2011-12 EPL Thread

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Typical Chelsea thinking, if it aint working, buy more, more & more.

I really despise Chelsea, soulless, smug, self indulgent. A glorified pub team with a Sugar Daddy.

Fair enough, I love them.

I don't see what they do is any different to what the other big clubs do.


Who do you support TCD?
Obviously not one of the bigger clubs as that would be a bit of pot kettle black.

[soupman]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Typical Chelsea thinking, if it aint working, buy more, more & more.

I really despise Chelsea, soulless, smug, self indulgent. A glorified pub team with a Sugar Daddy.

Honestly I dislike the entire league and the constant buying and selling of players. Very rarely do you see a player at a club for longer than a few years, and clubs like Chelsea just do all this to the extreme.

[Topdog]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Typical Chelsea thinking, if it aint working, buy more, more & more.

I really despise Chelsea, soulless, smug, self indulgent. A glorified pub team with a Sugar Daddy.

I thought you were a Liverpool supporter?

Surely the 150m budget is a joke. The days of that spending are gone with the fair play rules.

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

I thought you were a Liverpool supporter?

Surely the 150m budget is a joke. The days of that spending are gone with the fair play rules.

I can't see it being true(English tabloid speculation) and would think that they would only need to bring in a couple of players anyway.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

All this discussion about money makes me think of my team. I'm a Sheffield Wednesday man. We got into lots of debt the last ten years after our last two years in the Premier League saw us spending a lot of money on guys like Di Canio and Carbone et al and getting relegated. We've been in massive debt for years, and then this year the tax office came and told us to pay up on some outstanding receipts or get liquidated (!)

We're two leagues down (the old third division, now called the Coca-Cola league 1), and were about 2 weeks from being declared bankrupt (and getting points deducted or suffering another relegation) when Milan Mandaric (notorious super-businessman and serial club rescuer, great football person) saved the club with his own personal wealth after acquiring the club for 1 pound. Also brought in Gary Megson, a real Wednesday fan and pretty successful coach, as manager. However, Mandaric is there only to stabilise the club and make it a viable business again, not to pour millions into buying players, which we're (the fans and our associations) pretty happy about.

We're actually doing pretty well in the league (outright 2nd), so should be promoted this year. We have by far the largest attendances in the league (and the best stadium -- Hillsborough, which is still in the top 6 or so stadiums in the country and will be used if the World Cup or Euro ever comes to England), and still get bigger attendances than some Premier League teams.

I love that the fans are real ones who aren't the ones that clubs acquire when they are 'successful'. It's funny how many Man City jerseys you can see in South-East Asia or Africa now, when they would have struggled to find a single fan in those regions even two years ago (they were all Chelsea fans then). It sucks that we're shit, but the club is still fun to follow, and it feels far more authentic than just jumping ship to whatever successful team happens to be buying players.

Having said that, I at least have Barcelona to watch (my wife's team -- she's actually Spanish and we know Iniesta's family.. long story) to make up for the shit soccer in the lower reaches of the English game; the A-League is much better watching than some of that dross!

-- okay, sorry for that detour, please return to your rich mega-club discussion ---

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

All this discussion about money makes me think of my team. I'm a Sheffield Wednesday man. We got into lots of debt the last ten years after our last two years in the Premier League saw us spending a lot of money on guys like Di Canio and Carbone et al and getting relegated. We've been in massive debt for years, and then this year the tax office came and told us to pay up on some outstanding receipts or get liquidated (!)

We're two leagues down (the old third division, now called the Coca-Cola league 1), and were about 2 weeks from being declared bankrupt (and getting points deducted or suffering another relegation) when Milan Mandaric (notorious super-businessman and serial club rescuer, great football person) saved the club with his own personal wealth after acquiring the club for 1 pound. Also brought in Gary Megson, a real Wednesday fan and pretty successful coach, as manager. However, Mandaric is there only to stabilise the club and make it a viable business again, not to pour millions into buying players, which we're (the fans and our associations) pretty happy about.

We're actually doing pretty well in the league (outright 2nd), so should be promoted this year. We have by far the largest attendances in the league (and the best stadium -- Hillsborough, which is still in the top 6 or so stadiums in the country and will be used if the World Cup or Euro ever comes to England), and still get bigger attendances than some Premier League teams.

I love that the fans are real ones who aren't the ones that clubs acquire when they are 'successful'. It's funny how many Man City jerseys you can see in South-East Asia or Africa now, when they would have struggled to find a single fan in those regions even two years ago (they were all Chelsea fans then). It sucks that we're shit, but the club is still fun to follow, and it feels far more authentic than just jumping ship to whatever successful team happens to be buying players.

Having said that, I at least have Barcelona to watch (my wife's team -- she's actually Spanish and we know Iniesta's family.. long story) to make up for the shit soccer in the lower reaches of the English game; the A-League is much better watching than some of that dross!

-- okay, sorry for that detour, please return to your rich mega-club discussion ---

Nice post Lantern.

I must admit I enjoyed following Chelsea as much back in the 80's when we were shit and broke as I do now.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Nice post Lantern.

I must admit I enjoyed following Chelsea as much back in the 80's when we were shit and broke as I do now.

Thanks dude.

You know what? I used to have a soft spot for Chelsea back in the '80s too, and still enjoyed watching it when Zola was there, but I don't even recognise it as the same club anymore these days. I think Drogba is a magnificent player, but I can't stand the club now and enjoy seeing them struggle against far less expensively assembled squads (sorry)! Same with Man City -- didn't hate them back in the day (even when they were a bloody dirty team in the '70s), but just can't stand them now and their hired superstars.. they can thank the Spanish development system for their creativity in Silva. (Let's see how many homegrown superstars they can develop with all their Emirates money.. none, I'll wager. That takes a philosophy and patience, two things megarich club owners have very little of. Pretty impressed that Chelsea have uncovered a rough diamond from their academy in Sturridge.)

Ditto Liverpool, mind you. Charlie Adams and the big Tyneside buffoon up forward aren't worth whatever the 'pool paid for them.

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Thanks dude.

You know what? I used to have a soft spot for Chelsea back in the '80s too, and still enjoyed watching it when Zola was there, but I don't even recognise it as the same club anymore these days. I think Drogba is a magnificent player, but I can't stand the club now and enjoy seeing them struggle against far less expensively assembled squads (sorry)! Same with Man City -- didn't hate them back in the day (even when they were a bloody dirty team in the '70s), but just can't stand them now and their hired superstars.. they can thank the Spanish development system for their creativity in Silva. (Let's see how many homegrown superstars they can develop with all their Emirates money.. none, I'll wager. That takes a philosophy and patience, two things megarich club owners have very little of. Pretty impressed that Chelsea have uncovered a rough diamond from their academy in Sturridge.)

Ditto Liverpool, mind you. Charlie Adams and the big Tyneside buffoon up forward aren't worth whatever the 'pool paid for them.

Easily my favourite player ATM(replacing Drogba who sadly looks like being elsewhere next season).

To Chelsea's credit they do have a good academy set up and are trying just as hard to breed their own as they are at poaching other clubs stars.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Easily my favourite player ATM(replacing Drogba who sadly looks like being elsewhere next season).

To Chelsea's credit they do have a good academy set up and are trying just as hard to breed their own as they are at poaching other clubs stars.

I've watched a few of their reserve games (Chelsea) and it's a big gap from their first team isn't it (but they are playing a lot of youngsters which is good). I guess that's the case with most of the Premier League teams.. very few of the academy players make it into the first team with all the cheap talent available overseas.

I like Sturridge, but Mata is just amazing. He plays like every other small Spanish midfielder (Iniesta, Silva, Arteta etc.), but he's also very energetic. Something looks like happening every time he's on the ball. Moves at such a different rhythm to all the other more static Chelsea midfielders, is so comfortable on the ball, has very nice vision and is always drifting between the lines . With him on one flank and Sturridge on the other (and some comical defending, it has to be said) they have been quite fun to watch.

[Topdog]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Pretty impressed that Chelsea have uncovered a rough diamond from their academy in Sturridge.)
.

errrrr..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8460232.stm

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

errrrr..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ea/8460232.stm

Haha there you go.

[Topdog]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

yep Chelsea's only is Terry I think.

It's such a rarity these days. Spurs have finally got someone coming through in young Caulker, will be our first since Ledley King.

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

yep Chelsea's only is Terry I think[/B].

It's such a rarity these days. Spurs have finally got someone coming through in young Caulker, will be our first since Ledley King.

Josh McEachran looks likely, been with the club since he was 8 and made his debut last year.

Ryan Bertrand is another who was signed as a 14 year old.

Frank Arnsen was brought into the club in 2005 to look after the academy and apparently been doing a pretty good job.

[Topdog]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Yeah I've seen McEachran before and he looks decent for a young kid.

Arnesen was given the sack around this time last year I believe. I remember laughing as Chelsea had to pay Tottenham for him.

[chef]

Re: 2011-12 EPL Thread

Yeah I've seen McEachran before and he looks decent for a young kid.
Arnesen was given the sack around this time last year I believe. I remember laughing as Chelsea had to pay Tottenham for him.

He does, it's a shame he'll have to finish the season at Bolton(looks likely in the Cahill deal) but I suppose if he gets 90 mins a game for the rest of the season it will be better for development than sitting on the bench.