Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the defeat in Turkey leaves our CL hopes in the balance. CONGRATS this time go to Loz; well done, mate! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:1qtw6xnk] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 47 9 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 135 7592 162 209 +1 02 Loz 50 9 5 0 0 0 0 10 50 200 7915 158 208 +2 03 Butch 51 7 3 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 7694 151 202 +0 04 TT 51 9 5 0 0 0 0 5 30 175 7574 149 200 +2 05 Chippy 15 9 4 0 2 0 0 10 15 153 2616 174 189 -1 06 Crystalballs 51 9 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 135 7006 137 188 +1 07 Coombsie 40 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5531 138 178 na 08 Derek Dove 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5338 119 164 na 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 MadMac 39 9 4 0 2 0 0 5 0 133 4797 123 162 +1 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 35 9 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 118 4308 123 158 +1 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 Mod 03 9 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 125 381 127 130 na 19 Kalpit Vora 07 9 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 125 777 111 118 +3 20 Yemi Otchere 01 7 0 0 2 0 0 5 0 73 73 73 74 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:1qtw6xnk] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1qtw6xnk] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Loz 10 Ossie13 10 02 Butch 8 03 TT 7 04 Chippy 4 05 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:1qtw6xnk] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:1qtw6xnk] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:1qtw6xnk] Cheers, Butch

Is it me or are we playing even more direct than when Jose was manager? At least Jose could change the game when he needed to. With Grant, it seems we try to play passing football but when things don't quite work out, or when we chase a game, we just lump it up to Drogba! That beautiful passing football thing is a myth I tell ya! And I totally agree with everyone else who says that when Drogba plays like that, he is worse than a waste of space. Though the players have to take some of the blame, Grant is responsible for who is out on the pitch for us. That is two games in a row now that Dorgba should have been taken off early in the second half and hasn't. Grant simply is not proactive enough, or even reactive enough come to think of it. I don't know what he's doing on the sidelines - hoping things will start clicking? I can only recall one game, yes ONE game (Arsenal) when he's done anything to influence the outcome of the match, and I gave him his kudos for that. It's looking more and more like a one time deal for me. We should turn them over easily enough at the Bridge, but still these types of performances hurt to watch. Cheers, Butch

I'd like Huntelar whether or not Drogba moves. He's going to be the next big thing. Cheers, Butch

Coombsie, Go ahead and send in your predictions for the remaining 6 EPL matches before the weekend. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 1-0 home win over Boro. CONGRATS this time go to TT; that's more like it, mate! [table=----------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008----------------------------:21kylkuk] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 46 8 3 15 2 0 0 10 0 133 7457 162 208 +0 02 Loz 49 7 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 113 7715 157 206 +0 03 Butch 50 8 2 30 0 0 0 5 0 135 7586 152 202 +1 04 TT 50 11 4 15 2 0 0 10 65 238 7399 148 198 +3 05 Chippy 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2463 176 190 na 06 Crystalballs 50 8 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 113 6871 137 187 +0 07 Coombsie 40 8 3 15 4 0 0 10 0 131 5531 138 178 +1 08 Derek Dove 45 6 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 103 5338 119 164 +1 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 MadMac 38 9 4 15 2 0 0 5 30 178 4664 123 161 +3 11 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 12 Shaharyar 01 9 2 30 0 0 0 5 15 160 160 160 161 na 13 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 14 Dan Harkin 34 8 3 15 4 0 10 5 0 136 4190 123 157 +1 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 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 18 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 19 Mod 02 9 3 15 4 0 0 5 0 136 256 128 130 na 20 Sangir 01 8 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 118 118 118 119 na 21 Kalpit Vora 06 6 2 15 4 0 0 10 0 101 652 109 115 +0 22 Shegun S 01 4 0 15 2 0 0 10 0 63 63 63 64 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:21kylkuk] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:21kylkuk] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 Loz 9 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 ------------------------------ [/table:21kylkuk] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:21kylkuk] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:21kylkuk] Cheers, Butch

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

Almost forgot to get mine in! 1. MAR30 - Middlesbrough (h) 1-0 win 2. APR05 - Man City (a) 0-1 win 3. APR14 - Wigan (h) 2-0 win 4. APR19 - Everton (a) 0-0 draw 5. APR26 - Man Utd (h) 1-1 draw 6. MAY03 - Newcastle (a) 2-3 win 7. MAY11 - Bolton (h) 2-0 win Cheers, Butch

I'm one who has criticized Grant enough on these forums, and I still don't believe he is good enough for a club of our stature and aspirations. However, what he did yesterday in leading us to a win over Arsenal was impressive. If he can keep up that kind of performance, I'll be happy to eat my hat. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, As we now move into the final stretch of the EPL season, it is time once again to start the "Last-?" prediction competition (name based on how many matches left when Butch or whoever remembers to run the competition ). So, the remaining Chelsea matches are: 1. MAR30 - Middlesbrough (h) 2. APR05 - Man City (a) 3. APR14 - Wigan (h) 4. APR19 - Everton (a) 5. APR26 - Man Utd (h) 6. MAY03 - Newcastle (a) 7. MAY11 - Bolton (h) Please just post your predictions here (no copying, children ) BEFORE our next game with Middlesbrough. Points will be awarded as follows: 3 points for the exact correct score, 1 point for the correct result (i.e. win, draw or loss) and 0 points for incorrect result. You can choose to predict as yourself or include a team name of your choice. I'll talley the scores and post a table after each of the remaining 7 EPL matches. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Arsenal. CONGRATS this time go to Loz; well done, mate! [table=------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008---------------------------------:3qo511ts] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 45 9 2 15 2 5 10 5 15 158 7324 163 208 na 02 Loz 48 9 3 30 0 5 0 10 50 215 7602 158 206 na 03 Butch 49 9 3 0 2 5 0 10 0 133 7451 152 201 na 04 TT 49 8 2 15 2 5 0 5 0 123 7161 146 195 na 05 Chippy 14 9 2 30 0 5 0 10 30 185 2463 176 190 na 06 Crystalballs 49 8 3 0 2 5 0 10 0 123 6758 138 187 na 07 Coombsie 39 9 2 15 0 5 0 5 0 135 5400 138 177 na 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Derek Dove 44 9 2 30 0 5 0 10 30 185 5235 119 163 na 10 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 11 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 12 MadMac 37 9 1 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 4486 121 158 na 13 Dan Harkin 33 8 2 0 0 5 0 5 0 110 4054 123 156 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 Mod 01 8 1 30 0 0 0 0 0 120 120 120 121 na 19 Kalpit Vora 05 8 1 30 0 0 0 10 0 130 551 110 115 na 20 A Donnelly 03 7 0 15 2 0 0 5 0 88 335 112 115 na 21 Peter Odogba 01 6 0 30 0 5 0 10 0 105 105 105 106 na 22 Benjamin 01 6 0 30 0 0 0 0 0 90 90 90 91 na 23 Temidayo 01 8 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 76 76 76 77 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:3qo511ts] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:3qo511ts] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 Loz 9 03 Butch 8 04 TT 6 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 ------------------------------ [/table:3qo511ts] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:3qo511ts] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:3qo511ts] Cheers, Butch

No, the cheque has not arrived, mate! Sorry for the confusion; the corrections have been made. Basically, the Sunderland totals had not been incorporated prior to the Tottenham totals being added. Thus, you were not the only one affected. I had missing totals for 10 people: you, Loz, myself, TT, Chippy, Crystalballs, Coombsie, Murdoch, Derek Dove and Kalpit Vora; apologies to all! Cheers, Butch

If you believe in Grant, then more power to you, Qaz. I don't think pointing out the stat is unfair, mate. Afterall, it is just a stat that describes what has so far been an inability to beat the big boys. It doesn't mean he won't do it in the future, but for now the signs do not breed confidence, which is the point I am trying to make. I am not confident because of what I see. The "anything can happen" argument holds true for all matches, including the ones he wins. If he concentrates on what his team is able to do, penalties and sendings off, while potentially important, do not always have to influence the outcome of games. I think in the first place we simply have not played well enough against any of the top sides. We can't afford to be thinking about what the other clubs do against each other. I do believe the matches against them will be very important and we do have to take care of business in those matches. And, at the risk of beating a dead horse, I am not confident. Don't get me wrong, Qaz, I want to win as much as the next Chelsea fan. I am not one to cut my nose to spite my face. I don't want us to do poorly so Grant gets the sack. But I did predict we would not beat Spurs and that has already come true. I also do not think we'll beat Arsenal at the Bridge so we'll have to see how that one pans out. We've just lost our ruthlessness, which was a trait that gave us the upper hand against Arsenal in Jose's days. I expect another open game, much like against Spurs, with another score draw, possibly 2-2. And it won't be good enough, will it? Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the goal fest at White Hart lane. CONGRATS this time go to yours truly; thank you very much! [table=------------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------------------------------:3u9h16nl] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 44 8 3 15 6 0 0 5 0 124 7166 163 207 na 02 Loz 47 8 2 0 6 5 0 5 0 104 7387 157 204 na 03 Butch 48 10 3 15 6 5 0 10 50 204 7318 152 200 na 04 TT 48 10 3 0 6 0 0 5 15 144 7038 147 195 na 05 Chippy 13 9 3 0 4 0 0 5 0 121 2278 175 188 na 06 Crystalballs 48 8 2 0 4 5 0 15 0 116 6635 138 186 na 07 Coombsie 38 10 3 15 6 0 0 5 30 174 5265 139 177 na 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 10 Derek Dove 43 9 1 0 4 5 0 10 0 111 5050 117 160 na 11 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 12 MadMac 36 8 2 0 6 5 0 5 0 104 4378 122 158 +1 13 Dan Harkin 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3944 123 155 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 04 8 2 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 421 105 109 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:3u9h16nl] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:3u9h16nl] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 Butch 8 Loz 8 03 TT 6 04 Chippy 4 05 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:3u9h16nl] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:3u9h16nl] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:3u9h16nl] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over Sunderland. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! [table=-----------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008---------------------------:234dctlc] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 43 10 3 15 2 0 0 10 50 203 7042 164 207 +2 02 Loz 46 7 2 15 2 0 5 10 0 118 7283 158 204 +0 03 Butch 47 9 3 15 2 0 0 10 15 158 7114 151 198 +1 04 TT 47 8 3 15 2 0 0 10 0 133 6894 147 194 +1 05 Chippy 12 9 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 133 2157 180 192 -3 06 Crystalballs 47 7 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 113 6519 139 186 +1 07 Coombsie 37 9 2 15 2 0 0 10 0 133 5091 138 175 +1 08 Murdoch 04 9 3 15 4 0 5 10 30 176 656 164 168 na 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 11 Derek Dove 42 7 2 15 2 0 5 10 0 118 4939 118 160 +1 12 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 13 MadMac 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4274 122 157 na 14 Dan Harkin 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3944 123 155 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 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 18 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 19 Kalpit Vora 03 9 2 15 4 0 5 5 0 131 313 104 107 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:234dctlc] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:234dctlc] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 10 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 6 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 ------------------------------ [/table:234dctlc] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:234dctlc] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:234dctlc] Cheers, Butch

I didn't expect us to even be in with a shout when Jose and the club parted ways. So, I'm impressed by our place in the league standings. However, I do NOT believe we will win the league (it's a self-preservation thing). Of course, on paper we are in with a good shout. However, I too do not have confidence in Grant's leadership when we face up to the top 4-6 teams in the EPL. Starting with Spurs at WHL, I think we could draw or lose just as easily as we could win. Then against Arsenal and particularly Man Utd, I seriously doubt that we'll be able to pull out the wins when we have to. They will be some crackers as games but I simply do not have the confidence we'll win and anything less would not be enough. I'd love to be proved wrong, however. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the emphatic win over Derby. CONGRATS this time go to Chippy; well done, mate! [table=------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008----------------------------------------:2cq2uh71] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 42 10 2 15 6 5 5 15 30 184 6839 163 205 +2 02 Loz 45 9 3 15 6 0 0 15 0 144 7165 159 204 +0 03 Butch 46 10 2 15 6 0 0 15 0 144 6956 151 197 +1 04 Chippy 11 9 4 15 6 5 5 15 50 214 2024 184 195 +4 05 TT 46 10 2 15 6 5 0 15 15 164 6761 147 193 +1 06 Crystalballs 46 7 2 15 6 5 5 20 0 129 6406 139 185 +1 07 Coombsie 36 10 1 15 6 5 10 20 30 184 4958 138 174 +3 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Murdoch 03 7 3 15 6 0 5 20 0 134 480 160 163 na 10 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 11 Derek Dove 41 7 1 15 6 5 5 20 0 119 4821 118 159 +1 12 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 13 MadMac 35 7 1 15 8 5 10 10 0 112 4274 122 157 +1 14 Dan Harkin 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3944 123 155 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 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 18 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:2cq2uh71] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:2cq2uh71] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 6 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 ------------------------------ [/table:2cq2uh71] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:2cq2uh71] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:2cq2uh71] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the FA Cup debacle. CONGRATS this time go to Crystalballs and TT; well done, lads! [table=-------------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------------------------------:33fya7go] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 44 9 2 0 4 0 0 0 30 136 7021 160 204 +1 02 Ossie13 41 8 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 96 6655 162 203 -1 03 Butch 45 9 2 0 4 0 0 0 30 136 6812 151 196 +0 04 TT 45 9 3 0 6 0 0 0 50 164 6597 147 192 +2 05 Chippy 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1810 181 191 na 06 Crystalballs 45 9 3 0 6 0 0 0 50 164 6277 139 184 +1 07 Coombsie 35 7 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 94 4774 136 171 -1 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 10 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 11 Derek Dove 40 7 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 94 4702 118 158 +1 12 MadMac 34 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 30 136 4162 122 156 +1 13 Dan Harkin 32 9 2 0 6 0 0 0 15 119 3944 123 155 +1 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 02 7 1 0 8 0 0 5 0 77 182 91 93 na 19 Busayo 01 5 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 64 64 64 65 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:33fya7go] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:33fya7go] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 6 05 Chippy 3 Crystalballs 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:33fya7go] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:33fya7go] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:33fya7go] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 3-0 win over Olympiacos that sees us move into the CL quarterfinals. CONGRATS this time go to Chippy; well done, mate! [table=-------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008-------------------------------:1erg8xgm] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 40 7 4 15 2 0 0 10 15 148 6559 164 204 +1 02 Loz 43 8 3 15 2 5 0 10 30 168 6885 160 203 +1 03 Butch 44 7 2 15 4 0 0 5 0 106 6676 152 196 +0 04 Chippy 10 9 3 30 0 5 0 15 50 220 1810 181 191 +5 05 TT 44 8 2 15 2 5 0 10 0 128 6433 146 190 +0 06 Crystalballs 44 7 3 15 2 5 0 10 0 128 6113 139 183 +1 07 Coombsie 34 9 1 15 2 0 0 10 0 123 4680 138 172 +1 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 10 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 11 Derek Dove 39 5 1 15 0 5 5 0 0 85 4608 118 157 +0 12 MadMac 33 8 3 15 2 0 0 0 0 123 4026 122 155 +1 13 Dan Harkin 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3825 123 154 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 01 7 1 15 0 5 0 5 0 105 105 105 106 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:1erg8xgm] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1erg8xgm] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 5 05 Chippy 3 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:1erg8xgm] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:1erg8xgm] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:1erg8xgm] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 4-0 away win over the Hammers. CONGRATS this time go to debutant Daniel; well done, mate! [table=---------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008-----------------------------------:2xgrt67e] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 39 9 2 15 4 0 0 10 30 161 6411 164 203 +1 02 Loz 42 8 2 15 4 5 0 10 0 126 6717 160 202 +0 03 Butch 43 9 2 15 6 5 0 5 15 144 6570 153 196 +1 04 Daniel 01 9 2 15 4 10 10 0 50 191 191 191 192 na 05 TT 43 8 2 15 6 0 0 5 0 114 6305 147 190 +1 06 Chippy 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1590 177 186 na 07 Crystalballs 43 8 3 15 4 5 0 5 30 161 5985 139 182 +1 08 Coombsie 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4557 138 171 na 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 11 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 12 Derek Dove 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4523 119 157 na 13 MadMac 32 5 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 54 3903 122 154 -1 14 Dan Harkin 31 8 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 94 3825 123 154 +0 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 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 18 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 19 Olayinka 01 8 1 15 4 0 5 0 0 106 106 106 107 na 20 B Mudashiru 01 7 2 15 6 0 0 5 0 104 104 104 105 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:2xgrt67e] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:2xgrt67e] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 5 05 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Daniel 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:2xgrt67e] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:2xgrt67e] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:2xgrt67e] Cheers, Butch

Then I don't think we disagree, mate. I mean, obviously you don't think Grant is good enough or you WOULD want him managing our club long-term. I agree he has done well so far, but that is only relative to what I felt would happen when Jose got the boot. The expectations at this club since Roman came in, and particularly with Jose showing us what our potential was, is far, far higher than simply a top four finish. I'd be happy with that this season, but I wouldn't be happy to settle for that next season, which really is what I expect we will achieve with Grant at the helm. He simply hasn't inspired me with confidence at all. I've always tried to give Grant his due compliments for what he's done so far. He's not had a stellar career as manager. Given the opportunity he might. He also might not. You could say he's done okay with us so far, or you could say any manager worth their salt could have done what he's done. But I digress. I build my opinions on him based on (a) his seeming lack of leadership, and (:) his seeming lack of tactical acumen. I believe there are plenty of top tiered managers out there who have both. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the Cup Final loss to the Spurs. CONGRATS this time go to Chippy; well done, mate! [table=------------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008--------------------------------------:2vx3vh4u] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 41 8 2 0 2 5 10 15 0 128 6591 161 202 +0 02 Ossie13 38 9 3 0 2 5 0 10 15 148 6250 164 202 +0 03 Butch 42 9 2 0 2 5 10 15 30 168 6426 153 195 +1 04 TT 42 9 2 0 0 5 0 5 0 120 6191 147 189 +0 05 Chippy 09 9 3 0 2 0 10 15 50 193 1590 177 186 +3 06 Crystalballs 42 8 1 0 2 5 10 15 0 118 5824 139 181 +1 07 Murdoch 02 8 3 0 4 5 0 5 0 116 346 173 175 na 08 Coombsie 33 8 3 0 2 5 0 15 0 128 4557 138 171 +1 09 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 10 Pauly 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2054 147 161 na 11 Liam 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 772 154 159 na 12 Derek Dove 38 8 2 0 4 5 0 10 0 111 4523 119 157 +1 13 MadMac 31 9 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 125 3849 124 155 +1 14 Dan Harkin 30 6 3 0 4 5 0 10 0 101 3731 124 154 +0 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 TrubishBob 09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1187 132 141 na 18 Lukasz 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 658 132 137 na 19 Olaolu 01 6 1 0 2 0 0 10 0 78 78 78 79 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:2vx3vh4u] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:2vx3vh4u] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 9 02 Loz 8 03 Butch 7 04 TT 5 05 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Chippy 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 07 Daffy 1 Derek Dove 1 Lukasz 1 Murdoch 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:2vx3vh4u] [table=BPL Top-10 Scores 2007-2008:2vx3vh4u] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 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) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:2vx3vh4u] Cheers, Butch

I think the thing is that not many of us wanted Grant to begin with. We had our doubts, and they seem to be holding true. Losing against Man Utd and Arsenal, on the face of it, may be acceptable for some. BUT, if you want to compete and win, you are going to have to compete and beat these two. Jose's record against these two teams is pretty good. Liverpool, on the other hand, are a club who though they like to think are on level terms with Man Utd and Arsenal, simply aren't at this moment in time. As such, we should be able to compete (and more) with them. Jose didn't have a particularly good record against them, but what I can say is Grant has not made us look much better against them. As a matter of fact, we could have lost against them at the Bridge recently. But the kicker is this: against those three, who are arguably the best of the bunch in England, competing, winning some, losing some, is understandable. But to have your best players available, in a Cup final when everyone should find it easy to be up for it, and losing to a lesser side like Spurs (although give them credit, they played well) just really adds to the doubt. On this showing, we're "falling further and further off the top", which is the most worrying thing. We're being sucked from a "top three", which face it, we were solidly part of before now, into a top four side with some doubts as Everton and Spurs improve and push on. I'm getting the Ranieri feeling all over again. At the time, I liked the bloke and I think that gave me some patience. Also, it wasn't until the end of his reign that Roman came in and spent all that money. With Grant, he's come in at a time when we should be riding a crest of a successful wave. But I feel we've fallen down a notch, and I'm not confident he'll be able to bring us back up. Sure, top four is a good possibility with the players we have, but is that enough? Cheers, Butch

I understand that Grant's in charge now and that booting him at this stage of the season is not an option (not a smart one anyway). I also can understand, to a certain point, the sentiment that he should be given until the end of the season (at least) before he is judged (and then for some it would still be too early). What I don't understand is what people see in him that make them WANT him to stay beyond this season. I mean, looking forward to seeing who he buys this summer? No way. Who cares who we have in the line-up if the manager cannot make decisions that change the game in our favor. Ronaldinho would not have changed things for us one bit. I will re-iterate that I am surprised as anyone the speed at which he's helped us settle in a very bad situation and stopped us from free falling when Jose left. As a matter of fact, it is impressive that we were in all 4 competitions right up until the Cup final loss to the Spurs. However, in terms of the football we've been playing and in particular the way in which we have not been able to compete on a tactical level with the top sides in our league (so far) just simply does not give me any confidence. So, what have YOU seen, for those of you who (I think) like Grant, to make you optimistic. Me? I wanted a big name manager from the start (I never wanted Jose to leave, and YES we would have done much better provided Roman allowed him to get on with his job) - one who would command respect and stand toe-to-toe with the Ferguson's and Wenger's of this world. Grant is simply no match for them. Cheers, Butch

I don't know; reading all these posts, I get the feeling we were all expecting to stuff the Spurs. Although I predicted a close 2-1 win in the BPL, I wasn't THAT optimistic for a few reasons: 1. Spurs haven't won anything of note for a while. A win would not only give them silverware, but also an automatic berth in Europe next year. They were always going to be hungrIER than we were. 2. Yes, we have a full team to choose from, but not a fully fit team. We've added complications without the full advantage of a fully match fit team. Players like JT and Lamps have been out for a long time, and players like Drogba and Essien have been away from the group and could also quite possibly still be hurting from their shock defeats in the ACN. 3. We simply have not clicked as a team under Grant as yet. Our best sequence of showings has come when our squad was threadbare, with the likes of Joe Cole running the show up top, SWP bursting from the middle and Ballack captaining the side. Since we've changed personnel around, we've lost that fluency. I'm not saying we're worse off; we're simply not clicking yet. 4. Grant just doesn't inspire confidence. I've said this again, and again, and again, even as we were winning. He's done significantly better than expected and he's given me enough confidence to expect to finish in the top 4 in the league, but each time we come up against a side with a decent manager, I really have no confidence whatsoever that he'll be able to give us that little bit extra in the tactics department to help us win. The number of games we've played at one style and tempo when things have not been working just is simply frustrating. So, all these things together gave me a feeling that we had just about as much chance to lose as we did to win. I never expected we'd win. And those first 20 minutes gave me a VERY bad feeling. We looked nervous (especially Belletti) and unsettled, and Spurs started off the blocks much quicker. Yes, we took the lead and it was a nice goal but (a) we didn't really deserve to be leading, thus the lead just papered over a disappointing half, and ( I hate seeing Didier take those free kicks as I expect him to be physical in the box to create mayhem, rather than "hogging the ball" 30 yards from goal. I really felt that if it were Jose, we would have made at least one change, and possibly more. It was clear for all to see that SWP and Anelka weren't effective. Something should have been done. Joe Cole, and possibly Kalou, should have been introduced earlier. This is not from hindsight. I think many of us felt the same. Anyway, I'm disappointed because it is never pleasant to lose in a final, and particularly not against Spurs. But I can't say they didn't deserve it. The disappointment with the ref is not that he made any particularly bad decisions, e.g. the penalty. But, he disrupted the flow of the game and blowing the game over as we're breaking into Spurs penalty area is downright bizarre! I've never seen anything like it! THAT was disappointing. And sometimes I don't think our players think about games. Ballack pushed Drogba away from the ref in extra time as he was complaining and complaining and wasting precious time. Michael should have given him a firm boot up the back side, he really should have. Just stupid things like this make it all the more frustrating. But once again, in the bigger picture, we've done much, much better than could be expected when Jose left. Keeping this in mind, I don't have the conviction to say I am particularly disappointed. I didn't really expect to be in any finals or have 3rd place in the league pretty much locked up with a third of the season to go. This was only ever going to be a steadying season and Grant has done that. I don't expect to challenge anymore strongly for the league than we are doing at the moment, and I don't expect to feature in anymore Cup finals. The draw has been kind to us in the FA Cup. Whenever it is we have to meet Man Utd, that will be the huge question mark. So, unless they get knocked out before we have to meet, it is unlikely we'll win that. As for the CL, if Grant can't compete with the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and (gasp) Benitez and Ramos, I really don't think we're going to go too far in the CL where there are plenty other decent managers with tactical acumen. It's the business end of the season when the cream rises to the top. I'll wait to see at the end of the season, but I don't think our Avram is quite that. Cheers, Butch

I'm on record as not being a fan of Mr. Grant, but I don't think he went too far wrong with the team selections. Terry and Lamps are only just back from long-term injuries (and their leadership will be very much needed at Wembley). Bridge will also get to start at Wembley so he was rested AND we wanted to play a rather defensive game which would not have suited him anyway. Makalele was a dead cert for this game. Ballack's been in good form, and Essien is another destroyer so he was put in to help us control the middle. Drogba is our only forward who can play up front by himself effectively. And Joe and Malouda were expected to track back and defend so they were preferred over Kalou and Anelka. I think the main contention may have been Malouda or SWP, and Malouda was probably chosen for his European pedigree (certainly not on form). But I expect SWP to start at Wembley anyway. Having said that, I do believe we played far too cautious. We simply never risked exposing ourselves to the counter, although Olympiacos were able to stretch us from time to time. They never did have an open shot on goal though. We had a few shots on target, I think 2 to be precise, but we just never supported the front men enough. Yes, Anelka looked mighty good when he came on and offered our biggest threat but he was on a different wavelength to everyone else it seemed. And don't get me started on Kalou; back to his maddeningly frustrating self again. That late chance from Anelka's cross that just missed Drogba's head and fell invitingly at Kalou's feet was probably the best chance of the match and he contrived to let it go without so much as a stretch or an effort of some sort! I know we will be better at the Bridge, and we better be. This Olympiacos side are no pushovers. They certainly impressed me with their technical and passing ability. That number 7 of theirs looked a bit of a threat. What probably let them down was their intent on crossing high balls into our penalty area when Carvalho and Alex ruled supreme. But then, I guess they had to bypass our MoM, Makalele, somehow! Cheers, Butch