Butch

Funny...that's something my wife would say while pointing her finger to me! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest LAST-7 competition standings after the win over Man Utd in the league. [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8:2i10hbbl] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 TT 5 2 2 1 -4 8 2 Gloryhole United 5 2 2 1 -5 8 3 Loz 5 2 1 2 -2 7 4 Murdoch_(8) 5 1 3 1 -4 6 5 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 5 1 3 1 -5 6 6 Oblivion 5 1 2 2 -2 5 7 Avn’t Got A Kalou 5 1 2 2 -3 5 8 Chippy 5 1 2 2 -3 5 9 Tim W 5 1 2 2 -4 5 10 Sweaty Socks 5 1 2 2 -5 5 11 Youlots 5 1 2 2 -5 5 12 KalpitV 3 1 1 1 -2 4 13 Butch 5 1 1 3 -4 4 14 Champions United 5 0 4 1 -5 4 15 Ethicalstrategy 5 0 4 1 -7 4 16 Makalele 5 0 4 1 -8 4 17 Dizzie 4 0 3 1 -5 3 18 Maksimov 5 0 3 2 -6 3 19 Bruce for the Noose 5 0 3 2 -6 3 20 Super Dan Pet Rescue 5 0 3 2 -6 3 21 Gullit4 5 0 3 2 -4* 3 22 Alan 5 0 2 3 -5 2 23 Enrico 5 0 2 3 -6 2 24 Valerie 5 0 2 3 -6 2 25 Bluenut 5 0 1 4 -10 1 -------------------------------------------------------------- *-371,004 goal difference!!! [/table:2i10hbbl] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Man Utd. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, but don't get too cosy up there, mate! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:838342cs] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 56 10 3 30 0 0 5 15 30 210 9021 161 217 +2 02 Ossie13 53 10 3 15 2 5 0 10 0 158 8651 163 216 +1 03 TT 57 11 3 15 2 0 20 10 65 248 8598 151 208 +3 04 Butch 57 10 1 15 2 5 5 5 0 138 8526 150 207 +1 05 Crystalballs 57 9 1 0 2 5 0 10 0 113 7767 136 193 +0 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 44 10 1 15 2 0 0 5 0 128 6092 138 182 +0 08 Derek Dove 50 9 3 30 0 0 5 15 15 185 6006 120 170 +2 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 11 Dan Harkin 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4798 123 162 na 12 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 13 Gean Biz 01 10 3 15 0 5 0 10 0 160 160 160 161 na 14 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 15 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 16 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 na 17 Achese 01 9 3 15 2 0 5 5 0 143 143 143 144 na 18 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 19 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 20 Ilesanmi A 01 9 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 128 128 128 129 na 21 Kalpit Vora 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 931 103 112 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:838342cs] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:838342cs] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* Ossie13 12* 02 TT 9 03 Butch 8 04 Chippy 5 05 Coombsie 4 06 Crystalballs 3 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:838342cs] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:838342cs] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) TT (Man Utd – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Liverpool – away – CL) Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) Ossie13 (Liverpool – away – CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:838342cs] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 1-1 draw at Anfield in the first leg of the CL semi-finals. CONGRATS this time go to Coombsie and Ossie13; well done, lads! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:2opk6fb0] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 55 10 4 30 0 0 0 5 30 205 8811 160 215 +2 02 Ossie13 52 10 4 30 0 0 0 10 50 230 8493 163 215 +2 03 Butch 56 8 3 30 0 0 0 10 0 150 8388 150 206 +1 04 TT 56 10 4 0 0 0 10 0 0 150 8350 149 205 +1 05 Crystalballs 56 8 5 15 2 0 0 0 0 143 7654 137 193 +1 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 43 9 5 30 0 0 0 10 50 230 5964 139 182 +3 08 Derek Dove 49 8 3 30 0 0 0 15 15 170 5821 119 168 +2 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 11 Dan Harkin 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4798 123 162 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 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 931 103 112 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:2opk6fb0] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:2opk6fb0] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* Ossie13 12* 02 Butch 8 TT 8 03 Chippy 5 04 Coombsie 4 05 Crystalballs 3 Nick White 3 06 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:2opk6fb0] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:2opk6fb0] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Liverpool – away – CL) Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) Ossie13 (Liverpool – away – CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:2opk6fb0] Cheers, Butch

Pizarro and Sheva are also goners, I feel. I guess that is why I overlooked them (are they still here?!) Sheva has a ready-made destination that should make things relatively easy in terms of a decision. As for Pizarro, MAYBE he will remain, but I think being cut from the CL roster and playing in the reserves would not go well with him. He certainly looks surplus to requirements (much like Sidwell). He supposedly has the backing of his team mates though, so we'll see. Once again, totally wishful thinking on my part, but once again I look towards City of Manchester Stadium for a possibly interesting option as a left winger - Martin Petrov. He's faded away a bit, what with the lack of help from fellow team mates. In a better side where he could concentrate on his own thing, I think he would be a huge threat. Maybe a wee bit one-dimensional, but I would say one of the top five wingers in the EPL this season (maybe even top three). As for Di Santo, I think he merits at least a 4th place striker place, and numerous chances from the bench. So, Anelka, Huntelaar, Kalou and Di Santo. It is certainly a youngish strike force, but with plenty of help coming from the middle as well. Did I mention David Bentley? Thought I better do that at least once more. Cheers, Butch

I don't know what is going to happen the rest of the way this season. The ways have gone all bets are off. One minute we're stumbling along, all hope lost. The next, Man Utd decide they want to keep things interesting. What I do know (or feel) is that we're headed for a summer of change whatever happens. I know many of you have said this at various times this season. Here's my take: MANAGER I'm not going to go the "I want" route here with this post. I am going to go the "I think" route. There have been times when I've thought that we can't possibly keep on this path when many of the players purportedly do not seem to be happy. And with Kenyon and Buck being less than firm with their views in recent interviews, you have to wonder. Still, Roman has given Grant a 4-year contract, when he could easily have given him a much more temporary one, so that gesture (although it could be construed as trying to give the club a more "secured" outlook) would seem to suggest Grant will be given a fair chance at this. And if that is the case, apart from key players looking disenchanted, Grant has certainly given people (especially those that may be slightly biased towards him, i.e. Roman) something to think about. Many of us, for various reasons, might say we should replace him even if he wins the EPL and/or CL, but you've got to sit back and think about this a little more objectively - that would be a heck of a feat considering where he started. So, in conclusion, I am undecided how this will pan out. My guess is that we WILL consider this once the season is over. If Grant does not deliver either of those trophies, he would be fair game (I would imagine). If he does, I would not write him off. Meanwhile, I would also not doubt we've sounded out some potential replacements. Though unfair, this is business, and we have not been proven to be above it before. POSSIBILITY: 50-50 PLAYERS This is a bit of a fun part for me. I apologize to everyone who is offended by this trading players like sheep mentality. Rest assured, I totally appreciate the difficulties players face in playing in foreign lands, etc... Regardless of who is manager next season, except maybe if Jose is reinstated, I do expect quite a bit of change. Grant wants his own players and also players who will fit his "style". Some of the current players, i.e. the disenchanted ones, will also want to be moving to pastures new. Even if a new manager comes in, this will still be the case. How many? That's the million dollar question isn't it? Well, first let's see who will likely leave. Again, keep in mind I am taking the "I think" route rather than the "I want" route. Drogba - I think the first player on the exit plane will be our Ivorian striker. He has looked the most unhappy since day one and has been open about leaving. I doubt even a change of managers would keep him here. POSSIBILITY: 100% Ben Haim - I guess he's given up all hope of playing for us again if he would decide to come out and be so critical of the manager. He doesn't offer us enough to take that sort of a risk, and is pretty much dispensable (sorry for choice of word) now that we have Ivanovic. POSSIBILITY: 100% Cudicini - I don't think any of us, in our heart of hearts, would stand in Carlo's way. He's been a brilliant servant to us, and we all know he'd walk into most other EPL sides without any problem. That he's stuck around with us is a tribute to his loyalty (I know he gets paid well and all), and injuries aside, he may have had a trophy or two to show for all his troubles. I really feel for him, but he is an awesome player and man. He really needs regular games. POSSIBILITY: 85% Ferreira/Belletti - I doubt we will keep them both this off-season, as I strongly feel we will be after a new right back. In terms of who I feel is better, it is Paulo by quite a distance. However, I'm not sure he has got quite the same confidence in him by Grant as he did from Jose. Still, Belletti just has looked rather shaky in his defending and I just can't imagine him fitting in to our long-term plans. So, one of these two to go, but I am undecided which. POSSIBILITY: One to go 80%; 50-50 in terms of which. Malouda - I wonder what our management think of him. Personally, he's been a disaster for me. I thought he would do much better and he started off so well. It is likely a combination of "first season syndrome" and "instability" caused by Jose's departure and Didier's impending departure. He simply has not offered us anything. He's been even less effective than SWP was last season. It's a waste, but he strikes me as not being a fighter and may just decide to call it quits. I doubt there would be a shortage of suitors, to be honest. POSSIBILITY: 70% Essien - Here is another who has looked "lost" and unhappy. We're seen a bit of an improvement, in terms of application (and goals) of late, if not form. However, this could well be because he knows what his future holds now (Real Madrid?) and he can concentrate on making the best exit possible, a la Drogba. POSSIBILITY: 70% Lampard - I don't doubt Lamps would prefer to stay here with us if at all possible. What I doubt is if Chelsea would be happy to offer him the deal he wants. Under normal circumstances, I think he'd probably take a lesser deal to stay where he is happy. Under current circumstances, I wonder if he'd think about a change of scenery. I hope (and always have) that this is all a bit of posturing and that he will sign a new contract to stay with us, but the longer this drags on, I wonder. POSSIBILITY: 60% Bridge - I can't imagine that Wayne is particularly happy at Chelsea these days. From that respect, I think he'd go if a good club came in with a decent offer. However, from Chelsea's point of view, we'd be hard pressed to find as good a back-up left back (from Grant's perspective) as he is. From that stand point, I find it hard to imagine us letting him go. POSSIBILITY: 60% SWP - Shawn had quite a bright start to the season, and although he's looked bright, relative to last season, he's shown a remarkable lack of composure in critical situations (crossing and shooting) that make me wonder if he has what it takes to become an important player for us. Keeping in mind that a creative player is almost a given to be brought in this off-season, Shawn's position is going to come under serious threat. And there won't be a lack of suitors for he's a proven EPL player and a big threat on his day. POSSIBILITY: 60% OTHERS - I know there has been a bit of criticism of Kalou, question marks on Makalele, and rumors about Carvalho, but I am of the opinion that they will all be retained. I think Kalou is promising, and I don't find him to be one that would be demanding a starting berth at this moment in time. He'd be at least a very viable sub to bring off the bench to change games. Maka simply is the best at what he does, and I feel we will keep him until he simply can't hack it anymore. He would still be useful to have for key matches, although those number of matches will likely be reduced next season. As for Carvalho, I believe he is the lynchpin of our defense. Terry may be the leader, but Carvalho makes Terry look better by covering his weaknesses. I simply cannot see us letting him go (and there would certainly be no shortage of suitors) no matter who was in charge. So, in my estimation, that is no less 9 players possibly to leave. The key ones that MUST be replaced are, for me, based on their importance to the team, Drogba, Lampard, Essien and Cudicini. A creative player will be brought in who will essentially take up Malouda/SWP's squad place. My thoughts are we should keep SWP and replace Malouda; keep Bridge; and keep Paulo and replace Belletti. I will speculate based on squad position: STRIKER - Anelka will of course have a more prominent role for us next season, but I don't for one minute doubt we will bring in someone. Probably the two names that make the most sense are Berbatov and Huntelaar. My bet, considering our Danish/Dutch connections, and the possibility of Hiddink/Rijkaard to come in, would be on Huntelaar. That would also be my personal choice, so it may be a case of wishful thinking. MIDFIELD - An area of the field where we'd thought we were too well endowed could potentially become a weakness area when we lose Lampard, Essien and essentially Makalele in one fell swoop. Our management team have a heck of a task to curtail this "mass exodus". Mikel is a good player. I hear criticism of him that he only passes sideways and backwards, and I have to say I don't agree that that makes him any less effective. I believe we look better with him on the pitch because he helps us keep possession. I think he is the long-term replacement for Makalele, even if they play different styles. Ballack will also go some ways to replacing Lampard, I feel, so maybe the critical position is a dynamic box-to-box destroying midfielder (gasp, Gerrard?) to replace Essien. I hope we're able to convince Essien to stay, to be honest. We could also add more creativity to the center of the pitch (something I think we're crucially missing if we want to play a more creative style of football). See below. KEEPER - Hilario has impressed me with his composure, and his ability it come in and do a job instantly when called upon. I can't decide if he'd be good enough to deputize for Cech for prolonged periods, and my worry is that we will need someone to do that considering the injury problems that have been plaguing our Czech goalkeeper the past two seasons. I hope it's just bad luck but we'll have to see. It'd be nice to have a young but accomplished English keeper as back-up (Joe Hart?) but I'm out of ideas here. The trick would be enticing someone like a Joe Hart to leave regular football behind. Cech isn't exactly over the hill so the prospects of playing much are not all THAT great. RIGHT BACK - I think it may be time to bite the bullet and sign Daniel Alves now. That's just the feeling I'm getting. He'd be a fitter, stronger version of Belletti, and not too different from placing Essien at right back (from what I've seen of him). That's the route our manager seems to want to take any way. But in such a case, I'd definitely keep Paulo as the more defensive back. I'm a tad disappointed, as are my Scottish colleages on these forums, that we did'ne go for Hutton to continue Steve Clarke's legacy. He's already an accomplished player, and under Clarke I'd think he'd improve even further (by the way, the only other Scottish player I'd consider was Gordon as back up to Cech). CREATIVE PLAYER(S) - The reason I have an "S" in parentheses is that I believe we have 2 slots for creative players (if Lamps leaves) - one in a wider role, and one from the center of the pitch. I will go ahead and say I hope we get Van der Vaart. He would be a very exciting player to have going through the middle (he actually is also left-inclined, or used to be). Failing that, Deco is another interesting player (from the perspective of his footballing quality - I know he has few fans). As for Kaka, I think it is all wishful thinking. The other player from a wider position - well Messi is going to be wishful thinking as well. Robinho, I don't think would be suited. I quite like Sneijder at Madrid, and did before he went there. But the one that would get most fans salivating, even though I know there are quite a few who don't think he (a) would do well in the EPL and/or (B) has the right mentality, is Ronaldinho. I was watching Man Utd play Blackburn last night and everytime Ronaldo got the ball and ran at Blackburn's defense, you felt a goal was coming. We won't have this same threat to our game that I feel we need in the EPL. When we had Duff and Robben, we cut teams open at will. Players with that sort of ability are not exactly easy to come by. One of the wild cards that I like personally, and thus the title of my post, is David Bentley. He had a great first half against United (and has been generally in excellent form the whole season), and though you couldn't yet compare him to the likes of Messi and Ronaldinho, I think he could yet do a job for us. My only concern is that he is right-inclined, and thus may positionally be in conflict with Joe Cole. I wonder if that is something that could be worked out. In an ideal world, where things came together like a perfect puzzle, you could see Hiddink being brought in with Huntelaar, Van der Vaart and Sneijder (the last one pure speculation by me). Even if it were just the first three, along with one of Roman's favorites in Ronaldinho (or even Bentley), I think that would add so much dynamicism, energy, creativity and flair to our system, balanced by Hiddink's sound defensive strategies, that it would certainly bring about some sense of excitement and optimism for the new season (again, my opinion). So, let me turn off my heart for a minute, and go with what I think will happen: Again, Grant is up in the air. But players to leave are Drogba, Lampard, Cudicini, Malouda, Ben Haim, Essien(?), SWP, Belletti, and those to come in will be a keeper(who?), Van der Vaart, Alves, Huntelaar, and a wide player(who?). To be honest, I think Ronaldinho is on his way to Milan so it would be a surprise if it happened. But crazier things have happened, and may still happen if we get a bit of luck in the run in to the end of the season. Here's to crossed fingers! PS> I did forget Sidwell and he will in all likelihood be one of the first names out the door as well. Cheers, Butch

Don't bite off more than you can chew, mate! Cheers, Butch

I would have him back because (1) he'd be a useful sub to have on the bench (I think he fills a hole in the squad), and (2) he'd bring back some of the camaraderie into the squad. We need more players like him, JT, Lamps and Joe Cole, for whom the club mean a lot. These are the players that won't allow us to go down without a fight, no matter what competition we're in. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest Last-7 Competition standings after the away win over Everton. [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8:347io9am] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Loz 4 2 1 1 -2 7 2 TT 4 2 1 1 -4 7 3 Murdoch_(8) 4 1 2 1 -4 5 4 Sweaty Socks 4 1 2 1 -4 5 5 Gloryhole United 4 1 2 1 -5 5 6 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 4 1 2 1 -5 5 7 Butch 4 1 1 2 -3 4 8 Youlots 4 1 1 2 -4 4 9 Champions United 4 0 3 1 -4 3 10 Makalele 4 0 3 1 -5 3 11 Maksimov 4 0 3 1 -5 3 12 Ethicalstrategy 4 0 3 1 -6 3 13 Oblivion 4 0 2 2 -2 2 14 Avn’t Got A Kalou 4 0 2 2 -3 2 15 Chippy 4 0 2 2 -3 2 16 Alan 4 0 2 2 -4 2 17 Dizzie 3 0 2 1 -4 2 18 Gullit4 4 0 2 2 -4 2 19 Tim W 4 0 2 2 -4 2 20 Bruce for the Noose 4 0 2 2 -5 2 21 Enrico 4 0 2 2 -5 2 22 Super Dan Pet Rescue 4 0 2 2 -5 2 23 Valerie 4 0 2 2 -5 2 24 KalpitV 2 0 1 1 -2 1 25 Bluenut 4 0 1 3 -9 1 -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:347io9am] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the away win at Everton. CONGRATS this time go to TT; well done, mate! I can see I can't take 3rd place for granted! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:olkfsmon] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 54 10 2 15 2 0 0 5 15 153 8606 159 213 +1 02 Ossie13 51 9 3 15 2 0 5 0 15 153 8263 162 213 +1 03 Butch 55 9 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 125 8238 150 205 +1 04 TT 55 8 3 30 0 0 10 10 50 210 8200 149 204 +2 05 Crystalballs 55 10 4 15 2 0 5 0 30 188 7511 137 192 +2 06 Chippy 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3052 170 188 na 07 Coombsie 42 7 3 15 2 0 0 0 0 113 5734 137 179 +1 08 Derek Dove 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5651 118 166 na 09 MadMac 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5115 125 166 na 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 11 Dan Harkin 39 6 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 78 4798 123 162 +0 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 09 5 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 83 931 103 112 -2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:olkfsmon] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:olkfsmon] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* 02 Ossie13 11 03 Butch 8 TT 8 04 Chippy 5 05 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 MadMac 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:olkfsmon] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:olkfsmon] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:olkfsmon] Cheers, Butch

Gem, I think you've forgotten he's also English! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home draw against Wigan in the league. CONGRATS this time go to MadMac; well done, mate! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:31omo511] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 53 7 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 83 8453 159 212 -1 02 Ossie13 50 8 1 0 2 0 0 5 30 123 8110 162 212 +0 03 Butch 54 7 2 0 2 0 0 5 30 123 8113 150 204 +0 04 TT 54 7 1 0 4 0 0 5 0 81 7990 148 202 +0 05 Crystalballs 54 6 1 0 4 0 0 5 0 71 7323 136 190 +0 06 Chippy 18 6 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 73 3052 170 188 -4 07 Coombsie 41 6 2 0 0 0 0 10 0 90 5621 137 178 +0 08 Derek Dove 48 5 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 63 5651 118 166 +0 09 MadMac 41 9 2 0 0 0 0 10 50 170 5115 125 166 +2 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 11 Dan Harkin 38 6 3 0 4 0 0 5 15 106 4720 124 162 +0 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 08 6 1 0 4 0 0 5 0 71 848 106 114 -4 19 Daniel 01 4 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 46 46 46 47 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:31omo511] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:31omo511] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* 02 Ossie13 11 03 Butch 8 04 TT 7 05 Chippy 5 06 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 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:31omo511] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:31omo511] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:31omo511] Cheers, Butch

First, really hope Mrs. Lampard feels better soon. The game of football takes a definite second place. Second, kudos to the West Ham website for their well wishes too. Cheers, Butch

I'm very disappointed because we sacked one of my favorite Chelsea managers, and certainly our most successful one ever and didn't have an acceptable back-up plan. I'm disappointed we brought in a man who has become the laughing stock of the EPL and clearly does not have the confidence of the players. I'm disappointed we've lost our "edge" even though that is not surprising considering the circumstances. With that as the back drop, I've been impressed with the results on the pitch, but only because I'd lost all hope and my expectations had thus gone to an all-time low. Cheers, Butch

I hope we go for it. Pride is not something we can buy. To be honest, if we beat Everton, which I do not expect, we will be back to 4 points from the Wigan + Everton games, which is what I was expecting prior to the Wigan game. I don't think that would be a disaster. We are only involved in two competitions as it is and I believe we have the squad to cope. Cheers, Butch

Maybe so, Qaz, but the air in Auzzieland doesn't seem to be much better ?! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest LAST-7 standings after the home draw with Wigan. [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8:2a6y6z8o] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Loz 3 2 0 1 -1 6 2 Butch 3 1 1 1 -2 4 3 Gloryhole United 3 1 1 1 -4 4 4 TT 3 1 1 1 -4 4 5 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 3 1 1 1 -4 4 6 Champions United 3 0 2 1 -2 2 7 Oblivion 3 0 2 1 -2 2 8 Avn’t Got A Kalou 3 0 2 1 -3 2 9 Chippy 3 0 2 1 -3 2 10 Makalele 3 0 2 1 -3 2 11 Alan 3 0 2 1 -4 2 12 Ethicalstrategy 3 0 2 1 -4 2 13 Gullit4 3 0 2 1 -4 2 14 Maksimov 3 0 2 1 -4 2 15 Murdoch_(8) 3 0 2 1 -4 2 16 Super Dan Pet Rescue 3 0 2 1 -4 2 17 Sweaty Socks 3 0 2 1 -4 2 18 Tim W 3 0 2 1 -4 2 19 Bruce for the Noose 3 0 2 1 -5 2 20 Valerie 3 0 2 1 -5 2 21 Dizzie 2 0 1 1 -3 1 22 Youlots 3 0 1 2 -4 1 23 Enrico 3 0 1 2 -4 1 24 Bluenut 3 0 1 2 -8 1 25 KalpitV 1 0 0 1 -1 0 -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:2a6y6z8o] Cheers, Butch

That Adriano was good was no myth, mate. His raw attributes - strength, power, and a heck of a left peg - made him an exciting prospect. But I have to agree that though he was on the up, he - and the press - always acted like he was always there. I genuinely thought he had what it took to do well in the EPL, much like Jimmy did. Whether he would win many fans is of course open to debate. But it is now much too late to be going after him. It is more an attitude problem than a physical one and these are much more difficult to sort out. I'd stay way - really. Too much baggage. Huntelaar is the man. Cheers, Butch

You know, regarding the Jose back to Chelsea thing, I just can't get something out of my mind. In the second or third day after Jose left "by mutual consent", I kept thinking about a scenario, crazy as it may sound, and this is based on the clash of two egos: After the draw against Rosenborg in the Champions League, Roman catches Jose somewhere in the back corridors and snorts out, "...nicely done. Great game. We played so well...", to which Jose replies,"...if you think you can find someone to do as well as me, go ahead, I'd gladly step aside...". Feeling that he is being challenged, Roman snaps back, "...anybody can take over at Chelsea and do well with my financial backing...". Jose says, "...if you think so, prove it. I quit...". So the conversation goes something along these lines and the two men with egos the size of mountains decide to go with the bet. Roman brings in a man most likely to go along with something so ridiculous, as he has nothing to lose himself. Jose decides to stay on the sidelines and wait and see, not ruling out coming back to manage Chelsea when they fall flat on their faces and win nothing this season, Roman having to admit to his mistake. On some level, it sounds absurd. With the egos of these two men, I somehow don't discount it completely. Maybe...I just can't let go... Cheers, Butch

I don't have an opinion one way or another regarding the validity of the story. I do believe we should afford Jose'sMellons post the same level respect as we do others. Just as most of the posts on these forums are opinions, I tend to think that Jose'sMellons decision to post this is also based on his own opinion that it is post-worthy. So, let's not undermine the person but take the post for what it is - someone's opinions. It has given us food for thought, certainly. I do find it difficult to believe, as much as I don't believe in Grant, that he is as bad as he is being made out to look. I just can't bring myself to think that Roman, Kenyon and co are that stupid. I just can't. And Grant having to turn round to ask his coaches what is going on really IS bad. He may not be tactically astute, he may not be a "hands-on" manager, etc... but he should be aware of what's going on, especially as a game is progressing on the pitch. But I do believe we're headed for a change of managers in the off-season. I just can't see otherwise. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The whole set-up seemed like a temporary one from the get go. His success this season, and yes even if we lose the rest of our games I consider this to be a success story for Grant, should not really even come into the question. There is too much instability at the club and I believe this stems from the players not respecting the manager in the same way they did Jose and in the same way all players should respect their managers. We're a top echelon club now with top echelon players and it takes a very special manager to command respect from this quality of player. Grant does not have this. I know players should not hold the club to ransom but the club has to be realistic. Are they going to get rid of all their top players to solve this problem or appoint a man of the calibre to bring back the stability. I've said time and again we've lost our "edge". And at the top end, you need that edge if you're gunning for titles. Remember, Ranieri was a likable man who got good results but he just couldn't win us titles. We also arguably played pretty football, scoring lots of goals and conceding lots as well. In terms of players, I agree with the assessment of Drogba. I think he's a goner. Sheva also just doesn't look like he's got the confidence of anyone so he'll be gone as well, although unlike Drogba I don't think he wants to go (his pride will be shot to pieces). As for my reaction to these departures, I would not be all that sad to see either go, just disappointed. But I would be tremendously excited at the prospect of Huntelaar to replace Didier. I've said before I believe he will be the next big thing and will probably have as good a season in the EPL as Torres has had. I believe he has the right attributes. The difference may be that we share our goals more than Liverpool do so his goal tally may not be as high. I do believe he will be highly effective though. This is the signing I want the most this next off-season. Back to the manager though for I feel he does deserve some praise for what he's done. I've developed a bit of respect for him over the course of the season, even if I can't get my mind off the fact there is definitely better out there. I just find it difficult to believe that the players and coaches around him could develop a complete and utter respect for him that is required to get them pulling in the same direction again, much the same way as under Jose. Again, that is just my opinion. Cheers, Butch

All for nought, mate, all for nought... Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 2-0 home win over Fenerbahce take us into the CL semifinals for the 3rd time in 4 seasons (and where we will again meet Liverpool!). CONGRATS this time go to Chippy, Loz and Ossie13; well done, lads! Don't waste a tear on the rest of us poor sods who are trying to keep up with you! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:3pyeon9v] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 52 11 4 30 0 5 0 15 65 265 8370 161 213 +3 02 Ossie13 49 11 4 30 0 5 0 15 65 265 7987 163 212 +3 03 Butch 53 11 4 15 2 0 0 5 30 198 7990 151 204 +2 04 TT 53 9 4 30 0 5 0 15 0 180 7909 149 202 +1 05 Chippy 17 11 4 30 0 5 0 15 65 265 2979 175 192 +6 06 Crystalballs 53 10 3 15 2 10 0 10 0 163 7252 137 190 +2 07 Coombsie 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5531 138 178 na 08 Derek Dove 47 8 3 30 0 0 0 15 0 155 5588 119 166 +2 09 MadMac 40 9 4 15 2 0 0 5 0 148 4945 124 164 +2 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 11 Dan Harkin 37 11 3 15 2 5 10 10 45 223 4614 125 162 +4 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 Ogunyale A 01 7 1 30 0 5 0 10 0 125 125 125 126 na 19 Kalpit Vora 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 777 111 118 na 20 Sola 01 5 0 15 2 0 0 5 0 68 68 68 69 na 21 Raul Sanchez 01 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 48 48 48 49 na 22 Aminu 01 5 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 44 44 44 45 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points - TT (06/07) [/table:3pyeon9v] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:3pyeon9v] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 12* 02 Ossie13 11 03 Butch 8 04 TT 7 05 Chippy 5 06 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 07 Pauly 2 08 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *New BPL record [/table:3pyeon9v] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:3pyeon9v] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:3pyeon9v] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 2-0 away win at Manchester City. CONGRATS this time go to Loz; uncanny, mate, uncanny! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:7ioknbj3] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 51 7 1 30 0 5 10 15 50 190 8105 159 210 +2 02 Ossie13 48 8 2 15 0 0 0 0 15 130 7722 161 209 +0 03 Butch 52 6 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 98 7792 150 202 +0 04 TT 52 7 1 30 0 0 0 15 30 155 7729 149 201 +1 05 Crystalballs 52 5 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 83 7089 136 188 +0 06 Chippy 16 6 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 98 2714 170 186 -3 07 Coombsie 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5531 138 178 na 08 Derek Dove 46 7 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 95 5433 118 164 +0 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 MadMac 39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4797 123 162 na 11 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 12 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 13 Dan Harkin 36 5 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 83 4391 122 158 +0 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 Shaharyar A 02 7 0 15 2 0 0 0 0 83 243 122 124 na 19 Kalpit Vora 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 777 111 118 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Record = 222 points – TT (06/07) [/table:7ioknbj3] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:7ioknbj3] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 11 02 Ossie13 10 03 Butch 8 04 TT 7 05 Chippy 4 06 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 07 Pauly 2 08 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ *Record = 11 wins – Butch (04/05) & TT (06/07) [/table:7ioknbj3] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:7ioknbj3] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 263 Coombsie (Birmingham – away – EPL) 3 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 4 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 5 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 6 245 Butch (Portsmouth – away – EPL) 7 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 8 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 9 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) TT (Middlesbrough – home – EPL) 10 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Wigan – away – FAC) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Murdoch (Reading – home – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- *Record = 290 points – TrubishBob (05/06) & Coombsie/TT (06/07) [/table:7ioknbj3] Cheers, Butch

No, it's not too late; see the latest standings after the 2-0 away win over man City. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the standings after the 2-0 away win over Manchester City. Just to make sure you understand the table (and the competition): Pl = played W = win (predicted correct score-line) D = draw (predicted correct result, but incorrect score-line) L = loss (incorrect prediction) GD = goal difference (number of goals off from actual Chelsea goals scored) [table=LAST-7 PREDICTIONS COMPETITION 2007-8:3jthmxr5] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Name Pl W D L GD Total -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Loz 2 2 0 0 0 6 2 Butch 2 1 1 0 -1 4 3 TT 2 1 1 0 -1 4 4 Gloryhole United 2 1 1 0 -2 4 5 WhereIsSheva-RomanFC 2 1 1 0 -3 4 6 Avn’t Got A Kalou 2 0 2 0 -1 2 7 Oblivion 2 0 2 0 -1 2 8 Alan 2 0 2 0 -2 2 9 Champions United 2 0 2 0 -2 2 10 Chippy 2 0 2 0 -2 2 11 Ethicalstrategy 2 0 2 0 -2 2 12 Gullit4 2 0 2 0 -2 2 13 Super Dan Pet Rescue 2 0 2 0 -2 2 14 Sweaty Socks 2 0 2 0 -2 2 15 Tim W 2 0 2 0 -2 2 16 Bruce for the Noose 2 0 2 0 -3 2 17 Makalele 2 0 2 0 -3 2 18 Maksimov 2 0 2 0 -3 2 19 Murdoch_(8) 2 0 2 0 -3 2 20 Valerie 2 0 2 0 -3 2 21 Dizzie 1 0 1 0 -1 1 22 Youlots 2 0 1 1 -2 1 23 Enrico 2 0 1 1 -3 1 24 Bluenut 2 0 1 1 -4 1 [/table:3jthmxr5] Cheers, Butch