**Summer Transfer Thread: News, Rumours and Speculation**

BaZ87 said:
You finished 4th after beating us on the last day, the season before RA took over.

I don't think you finished in the top 4 many times in the 3-4 seasons previous to that though.
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Vialli got us in to the CL as well as Ranieri in his last year, so there's at least 2 and I think I'm right in saying we haven't finished outside the top 6 in 15 years or so, that's the reason why an injection of money helped us win the PL.
We were nearly there anyway and just needed the final touches, Man. City can't simply buy success, no-one can.
 
I loved chelsea in the Vialli and Ranieri days. Never forget that came in the snow in the uefa cup. Everyone seemed to love chelsea back then before Roman and his ****ing about with the club.

Who was that forward they bought for millions and got injured in about 20 minutes and never played again?

:D
 
JohnnyG said:
Vialli got us in to the CL as well as Ranieri in his last year, so there's at least 2 and I think I'm right in saying we haven't finished outside the top 6 in 15 years or so, that's the reason why an injection of money helped us win the PL.
We were nearly there anyway and just needed the final touches, Man. City can't simply buy success, no-one can.
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I wasn't disagreeing with you. Just bringing those stats up that you were too lazy to do :P
 
wedgie said:
Pierluigi Casiraghi?
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Yeah thats him. What a bargain, 1 goal in 4 years. 10 games in 4 years. Sat out his contract for 4 years after damaging his knee.

Nice guy but god knows why they bought him he was **** 10 years playing for Lazio and Juve he only scored 61 goals.
 
JohnnyG said:
I think I'm right in saying we haven't finished outside the top 6 in 15 years or so, that's the reason why an injection of money helped us win the PL.
We were nearly there anyway and just needed the final touches, Man. City can't simply buy success, no-one can.
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Close, 13 years actually - the previous 6 seasons Chelsea hadn't even managed a top10 finish. But anyway going back to around the turn of the decade I always regarded them as one of the 'Big 6' along with Leeds and Newcastle.

As for buying success, Blackburn did it albeit in a slightly different climate. For all the talk of their youth products, MU were not shy of splashing the cash either, I mean look at all those huge transfer fees paid for the likes of Keane, Cole, Stam, Yorke, Barthez, Veron, Rooney, Ferdinand, RvN, Ronaldo, Carrick, Berbatov, Hargreaves, Anderson, Nani etc. I think actually your 'finishing touches' are, to be frank, still arguably buying success. Chelsea were a decent side qualifying for Europe and winning the odd cup, but until Abramovich's millions arrived, together with a host of new players and Mourinho, they never actually looked like serious title contenders.

In fact I'd go so far as to say the opposite of what you've said; Man City didn't have success without money, no-one can nowadays.
 
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dannyjo22 said:
Yeah thats him. What a bargain, 1 goal in 4 years. 10 games in 4 years. Sat out his contract for 4 years after damaging his knee.

Nice guy but god knows why they bought him he was **** 10 years playing for Lazio and Juve he only scored 61 goals.
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Phil Babb remembers that goal too ;)
 
Visionary said:
Chelsea weren't a top four team before Abramovich though, they were struggling to break into the top 4.
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:rolleyes:

2003/2004 Premiership 2nd 38 24 7 7 67 30 79
2002/2003 Premiership 4th 38 19 10 9 68 38 67
2001/2000 Premiership 6th 38 17 13 8 66 38 64
2000/2001 Premiership 6th 38 17 10 11 68 45 61
1999/2000 Premiership 5th 38 18 11 9 53 34 65
1998/1999 Premiership 3rd 38 20 15 3 57 30 75
1997/1998 Premiership 4th 38 20 3 15 71 43 63

An assumption that way too many people make. I get Spurs fans trying to convince me they were on a level playing field as Chelsea before Abromovich came.

Ye, ye...
 
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Regarding Man City, don't forget that we've still got about 6 weeks left for them to strengthen their squad and from what Hughes has said, they are still looking to do so. So it wouldn't surprise me to see him address the defensive situation, bearing in mind they've already been bidding for Terry and Lescott, no doubt they will either bump up the cash until Everton accept or switch to another target.

Don't forget under Eriksson they started the season like a train a couple of years back, and that wasn't with all this cash floating about. I think if they have another good start this year it will keep morale high and they could be competitive for a top4 finish. I mean if you look at Arsenal, lets say Fabregas were to get injured, that doesn't really leave much genuine quality in the centre of the park. I'd say there's more chance of MC addressing their defence than there is of Wenger buying a new DM.

Speaking of which, personally I'd like to see Toure given a run out in that position in preseason to see if he can handle it. He was pretty poor in the early stages of his career in midfield but he's matured now and could prove a good foil for Fabregas. This would allow Vermaelen to slot in alongside Gallas at CB.
 
^Gustov you can't count 2003/2004 as Abramovich was the owner then. So arguably what Visionary has said is true, they were struggling to break into the top4 before he arrived (in the previous 4 seasons, the only time they actually managed it was on the last day of the season, i.e. a struggle)
 
HangTime said:
^Gustov you can't count 2003/2004 as Abramovich was the owner then. So arguably what Visionary has said is true, they were struggling to break into the top4 before he arrived (in the previous 4 seasons, the only time they actually managed it was on the last day of the season, i.e. a struggle)
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3/6 in the top 4? Not what I'd call struggling

Also worth taking into consideration Ranieri was the man in charge in 04
 
Gustov said:
:rolleyes:

2003/2004 Premiership 2nd 38 24 7 7 67 30 79
2002/2003 Premiership 4th 38 19 10 9 68 38 67
2001/2000 Premiership 6th 38 17 13 8 66 38 64
2000/2001 Premiership 6th 38 17 10 11 68 45 61
1999/2000 Premiership 5th 38 18 11 9 53 34 65
1998/1999 Premiership 3rd 38 20 15 3 57 30 75
1997/1998 Premiership 4th 38 20 3 15 71 43 63

An assumption that way too many people make. I get Spurs fans trying to convince me they were on a level playing field as Chelsea before Abromovich came.

Ye, ye...
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Easy to forget the fact you achieved that by spending so far above your station you were about to go to the wall.... until the Russian came along and saved your asses though eh? ;)
 
Chong Warrior said:
Easy to forget the fact you achieved that by spending so far above your station you were about to go to the wall.... until the Russian came along and saved your asses though eh? ;)
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How could I possibly forget? Opposing fans never shut up about it and go on as if Chelsea are the only club to have been taken over in the history of football. Gets a tad boring.

Anyway, my point still stands. People look back on Chelsea as if they were a mid-table team before the Russian takeover.

The lowest they finished in 7 years was 6th with respectable 3rd/4th(twice) place finishes if you want to discount the 04 season (2nd)

Good old Eidur and Jimmy :D
 
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Gustov said:
How could I possibly forget? Opposing fans never shut up about it and go on as if Chelsea are the only club to have been taken over in the history of football. Gets a tad boring.

Anyway, my point still stands. People look back on Chelsea as if they were a mid-table team before the Russian takeover.

The lowest they finished in 7 years was 6th with respectable 3rd/4th(twice) place finishes if you want to discount the 04 season (2nd)

Good old Eidur and Jimmy :D
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I thought drunkenmaster was saying they were top 4 and Mourinho pushed them unto be champions, so I was just saying they weren't established in the top 4 as they are today.

The top four 5-10 years ago wasn't what it is today.

The Man City situation is different because Chelsea were actually good (just not top 4 regulars ;)) whereas Man City were/are rubbish.

I'm tired so I can't work out if that makes sense, but I wasn't having a go at Chelsea.
 
Ben17 said:
Wouldnt say they are dreaming, few more signing (at the back) they'll have a great chance
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What???

Another mercenary in Adebayor to join up with Robinho and Tevez on the payroll, not to mention Micah Richards whose got more pictures coming out of clubs than Paris Hilton.

All these guys are having a laugh on the arabs dime, can't blame them but this club is turning into the Real Madrid of the EPL w/out the past or future success. I'd be gobsmacked if they get much higher than last season but no doubt they will start with a bang for the first couple of months.
 
ghost101 said:
Depends when you want to make the cut off season.

Why is 3/10 or 1/4 any less/more arbitary.
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Precisely... personally I think one time in the previous 4 years (on the last day of the season at that) allows him to make the 'struggling' statement - he didn't say they weren't capable of it, just that it was a struggle.

Heck, even if we let Gustov cherry-pick his stats and say it's 3 times out of 6, it's only really 1998/9 where you would say it was plain sailing into the top4 (they lost 15 matches in 1997/8).

But in any case, it's pretty plain to most people I'd say that Chelsea have been much more settled as a top 4 side since Abramovich came. The absolute WORST case they've had was finishing a staggering TWENTY points clear of 5th place. They never managed that once in the Prem prior to his arrival, so regardless of whether it was a struggle before, it's undeniably got easier since. In fact you could argue that Chelsea have been the most secure of all the big four during his reign.
 
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