Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the away win in Brum-land. CONGRATS this time go to Coombsie; well done, mate! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:32yapgiw] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 E Benson 01 11 4 15 2 0 0 5 30 198 198 198 199 na 02 Loz 33 10 3 30 0 0 0 10 0 170 5403 164 197 +1 03 Ossie13 30 11 3 30 0 0 5 10 45 230 5014 167 197 +3 04 Chippy 06 10 3 15 2 0 0 10 0 153 1081 180 186 -5 05 Butch 34 9 3 15 2 0 0 5 0 138 5126 151 185 +1 06 TT 34 10 4 15 2 0 0 5 0 158 5036 148 182 +2 07 Crystalballs 34 9 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 128 4790 141 175 +1 08 Idris 01 11 3 15 2 0 0 0 15 168 168 168 169 na 09 Coombsie 28 11 5 15 2 0 0 10 80 263 3932 140 168 +5 10 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 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 25 10 3 15 2 0 0 5 0 148 3230 129 154 +2 14 MadMac 25 10 2 30 0 0 0 5 0 155 3146 126 151 +2 15 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 16 Derek Dove 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3463 115 145 na 17 Tim W 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1458 133 144 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 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 21 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 22 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 23 Desmond 01 7 2 15 4 0 0 0 0 101 101 101 102 na 24 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na 25 Evan 01 5 2 15 4 0 0 5 0 86 86 86 87 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:32yapgiw] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:32yapgiw] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 8 02 Loz 7 03 Butch 6 04 TT 4 05 Coombsie 3 Nick White 3 06 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 07 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:32yapgiw] [table=BPL Top Scores 2007-2008:32yapgiw] -------------------------------------------------------------- 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) 6 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 7 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 8 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 9 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) Ossie13 (Birmingham – away – EPL) 10 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:32yapgiw] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home win over Spurs in Nicola Anelka's debut. CONGRATS this time go to Loz and Ossie13; two horse raise indeed! [table=------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------:1y22nw9x] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 32 9 3 30 0 0 0 15 50 215 5233 164 196 +3 02 Ossie13 29 10 3 15 0 0 10 10 50 215 4784 165 194 +3 03 Chippy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 928 186 191 na 04 Butch 33 9 3 15 0 0 0 10 30 175 4988 151 184 +2 05 TT 33 8 2 30 0 0 0 15 30 175 4878 148 181 +2 06 Crystalballs 33 8 2 15 0 0 0 0 0 115 4662 141 174 +0 07 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 08 Coombsie 27 9 1 15 0 0 0 5 0 120 3669 136 163 +0 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 Dan Harkin 24 9 3 15 2 0 10 0 15 158 3082 128 152 +2 12 MadMac 24 8 1 15 2 0 0 5 0 108 2991 125 149 +1 13 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 14 Derek Dove 30 5 0 0 0 0 10 5 0 65 3463 115 145 -1 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 Kentish Blue 01 8 3 15 2 0 0 5 0 128 128 128 129 na 19 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 20 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 21 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 22 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:1y22nw9x] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1y22nw9x] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 8 02 Loz 7 03 Butch 6 04 TT 4 05 Nick White 3 06 Coombsie 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 07 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:1y22nw9x] [table=BPL Top Scores 2007-2008:1y22nw9x] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 3 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 4 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 5 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 6 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 7 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 8 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) 9 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) 10 223 Nick White (Everton – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:1y22nw9x] Cheers, Butch

Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!! Cheers, Butch

For me, it's a toss up between Alex and SWP. I think the majority of fans see SWP's contribution more easily, but I have to say that considering the injuries to Cech, Cudicini, JT and Carvalho at various times of the season, Alex has held us together with some solid performances. He isn't perfect, BUT he's stepped up to the plate for us and kept us in it. Carvalho has been great for a long while now, but he's not been an ever present for us the same way Alex has this season. Cheers, Butch

My feeling is that Geovanni is a good bet. Iniesta and Ronaldinho are outside bets. Gudjohnsen is wishful thinking. And the rest are probably no-goes for one reason or another. Ronaldinho is one of the best players in the world, period. We have long been rumored to have wanted to sign him. He's having problems at Barca. I don't think this would be the biggest surprise if it happened, and although the Sheva case is still fresh in the mind, I just think that Ronaldinho would be a good signing for us. Just to think of a front three of Ronaldhino, Drogba and Anelka. It's a frightening thought! Cheers, Butch

Would sign him in a heart beat. One of the best young English prospects there are and will only get better. You know he will end up at one of the big four sooner or later. I mean, you wouldn't want him to end up at Man Utd, Arsenal or Everton would you Cheers, Butch

No, I did not expect that we would have beat Milan to his signature, nor do I consider our losing out to Milan to be a failure on our part. Despite our relative success and our growing status, as well as our location, we are not yet the most attractive prospect to the best young players out there. That will take more time. My argument is that we ARE in fact looking to sign the best youngsters all the time, BUT it isn't as easy as just out-bidding the opposition. As you said, these kids need more than just a financial incentive. At the early stage of their careers, they need things like fellow foreigners of the same nationality (or region/continent) who could help them feel more at home, etc... You know, the manager also has a big part to play. I won't criticize Grant because I could not do that fairly as I do not know him personally, and he could of course be the most charming man in person. However, I do know that Jose Mourinho had a lot of pulling power amongst the younger generation and if he were still here with us I believe we would be seeing the signings of some pretty interesting young players. Anyway, we might still do but I maintain it is not as easy at it seems. Cheers, Butch

I wouldn't go so far as to say that they should waltz right back in, but I am confident that both these players will get back in on merit. I have said time and again that I am counting my lucky stars we signed Alex for we have missed nary a beat since JT has been out and it has mainly been due to Alex. I also just wanted to touch on the issue of Carvalho - I don't believe he is an automatic "departure" just because Jose has left. But it is ludicrous to think JT would be on the bench because he offers us SO MUCH MORE than just a good central defender when he is on the pitch! As for Lamps, we'll see. I amused at the amount of "writing off" I'm reading on these forums as far as he is concerned. I'll admit he hasn't been at his brilliant best, but then that is awfully good don't you think, and even at slightly off his best he has been doing quite well for us. With the ACN robbing us of Essien and Mikel, I have a feeling Lampard will walk right back into the squad because he is needed; maybe not critically so but he is needed. I shudder every time I see Sidwell in our line-up, as compared to the rest of our midfielders he certainly looks limited. Cheers, Butch

To be fair, I believe we are ALWAYS looking out for the best young players around the world that become available. However, they certainly aren't cheap, and they tend to take a bit more convincing (more than just money) because they have so many options (who wouldn't want the next van Basten or Ronaldinho?). I think the Alex Pato case would have waken us up a bit. Now that is a signing I would have expected Chelsea to make but Milan beat us to him, putting us fair in our place. When push comes to shove, I also wonder if Huntelaar would choose us or Man Utd. I believe we do have some promising youngsters in our ranks already but it will take 4-5 years for them to step up and be ready to deliver. We needed to strengthen immediately this January and Anelka is a wonderful signing. I mean, this is as exciting as it gets, and he is at the peak of his powers. We really can expect everything from him, and now. We're going after Geovanni, it seems, but so are a host of others so it remains to be seen if we are successful. As I said, everyone wants the next best thing, and we are no different. Cheers, Butch

JT already said that Grant will not integrate many changes into the side at this point in time as there have already been "changes" that have caused a bit of instability. He wants the team to be run as close to Jose's way as possible for now, including training methods, etc... In time, i.e. the summer, he will bring his own training methods to the table. What has been done is to lessen the long ball style and increase the amount and variety of passing from the back to the front. I think the addition of Anelka will help that immensely, as apart from being a cool finisher, he is also good at coming deep for the ball, keeping possession and bringing others into the game. But the area of the pitch that you specify - attacking midfield - is one that I believe will make the most impact in terms of changing the "way" that we play. However, I also believe that changes have already been made in terms of the playing philosophy. While players such as SWP, Joe and Malouda still work hard, I think the "shackles have been removed" and they are encouraged to get forward and pass the ball quickly, rather than just maintain possession. I think Makalele's role is more important than ever in such an open, attacking philosophy, but I agree he is also probably not able to play 2 matches a week every week. We can't afford to just let him go though. I believe we should keep him and play him in the important tactical battles. He still is a cut above the rest at what he does and Mikel will continue to learn from him. At the same time, I don't think it would hurt to bring in another winger/attacking midfielder who can add an increased thrust and cutting edge. SWP/Joe/Malouda/Kalou have all had some questionable performances for us at one time or another, and while I like them, they have their weaknesses. Van der Vaart certainly is an attractive option but I'm thinking that for a club of our aspirations and resources we need to have our own Ronaldinho/Messi/Ronaldo-calibre player. I also very much like the idea of resigning Guddy for many reasons. First, I felt that the team spirit and togetherness of Jose's first season, with the likes of Guddy and Duffer in the team, was simply fantastic and part of that was the fact we had so many "Chelsea boys" in the squad, including JT, Lamps and Guddy. I think he would help bring some of that back for us. He is also a very good ball possession player with a good eye for the pass, which I believe is the type of player you need to implement a good passing style of football. Finally, he would be a good option as a striker when we have problems in that area, and we will if one or more of Drogba/Sheva/Pizza are unhappy at Chelsea and want to leave. He will fit right in and there are a few good years left in him yet. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over Everton in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi's. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! [table=--------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008------------------------------------:3jbr8s3o] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 31 9 3 15 0 0 0 10 0 145 5018 162 193 +1 02 Ossie13 28 9 3 30 0 0 5 15 50 220 4569 163 191 +3 03 Chippy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 928 186 191 na 04 Butch 32 9 1 15 2 5 10 10 0 138 4813 150 182 +0 05 TT 32 8 2 15 0 0 0 10 0 125 4703 147 179 +0 06 Crystalballs 32 9 2 30 0 0 0 15 30 185 4547 142 174 +2 07 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 08 Coombsie 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3549 137 163 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 Dan Harkin 23 9 3 15 2 0 5 10 15 163 2924 127 150 +2 12 MadMac 23 9 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 128 2883 125 148 +1 13 SergeyMS 07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 978 140 147 na 14 Derek Dove 29 7 4 15 2 0 5 15 0 143 3398 117 146 +2 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 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 20 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 21 Kenny Bolton 01 7 2 15 2 0 0 5 0 108 108 108 109 na 22 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:3jbr8s3o] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:3jbr8s3o] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Ossie13 7 02 Butch 6 Loz 6 03 TT 4 04 Nick White 3 05 Coombsie 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 06 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:3jbr8s3o] [table=---------------------------------BPL Top Scores 2007-2008---------------------------------:3jbr8s3o] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 3 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 4 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 5 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 6 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 7 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 8 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) 9 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) 10 223 Nick White (Everton – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:3jbr8s3o] Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the win over our West London neighbors. CONGRATS this time go to Loz; well done, mate! [table=-------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008-------------------------------------:2yc3tmbo] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 30 9 2 15 2 0 0 10 50 183 4873 162 192 +1 02 Chippy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 928 186 191 na 03 Ossie13 27 7 1 15 2 0 10 10 0 113 4349 161 188 -1 04 Butch 31 7 2 15 4 0 10 10 0 121 4675 151 182 +0 05 TT 31 9 2 15 4 0 0 10 30 161 4578 148 179 +2 06 Crystalballs 31 9 1 15 6 0 10 0 0 119 4362 141 172 +1 07 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 08 Coombsie 26 7 1 15 6 0 10 10 0 109 3549 137 163 +0 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 Dan Harkin 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2761 126 148 na 12 MadMac 22 8 1 15 2 0 10 10 0 123 2755 125 147 +1 13 SergeyMS 07 9 1 15 4 0 5 10 15 141 978 140 147 +1 14 Derek Dove 28 7 1 15 2 0 5 5 0 103 3255 116 144 +0 15 Tim W 11 7 1 15 6 0 0 5 0 94 1458 133 144 -2 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 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 20 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 21 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na 22 Qinisani 01 7 0 15 6 0 0 5 0 84 84 84 85 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:2yc3tmbo] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:2yc3tmbo] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Butch 6 Loz 6 Ossie13 6 02 TT 4 03 Nick White 3 04 Coombsie 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 05 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:2yc3tmbo] [table=BPL Top Scores 2007-2008:2yc3tmbo] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 3 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 4 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 5 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 6 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 7 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 8 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) 9 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) 10 223 Nick White (Everton – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:2yc3tmbo] Cheers, Butch

My comments were not based purely on Lampard's work rate, although that is part of it. Lampard is worth much more than just his work rate. He is one of the current club leaders as well as one of the current faces of Chelsea. Also, even though he is going through a relatively "barren" patch in terms of goals, I do not for one second believe he is "over the hill". He will be back, and I have a feeling this "rest" period will do him the world of good. Thirty is not the end of the road, mate! It strikes me that he is one of the players who have been hit hard by Jose's departure. But I do expect him to get over that too. I do believe that he, JT, Ballack and Drogba should be the top earners at Chelsea, for varying reasons. Cheers, Butch

Should he ? He works harder for Chelsea than some of the other players here do who earn more than he does. He and JT should be the highest earners at the club so for him to expect to earn the same as the top earners, I feel, is understandable. What contract does not have money at its heart though; I mean why should Frank be painted as some sort of heartless mercenary when 99% of footballers are no different? Cheers, Butch

Loz, he was probably pants in the game you say because he was carrying the injury. I've not seen any mention about his injury situation outside of the official club site. To be honest, after a very bright start, he has been quite awful and that being because of an injury would make sense (and offer some hope). Cheers, Butch

Look at it in this way - Frank is currently in his prime. Sometimes I feel we want change for change's sake and end up losing players in their prime. This is the situation with Frank. He is important to Chelsea in so many ways that we simply should not be thinking of "tinkering" with the situation. No, I don't expect Frank to be able to play at maximum level when he is 34-35 but that is so long down the road we shouldn't even be worrying about it at this time. Even if we are able to "delay his departure" by 2-3 years that would be good business. Frank doesn't strike me as someone who would hang around for long if deterioration of form means he finds himself on the bench more often than not! So I don't share the same concern about handing him a long-ish term contract. Again, I believe that what we get in the next 2-4 years from Frank, both on and off the pitch, will more than make any contract with him worthwhile. Our club is in a "shaky" period where a lot of additional change could affect our chances of success. We already look likely to be losing Drogba on top of Jose. We need all the stability we can get to off-set this and keep our momentum going forward. The Chelsea identity is also important and JT will need help in "bedding in" the new players who will be coming in. I really hope he stays (I think he will), and that we do everything in our power to keep him. Cheers, Butch

First things first - I see a lot of you overlook Lampard when you talk about players who love Chelsea and who could even be considered for "legends" status. I'm telling you that Lamps does love Chelsea, and probably just as much as JT does. I believe he will sign a new deal in the summer. I did initially have my questions about Didier when we signed him, as I was looking at other world class strikers to be signed by a club with unlimited funds. I was also less than impressed with some of his footballing attributes, probably emphasized by my dismay that we signed him when we could have signed other strikers. I also did not, and still don't, like his antics on the field, e.g. falling over at the slightest touch, feigning injury, complaining, sulking, mouthing off to the press, etc... However, having said all this, I cannot deny that he is one of the most effective strikers in world football and can take on a whole opposing back line by himself. In Jose's preferred system, there is probably no one else that can play it as well as Didier. With him on the pitch, it doesn't matter who we play or how good their defenders are, we will always have a chance to score because of Didier's physical attributes. A more tactical striker can essentially be nullified whereas it is much more difficult to stop Didier. From that stand point, if Didier left us, we would be that much weakened, and whoever signed him would be that much strengthened. I for one will be hoping we can change his mind, and I am ready to continue to overlook the things he does that annoys me. If he can be associated with any club at the moment, it is Chelsea. I believe there is unfinished business and he CAN attain legend status if he stays to finish what is left to be done. But, if his desire to leave is that great then so be it. One final thought on this matter: I've read that people feel he is NOT a team player. I cannot understand this. I believe he IS truly a team player. He didn't like the tactics imposed by Jose, i.e. one striker who defended from the front, but he still got on with business and worked hard in every game. If we DO change the way we play and move away from the loan forward system, maybe Didier's departure would not hit us so hard. There are strikers available who would be similarly effective in a different system. This is not to say Didier wouldn't also be effective in a different system for I believe he would. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Cheers, Butch

Are we talking about Wayne "Stamford" Bridge? Leave Chelsea? I think not. Best crosser of the ball in our current squad, no question about it. Cheers, Butch

Latest quotes attributed to him have him saying that he doesn't expect to get the same love from fans anywhere else and that he would like to spend the remainder of his career (6-7 years) at Chelsea. This is the best news to come out regarding Chelsea in a long time (just let's hope it's accurate). Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the hard fought win over Fulham. CONGRATS this time go to Ossie13; well done, mate! [table=-----------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008-----------------------------------:35rm7ny1] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 29 7 2 15 2 5 0 0 0 108 4690 162 191 -1 02 Chippy 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 928 186 191 na 03 Ossie13 26 8 3 30 0 5 0 10 50 205 4236 163 189 +3 04 Butch 30 8 2 15 2 5 5 0 0 123 4554 152 182 +0 05 TT 30 8 3 15 0 5 5 0 30 165 4417 147 177 +1 06 Crystalballs 30 8 2 15 2 5 0 10 15 143 4243 141 171 +1 07 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 08 Coombsie 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3440 138 163 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 Dan Harkin 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2761 126 148 na 12 MadMac 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2632 125 146 na 13 Tim W 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1364 136 146 na 14 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 15 Derek Dove 27 7 1 30 0 5 0 10 0 125 3152 117 144 +2 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 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 20 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 21 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:35rm7ny1] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:35rm7ny1] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Butch 6 Ossie13 6 02 Loz 5 03 TT 4 04 Nick White 3 05 Coombsie 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 06 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:35rm7ny1] [table=------------------------------------BPL Top Scores 2007-2008----------------------------------:35rm7ny1] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 3 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 4 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 5 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 6 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 7 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 8 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) 9 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) 10 223 Nick White (Everton – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:35rm7ny1] Cheers, Butch

Petrov has been one of the players of the early season for sure. He reminds me of Robben at his best for us. Would definitely be a starter for us if he came, but man City would fall apart (in an attacking sense) if they were to lose him. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the lucky 2-1 win over Newcastle. CONGRATS this time go to Coombsie; well done, mate! [table=---------------------------------Butch’s Prediction League Standings 2007-2008---------------------------------:1pka69vg] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Loz 28 9 3 15 2 0 5 10 0 148 4582 164 192 +1 02 Chippy 05 8 2 15 2 5 20 15 30 183 928 186 191 +1 03 Ossie13 25 8 2 15 0 0 10 10 0 135 4031 161 186 +0 04 Butch 29 7 1 30 0 0 0 20 0 130 4431 153 182 +0 05 TT 29 9 3 15 0 0 0 10 0 145 4252 147 176 +1 06 Crystalballs 29 9 3 15 0 0 5 10 15 165 4100 141 170 +1 07 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 08 Nick White 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3128 142 164 na 09 Coombsie 25 9 3 30 0 0 10 20 50 230 3440 138 163 +5 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 Dan Harkin 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2761 126 148 na 13 MadMac 21 9 3 15 2 5 5 10 30 183 2632 125 146 +4 14 Tim W 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1364 136 146 na 15 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 16 Derek Dove 26 5 1 30 0 5 0 20 0 115 3027 116 142 +1 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 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 20 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 21 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 22 Mike O 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 222 111 113 na 23 Amax 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 95 98 na 24 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [/table:1pka69vg] [table=BPL Winners’ Circle 2007-2008:1pka69vg] ------------------------------ Rank Name Wins ------------------------------ 01 Butch 6 02 Loz 5 Ossie13 5 03 TT 4 04 Nick White 3 05 Coombsie 2 Crystalballs 2 Pauly 2 06 Chippy 1 Lukasz 1 SergeyMS 1 TimW 1 ------------------------------ [/table:1pka69vg] [table=-------------------------BPL Top Scores 2007-2008------------------------:1pka69vg] -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 265 Butch (Schalke04 – home – CL) 2 259 Loz (Rosenborg – away – CL) Ossie13 (Rosenborg – away – CL) 3 253 Chippy (Sunderland – home – EPL) 4 248 TimW (Man City – home – EPL) 5 243 Ossie13 (Blackburn – away – EPL) 6 240 Butch (Liverpool – away – EPL) 7 238 Loz (Schalke – away – CL) TT (Middlesbrough – away – EPL) 8 230 Coombsie (Newcastle – home – EPL) Derek Dove (Sunderland – home – EPL) Loz (Wigan – away – EPL) 9 225 Crystalballs (Liverpool – home – CC) Loz (Schalke04 – home – CL) Pauly (Valencia – away – CL) 10 223 Nick White (Everton – home – EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- [/table:1pka69vg] Cheers, Butch

How ironic that Jose Mourinho is rumored to be taking over at Milan (with Drogba possibly joining him). I think you can throw those Sheva to Milan rumors out the window. Or, looking at it from a different perspective, a lot of us will be having to eat some sort of pie if Jose signs him for Milan ! Cheers, Butch

I'm over the moon. I was very happy when we signed him (as I was with Sheva), but although I felt Sheva would come good, I felt Ballack would fit in instantly. He didn't really, but I still feel we will see the best of him, and soon. He is the one big hope we have in this dark period devoid of our team leaders. The captaincy may actually bring out the best of the German, our German. Cheers, Butch

I'm just frustrated Cudicini is, once again, injured when we need him. What is the bloody point of having the best reserve keeper when he's hardly ever available when we need him? I just can't believe our luck (and his). Cheers, Butch