, and thus the narrow wins for either side. Our away goal has, I think, made this approach beneficial to us (and thus why the Liverpool players and manager were distraught - apart from the nature of the goal). They will now have to try and play outside their comfort zone, and thus why we shouldn't. You know, I was very frustrated by Kalou's performance against Man Utd, but I knew (I think) his importance (and thus why he remained on the pitch for the length of time he did), and so I think he should again play against Liverpool (or Malouda but I tend to prefer Kalou). We need these runners-with-the-ball-at-their-feet to link our defense and attack, as well as to keep the Liverpool defenders honest. Anelka, as good as he is, is not as effective as a link player. Once we had a strike force of Anelka, Drogba and Shev on against Man Utd, our attacks just about dried up. While my more excite-craving side wants to see us go out and attack Liverpool and spank them, my more conservative side would prefer us to take fewer risks since we have the advantage, and try to pick them off when we have the chance. My big worry is how we tend to start games against Liverpool. I have a feeling they will attack us from the start. We need to make sure we match them in intensity from the off (something that really worries me). We need to concentrate very well (especially in defense) and not concede an early goal that would swing the tie around 180 degrees. The longer we can keep them from scoring, whether we score ourselves or not, the greater the advantage to us and the more pressure and frustration on them. I feel we could easily score one goal if we really concentrated in everything we did rather than just on attacks. A more open game would suit Liverpool, I feel. Set pieces will also favor Liverpool, for some unknown reason, as we don't defend set pieces very well, despite being in possession of a squad packed with giants. Lapses in concentration are an Achilles' heal. Let's not hand the initiative back to Liverpool with some stupid mistakes. That would be my main message to the players if I were Grant. Other than that, our quality of players and our confidence on our home patch should take care of the rest. Cheers, Butch