International Break

[Steveo]

@ LEGS I mentioned this to Bali last August - suggested we would have struggled to have won what we have last few seasons had Roman been allowed to continue unsanctioned.

[LEGS]

Because there would be 2 far better teams to fight with for FA Cups - League Cups - the League title and the CL.. Also Arsenal were no mugs either. The league was far more competitive and both Chelsea and United did far better in the Champions league in a more competitive era - Think about the Barca and Real sides both choc full of world class talant.


You are totally wrong about Roman mate - he had to leave Britain - this isn't hard to find out - come on you can do better than this.

He was being targeted by the British state in politically motivated move way beyond football. He is now almost untouchable.

Yes you could argue those teams were better than most around now but it doesnt mean this City side would get 90+ points there is no way of knowing that.

CL is very hard to win for anyone we know that same in any era.

I am aware of Roman and he is a crook just like Citys owners nothing we havent known just the footballing bodies havent had the balls to do anything about it.

[skyebo]

Yes it was up and running but not at the stage it is now.

As good as Mourunho and Ferguson were they dont win titles over Peps 98-100 point teams.

Why do you think they dont get close is it ability or money

I think Mourinho's Chelsea got 95 points one year in winning the title, possibly 2004-05 season so all City did was raise the bar slightly. We were always " buying the titles" in the 80s according to cynics. There wasn't the money there is now but it didn't stop people from levelling that at us. Just checked, it WAS that season, and as it was Mourinho's first i can't imagine the team had changed that much from the previous season, meaning he wouldn't have spent all that much to achieve it.

[LEGS]

I think Mourinho's Chelsea got 95 points one year in winning the title, possibly 2004-05 season so all City did was raise the bar slightly. We were always " buying the titles" in the 80s according to cynics. There wasn't the money there is now but it didn't stop people from levelling that at us. Just checked, it WAS that season, and as it was Mourinho's first i can't imagine the team had changed that much from the previous season, meaning he wouldn't have spent all that much to achieve it.

He did get 95 points he also spent £150m that summer so id say that was a monster spending spree.

As I said money is the factor we all know this Chelsea/City were also rans until these people turned up.

You could say we bought titles but its not like today it was much much closer you had teams like Norwich QPR Forest all getting top 2/3 that is not happening now.

[miller0863]

£150m in 2004? Wow.

[Steveo]

Yes you could argue those teams were better than most around now but it doesnt mean this City side would get 90+ points there is no way of knowing that.

CL is very hard to win for anyone we know that same in any era.

I am aware of Roman and he is a crook just like Citys owners nothing we havent known just the footballing bodies havent had the balls to do anything about it.

On this bit I feel here you are missing the point completely.

Roman and his rubles is absolutely not comparable to the petrodollar owners at City. Both may be crooks but as a Russian - Roman fell out of favour with the British establishment..


What part of this is difficult?

While Roman was literally castrated and handicapped by the British state - literally exiled - his club went into a state of hiding - all 3 of the huge points hauls occurred during this peculiar time. While Chelsea were in hibernation. It will take them some time to get back - but they are not sleeping now and had they not been sleeping then - it is very doubtful that City or us get that close to the 100 points..


I know people tend to brush these things over without giving them a second though BUT the reality is many stars aligned for City to make over 100 points and indeed for us to win the CL and then Prem.

[LEGS]

None of it is difficult I understand but im not shedding a tear for Chelsea f*ck em.

[Insidious]

Challenges are always huge at that level, but managers are brought in to overcome them, that's why they are paid so well. It didn't take Mourinho long to break the Ferguson Wenger dominance. 2 titles in his first 2 seasons. We wanted him here in 04 but he had already promised Chelsea. We may have been ahead in titles had he came here, and brought Cech Essien Lampard Robben and Drogba with him.

As competent a manager as Mourinho undoubtedly was in his peak, that was absolute "sportswashing" or "financial doping" or whatever you want to call it.

Worth adding that in 03/04 Chelsea had finished on 79 points, 11 points behind winners Arsenal - so they needed a 4-game swing to become title winners, if we use 90 points as the bar (which even back then was a high total) whereas Liverpool had finished on 60 points, 30 points behind winners Arsenal - so we needed a 10-game swing if we use 90-points as the yard-stick.

So Liverpool were "starting out" with a much inferior squad to Chelsea's, plus a much larger points deficit, plus the disadvantage of being in a much weaker position to compete financially.

I think Rafa did pretty stellar work all things considered. You may disagree and you're well within your rights to do so, but the Chelsea situation (for a Manager coming into that job) was MUCH easier than the Liverpool situation - on multiple fronts - and we have seen Mourinho can't do it when he doesn't have the blank cheque option, arriving at already well-established sides.

[Insidious]

As I said earlier, England will do nothing under this manager, or with these players unless they manage to get tons of set pieces and penalties.

Southgate doesn't watch porn you see. He watched reruns of Euro 2004, the Greece matches specifically.

[skyebo]

He did get 95 points he also spent £150m that summer so id say that was a monster spending spree.

As I said money is the factor we all know this Chelsea/City were also rans until these people turned up.

You could say we bought titles but its not like today it was much much closer you had teams like Norwich QPR Forest all getting top 2/3 that is not happening now.

They signed about 24 players during that season, but only Drogba £34m and Carvalho £27m were what you would call expensive, the rest were either cheap, free or loans.