Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the frustrating home draw against the mighty Fulham. CONGRATS this time go to Crystalballs and Ossie13; well done, mates! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BPL Standings 2007-2008 EPL Season Chelsea Supporters' Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 02 Butch 10 7 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 86 1522 152 162 -7 03 Ossie13 10 9 4 0 6 0 0 0 50 174 1409 141 151 +5 04 Crystalballs 10 9 4 0 6 0 0 0 50 174 1374 137 147 +5 05 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 06 Dan Harkin 08 8 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 104 1097 137 145 -4 07 TT 10 9 3 0 6 0 0 0 30 144 1341 134 144 +2 08 Nick White 09 8 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 104 1214 135 144 -3 09 Kwadwo A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 138 138 139 na 10 Lukasz 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 535 134 138 na 11 Sam 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 134 134 135 na 12 Coombsie 09 8 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 94 1127 125 134 -3 13 MadMac 08 6 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 78 1008 126 134 -6 14 Pauly 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 632 126 131 na 15 Tim W 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 509 127 131 na 16 Loz 09 7 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 86 1077 120 129 -3 17 Jumat Tobi 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 126 127 na 18 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TrubishBob 05 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 15 121 586 117 122 +2 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 Derek Dove 09 8 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 96 931 103 112 +0 24 Ajibola O 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 108 108 109 na 25 Footiemadman 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 26 Oke 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 27 Ridwan 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 105 106 na 28 Christan A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 88 89 na 29 Kayode 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 86 87 na 30 Unni 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 84 85 na 31 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na 32 John Berry 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 81 82 na 33 Aina Moses 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 34 Oyebanji S 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 35 Elias 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 70 71 na 36 Xavier 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Winners' Circle ------------------------------ 01 Butch 3 02 Nick White 2 03 TT 2 04 Coombsie 1 05 Crystalballs 1 06 Lukasz 1 07 Ossie13 1 08 Pauly 1 09 SergeyMS 1 ------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 240 Butch (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 2 218 TT (Portsmouth ? home- EPL) 3 215 Butch (Man Utd ? away ? EPL) 4 208 Butch (Birmingham - home - EPL) SergeyMS (Reading ? home ? EPL) 5 205 Dan Harkin (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) SergeyMS (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 6 203 Pauly (Rosenborg ? home ? CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

With inspiration and confidence, 0-1's or 0-0's easily become 1-0's. Is Grant the one to inspire confidence in our players? Cheers, Butch

I saw Buck at the end of the game with his head hung; if anyone has that photo, please send it to me. it sums up everything I feel about Chelsea at the moment. Cheers, Butch

I want someone who not only has the footballing pedigree but also the guts to stand up to Roman. Otherwise, it would be pointless. I thought I'd be over it, but I clearly am NOT! Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 4-0 win at Hull that takes us into the next round of the Carling Cup. CONGRATS this time go to Coombsie; well done, mate! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BPL Standings 2007-2008 EPL Season Chelsea Supporters' Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 02 Butch 09 6 0 15 2 5 0 20 0 98 1436 160 169 -6 03 Dan Harkin 07 7 0 15 2 0 0 15 0 98 993 142 149 -6 04 Nick White 08 7 1 15 4 0 0 5 0 96 1110 139 147 -5 05 Ossie13 09 8 1 15 4 0 0 15 0 116 1235 137 146 -2 06 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 07 Crystalballs 09 7 1 15 0 5 0 5 0 105 1200 133 142 -3 08 TT 09 8 1 15 2 5 0 20 30 158 1197 133 142 +4 09 MadMac 07 9 1 15 4 0 0 15 15 141 930 133 140 +2 10 Kwadwo A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 138 138 139 na 11 Lukasz 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 535 134 138 na 12 Coombsie 08 10 3 15 2 5 0 0 50 198 1033 129 137 +11 13 Sam 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 134 134 135 na 14 Loz 08 6 0 15 2 0 0 15 0 88 991 124 132 -4 15 Pauly 05 4 0 30 0 0 10 20 0 100 632 126 131 -6 16 Tim W 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 509 127 131 na 17 Jumat Tobi 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 126 127 na 18 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TrubishBob 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 465 116 120 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 Derek Dove 08 5 0 15 2 10 0 15 0 88 835 104 112 -2 24 Ajibola O 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 108 108 109 na 25 Footiemadman 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 26 Oke 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 27 Ridwan 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 105 106 na 28 Christan A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 88 89 na 29 Kayode 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 86 87 na 30 Unni 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 84 85 na 31 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na 32 John Berry 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 81 82 na 33 Aina Moses 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 34 Oyebanji S 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 35 Elias 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 70 71 na 36 Xavier 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Winners' Circle ------------------------------ 01 Butch 3 02 Nick White 2 03 TT 2 04 Coombsie 1 05 Lukasz 1 06 Pauly 1 07 SergeyMS 1 ------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 240 Butch (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 2 218 TT (Portsmouth ? home- EPL) 3 215 Butch (Man Utd ? away ? EPL) 4 208 Butch (Birmingham - home - EPL) SergeyMS (Reading ? home ? EPL) 5 205 Dan Harkin (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) SergeyMS (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 6 203 Pauly (Rosenborg ? home ? CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Thoroughly enjoyed it, Kenn! Cheers, Butch

I made my prediction the moment Jose was sacked, mate. Cheers, Butch

While I did not vote for Maka, I must agree that he is a player we need at this difficult time. He is a steadying influence and his calmness in the face of fire will help us. He was the lynchpin of our two title-winning seasons, and of course a key player in Europe, and I feel he needs to be reinstated permanently for us (whenever he is available). Cheers, Butch

I only have one word to say about this performance that sums up just about everything that should be important as we try to assess our chances for the rest of the season - Essien. I'm truly worried. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after our defeat at Old Trafford in the EPL. CONGRATS, if you can call it that, go to yours truly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BPL Standings 2007-2008 EPL Season Chelsea Supporters' Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Butch 08 9 3 30 0 0 0 15 50 215 1338 167 175 +8 02 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 03 Dan Harkin 06 8 2 15 2 0 0 10 15 138 895 149 155 -1 04 Nick White 07 8 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 108 1014 145 152 -5 05 Ossie13 08 8 2 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 1119 140 148 -3 06 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 07 Crystalballs 08 7 1 30 0 0 0 15 30 155 1095 137 145 +4 08 Kwadwo A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 138 138 139 na 09 TT 08 7 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 78 1039 130 138 -6 10 MadMac 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 789 132 138 na 11 Lukasz 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 535 134 138 na 12 Pauly 04 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 120 532 133 137 na 13 Loz 07 8 2 0 2 0 0 10 0 108 903 129 136 -3 14 Sam 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 134 134 135 na 15 Tim W 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 509 127 131 na 16 Jumat Tobi 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 126 127 na 17 Coombsie 07 8 2 0 4 0 0 5 0 101 835 119 126 -2 18 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TrubishBob 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 465 116 120 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 Derek Dove 07 7 1 0 2 0 0 10 0 88 747 107 114 -2 23 Mike O 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 222 111 113 na 24 Ajibola O 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 108 108 109 na 25 Footiemadman 01 8 2 0 4 0 0 10 0 106 106 106 107 na 26 Oke 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 27 Ridwan 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 105 106 na 28 Christan A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 88 89 na 29 Kayode 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 86 87 na 30 Unni 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 84 85 na 31 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na 32 John Berry 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 81 82 na 33 Aina Moses 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 34 Oyebanji S 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 35 Elias 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 70 71 na 36 Xavier 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Winners' Circle ------------------------------ 01 Butch 3 02 Nick White 2 03 TT 2 04 Lukasz 1 05 Pauly 1 06 SergeyMS 1 ------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 240 Butch (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 2 218 TT (Portsmouth ? home- EPL) 3 215 Butch (Man Utd ? away ? EPL) 4 208 Butch (Birmingham - home - EPL) SergeyMS (Reading ? home ? EPL) 5 205 Dan Harkin (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) SergeyMS (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 6 203 Pauly (Rosenborg ? home ? CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

I think it may be Klinsmann. Hiddink would not be a long-term appointment. If the management have any brains, and clearly they do not, they will think long-term. But my choice would be Gullit. He'd be a step down from Jose for the immediate future, but I believe he has what it takes to step up a notch. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the home draw against Rosenborg in our first group game of the Champions League 2007 competition. CONGRATS this time go to Pauly; well done, mate! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BPL Standings 2007-2008 EPL Season Chelsea Supporters' Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 02 Butch 07 10 4 0 2 5 0 0 30 173 1123 160 167 +3 03 Nick White 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 906 151 157 na 04 Dan Harkin 05 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 757 151 156 na 05 Ossie13 07 10 4 0 2 5 0 0 30 173 1011 144 151 +5 06 SergeyMS 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 837 140 146 na 07 TT 07 9 3 0 4 5 5 0 0 126 961 137 144 -1 08 Crystalballs 07 10 3 0 6 5 0 0 0 129 940 134 141 +0 09 Pauly 03 10 5 0 2 5 0 0 50 203 412 137 140 na 10 Loz 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 795 133 139 na 11 Kwadwo A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 138 138 139 na 12 MadMac 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 789 132 138 na 13 Lukasz 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 535 134 138 na 14 Sam 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 134 134 135 na 15 Tim W 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 509 127 131 na 16 Coombsie 06 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 106 734 122 128 -3 17 Jumat Tobi 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 126 127 na 18 Wycliffe 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 475 119 123 na 19 TrubishBob 04 9 3 0 2 5 0 0 0 123 465 116 120 na 20 TeaBarBoy 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 343 114 117 na 21 Derek Dove 06 9 4 0 4 5 0 0 15 146 659 110 116 +8 22 Yogic 03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 339 113 116 na 23 Mike O 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 222 111 113 na 24 Ajibola O 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 108 108 109 na 25 Oke 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 26 Ridwan 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 105 106 na 27 Christan A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 88 89 na 28 Kayode 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 86 87 na 29 Unni 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 84 85 na 30 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na 31 John Berry 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 81 82 na 32 Aina Moses 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 33 Oyebanji S 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 34 Elias 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 70 71 na 35 Xavier 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Winners' Circle ------------------------------ 01 Butch 2 02 Nick White 2 03 TT 2 04 Lukasz 1 05 Pauly 1 06 SergeyMS 1 ------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 240 Butch (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 2 218 TT (Portsmouth ? home- EPL) 3 208 Butch (Birmingham - home - EPL) SergeyMS (Reading ? home ? EPL) 4 205 Dan Harkin (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) SergeyMS (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 5 203 Pauly (Rosenborg ? home ? CL) -------------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Again, I didn't think we played that badly. We paid for being sloppy in front of goal and for one lapse of concentration, which, unfortunately, happens. It is just that this is happening during a patch when we could really do without it. The problem is not technical - we are dominating games and are having more than enough chances to win them. I believe the problem is becoming a psychological one. The players are becoming frustrated, impatient, and are, at important moments in games, losing confidence in team mates. I think Jose, despite his "cooler" persona is under a lot of pressure and his frustration is being transmitted to the players. I believe we lost because although we started relatively well, we went behind to the aforementioned lapse in concentration (from what was a tremendous free kick into our box) and from then on all the players just felt they had to hurry. I mean, to a certain degree, yes, a sense of urgency is important. But when you have key players taking pot shots from 30 yards rather than trying to find a team mate, or players lumping balls from 40 or 50 yards out to a front line with no specialist headers, I think that is a sign of desperation. And really, was the situation that bad? We totally by-passed the strength of our attacking players by doing that. Without a shadow of a doubt, my MOTM was Malouda. For the most part, his crosses and passes were very good, and his dribbling was also at times breathtaking. He still doesn't have the telepathy with his team mates that will take him to the next level, but that will come. Also good for me was Sheva. He was much more involved, he looked hungry, and his free kicks were much better than what we've been used to of late. It's just that his team mates are not looking for him as much as they should. Most of our players feel compelled to shoot once they get sight of goal, when that option is not always the best. If we had a player who could suck in defenders, feign the shot, but slide in the pass instead, we'd score more goals. That is just my personal opinion. We're just a bit too predictable. We needed a cool head on the pitch today, particularly in the attacking third, and for the most part, we didn't have that. Essien, for all his tireless energy and hard work did not show the composure we needed. Joe Cole tried, and looked good in patches, but things just didn't work out for the most part. I'm also a little bit disappointed by this "last dice" move of sticking Terry up front and lumping crosses to him, and then to top it all off, decide to go up the middle rather than out wide to put in the crosses. For a club of our stature, I think we can do better than this. For all the times we've done this, it has only come off once that I can recall, against Barcelona when he knocked the header back across goal at the Camp Nou for Drogba to slip in and equalize for us in the 2-2 draw. Apart from that, it has not worked out well. The 1-1 draw was not a fair reflection of the game. We're not going to get stuffed at Old Trafford. People need to get a grip. However, we are going to continue to find it hard to win games unless we show more composure on the ball in the attacking third. Cheers, Butch

Star, I hope you're wrong about us winning zilch, though we certainly have not done anything to inspire confidence yet this season. Regarding Ballack and Sheva, I'm not sure they wouldn't have been signed anyway. It depends which way you look at it. Were they signed "to win us the cup" or as "Roman's toys". I couldn't really say, but I am inclined to think Roman likes the players anyway, particularly Sheva. And if we're all honest, I think most of us looked at that signing as a positive one. Of course, a season or so later and it hardly seems worth it, but we all know Sheva is better than this. What we don't know is what is causing him to fire blanks at the moment. Part of it could be down to the player himself. But of course, I also think Jose could be using him better. I love Jose. I think he has been a breath of fresh air for the EPL and I also think he has instilled something special at Chelsea. However, he is nothing if not a stubborn man, set in his ways of doing things, and unable to really "change". I think all this hoopla about us becoming a more attractive side to watch is all a load of rubbish - in the sense that we haven't changed very much and whatever we're doing is not working very well. Maybe - no, certainly - we'll improve when the likes of Carvalho, Lampard and Drogba return from injuries, but you really have to wonder if "changing" is really for the better. And because Jose can't really "change", players like Kezman and Sheva, who shone elsewhere, struggle here. You'd think Jose would be able to do something to help them to settle into the side, but as was the case with Kezman, this never materialized. And I think Chelsea fans are a tad concerned this will be the same with Sheva, if not also Ballack. I hope upon hope that Jose can turn things around, and I believe he can. I hope he gets the chance. It is crazy to be even thinking about Jose being sacked. The other EPL clubs would be laughing all the way to the bank at how we are seemingly self-destructing. The club needs to remain strong, and firm in their support of their manager. I listened to an interesting theory lately about the free signings of Sidwell, Ben Haim, Alex and Pizarro being a statement from Jose to Roman that his money wasn't needed. It would be easy to dismiss this notion, but at the same time would you put it past Jose? I tend to side with Jose in all of this. Roman has been wonderful for us, but I feel he needs to let Jose have free reign. I certainly get this feeling that Jose has been "cuffed" this season, what with this call for a change to our playing style and the arrival of Avram Grant. I certainly hope we're making more of this than is really there. There is so much more left to be done and we are seemingly putting obstacles in front of Jose for no good reason. Back to our prospects: The EPL is a long-term project. As I've said before, I think the top teams who will be competing this season will be dropping more points than usual, so we are not in a bad position at the moment. But we do need to get our main players back from injury. Meanwhile, despite the arguable decline in quality of our second string, I still feel it is better than most teams so we have to keep faith in the likes of Pizarro, Alex, Ben Haim, Mikel, Sidwell, etc... Notice I don't have Sheva in that list. He is not second string material. He is a potential starter for us, and I trust he will take the opportunity with both hands while Didier is out. I am expecting good things in the match against Rosenborg. Which brings me to the CL. Again, once we get Carvalho, Lampard and Drogba back, I don't see why we would have any less chance than any other side competing in the tournament. You can't really ask for more than that. Nobody has the right to expect to win the competition. But if you have a good chance, and we certainly do, I think that is as much as you can expect. I think we'd give anyone a good run for their money for certain, provided again that our key players stay fit, and Carvalho, Lampard and Drogba are key players right through the spine of the club. Malouda is also a player that is a star in his own right and will improve with time. Like Sheva, I'm expecting big things from him in the CL. I'd like to finish with SWP. I think it is a tad unfair if we just dismissed his prominence in our side in this early part of the season as a factor of our squad's quality having decreased. It makes for a good joke, but in all seriousness, I believe his rise to prominence has come from a lot of hard work on his part. Yes, he still makes mistakes, but I feel that he has improved over his form last season or since he's been with us. Long may it continue! Cheers, Butch

I actually thought we played quite well; basically, we did everything but score, and we knew before hand that that would be difficult. Still, Friedel made some good saves (notably from Essien and Sheva) to keep them in the game. I'm not happy, goes without saying really, but I'm not particularly surprised by the result. The big plus for me was the amount of possession we had and our ability to make the likes of McCarthy and Gamst Pedersen, who are pretty good EPL players, anything but. So, our midfielders and defense deserve SOME credit there. But back to the front, and I've said it a thousand times, but how we miss Lampard (and Drogba, of course). We are a totally different team going forward without those two. I hope people are beginning to appreciate what Lamps does for us. We've lost our threat from midfield almost completely. Fortunately, Joe showed some class in the middle for us and caused Blackburn problems. I was happy enough with his performance and really hope he gets a run of games. I've always maintained that he "makes things happen" for us more than most. Sheva? I didn't think he played too badly, but he has most definitely lost his touch and quite a bit of confidence. His one one one where his second touch was too heavy and allowed Friedel to close the angles, and then his close-range header, admittedly at full stretch going backwards, were chances you'd have expected the old Sheva to put away. The other header was a bit ridiculous for the degree of the mis-timing, but that happens a lot and it was quite a bit further away from goal. I thought he was not involved enough in most of our build-ups, but I put that down to Jose. When he was involved, I thought he showed better strength and technique in shielding the ball and riding tackles from behind than he has for most of the time he's been with us, and I look at that as a positive sign that he is beginning to come to grips with the physical EPL. I also wanted to reserve special mention for Belletti. Like most, I was a bit underwhelmed when we signed him, but I feel he's settled in very well indeed, and after showing some promise, in my eyes, against Aston Villa, I thought he put on a show against Blackburn. At this rate, we'll completely forget we were linked to Alves. But lets hope he keeps it up. I also liked the look of Alex. He's been absolutely supreme in the air, and provided the attacker isn't given a chance to turn and drive at him, he's defended solidly. I am however always wary that should he find himself isolated against a quick attacker he'd definitely be in a spot of bother, so Jose will have to pick and choose the games he plays. Ben Haim will have some use for us in certain games. The decision to chalk off the goal for us was a bit of a joke. The only reason I can think of is that Belletti was off-side as he sprang free on the right. I haven't seen evidence either for or against so that is the only questionable event. But other than that, the linesmen got it terribly wrong. We shouldn't have any problems against Rosenborg in mid-week, but against Man Utd, I don't think we should be expecting miracles. We obviously are not going to be going gung-ho for the win at Old Trafford with the injury problems we're having. Our best bet is keeping this one tight. A point wouldn't be a travesty. Like I said, I expect the big teams to be dropping a lot of points this season. A defeat would be a bit deflating, not from a points perspective, but from a psychological one. I'm half expecting one, or both, of Lamps and Drogba to be back for that (at a slight push) but I do hope we won't risk their long-term fitness. I believe we have a good enough side to get a creditable draw there, and possibly with a bit of luck a win. But we do need to keep faith in Joe Cole and Shevchenko. I believe that is our only way forth. Cheers, Butch

Dear Friends, Here are the latest BPL standings after the 0-0 home draw with Blackburn at home in the EPL. CONGRATS this time go to Nick, Lukasz and TT; well done, lads! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BPL Standings 2007-2008 EPL Season Chelsea Supporters' Registry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name Gp St Sb FS Pe Sc TG Pr Bo To Cu Av Rt Ch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 01 Terje 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 335 168 170 na 02 Butch 06 6 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 73 950 158 164 -16 03 Nick White 06 9 2 0 4 0 0 0 50 156 906 151 157 +2 04 Dan Harkin 05 8 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 96 757 151 156 na 05 Ossie13 06 6 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 76 838 140 146 -11 06 SergeyMS 06 7 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 76 837 140 146 -11 07 TT 06 9 2 0 4 0 0 0 50 156 835 139 145 +4 08 Crystalballs 06 7 3 0 2 0 0 5 15 118 811 135 141 -3 09 Loz 06 8 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 96 795 133 139 -6 10 Kwadwo A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 138 138 139 na 11 MadMac 06 7 2 15 2 0 0 0 15 118 789 132 138 -1 12 Lukasz 04 8 3 0 4 0 0 0 50 156 535 134 138 na 13 Sam 01 8 3 0 6 0 0 0 30 134 134 134 135 na 14 Coombsie 05 7 2 0 2 0 0 5 0 93 628 126 131 -7 15 Tim W 04 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 509 127 131 na 16 Jumat Tobi 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 126 127 na 17 Wycliffe 03 7 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 86 475 119 123 na 18 TeaBarBoy 03 8 2 0 4 0 0 5 0 101 343 114 117 na 19 TrubishBob 03 8 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 96 342 114 117 na 20 Yogic 03 6 1 0 2 0 0 5 0 73 339 113 116 na 21 Mike O 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 222 111 113 na 22 Ajibola O 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 108 108 109 na 23 Derek Dove 05 7 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 86 513 103 108 na 24 Pauly 02 7 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 86 209 105 107 na 25 Oke 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 106 106 107 na 26 Ridwan 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 105 105 106 na 27 Christan A 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 88 88 89 na 28 Kayode 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 86 86 87 na 29 Unni 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 84 84 85 na 30 Usman A 02 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 161 81 83 na 31 John Berry 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 81 81 82 na 32 Aina Moses 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 76 76 77 na 33 Oyebanji S 01 6 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 76 76 76 77 na 34 Elias 01 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 70 70 71 na 35 Xavier 01 6 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 68 68 68 69 na ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ Winners' Circle ------------------------------ 01 Butch 2 02 Nick White 2 03 TT 2 04 Lukasz 1 05 SergeyMS 1 ------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Score Predictor(s) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 240 Butch (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) 2 218 TT (Portsmouth ? home- EPL) 3 208 Butch (Birmingham - home - EPL) SergeyMS (Reading ? home ? EPL) 4 205 Dan Harkin (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) SergeyMS (Liverpool ? away ? EPL) -------------------------------------------------------------- Cheers, Butch

Good point. I very much doubt Frank would be considered a legend outside the realms of Chelsea football club. But for us Blues fans who see the effort and commitment that he puts in on a consistent basis, as well as the success he has brought to us as part of this "era" of Chelsea, he has got to be right up there with the best Chelsea has ever had to offer, in my humble opinion. But you and Barak are absolutely right, this, like most things we discuss here on the forums, is a subjective thing, and what appeals to one Chelsea fan may not appeal to the next. For me personally, I don't have a problem referring to Frank as a living Chelsea legend for he has already done so much for our club in the time he has been here. And though I'm sure this is not the end of it, I don't need anymore convincing. Cheers, Butch

Just out of curiosity Nibs, what would Lamps have to do to get into your much coveted Legends List? Regarding the issue of playing time, I think Lampard has really not given Jose any choice over the matter. He simply cannot be dropped due to all the things he brings to the team. While I agree that Joe should be playing more than he is, at times he has kind of let himself down and given Jose reasons to drop him. This argument ONLY refers to the difference in playing time. I love Joe too and agree he should play more, and I want him to play more. Cheers, Butch

I totally agree with you. Cheers, Butch

Interesting piece, agree with a lot of it. Cheers, Butch

You have to understand that Jose had committed his team forward to get the equalizer at that point. In the first half, he was solid when we weren't chasing the game. Once we were committed going forward, the defense as a whole were exposed, not just Belletti, and with that kind of space in behind him, it was always going to be a case of advantage to the speedy Villa wingers. You have to see it in that context. Overall, I still think he had an okay game. I didn't say good, but I saw things that I liked. First, his sense of body positioning versus charging attacker and his timing of tackles in that first half was good - much better than Johnson. His runs going forward were also good, and his crossing was better than we have seen from others. And this is only his second game for us for goodness sakes! Give the man a chance! Cheers, Butch

My theory is that although we started the season unbeaten, with 3 wins and a draw, and now a loss, we have not impressed and this is down to the squad not yet being settled. Some of this is due to injuries, some due to personnel changes, and we should not underestimate the improvements in some of the other teams we've played as well. Of the so-called "big 4", Liverpool are the only ones to be really quick out of the blocks, and I don't mean results-wise, but rather performance-wise. It should make things interesting. As I gathered from watching our pre-season, we're going to need a few more games to settle down into a rhythm. Belletti looks promising. Once JT recovers from his broken toe (I hope he can while playing!), Riccy returns from injury, and the defense becomes settled from playing consecutive games together, we will look much better as a unit. Malouda and Pizarro are still finding their feet. I think Kalou and Joe Cole need to play more as they are already established EPL players and tend to make us look a bit livelier and with more purpose when they are on the pitch. The defeat at Villa should serve as a kick up the #$@&%. It's going to be a long, hard season and all teams will be dropping more points than they're used to. We just have to work on regaining our solidity. Cheers, Butch

I'm very disappointed. The end to the summer transfer season has left me wholly unimpressed. The Diarra to Arsenal deal makes no sense to me. Every time I've seen him play for us, I've been impressed. He may look like Maka, but it is really unfair to think he doesn't have other qualities that would allow him to play elsewhere in midfield. Sidwell for Diarra is really disappointing as far as I'm concerned (taking into account I do believe Diarra to be capable of playing midfield roles other than the Maka-role). One season ago, he was voted our best young player. Now he's an Arsenal player. I just don't understand this. Cheers, Butch

Not saying we did; that would be a little over-simplistic. But I maintain we suffer when he doesn't play. We lose our threat of goals from midfield. Amongst other things. But our ability to score from midfield does contribute to our ability to score, period. And we lost because we conceded two goals and couldn't score ourselves. So, in a way, our not having Lamps likely contributed something to our defeat. How much is subjective and open to debate, of course. Cheers, Butch

Another bit of evidence to counter the "fans against Lamps" case. I maintain that every time we play without Lamps, our midfield loses quite a bit of bite and urgency. I know we have a lot of quality midfielders, and I know it might seem like we have cover for Lamps (some have even said Lamps should sit on the bench). But in the end, he "is" untouchable for us just the same way Terry is. I really hope he returns for us soon. Cheers, Butch