Chelsea

[Huyton_Red]

In the next couple of days another £16-20 million will be spent on Ashley Cole taking their spending this summer to about £70 million on shevchenko, Jon Obi Mikel (£4 million fee and £12 million compensation to Man Utd) and Salomon Kalou not to mention the rumoured £5 million signing on fee Micheal Ballack got.

 

Arsenal have spent £7 million

Villa, Blackburn, Bolton and Charlton about £2 million between them

Everton have spent £12 million

Fulham £1.7 million

Liverpool £6 million

City £1.5 million

Utd and Boro nothing

Newcastle £5 million

Portsmouth nothing (bidded for everyone however)

Reading £1.5 million

Sheff Utd £3 million

Spurs £19 million

Watford £2.5 million

West Ham £2.4 million

Wigan £11 million

 

£70 million they have spent again, the rest of the league combined will probably only spend around £100 million this summer by the time the season starts again. Beggars beleif, really it does. They will have spent double what Arsenal, Liverpool and Utd combined have spent.

 

I feel so sorry for Rafa, no previous Liverpool manager or indeed manager of any english club has had to compete with this sort of monolith before.

 

Great manager that mourhino, how he wins the title every year with the limited resources at his disposal is beyond me

[Kahnee]

Didn't think Villa had spent anything on anyone

[Huyton_Red]

Didn't think Villa had spent anything on anyone

 

Aye, thats why I said Villa, Blackburn, Bolton and Charlton about £2 million between them

 

yeh thick f'cker

[Benitez]

Didn't think Villa had spent anything on anyone

 

Villa spent £2 mill to get rid of O'leary

[jimmylibel]

Didn't think Villa had spent anything on anyone

 

You don't get O'Leary off your books that easily...

[Kahnee]

Aye, thats why I said Villa, Blackburn, Bolton and Charlton about £2 million between them

 

yeh thick f'cker

 

And you had Man Utd and Boro at nothing, dippy, which is where Villa should be

 

villa have signed some 18 year old swiss twins or summat. no, really.

 

Doug Ellis' nursing staff don't count

[Gilps]

18 year old twins? I thought it was Birmingham City who were tied up with dubious porn barons, not Villa.

[Stevie H]

here they are :

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,27...3,00.html#aston

[Kahnee]

Mr Angry's right for once

[John am Rhein]

Does anyone (like me) think that Chelsea are about to change the way they play so as to increase their chances of winning the European Cup, but at the expense of the number of points they'll build up in the League?

 

It could be the best opportunity to win the League since 2004.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

The gave 12 mio in compensation to manU?

 

FFS, they've hurt their own chances more by getting Mikel with that kind of cash landing in the lap of their debt-ridden rival.

[Andy @ Allerton]

There was an article in the Independant today - saying that with about 10 (Not sure of the number as it's in the hotel room) players have lost them £50M

 

People like Veron in for £15M and released on a free, Duff - about £12M loss etc.. - plus the list goes on and continues to go on

[Montse]

Mutu was sacked for cocaine use after he cost them £15 or so it all adds up.

 

Money isnt an issue with them, small change for Rom and his dodgy accountants. What he really wants is titles. cups and the best fans and history in the world - the latter 2 are something money cannot buy

[Lee W]

I think, if anything Chelsea have overcooked it with signing Ballack and Schevchenko. Particularly Ballack, I just don't see how him and Lampard can play in the same team, although I hope Mourinho thinks they can "a la Eriksson".

[Raj]

The new arrivals/change of style could well be their undoing this year but to take advantage we need to improve again on what was already a pretty sound season last year.

 

I'm not sure that the arrivals will harm them too much. Nor, a potential change in tactics.

 

Chelsea had the ability to play 4-3-3 for most of the past 2 seasons, due to their personnel. However, at the end of last season, most notably in the FA Cup Semi Final, they attempted to change to a 4-4-2 diamond formation. Unfortunately for them, they did not have the personnel to carry this off. By bringing in Shevchenko, they now have a top quality striker who can play with either Drogba or Crespo. With Ballack, they now have another quality player who can play alongside Makelele, Lampard and Essien in a diamond formation. I think they are adequately staffed to play both systems now and will be as hard to beat as last season.

 

Obviously, I would like to be wrong and hope that they lose as many games as possible.

 

Edited July 25, 2006 by roegahnn

[Raj]

FWIW they shifted to 442 a good few games prior to the FACUP SF last year and won games playing it, got them out of their 'slump' IIRC.

 

Point being that it's still a team game and you never know how players, even if they are undoubtedly world class performers in other Leagues are going to take to the Premiership e.g. Veron.

 

Actually, you are right there. It was successful to a certain extent, but against a better class of opposition, such as ourselves, they were found wanting.

 

Agree, that they are beatable. And I think we will be able to give them a run for their money this season, but I do believe that Shevchenko and Ballack will prove successes. They have played at the highest level for a number of years and been successful, at International and Champions League level. I think, crucially, the pace of the game will not be a problem for either of them, which was the main problem for Veron.

[Flight]

Does anyone (like me) think that Chelsea are about to change the way they play so as to increase their chances of winning the European Cup, but at the expense of the number of points they'll build up in the League?

 

It could be the best opportunity to win the League since 2004.

 

 

Think you are spot on John. I also think it wont be playing to Maureen's strengths as a coach; he tried to play various ways in the second half of last second and wasn't up to it.

[Jarg Armani]

i think chelsea will steamroller almost every team in the league, as most of the league is very crap these days. so if anyone else is going to win it they'll have to be amazingly consistent.

 

that's been the case for a few years now, the team that wins the league never loses more than a couple of games. the days of 5 losses a minimum for title winners are long gone.

[Cobs]

that's been the case for a few years now, the team that wins the league never loses more than a couple of games. the days of 5 losses a minimum for title winners are long gone.

apart from last season when the winners lost 5 games

 

[cymrococh]

There's something in the Guardian about Abramovich paying £30m for Shevchenko just so he could equal the British transfer record.

[Hassony]

There's something in the Guardian about Abramovich paying £30m for Shevchenko just so he could equal the British transfer record.

didn't he want to break it?

[Jim D]

Chelsea's spending since Abramovich arrived...

 

2003/04 £153.45million

2004/05 £56.85million

2005/06 £83.40million

 

Total : £293.70million, approximately £300million!

[Jarg Armani]

apart from last season when the winners lost 5 games

 

 

 

never let the facts get in the way of a load of waffle on an internet forum though eh.

[Cobs]

never let the facts get in the way of a load of waffle on an internet forum though eh.

wise words

 

[Case]

I reckon this will be Maureen's last season at the Bridge. Ok, Ok, they could win the League, Champions League blah blah .... but he, HIMSELF will never get the praise that he CRAVES because he will be seen to have bought those trophies. Nobody will know how good a coach he really is, because he can't prove it, at Chelsea.

 

He's a spitting Image puppet waiting to happen.