ChelseaBoy

City have been strong all season, but it has been puntuated with strange losses/performances, like the one at Old Trafford, Leeds and Spurs and in the FA Cup Semi - they are prone to a failure, especially against sides that can keep it tight then break with speed. And yes i am hoping for that if Chelsea get there!

Bloody Brilliant

Well they sat around on their arses while protestors pulled down statues and defaced the Cenotaph last summer - why should we expect anything else from the PC Police.

I was thinking that, he would be a good fit if he could get a run of games. Also what about Drinkwater, if he can find his Leicester form he would be a nugget in midfield and probably get for a good price?

Steady. Tuchel liked to play with two strikers in Germany so will be looking for another to play just in front or around Werner next year with Havertz and Mount both in for some games, or Kante and Kovicic the defensive wall in others. He likes to change the team quite often depending on the opposition so the current squad with a couple of additions and 4 or 5 leaving from those on fringe or on loan, Kepa, Alonso, Giroud, Bakayoko, Moses, Drinkwater, Barclay, Batshyuiyi and Loftus Cheek. It may mean that Connor Gallagher comes back from WBA where he has starrred, and Sarr comes back from Porto. I think Chelsea's priorities will be a keeper, and striker.

Yup. I dont think he has the strikers he wants. He dosen't like tall slower in box strikers so Giroud and Abraham may not be around next year.

They did the same when Arsenal and Chelsea had to play in Baku. UEFA are just as bad as the ESL oranisers, corrupt and totally ambivilant towards fans.

Not sure that is a go'er for the same reasons put up by the EPL opponents of the ESL, in that the fans of Ajax, Anderlecht etc, would want to play their local rivals such as Feynoord and PSV Einhoven or Brugge and not want to play Porto or Benfica instead. Being quite tribal fans love to play their rivals for the same city or north vs south and in the EFL the games between any of the Welsh clubs and English clubs have great atmosphere having once been to a Cardiff v Millwall game - and yes i did make it out with all limbs !!!

Agree, Can you imagine David Sullivan and the Gold brothers turning down an invitation for West Ham to play in any ESL? No neither can I. It's the same with Leeds owners and probably half of the 14 that were so outraged not to be asked and now want the other 6 punished.... again to help their own cause not for the good of football. I am agaisnt a closed shop, but UEFA/FIFA have been proven to be corrupt so will not take any lessons from either. It is a moot point about any clubs moving South and I would have thought it will come to a head if there was a vote for Independence. Then the decision is whether you want to continue in a league operating outside of the UK?

Iterative improvement year on year and honest endevour is something good to aim for after the mess of the last 5-7 years.

And that comes down to money to attract the better players while producing quality youngsters around them. But it isn't easy. They have messed about with the structure many times over the last 10 years, but has anything really improved or actually gone backwards? Certainly Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs have all gone backwards leaving Gers and that other lot as the only two possible SPL winners. But that in itself does not make a weak league as it;s the same in many European leagues, Portugal with Benfica or Porto, Spain with Barca and Real (occaisionally with Athletic but usually not) Germany largely Bayern, France, PSG and Italy with Juve or the two Milan sides - across Europe their isn't many leagues except the EPL that has 4 or 5 candidates for the title. How do you improve the Scottish League to make it more competative and attract more investment?

Humorous look at the weeks ESL fiasco and the other benign influences stalking football today. https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/04/22/why-i-have-finally-stopped-watching-football/ Must admit, during an Ashes series or other test match series I am so glad of a break from football and all it has become.

Never can tell for certain with UEFA - not the most transparent of organisations. "Spanish media publication Mundo Deportivo, is reporting that the Premier League Big Six teams have not withdrawn because of the pressure from fans, pundits, players, and managers. It goes on to report that the teams left the European Super League because they were ‘offered’ a lot of money by UEFA and not due to ‘threats’ from the stakeholders of the game. I wouldn't dismiss anything after the events of the last 72 hours :)

Well its not the daily star.

From Football 365. UEFA reportedly offered the Premier League clubs who signed up for the Super League ‘significant’ money to withdraw from the breakaway competition. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea announced their intention to join the Super League on Sunday night, but have already withdrawn from the competition. The outrage of the fans, pundits, players, managers, other clubs and stakeholders is thought to have been a major factor in their decision to back out and John W Henry claims the project would never have gone ahead without the support of the Liverpool fans. But according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Caughtoffside) there was another key factor in the U-turn from the Premier League six. The report claims it wasn’t quite the righteous win for football we had hoped, with the six not reversing their decision due to ‘threats’ but because they were ‘offered a lot of money’. With the future of the Champions League and Europa League threatened, UEFA dug into their pockets for a solution. Mundo Deportivo adds that the Spanish trio of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are seen as the ‘main enemy’ of UEFA and the money was not offered to those clubs.

Naw, the money was held in trust, if the holding company disolves then the clubs get their money back. Perez just gets back Madrid's contribution.

The decision was taken by owner Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea board after witnessing negative global reaction to the Super League. There was a fear that it could do reputational damage to a club which prides itself on its anti-Semitism and community work. Questions were raised internally as to whether fans would respond to the club if it continued with a proposal which has gone down so badly. The decision was made earlier on Tuesday before protests started outside Stamford Bridge. It is understood Chelsea was not one of the main drivers of the Super League idea, but felt it had to get on board when it was presented to them late last week.

i did realise, though latterly lol

It is a moot point now, as it will not happen.

Was talking UK specific, i.e. Arsenal, Utd, Liverpool

Pat Nevin..... I'm not even mildly surprised that Chelsea have pulled out. I said yesterday morning that I didn't think they wanted to get on that train, but didn't want to get left at the station.

Stop Press...... BBC Sport understands that Chelsea are preparing documentation to request withdrawing from the European Super League.

Dont think there is that level of animosity compared with say the Glaziers or Fenway as Abramovich didnt levy the club with debt. There will be protests however as the Chelsea Independant Supporters Club is demonstrating as is two other groups. Interestingly, the supporters own the Chelsea pitch (not the stadium) and as such could take legal action against any activity that takes away domestic football from that site. The club tried to buy those shares a few years back offering £1k per share on a £100 float price.

Possibly Sky/BT would not bid, but would expect the domestic rights to be much cheaper than current rates if thoe 6 were barred in any form, the upshot is less money from TV and sponsors. You only have to look at the shirt / club sponsors to the top 6 in the PL. They are all corporate giants, whereas others in the PL have online betting and other much smaller deals. The sponsors will go where the audiance is.

Agreed, but fan base alone does not attract the sponsors. TV companies would pay half the rate now for access to the PL without those 6 in the competition. You can see by the fact that JP Morgan has put up £3.5bn and they are the first and probably not the last investor. I would hate to see this come off and think if players, managers and supporters unite they together with legislation could halt this move. Disagreed - Never want to see Sellik in the PL, and surely it would go against their Independence support for both Scotland and certainly Ireland !!!