The premiership

[Exile]

I felt this deserved it's own topic and a break off from the UEFA champion's league one and the FIFA world rankings thread. Today following their win over Bolton (thanks to a fairly good goal by Frank Lampard), Chelsea were crowned the official champions of the FA Premier League.

Interestingly they did it without a great striker (unlike their main competitors who have Thierry Henry and Ruud Van Nistelrooy to fall back on when the rest of the team isn't scoring), Frank Lampard was their top scorer with 17 goals in all competition and 11 goals in the premier league (not that the season is quite over yet). I think this is a testament to their team depth as a whole, they truly are the best side in England right now.

So for chelsea, the double is complete, Mourinho's thoughts now move towards bigger and better things, his personal defence of the UEFA Champions League in Anfield on tuesday where he hopes to bring Chelsea into the final that will take place in Istanbul soon. Can they do it? It remains to be seen but a repeat of winning this trophy would be a remarkable feat for this man who proclaims himself to be 'special' and a fine treble for the team.

Roman Abramovich is finally seeing the returns upon his investment into this club and it is thanks to his financial backing and willingness to improve the London side that they have achieved this, however it should be noted that this achievement while considerably boosted by his money did not come without a large commitment by players and staff and they should all be congratulated for it. Let us remember a large part of Chelsea's core was already established from captain, John Terry, key midfielder Frank Lampard and the resurgent Joe Cole (also interesting to note is that all three of those players were at one point or another on West Ham's books, how they have truly missed out).

Well all you football fans, what are your thoughts on our new champions of the premier league, love them or hate them?
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

I like Chelsea winning the title this year. It simply shut Manchester United and Arsenal up. This really made me wish that Mourinho was managing Chelsea last year too. It would be awesome to see the very strong 04/05 Chelsea against a very fluent 03/04 Arsenal. But that's just a wishful thinking. LoL

I totally agree that Abramovich's money had been important, but I felt that it was Mourinho's magic hand that was the most important thing in the team. Compared to last year's Chelsea, Mourinho's simply is better. Ranieri brought no consistency to the team by tinkering (dang you Tinkerman) too often. Mourinho, on the other hand, kept a very good base for the team that would really allow the players to gel with each other to produce a good understanding between one another. Though it must be said that Mourinho did inherit a very good team consisting of great key players (Terry-Lampard-Makelele) that already player with each other for one season. So it was a bit easier for him to build a team of players to surround and complete the whole scheme.

As for winning the Champions League to do the treble, I think Chelsea could do it if they could be better than AC Milan. That's the only hard thing to predict IMO. I think they definitely have the fire power to defeat Liverpool, but I don't know how they'd cope against Milan (who has been great in CL this season). And just to boast it up a notch, I think this year's Chelsea is better than the 99/00 (or was it 98/99?) Manchester United that did the treble but was "lucky" numerous times.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Fundertaker]

Of course, I liked Chelsea to win the Premiership (I'm Portuguese, so I was rooting for them).
Mourinho is simply the best coach alive, a tactical genius, a great personality (everyone here complained about he being self-centered and have the greatest ego on the face of the Earth), and lots of money backing him up for his team.
Although many could argue about some of the most influential players were already in Chelsea, I have to say that he already done this in FC Porto, his best eleven was composed by 7 players that were already in the team.
As for Champions League, he has all the chances to win it (he can play away like he is playing home, and he never lost an european final).
But, from what I know of him, he is already thinking about next season, namely, thinking about new players to buy (like Maniche or Gerrard) and some others to sell (like Tiago and Kezman).
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Tinto: Kicking Asses is our Speciality


This post is officially Fundertaker Approved

[Exile]

Mourinho really seems to bring the best out of his key players to me, they all play like their lives depend on it. Terry this year has been phenomenal, Lampard as I mentioned was the top scoring Chelsea player making good use of his timed runs into the penalty area to blast home a goal on many an occassion, Makelele has also been great. Many would have betted upon Joe Cole becoming a forgotten talent sitting on the bench but somehow he's even found his stride there and Mourinho (a little credit got to J.Cole too of course) is to thank for his new found improvements in his game I believe. Ranieri didn't promote any sort of consistency and that was his downfall it seems.

I think Chelsea will get that centre midfielder and I think they'll bring in a striker as well, Defoe is supposedly a possibility but I'm still holding out hope for Gilardino since he seems to be keeping his options open with everyone from AC, Juve, Real to Chelsea interested. Maybe he'll go to the eventual champion's league winners if Chelsea face AC Milan? Could add a little something to that match up if he came out and said that, haha.

Mourinho after the game also stated he would like to stay on at Chelsea beyond his 3 year deal, perhaps an extension to his contract is in the works. Kenyon said he was looking for the club to sustain it's position as Premiership champions and hopes to retain the title next year, think they can do it? I feel they've got every chance personally.

In other footballing news, Franz Beckenbauer, looking to succeed Lennart Johansson as president of UEFA, expresses fears over England's world cup 2006 chances due to the heavy workload of games their top players face.

Dowie happy with the result at St James Park despite Harry Redknapp's Southampton side winning at Norwich placing them into the relegation zone on goal difference (-21 to Southampton's -20).

Everton lose whilst Liverpool can only draw with 'boro leaving the gap between them at 3 points, with Everton's game in hand at Arsenal can they widen the gap? Form says no but anything can happen.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Goldy]

Im a BIG Manchester United fan and i have to say that Chelsea truely deserve to be the FA Premier League Champions because of the sheer quality throughout their whole playing staff and the pure grit and hunger showed by all to bring the championship home.

Out of the teams left in the Champions League i believe any of the four can win it, but i think AC Milan just might have the edge this year (but you never know, just look what Deportivo did to them last season/or the season before??) I'm looking foward to the match tonight (come on Liverpool *cough* *cough*)

Ok, back to the Premiership.
I can see Chelsea defending the title next year too and become only the second team to do so :D seeing as poor Arsenal could never do it! And Manchester United to go three seasons without a title?? Yeah i believe so unless there is major changes to the coaching and playing staff.

Another thing, will Mourinho stay at Chelsea for much longer if he wins the Champions League this year?? I mean all that will be left for him to win would be the FA Cup (and the UEFA Cup) Will he do an FC Porto and leave for a new challenge??

[Aurelien]

Yeah, I agree that Chelsea would be able to defend their title next season assuming that they don't change around too much. Sometimes I'm confused on why a successful team like Chelsea would want to buy new players when it's quite proven that they are still at least one step in front of everyone else in Premiership. Not to mention that they are already so solid in teamwork with the current players, and they still have quality players on their bench (Cudicini, Cole, Johnson, Kezman, Huth, Gallas, Geremi, Forssell) to cover up their first team.

And I do believe that Mourinho will stay for at least 2 more years there. Next season would be his chance to show that he is for real and not just winning the titles because they were lucky. And if he failed next season, then I bet he'd want to have another season to prove his skill. But in the end, I think he won't stay for too long. He'd definitely be interested in testing his skill in Serie A or La Liga with big clubs. I bet Inter Milan would be a very interesting team to manage for him.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Goldy]

Well from the players that are on the bench three of them might be gone in the summer, Kezman back to PSV (they are waiting to hear from Chelsea) and isnt there strong interest in Gallas and Geremi from other clubs??
Serie A would be a good destination for him and yeah i could see him managing Inter Milan, he could turn them around in a couple of seasons. I dont know about La Liga, who would he go to there, Real Madrid?? I doubt he would go to Barcelona, was he not a coach there already and was let go with a bit of bad blood left between them??

[Exile]

How about this relegation clash, who do you think is going to avoid the drop, it's still possible that Norwich, Crystal Palace, West bromwich Albion and Southampton will avoid being sent to the championship though Norwich have the upper hand by a point and a not too daunting game at Fulham.

Palace play Charlton, Southampton play Manchester United and I can't remember who Brom play right now sadly.

I hope it's Crystal Palace staying in the premiership, they were only just held to a tie by a last minute Rommedahl goal the last time they faced Charlton but anything could happen and often does in football. These will be exciting matches to say the least. I truely hope that Norwich don't score a couple at Fulham and kill the excitement early on, I want things to be undecided until 90 minutes have passed.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

West Brom would play Portsmouth next week. Having said that, the one that seem to be out of the race is Southampton because Manchester United would be the toughest team that they have to face, especially considering which teams the other relegation battlers have to play against. So my prediction for Southampton is that they will be out and relegated.

Crystal Palace would have to play against Charlton, and I personally think that Palace could beat the Addicks. Palace have been quite good lately, while Charlton simply kept on going downhill. So it would be no surprise if Crystal Palace get the three points.

West Brom playing against Portsmouth is the hardest to predict because of Portsmouth inconsitency. But somehow, I have the feeling that West Brom would fail to win this game. Draw at the most, and it'd mean they're going down too.

Norwich against Fulham is another dodgy game because both teams have been showing good performance lately (especially Norwich). So it's hard to predict on who's going out on top, but in the end, I think it's going to be a very close game no matter who wins it.

In conclusion, I felt that Southampton and West Brom are practically going to be relegated and the fight would be between Crystal Palace and Norwich. Which one is it going to be? We'll just have to wait and see. 1 more week, people.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

[Aurelien]

Ah, good point about Manchester United being crap for the past few games. My bad for totally forgetting that. That is an interesting point in Southampton's survival chance. But in the end, I think Manchester United would still be too strong for the Saints to handle. Plus, Manchester United would want to end the season with a victory rather than a loss to a low position team like Southampton. But then again, the ball is round.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[John Layfield]

Let's not forget that Southampton have been a traditional bogey team for Manchester United since the Premier League was formed. Arsenal have second spot pretty much in the bag unless they really slip up in there final match while Manchester United go on fire and I see no reason to suggest it's going to happen. Their dull period after they were stopped by Manchester United on the 50th game of the record-breaking run without a loss is long gone.

From what I can tell, the final table will look something like this.

1. Chelsea 97 points
2. Arsenal 84 points
3. Manchester United 77 points
4. Everton 61 points
5. Liverpool 58 points
6. Bolton Wanderers 58 points

I really want Bolton Wanderers to pull ahead of Liverpool, simply because Liverpool are having more than enough success elsewhere and I always have a soft spot for the underdog, and that's definatly Bolton Wanderers in the top six! However, logic says Liverpool take fifth and Bolton make do with sixth spot. Hardly a shame for such a perviously under-rated team. The UEFA Cup will be a nice bonus for their hard work over the season.

7. Middlesborough 57 points
8. Tottenham Hotspurs 54 points
9. Manchester City 51 points

I see Middlesborough clinging to seventh place, failing to pull ahead of either Bolton Wanderers or Liverpool but on the other hand fending off both Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester City. Tottenham Hotspurs have the skill needed to pull ahead of Manchester City by the seasons end, however.

10. Charlton Athletic 48 points
11. Aston Villa 47 points

Look for Charlton Athletic to pull ahead of Aston Villa at the seasons end. I don't rate O'Leary very highly as a manager and view him as a one-hit wonder. Charlton Athletic meaning should really be doing better, in my view. And they will, by pulling themselves up to tenth spot.

12. Fulham 44 points
13. Newcastle United 43 points
14. Brimingham City 42 points
15. Portsmouth 42 points
16. Blackburn Rovers 41 points

Look for Birmingham City (the actually good Midlands team) and a falling part Newcastle United side who seem to have a new crisis every week to slip up here. Alan Shearer may still be a help, but he's no footballing god anymore. On the lower half, expect Blackburn Rovers to stay put in their mediocrity but watch for Portsmouth to somehow drag themselves ahead of Fulham as a final two fingers up to Harry Redknapp along with a Fulham side with a handy fixture.

17. Norwich City 33 points
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18. Southampton 32 points
19. Crystal Palace 32 points
20. West Bromwich Albion 31 points

I see nothing to suggest that is going to change in the final games of the season, despite the closeness of the four teams involved. I just can't see any of these four teams getting a result. But at least they all broke the 30 point barrier. The ultimate shame is to go down with anything less.
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One day, I shall come back. Yes, we shall all come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.

[Aurelien]

Alright, the results are in, and in the end, it was West Bromwich Albion that survived the relegation saga between the 4 teams by defeating Portsmouth 2-0, while Crystal Palace was held to a 2-2 draw by Charlton courtesy of a late goal by Jonathan Fortune, Southampton almost got away with a win against Manchester United but lost 1-2 in the end, while Norwich was simply hammered by Fulham with six goals and no reply.

My predictions before were:
1. Crystal Palace could win against Charlton. Result: 2-2 draw.
Well I almost got it right, but that late goal proved me wrong.

2. Southampton would lose against Manchester United. Result: 1-2 loss.
I got it right, though again, almost wrong.

3. West Brom would lose against Portsmouth. Result: 2-0 win.
CRAP! I got it wrong. ;___;

4. Norwich could win against Fulham. Result: 0-6 loss.
Double crap crap! I got it wrong again.

In conclusion, I'm no good when predicting football result because in the end, the ball is round, and there's no way telling it. I can't say that I'm happy with West Brom surviving because I find them to be the one that I want to go down the most compared to the other three teams. T__T

Here's hoping to a better season in EPL next year. =D
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Goldy]

I am glad they survived! The first ever team to survive a relegation dog fight that was rock bottom at Christmas. Well done Bryan and the team.
Hey and Manchester United got to send down one of their boggie teams!

[Exile]

Gah, I was unhappy with the way things went down yesterday I wanted palace and they nearly did it, poor Dowie.

West Brom?! They're the worst ones! Stupid 'baggies', what kind of a name is that anyway! As you can guess it was frustrating, sadly this is going to mean goodbye to Andy Johnson from palace and quite possibly their chances of coming back up. Of course money would help them in gaining that promotion again. Shame about them but there it is, Dowie was fun to have in the premiership, better than the drunkard Robson anyway.

On a side note, you deserve to go down if you lose 6-0 to Fulham, they're not exactly a footballing superpower but they had all the best chances in the first half, at half time the game switched to Man United against Southampton so I got to see them get beaten and go down, seems a shame for them to go down as well since they had been in the premiership ever since it's conception and in top flight football far longer. I wouldn't mind next year if in the championship they did the reverse of the prem's famed "3 up, 3 down" technique, 3 down, 3 up. I think I'm looking too far ahead now and I need to stop typing.

Bloody Baggies.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.