Tiresias

could this be the worst shot ever? http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/chalkboards/Dz8q39nUx5i3P31Wy0jr

As it should be with any team trying to win the league. well yes

Yaya Toure isn't so much a defensive midfielder at the moment, seems to have an almost free role in just rampaging anywhere. Not sure about Man City defence to be honest, their defending tends to be done further up the pitch

Wenger rumours seem a load of bollocks, guardian had the story titled 'Wenger dismisses rumours of exit' to 'Wenger casts doubt over future' with no difference in the story, realising was more exiting a headline. Reckon if they do horrendous this season he could leave but otherwise can't see it

Seconded, if he's not close first team, get him playing a first team anywhere soon, really like the look of him

Actually maybe agree with you here, should have either stayed at Porto or moved made an intermediary step, he could well have been lined up at a Wenger successor in a few years like that

Didn't have their '50m striker'? He's been pretty shit...I mean not too much sympathy, he's being paid well etc etc but seriously the signs of decline were starting last year, and that second seemed for a team that were only in the race because Man U had spent most the year being pretty poor most the year, and Arsenal's embarrassing collapse. Also I very much doubt that AVB has much say over transfers, Mereiles even was sold by him at Porto, hardly someone he greatly rates then.

I feel sorry for Villas Boas, his team just aren't good enough for what he wants to do, I think he'd probably be a success if given chance to do a root and branch rebuild, which is what Chelsea desperately need (not just very expensive famous player), but he'll be gone soon enough, and next manager will struggle as well

Realistically Stoke got as high up the league as they feasibly could with their style, much higher than many predicted (or hoped), and in a way it's admirable commitment to the most awful 1 dimensional footy imaginable, but that said it's easy to be snooty about how 'footy should be played', whatever gets results really. Pulis promised that it would take 3 seasons iirc to cement position in league then he would try and adapt to better footy to push on, but the problem is, when he's taken that style of footy as far as it will go, the players are totally unadapted to a better breed of footy, so they'd actually need to do worse before they can do better if you see what I mean, which might spare the rest of the league the boredom of watching their team play them. Doubt it'll happen though. Anyway that's a bit off topic from transfers...

http://www.pixpow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ball-horse.gif Andy Carroll's liverpool career (not mine)

They have made efforts to look at the longer term though, not least with the plans for those unbelievable training facilities for developing their own players. I don't think that expense will count against them with the new rules, correct me if I'm wrong, so that's a way to re-direct the crazy money available and build for the long term. They have to break even under the new rules, but there is leeway in that if they are shown to moving in right direction UEFA can make an exception, and one wonders if UEFA would really kick a hugely rich team out of the CL. The point as I understand it is that the big clubs in general are very much for this as it will stop them spending so much, they see themselves spending so much purely to compete and if they can all stop at once would be ideal. I wonder if it'll work though, it doesn't quite go anywhere near as address all the problems with the greedy money grabbing pile of bastards that operate at all levels of the top leagues across europe etc etc, but then again if it cuts down on the stupid money thrown around it could well be very good all round.

It's such a sad state of affairs though that we get a great player and can't keep him more than 1 and a half seasons, even if we get great money for him. If we are going to be buying and selling like this I would prefer we sold while we already had someone breaking through the ranks behind, rather than crossing fingers and hoping whoever we bring in, even if it looks safe as houses purchase, fits in.

I imagine the hope this season is that they increase the income to accommodate a larger wage bill, to expand the squad, swapping players for better ones is great, but what really guarantees higher positions tends to be greater depth. I wonder if the stadium renaming was a panic decision if revenues weren't doing as well as hoped. While I'm not condoning the stadium renaming, I'm not sure a sugardaddy owner would be brilliant in the long term. One wonders what will happen to Man City when the owners lose interest? Will they find someone else willing to fund that? I also think that to some extend a lot of the league is a financial stack of cards, how long can this much money wash around the Premier league while the rest of the economy is in taters?

Not sure with all this talk of Mata and Silva are that similar, they're both Spanish and in similar positions but seem fairly different, Mata good, but not as good

Trying to shore up midfield, but Bellamy has been looking very sharp, not a terrible idea, if it weren't that it's henderson so Chelsea will now win

It's been coming too. Enrique to blame lol

Maybe but in a team that's supposed to be challenging for the title and the champions league you should normally make sure you're playing your strongest defense in the games against other teams in similar bracket etc, if he needs time to bed him in, play against lower table clubs a bit and edge him into side. He's too much of a liability repeatedly, or play him in the Mikel role, that he might actually be better at than Mikel who rarely impresses.

I like Villas Boas a lot, but he's come to Chelsea way to soon, a club with an impatient owner, bunch of increasingly erratic old players who can't adapt to a new system that well, a load of player power in the culture of the club in the spotlight with media incredibly suspicious of this young talented manager trying to get 'good old fashioned english players' to play quality football. It's a perfect storm to set back a promising career, he'll either be allowed to buy a load of better young players or be gone soon enough, and another new manager will struggle with the diminishing returns of their squad. David Luiz is a terrible defender. Can see him in midfield maybe, but dunno, just comical, wonder if Abromavitch is forcing him to be played considering how much he cost.

Exactly, good utility player. Still no long term left back, which is really harsh on him considering the goals he's scored, but now he's letting goals in.

Oh wow, ok then, thank god for Aguero's cock up, terrible mistake from Colo and Saylor

I think Aguero was pretty active, our players shouldn't have stopped. It's pretty open to abuse, obviously be offside and when ball passed to you don't touch it just shield it till an onside player runs in in the confusion...

Liverpool are going to give us £20m for him!

He's flattering Simpson to try and sign him, obviously feels he's valuable, worrying if he ditches him for Santon, Simpson'll be straight out the door. I would not be greatly upset to see him go to be honest, except there does seem to be a shortage of decent rightbacks throughout the league so maybe it's hard to find another

I dunno I think they'll probably get beaten away at some middle table team some point, after a tiring Champions league leg and some injuries. It'll be much harder to keep up later next year than now. That said can't see anyone else winning title, though Man U normally charge in second half of season, which works well for them since so often that's when other early leaders start to tire. Having said that Man U flatter to deceive a lot this season, they have some very good players but a lot of workmanlike players too, and I don't see them having as good a record against the best teams in league as City will. The fight of 3rd -6th is the real interesting story of this season imo, very very difficult to call