One reason I love Arsenal

[Miles Brasher]

Chelsea won the Prem last season playing very very good football. They weren't the most exciting team, but hey they were effective, and that has to be down to Mourinho and the players, so well done. However they did do with a budget slightly larger than Peru, so some people are saying they're a bunch of fakes, and they didn't deserve to win it. Well, I think they did. However if Arsenal had been given 1/4 of the money to spend on players last season, would they have done even better. Well, a back up at CB to Campbell would have made the difference, 15mill on someone like Gallas may have tipped the scales, who knows. Ahah, but it's not just Arsenal, any team in the Prem could well have matched Chelsea if some nice benefactor had thrown 300 mill in their direction, but who actually knows, it's only happened to one team so far, Chelsea. However, we can compare some things. Arsenal have been in the last decade one of two of the most successful teams in England. No argument, plain and simple truth. And yet they've not done it on a budget of 300 mill, they've not done it on a budget that exists only in the dreams of Prem league financial directors minds, they've done it on a similar budget to other teams who've had nothing like the success that Arsenal have had in the last 10 years. Quite simply Chelsea may have done better than other teams would have done but it can't be proved. The success of Arsenal is something that other teams could have matched, but they failed, because quite simply they ain't as good and never will be as good as us.

(I know you guys all know this, but in the doom and despondency, i just thought people needed reminding)

And I'm waiting for a fax!

[phishy]

but in the doom and despondency, i just thought people needed reminding)


who is seriously having doom and despondency Miles?
me thinks some folks got spoiled during the unbeaten campaign and is horrified with a :eek: draw at west ham. ya, chelsea is buying players/league, but nothing can be done bout it. they still produce the greatest defense i have ever seen where you are lucky to get shots OFF! well done to them and a manager that DEFINITELY knows what he's doing. that said, on a level playing field financially, we all know arsenal would be better.
its all good at highbury... lets bury ajax and go from there!!!
up the gunners~
:)

[Dave_M]

they still produce the greatest defense i have ever seen


I think Mr. Adams might take exception to this :)

To give Chelsea their dues, Mourhino deserves some credit. As far as I know Raneiri had wads to spend and only came second...

[deaner1971]

I think Mr. Adams might take exception to this :)

To give Chelsea their dues, Mourhino deserves some credit. As far as I know Raneiri had wads to spend and only came second...

I agree that Mourhino's past success means you can't credit just the checkbook. However, in all fairness Mourhino took the players bought with 100 million pounds under Raneiri and lumped 240 million more on top so, his team makes Raneiri's team look like a semi-pro squad.

Like I said, very bright guy but, I split success between him and the checkbook 50/50. Reminds me a bit of Billy Martin/George Steinbrenner and Jimmy Johnson/Jerry Jones in this regard. Early success beyond imagining but, such relationships grow contentious quickly.

[KevTheGooner]

I agree that Mourhino's past success means you can't credit just the checkbook. However, in all fairness Mourhino took the players bought with 100 million pounds under Raneiri and lumped 240 million more on top so, his team makes Raneiri's team look like a semi-pro squad.

Like I said, very bright guy but, I split success between him and the checkbook 50/50. Reminds me a bit of Billy Martin/George Steinbrenner and Jimmy Johnson/Jerry Jones in this regard. Early success beyond imagining but, such relationships grow contentious quickly.

I'm no Moaninho fan..but he was damn successful with Porto, where the checkbook is considerably lighter than at Chelsea. The guys got a system, and an ego to go with it, and the players seem to buy into it. The question is..for how long???

[deaner1971]

I'm no Moaninho fan..but he was damn successful with Porto, where the checkbook is considerably lighter than at Chelsea. The guys got a system, and an ego to go with it, and the players seem to buy into it. The question is..for how long???

Like I said, I take nothing away from what he accomplished at Porto. Just saying that his system not 100% responsible for his success in the Premiership as long as a payroll the size of Bolvia's GDP is required to prop it up.

Now if he accomplishes the same thing with a payroll within 10 million pounds of the teams in second and third, I will lead the march to his coronation. :D

[KevTheGooner]

Like I said, I take nothing away from what he accomplished at Porto. Just saying that his system not 100% responsible for his success in the Premiership as long as a payroll the size of Bolvia's GDP is required to prop it up.

Sorry..yes you did give him some props. It would help if I read instead of skimmed.

For the record:

Bolivia GDP: $ 22,330,000,000 (just ahead of Afghanistan)
Chelsea Payroll: $172,000,000
Palau GDP: $174,000,000


Come on you Fightin' Micronesians! You can take those bloody Blues down!!

[Dave_M]

Now if he accomplishes the same thing with a payroll within 10 million pounds of the teams in second and third, I will lead the march to his coronation. :D

I think Mourhino could have turned Chelsea round, in much the same way Jol has for Spurs (recent Grimsby clashes aside *). Do I think he would have won the league for Chelsea....actually yes - eventually, given time to build a squad. Of course he probably wouldn't have taken the job without the cash waiting but thats another rant...

... basically I believe Mourhino could have done good things for Chelsea with time to build. I believe Jol has and will produce silverware for spurs given time, and I believe that Wenger is still the right man for Arsenal and will rebuild a fantastic little team for us.

It was 3 years before he won us anything after he joined in 1995, and that was a domestic double. It was another 4 years before we won anything again. And that was a domestic double. That infamous team then wen on to go undefeated. However that team has all but moved on, so its time to start over. These things a cyclic.

I can wait.




* Any excuse to mention THAT game must be taken :)

[deaner1971]

I think Mourhino could have turned Chelsea round, in much the same way Jol has for Spurs (recent Grimsby clashes aside *). Do I think he would have won the league for Chelsea....actually yes - eventually, given time to build a squad. Of course he probably wouldn't have taken the job without the cash waiting but thats another rant...

... basically I believe Mourhino could have done good things for Chelsea with time to build. I believe Jol has and will produce silverware for spurs given time, and I believe that Wenger is still the right man for Arsenal and will rebuild a fantastic little team for us.

It was 3 years before he won us anything after he joined in 1995, and that was a domestic double. It was another 4 years before we won anything again. And that was a domestic double. That infamous team then wen on to go undefeated. However that team has all but moved on, so its time to start over. These things a cyclic.

I can wait.




* Any excuse to mention THAT game must be taken :)

You're right, he is a good coach and was what they needed to get over the hump but, he signed up with a Russian billionaire and I don't think anyone associates "ex-Communist come monopolists" with fiscal soundness. Mourhino would have probably joined the ranks of the Fergies and Wengers had he joined Chelsea pre-Chelski but, now we'll never know. For lack of a better term, there will always be an "asterisk" by whatever records he establishes.

[deaner1971]

Sorry..yes you did give him some props. It would help if I read instead of skimmed.

For the record:

Bolivia GDP: $ 22,330,000,000 (just ahead of Afghanistan)
Chelsea Payroll: $172,000,000
Palau GDP: $174,000,000


Come on you Fightin' Micronesians! You can take those bloody Blues down!!

Sorry for underestimating Bolivia! :D

[Catfish]

Sorry for underestimating Bolivia! :D
Make sure it never happens again....lol.

[impalemeplz]

Chelsea won the Prem last season playing very very good football. They weren't the most exciting team, but hey they were effective, and that has to be down to Mourinho and the players, so well done. However they did do with a budget slightly larger than Peru, so some people are saying they're a bunch of fakes, and they didn't deserve to win it. Well, I think they did. However if Arsenal had been given 1/4 of the money to spend on players last season, would they have done even better. Well, a back up at CB to Campbell would have made the difference, 15mill on someone like Gallas may have tipped the scales, who knows. Ahah, but it's not just Arsenal, any team in the Prem could well have matched Chelsea if some nice benefactor had thrown 300 mill in their direction, but who actually knows, it's only happened to one team so far, Chelsea. However, we can compare some things. Arsenal have been in the last decade one of two of the most successful teams in England. No argument, plain and simple truth. And yet they've not done it on a budget of 300 mill, they've not done it on a budget that exists only in the dreams of Prem league financial directors minds, they've done it on a similar budget to other teams who've had nothing like the success that Arsenal have had in the last 10 years. Quite simply Chelsea may have done better than other teams would have done but it can't be proved. The success of Arsenal is something that other teams could have matched, but they failed, because quite simply they ain't as good and never will be as good as us.

(I know you guys all know this, but in the doom and despondency, i just thought people needed reminding)

And I'm waiting for a fax!


i think if the man thats puts the SKI in chelski didnt come in then we arsenal could of got gallas for at the most 12 million pounds.

on another point , i know its more history but chelsea were headed in the direction of leeds had they not continued to make the champions league. sure they had lampard and terry but that squad was ageing and the outcome looked likely. no way mourinho would of come in then.

[JoshDB]

i think if the man thats puts the SKI in chelski didnt come in then we arsenal could of got gallas for at the most 12 million pounds.

on another point , i know its more history but chelsea were headed in the direction of leeds had they not continued to make the champions league. sure they had lampard and terry but that squad was ageing and the outcome looked likely. no way mourinho would of come in then.

o_O

Most of our players, save maka, were in their mid-20's... Not exactly old.

[antifan]

o_O

Most of our players, save maka, were in their mid-20's... Not exactly old.
He's talking about your team pre-Abramovich. Makelele was still playing for Real. And players like Petit, Zola, Hasselbaink were definitely not getting any younger. Ever heard of those guys?

[Miles Brasher]

He's talking about your team pre-Abramovich. Makelele was still playing for Real. And players like Petit, Zola, Hasselbaink were definitely not getting any younger. Ever heard of those guys?

Don't be silly, he hadn't heard of Chelsea before Abramovich :p

[jwaldman11]

Don't be silly, he hadn't heard of Chelsea before Abramovich :p
You mean Chelsea hasn't been in the Abramovich family for it's entire 100-year history? :eek:

[JoshDB]

He's talking about your team pre-Abramovich. Makelele was still playing for Real. And players like Petit, Zola, Hasselbaink were definitely not getting any younger. Ever heard of those guys?

Oh, yeah. I figured we got Lampard when Abromavich came in. Sorry, glory hunter and such.

[JoshDB]

Don't be silly, he hadn't heard of Chelsea before Abramovich :p

I hadn't heard of anyone, save Man Utd., before like 2003-2004. I picked Chelsea at the start of the 04-05 season because they beat Utd. 1-0, shutting my Manc friend up for quite some time.

Oh, and I saw a Zola documentary. That helped...

[michaec]

I picked Chelsea at the start of the 04-05 season because they beat Utd. 1-0, shutting my Manc friend up for quite some time.Yeah, that's the reason ;)

[feej92]

I hadn't heard of anyone, save Man Utd., before like 2003-2004. I picked Chelsea at the start of the 04-05 season because they beat Utd. 1-0, shutting my Manc friend up for quite some time.


that's a quote worthy of ZANI ! ouch.