My logic is based on the actual results, not the what ifs. Inter scraped past a poor Bayern side (finished 3rd in the Bundesliga) with a last minute away goal, but lost to both Schalke and Spurs who we both beat. They were also the only team in the competition to lose to Werder Bremen when they needed to win to top the group. You can make what if arguments for just about anything, but based on the actual CL results and league placings there is no basis to argue that any team other than Utd, Barca and Real were better than Chelsea last year.
You're just picking and choosing strands of results, which don't really prove anything. 'we beat x, who beat y, therefore we're better than y' isn't proof at all. And why are you bringing league placings into it? Ok, it's relevant for United versus Chelsea and Barca versus Real, but you can't then say' Chelsea finished second in the PL, therefore they're better than Bayern, who only finished 3rd in the Bundesliga.' And I'm basing it on 'what ifs' (in fact, I'm not 'basing it' on them, merely asking the question) because there is no 100% indicator unless all teams play each other. Your method gives a good indication of the rankings (we all know Barca are top) but it's just that, an indication, not proof.
That the FA is crooked and will do anything to bring down Fergie. Wait for a similar story to appear on the bbc website.
What do you guys make of another draw being fixed in Man Utd's favour after some of you were crying about our "easy" Carling Cup ties?
they were easy though, weren't they? must have touched a nerve with you, because you're obsessed with this issue.
Tough draw, but should be a good match. Hopefully City's form will have started to stutter by then and we'll have started to hit full stride. Failing that, we'll just have to be more tactically aware than we were at OT! Of course you can't prove anything, but the results from the CL and the league standings last season indicate that Chelsea were the fourth best club in the CL last year. Milan, Inter and Bayern all performed poorly and no one else really compared. There's no 100% indicator, but you can only make judgements like that based on what happened in the competitions.
Agreed. My point wasn't that you were wrong, so much as the problems with using a knock-out competition as an indicator. We've seen, for example, how poor Liverpool were in the league when they won the CL, so where would that put them rankings wise in Europe for that season? (That's rhetorical, unless you want to answer it) I'd say that the best way of ranking,and I assume the one they actually use (as opposed to how good they are based on current form, in which case I probably agree Chelsea were around 4th last season) is to take into account a recent series of CL campaigns, rather than just the one. Yourselves and Barca would be top 2, but I think Inter and Bayern would be above Chelsea and Real (the latter were memorably poor prior to last season.) Arsenal will be floating about a similar area too. So yeah. I was speaking more in terms of official rankings on paper rather than rankings based on current form.
I can't believe this! Once again, United get a good........ they got City?? Tough one that and also good for us as it is around our Carling cup games with City, no doubt a thread on how far we have fallen due to a squad that was fielded by City against United or us will follow.
Ok, I agree completely with you re overall rankings, but I was referring specifically to last season. After all, being great in one season is no guarantee of being great in the next, particularly if personnel or managers change. Inter last season under Benitez were a long long way from Inter under Mourinho, and Bayern were pretty shocking by their standards last season with Van Gaal getting the boot halfway through. So saying Chelsea were 4th best in the CL is like saying Utd were best in the PL last season - there wasn't a whole lot of competition! Don't worry, the conspiracy theorists live on! The new conspiracy is that the FA now bias the draws to favour City... Actually it will be interesting to see what squads City put out for each game - in theory they should play their strongest side against us as the FA Cup is the more prestigious comp. But will their decision be influenced by the fact that another trophy, no matter how minor, is within reach? Either way, gotta accept that with the amount they've spent on players recently they could probably rotate their squad for the games and still beat both of us
Looks like you went to the wrong one Tunns, Brown and Squire joined Mick Jones at last nights and did an impromptu Roses bit. Bet the old **** still can't sing. Was in your neck of the woods saturday too, great days shopping, nice meal, Cardiff looking all festive and gluhwein and beer and sausage stalls a plenty. Tidy.
Well, having looked at the price I doubt we are, they're about £12k for Gold Cup day. **** that. There's going to be a bit of hospitality involved though, hopefully we'll have tables booked overlooking the course with access then to parade ring etc. This is that blazer Sweats, tally ho old bean; http://www.crewclothing.co.uk/Lyndon-Tweed-Blazer-PRODM01_1231/
