Premiership...........yawn

[MoscowFlyer]

Give Chelsea the title now, allow Man Utd and Arsenal to finish second and third (toss a coin to which one finishes 2nd) and relegate Sunderland and Wigan.
That would allow the rest of the season to concentrate on the 4th Champions League spot, the other European positions and the last relagation spot.
Oh and place Aston Villa in mid division and put them and their supporters out of their misery as well.
Surely after 6 games that's a better solution than watching the inevitable for the rest of the season?

[eduardo]

It has become predictable and most games are definitely forgettable but that seems to be football in general these days.

Myself I can get tickets for the Liverpool v Chelsea Champions Lge game on Wednesday week. However two defensive sides and the probability of a 0-0 or 1-0 either way means I am not dieing from enthusiasm.

[Bob Singleton]

Is the Premiership REALLY more predictable now than say 5/8/10 years ago?

Do any of you here remember when Liverpool went 10/12 points clear of everyone early one season a few years back? I don't remember people saying it was predictable or boring then. So what's the difference?

What was so exciting about Man Utd winning almost every season (with the odd title going to Arsenal here and there)?

What HAS changed is the name on the trophy and the jealousy of anyone not lucky enough to be a Chelsea supporter.

And don't talk bollocks about Chelsea "buying" the title... how do you think Blackburn, Man Utd and Arsenal won their titles? And in spite of Roman's billions there are some players that money can't buy... Schevchenko for example.

Another thing that has changed (and this is no fault of Abramovich) is that coming fourth from bottom is seen as "success" for many teams because of the money. If a manager is under so much pressure from a chairman that he rotates his team so that his best players are freshest for those games they feel they can win (fellow relegation strugglers) that's the fault of football in general.

For all the money and talent Chelsea have, the players still need to work as a team (something shown by England's cricketers recently).

Chelsea play as a team, and beat teams of equal stature as well as those well below them. What difference in talent is there between Chelsea and the national football team? Very little. Yet England, for all their talent, DON'T play as a team. The result has been plain to see these last few months.

I, for one, am happy to see my club play as a team. I'd be happy with 38 one-nil wins over the course of a season, and I doubt that, hand on heart, anyone else wouldn't say that about their own club! But what makes me proudest of being a Chelsea fan at the moment is the team ethic being displayed week in week out. That's what wins matches.

Predictable? With only six games played, the season is far too young to talk of that.

[Deuce Bigolo]

Who finishes where is predictable,ALMOST

Chelski,Man U,Arsenal,Liverpool

But your missing the point

The EPL is about English Teams v English Teams not who gets to play against European Teams when they qualify for Europe

I'd bet any Derby is more closely followed than where their team are on the table reagrdless of Europe

While its inevitable that the richer clubs with the quality squads will finish in pole positions that doesn't mean that there won't be some cracking games during the season

As a neutral(Aussie)who's following West Ham via the net for an English Mate its exciting

Not since Norwich in 92/93? have I seen such a start from a Championship side.Maybe a bit over the top but 2 results of 3-1,4-0 against established
EPL teams say something is being done right

Add on the REAL resurgence of Tottenham & Man City who seem to have actually cracked the formula to fielding a competitive team that can get results and the league isn't as dead as it once was IMHO

Reminds me of the late 70s/early 80s,Aston Villas lamentable form aside

The only downers are the form of newcomers Sunderland,Wigan & the surprise packet from last year Everton

Why Everton got rid of radsinski is beyond me,but they will pay for it

cheers
B....OZ

[The Last Word]

Yawn? Newcastle won yesterday, and are Everton (amusingly) facing certain doom tonight - against a team many fancy will implode this season?

Our favoutie soap opera does have it's dull patches, but the highs more than make up for the lows.

btw - Deuce/Bob - spot on.

[MoscowFlyer]

The difference with Chelsea and the vintage sides that Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal had when winning Premiership/Division One titles was that you always had the feeling you could get at those teams in any given day.
This Chelsea side haven't even conceeded a goal yet and have not looked like conceeding one.
As for Derby games, Liverpool vs Man Utd was always a game everyone looked forward to, Sunday's effort was shocking - two teams resigned to the fact that the title has gone and that they will be fighting for second place from now until the end of the season.
Chelsea's acid test will be the Champions League. To be considered 'great' in British footballing terms, and this is where the recent Arsenal side failed, you have to win Europe's premier competition.
Celtic, Man Utd (twice) and Liverpool (i think it's 4 or 5 times) have all done it. They had vintage sides that will long live in the memory. They had sides considered to be 'great'. In order for Chelsea to reach the same bracket they will have to lift the Champions League before Roman gets bored and moves his money elsewhere.
I agree that people are jealous of Chelsea's money and they always use the 'buying the title' excuse. Most sides buy titles. Their manager is astute and has his side working their socks off for each other.
But it was interesting in last season's champions league against Barcelona when Chelsea made a clear statement that they couldn't match Barcelona for footballing ability, instead relying on sheer guts and duribility to see them through. There is nothing wrong with that in itself. But when Liverpool did the exact the same to Chelsea, it was interesting to see that the wonderful Jose didnt like it.
Will Chelsea come out and play football against Europe's finest this season? I hope they do.

[eduardo]

I might have got the wrong end of the stick here in that I was referring to games becoming boring and predictable in the style that they are played and not the outcome of the League but then I have been suffering from a belting hangover today.

However there is a touch of paranoia in Bobs post as neither Moscow Flyer nor myself were blaming the ills of the Premiership on Chelsea shoulders.

[Bob Singleton]

eduardo wrote:

> I might have got the wrong end of the stick here in that I was
> referring to games becoming boring and predictable in the style
> that they are played and not the outcome of the League but then
> I have been suffering from a belting hangover today.
>
> However there is a touch of paranoia in Bobs post as neither
> Moscow Flyer nor myself were blaming the ills of the
> Premiership on Chelsea shoulders.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was answering the post that started this thread, which began "Give Chelsea the title now...."

Paranoia? Perhaps, but that's because for the last couple of weeks, and yesterday in particular, all that the papers and TV programmes have to say is "Are Chelsea Unstopable?" and coming to the conclusion (wrongly) that the season is over before it has begun.

As for individual games becoming predictable... really? Newcastle, who had only managed one goal in their first five games, winning 3-0. West Ham's recent results... were they predictable?

What's predictable about styles? There are only 11 players on each side and one of them has to be in goal. Would you like all teams to switch to 2-3-5?

Let's say they did, guess what... it would look like Chelsea on Saturday! When attacking a couple stay back (say Terry and Carvalho), the full backs move up in line with the holding midfielder, and with Duff, Robben, Lampard and Essien supporting Crespo.... oooh look; 2-3-5!!!!

No team rigidly stick to a formation. Look at 4-4-2. The idea of two banks of four to stop attacks sounds OK in theory, but few teams are well drilled enough to hold that formation. Anyway, sometimes a midfielder has to drop back further if the other team attack in greater numbers, which means an attacker has to drop back too, so 4-4-2 becomes 5-4-1 or 4-1-4-1.

In theory Chelsea play 4-3-3 but depending on circumstances that formation changes fluidly and imperceptibly from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 to 2-3-5, to 4-1-2-2-1. What's predictable about that?

[goldenballs]

i dunno, i think people are getting carried away.
anyone would have thought that 5 man midfields and 0-0 draws didn't exsit before this season.

[eduardo]

Whats predictable about it as that like any team that plays that way when they don't have the ball then they retreat into their own half with everybody behind the ball trying to stop the opposing side playing.

It is a defensive first policy and then try to sneak something on the break. Chelsea play it, Liverpool play it and so do many others and you can wrap it up in any guise you like but it is defensive. Jose Morinho admitted as much himself last week by saying he didn't have to entertain.

Go on then how many games excite you now? How many games live in the memory? I say not many. You can say what you like.

This might be an exciting time for Chelsea fans as you aren't used to challenging for the title but you lot aint half jumpy. If somebody says you bought the league then you bite. If someone else says your defensive then you bite at that.

If I were a Chelsea fan I wouldn't give a flying fuck. I'd just count up the trophies, bask in the glory and let people say what they want.