The Battle of Stamford Bridge

[norm the jedi]

Don't think Coyle is particularly culpable - The players aren't good enough...
He's tactically inept - stubborn may be but bottom line is the team
Don't think the driver of the ship can have much influence if the crew are sh1te..
I suppose it would be nice to have some ginger c*nt coming on match of the day every week to tell me how shit my support were..
and how he couldn't be responsible for how the players played, or how the chairman made him do it,...
god I miss those days..
when you're dad was in charge..

7 players who started today were brought to the club by Coyle. That fact alone completely debunks the bollocks you've just posted!

So with the money he spent and faced with the loss of 20 goals from last season and our two best players sidelined you think
Megson would have spent better? and got more out of them based on his record..? Even allowing for your personal investment in Coyles demise that's debatable..

Personally I don't think the manager or the team are good enough but I don't think that's necessarilly, Coyles fault.
Like many teams before us we have found our level - Coventry - Southampton - both Sheffields - Charlton Athletic et al
I just don't think we can compete at this higher level... because this is the quality of player we can afford..
Personally I don't mind.. Prems been ok but lower leagues seemed like more fun looking back.. and we've been marking time since Allerdyce waiting for the inevitable.. may be that day has come..
I still won't be casting any whistful glances in your dads direction..

[BWFC_Insane]

7 players who started today were brought to the club by Coyle. That fact alone completely debunks the bollocks you've just posted!

and - one of those players... PRATLEY - was one you once named as a player who would lessen the impact of losing Holden...

Holdens a good player. We won't miss him half as much this season though now that we have Pratley, NRC and a fit Mark Davies.

Hang on a minute I thought I was always Mr Negative?

[BWFC_Insane]

Don't think Coyle is particularly culpable - The players aren't good enough...
He's tactically inept - stubborn may be but bottom line is the team
Don't think the driver of the ship can have much influence if the crew are sh1te..
I suppose it would be nice to have some ginger c*nt coming on match of the day every week to tell me how shit my support were..
and how he couldn't be responsible for how the players played, or how the chairman made him do it,...
god I miss those days..
when you're dad was in charge..

7 players who started today were brought to the club by Coyle. That fact alone completely debunks the bollocks you've just posted!

So with the money he spent and faced with the loss of 20 goals from last season and our two best players sidelined you think
Megson would have spent better? and got more out of them based on his record..? Even allowing for your personal investment in Coyles demise that's debatable..

Personally I don't think the manager or the team are good enough but I don't think that's necessarilly, Coyles fault.
Like many teams before us we have found our level - Coventry - Southampton - both Sheffields - Charlton Athletic et al
I just don't think we can compete at this higher level... because this is the quality of player we can afford..
Personally I don't mind.. Prems been ok but lower leagues seemed like more fun looking back.. and we've been marking time since Allerdyce waiting for the inevitable.. may be that day has come..
I still won't be casting any whistful glances in your dads direction..

Who cares what Megson would have done?

Fecking irrelevant.

The facts that everything that happened previously was the managers fault, but now it's not is the most laughable load of half thought through desperate bollocks I've ever heard though.

Difficult in the summer losing Sturridge and Elmander. I said so at the time.

Good managers find a way.

Even average ones could have got us to scrap for a few more points.

[officer_dibble]

so do you think that squad wise teams like norwich, swansea wiggin, wba, fulham are all a different class to us norm?

I hear and agree with some of what you are saying but in my viee this squad of players even with our injuries is good enough to survive.

Which makes me look at captain coyle and first mate steve davis and anyone else responsible for organising ping pong on a weekday.

[thebish]

7 players who started today were brought to the club by Coyle. That fact alone completely debunks the bollocks you've just posted!

and - one of those players... PRATLEY - was one you once named as a player who would lessen the impact of losing Holden...

Holdens a good player. We won't miss him half as much this season though now that we have Pratley, NRC and a fit Mark Davies.

Hang on a minute I thought I was always Mr Negative?

hmmm - but isn't it inconsistent to say a player is good enough to lessen the impact of losing holden - and then slag Coyle for buying him???

do you think Pratley HAS lessened the impact of losing Holden? if so - how would you quantify that?

also - I point it out because you accuse another poster of posting bollox.

I think there are a few who might judge your judgement of Pratley to be a much bigger order of bollox!

[Turkish Trotter]

Don't think Coyle is particularly culpable - The players aren't good enough...
He's tactically inept - stubborn may be but bottom line is the team
Don't think the driver of the ship can have much influence if the crew are sh1te..
I suppose it would be nice to have some ginger c*nt coming on match of the day every week to tell me how shit my support were..
and how he couldn't be responsible for how the players played, or how the chairman made him do it,...
god I miss those days..
when you're dad was in charge..

7 players who started today were brought to the club by Coyle. That fact alone completely debunks the bollocks you've just posted!

So with the money he spent and faced with the loss of 20 goals from last season and our two best players sidelined you think
Megson would have spent better? and got more out of them based on his record..? Even allowing for your personal investment in Coyles demise that's debatable..

Personally I don't think the manager or the team are good enough but I don't think that's necessarilly, Coyles fault.
Like many teams before us we have found our level - Coventry - Southampton - both Sheffields - Charlton Athletic et al
I just don't think we can compete at this higher level... because this is the quality of player we can afford..
Personally I don't mind.. Prems been ok but lower leagues seemed like more fun looking back.. and we've been marking time since Allerdyce waiting for the inevitable.. may be that day has come..
I still won't be casting any whistful glances in your dads direction..

Who cares what Megson would have done?

Fecking irrelevant.
The facts that everything that happened previously was the managers fault, but now it's not is the most laughable load of half thought through desperate bollocks I've ever heard though.Difficult in the summer losing Sturridge and Elmander. I said so at the time.

Good managers find a way.

Even average ones could have got us to scrap for a few more points.

Not often I agree with BWFCi.
What the fck does it matter what the ginger minger would have done ?
No one was more anti Megson than me, but he laid out a team to battle and win us points, which we can't do at this time.
I can stand losing, I've had nearly 50 years of it, but the way things have gone this season is ridiculous.
Coyle stumbled across a system that gained us a few points, then to go back to his STYLE of play because he thinks it right to do so, really pisses me off.
As for style, I don't think we are more attractive to watch than we were.
Lets grind a few results out in the 3 vital games after City, and we can got out of this mess, but if we go out with the attitude of late we've totally lost it.

[Holden midfielder]

Refuse to comment after Chelsea away, or Man City after that. Next three games after Man City are where we can make rational observations about how Shiite we are.

[norm the jedi]

so do you think that squad wise teams like norwich, swansea wiggin, wba, fulham are all a different class to us norm?

I hear and agree with some of what you are saying but in my viee this squad of players even with our injuries is good enough to survive.

Which makes me look at captain coyle and first mate steve davis and anyone else responsible for organising ping pong on a weekday.

I think Norwich and Swansea are as we were 10 years ago - the old above their weight chestnut - and potentially their managers are better..
Whether they would manage our squads better is debatable - I doubt it personally clearly I'm on me own there.. Wiggin are where we are imv
WBA and Fulham have better squads than ours and in Fulhams case more cash..
I'd guess all the above make more on the gate than us and have less debt and given the choice of us and Wiggin or one of the others as a transfer destination I'm guessing we're struggling..
Based on what I have watched this season we aren't good enough - we're better at 4-5-1 or similar and Coyles insistence on 4-4-2 may have cost us .. but not enough to make that much difference.. It seems that we don't have the resources to suffer the loss of Elmander, Sturridge, Lee, Holden and SKD ..
We don't have anywhere near the resources to replace like for like, Then we've had the luck that relegated teams have.. on other injuries - red cards, freak goals etc..
We may still sneak out but it delays the inevitable imv because the prem is about how much cash you have for the most part.. and gradually all the loopholes we exploited to make silk from sows have been closed or others are wise and cutting the options..
We may be where we are because Coyle bought players who weren't good enough..
I'd question whether we had the resources or will to get enough players of sufficient quality to repair the team..
So yeah Coyle out....
New Messiah apply above.. but I don't think it will make that much difference..

[thebish]

so do you think that squad wise teams like norwich, swansea wiggin, wba, fulham are all a different class to us norm?

I hear and agree with some of what you are saying but in my viee this squad of players even with our injuries is good enough to survive.

Which makes me look at captain coyle and first mate steve davis and anyone else responsible for organising ping pong on a weekday.

I think Norwich and Swansea are as we were 10 years ago - the old above their weight chestnut - and potentially their managers are better..
Whether they would manage our squads better is debatable - I doubt it personally clearly I'm on me own there.. Wiggin are where we are imv
WBA and Fulham have better squads than ours and in Fulhams case more cash..
I'd guess all the above make more on the gate than us and have less debt and given the choice of us and Wiggin or one of the others as a transfer destination I'm guessing we're struggling..
Based on what I have watched this season we aren't good enough - we're better at 4-5-1 or similar and Coyles insistence on 4-4-2 may have cost us .. but not enough to make that much difference.. It seems that we don't have the resources to suffer the loss of Elmander, Sturridge, Lee, Holden and SKD ..
We don't have anywhere near the resources to replace like for like, Then we've had the luck that relegated teams have.. on other injuries - red cards, freak goals etc..
We may still sneak out but it delays the inevitable imv because the prem is about how much cash you have for the most part.. and gradually all the loopholes we exploited to make silk from sows have been closed or others are wise and cutting the options..
We may be where we are because Coyle bought players who weren't good enough..
I'd question whether we had the resources or will to get enough players of sufficient quality to repair the team..
So yeah Coyle out....
New Messiah apply above.. but I don't think it will make that much difference..

nahhh - you're not! you're pretty much bob-on....

[BWFC_Insane]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are according to some on here just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

[thebish]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

we've punched above our weight the whole time we've been in the premiership... some seasons more successfully than others. I'd like us to carry on doing that - but - as the film classifications often say - it will almost always involve "scenes of mild peril".

[Prufrock]

What do you reckon it is Bish? You've made a point of it not all being 4-5-1. A point overly made, but fair enough. You also said it is down to the players. Not trying hard enough, or not being good enough? Having chosen one, how is that not the managers fault.

I'm also intrigued by this 'punching above their weight' nonsense. Of course, it's a nice metaphor, but it just happens to be absolute tosh. The implication is that the players of Swansea and Norwich are better than, well, they are. They are only capable of reaching a certain level, and given half of Norwich's squad, in particular, were playing League One football two years ago, I find it hard to believe that level is higher than that which our expensively assembled (comparatively) squad is capable of. Sure there might be a feeling of momentum around the place, but that can't be the reason in itself, otherwise QPR would be soaring as well, as would every promoted team. So again, it must be the management, getting their squad to play as close to their peak as possible, using all manner of factors, one of which is the momentum that comes from a successful previous season. Our manager on the other hand isn't getting anywhere near the best out of this squad. Plainly. Again, responsibility lies at his door.

As for this accepting our position... What spineless tosh. If we did that Mark Lawrenson would still have his tash. Also this growing idea that we've been in the prem for a while so must be due a relegation. If the premiership was decided on quality of squad and size of revenue (the two very closely linked) there'd be no fecking point, and it clearly isn't.

As it remains, I'm yet to see a remotely plausible argument that our manager isn't doing his job very poorly.

[Gooner Girl]

Norm the Jedi - not sure i approve of your signature.

[norm the jedi]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are according to some on here just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

ESTABLISHED PREM CLUB has always made me chuckle...
Here's a list of them - Coventry - Southampton - Leeds - Any Sheffield you like - Charlton Athletic - Middlesboro - Leicester and if you extend 'Top division'
you can add another half dozen such as Derby - Notts forrest and on and on.. We are and always were in that class.. Only an idiot or people who don't know better ever thought we could sustain a prem place indefinitely..
Circle of life and resources - we were only ever going to survive as long as the money ... and the gate money was never going to generate it..
We were always a small catchment club punching above our weight.. Not changing anytime soon..
I don't recall anyone saying top two divisions but we apparently can't compete in the top division on current form if I read the table correctly..
but then a new manager will change that..

[BWFC_Insane]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

we've punched above our weight the whole time we've been in the premiership... some seasons more successfully than others. I'd like us to carry on doing that - but - as the film classifications often say - it will almost always involve "scenes of mild peril".

I don't agree weve merely punched above our weight for the last 11 seasons.

We've played the premiership game long enough now for it to be more than that! I take the point that at some point things were bound to conspire to leave us in peril.

But I think we were there a few seasons back when Villa thumped us and we went on a great run at the end to survive at Readings expense.

I think this season we should be comfortable without being anywhere near the top 10 and would be with a more pragmatic and less fanciful person in charge.

[BWFC_Insane]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are according to some on here just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

ESTABLISHED PREM CLUB has always made me chuckle...
Here's a list of them - Coventry - Southampton - Leeds - Any Sheffield you like - Charlton Athletic - Middlesboro - Leicester and if you extend 'Top division'
you can add another half dozen such as Derby - Notts forrest and on and on.. We are and always were in that class.. Only an idiot or people who don't know better ever thought we could sustain a prem place indefinitely..
Circle of life and resources - we were only ever going to survive as long as the money ... and the gate money was never going to generate it..
We were always a small catchment club punching above our weight.. Not changing anytime soon..
I don't recall anyone saying top two divisions but we apparently can't compete in the top division on current form if I read the table correctly..
but then a new manager will change that..

Answer then why we sacked Lee and Megson then?

Might as well have accepted the 'inevitable' then and saved a lot of money in the process.

[Worthy4England]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are according to some on here just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

ESTABLISHED PREM CLUB has always made me chuckle...
Here's a list of them - Coventry - Southampton - Leeds - Any Sheffield you like - Charlton Athletic - Middlesboro - Leicester and if you extend 'Top division'
you can add another half dozen such as Derby - Notts forrest and on and on.. We are and always were in that class.. Only an idiot or people who don't know better ever thought we could sustain a prem place indefinitely..
Circle of life and resources - we were only ever going to survive as long as the money ... and the gate money was never going to generate it..
We were always a small catchment club punching above our weight.. Not changing anytime soon..
I don't recall anyone saying top two divisions but we apparently can't compete in the top division on current form if I read the table correctly..
but then a new manager will change that..

No, a new manager may change that, and yes I agree we've often punched above our weight.

If we generally looked like we had half a clue about formation and tactics (how to defend at a corner etc. how to get the ball past the first man when taking a corner/free kick) things you would expect any team to do, in any division, then I'd be with what you're saying - just too many better teams with more money.

It's when we're not managing the basics that I start to point to the manager...

[norm the jedi]

3 years ago we were according to folk on here 'an established premiership team who should expect far better than a PPG premiership survival existence'

Now we are according to some on here just a tiny little club punching above our weight just being in the top 2 divisions.

We might aswell have stuck with Sammy Lee and saved ourselves a load of heartache, money and effort.

ESTABLISHED PREM CLUB has always made me chuckle...
Here's a list of them - Coventry - Southampton - Leeds - Any Sheffield you like - Charlton Athletic - Middlesboro - Leicester and if you extend 'Top division'
you can add another half dozen such as Derby - Notts forrest and on and on.. We are and always were in that class.. Only an idiot or people who don't know better ever thought we could sustain a prem place indefinitely..
Circle of life and resources - we were only ever going to survive as long as the money ... and the gate money was never going to generate it..
We were always a small catchment club punching above our weight.. Not changing anytime soon..
I don't recall anyone saying top two divisions but we apparently can't compete in the top division on current form if I read the table correctly..
but then a new manager will change that..

Answer then why we sacked Lee and Megson then?

Might as well have accepted the 'inevitable' then and saved a lot of money in the process.

yes ... in fact we should have stayed in the trees... possibly leaving the swamp was error.. but what would Sky Sports news have done then?

[norm the jedi]

Norm the Jedi - not sure i approve of your signature.

I will change it.. ARSENAL - The new West Ham ...

whaddya think

[Gooner Girl]

Norm the Jedi - not sure i approve of your signature.

I will change it.. ARSENAL - The new West Ham ...

whaddya think

Thats even worse! How about...

'Arsenal - my favourite premier league team'

You can start using that next season