Which of the big teams would struggle most in the C'ship?

Imagine there was an Italian style scandal in England and all 4 big teams got relegated. After the player raids, 10-15 points penalties, and cost cutting measures, which of the 4 do you think would bounce back most easily, and which would struggle? Assume Abramovich is not a factor, so Chelsea, like Juve, lose some players but keep some, and buy a lot, but mostly "mid-level" players, not big stars.

Since I started I'm going to go with the obvious one and say Arsenal would probably struggle against all the small teams who will get stuck in and be physical.

btw, fans of Spurs, Newcastle (I'd place them mid-table in the bouncebackability table), Bolton, West Ham, basically everyone can reply.

Manchester United will definitely have Neville, Scholse and Giggsy along with probably Park and Richardson. our youth prospects would be promoted and are quite capable of cutting it in the championship. Ben Foster will also probably stay. John O Shea, and Darren Fletcher probably will may stay as well. so overall i think if this shit happened to us we would be in pretty decent shape and might just come back straight up.

We've never stuggled agaisnt first division opposition to be honest, Man Utd always do though

Players that I think would elave are Lehmann, Eboué, Cesc, Hleb, Rosicky, RVP, Gallas and Adebayor - but that still leveas us a fantastic squad + our youth team (which teams going down would have to rely on a lot) is fantastic - we have some top players coming through at present.

So Liverpool would be my bet, Liverpool don't have the best youth team and I think quite a lot of the players would leave (Reina, Alonso, Gerrard, Garcia, Bellamy.....)

If we were relegated we'd still be left with a backline of

Kirkland/Carson

Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia and Warnock/Riise

Pennant was willing to play there with Birmingham and Zenden would probably play a season there at his age. Ditto Gonzalez.

Fowler and Crouch would likely stay aswell...


Arsenal would be worst off IMHO. Henry, Gallas, Toure, Rosicky, Gilberto, RVP, Cesc, Hleb, Eboue, Ljungberg, Adebayor etc Aren't likely to want to play first division football.

Don't care how good the youth team is. I can't imagine a bunch of 17-19 year old's loving it in the Championship.

Obispo wrote:If we were relegated we'd still be left with a backline of

Kirkland/Carson

Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia and Warnock/Riise

Pennant was willing to play there with Birmingham and Zenden would probably play a season there at his age. Ditto Gonzalez.

Fowler and Crouch would likely stay aswell...


Arsenal would be worst off IMHO. Henry, Gallas, Toure, Rosicky, Gilberto, RVP, Cesc, Hleb, Eboue, Ljungberg, Adebayor etc Aren't likely to want to play first division football.

Don't care how good the youth team is. I can't imagine a bunch of 17-19 year old's loving it in the Championship.

I think crouch would leave.

Chelsea would lose nearly their entire team, if not their entire 1st team. Arsenal are the least suited but I think Chelsea would be just as fucked.

SteveOoO wrote:[
I think crouch would leave.

Who would he go to though? No club that's bigger than us would want to sign him I imagine, and he'd probably only be out of the league for a season.

To be honest, it's easy to speculate who will stay and who will go, but no one thought that the Buffon, Nedved and Trezeguet - not to mention Camoranesi - would still be at Juventus this season. They've also signed a few decent players aswell...

---------------------- Kuszyak

Neville --------- Evans ------ Brown -------- Evra

Park ----------- Scholes ---- Fletcher ------- Giggs

----------------- Smith ------- Ole

Think all of them would stick it out for one season.

The likes of Rio, Heinze, Vidic, Ronaldo, Carrick, Richardson, Rooney & Saha would all go eventually. I wouldn't blame some of them either.

The only one I'm not sure on is Van Der Sar as he's nearing the end of his career, however he would still wanna keep his place for Holland.

Obispo wrote:

SteveOoO wrote:[
I think crouch would leave.

Who would he go to though? No club that's bigger than us would want to sign him I imagine, and he'd probably only be out of the league for a season.

To be honest, it's easy to speculate who will stay and who will go, but no one thought that the Buffon, Nedved and Trezeguet - not to mention Camoranesi - would still be at Juventus this season. They've also signed a few decent players aswell...

He might lose his England place if he stayed. I think considering he has joined so recently, he has less of a vested interest in the club, though I do agree that no club as 'big' as Liverpool would sign him.

I think a lot of people thought Nedved would stay at Juve.

---------------Almunia----------------

Lauren---Senderos--Djourou--Clichy

Rosicky--Gilberto--Muamba---Walcott

-----------Bendtner---Henry-----------

Gilberto and Henry would stay, so would IMO one from Rosicky or Hleb, not sure which though

Henry would stay in the Championship???

Not to mention Gilberto and Rosicky.

Yes. Buffon stayed with juve didn't he?

So, you're sure Henry and Gilberto would stay... but believe that Gerrard/Alonso would jump ship immediately?

haha no way henry

Tweedledum wrote:Yes. Buffon stayed with juve didn't he?

Sorry, I believe he would of left in the summer if you had no Champions league. The fact he would stay if you were in the Championship is quite laughable.

Players like him wanna be fighting for trophies and individual honours, not the Championship player of the year.

Its the same as me saying Rooney would stay.

Obispo wrote:So, you're sure Henry and Gilberto would stay... but believe that Gerrard/Alonso would jump ship immediately?

Well if you don't think they would then fine.

Henry is 29 and has just comitted his future to Arsenal. He is fully settled here with his wife and two children and is now regarded as a club legend. I would bet a lot of money on him staying if we went down

Tweedledum wrote:

Obispo wrote:So, you're sure Henry and Gilberto would stay... but believe that Gerrard/Alonso would jump ship immediately?

Well if you don't think they would then fine.

Henry is 29 and has just comitted his future to Arsenal. He is fully settled here with his wife and two children and is now regarded as a club legend. I would bet a lot of money on him staying if we went down

He wouldnt have to move, chelsea is not so far away

Tweedledum wrote:

Obispo wrote:So, you're sure Henry and Gilberto would stay... but believe that Gerrard/Alonso would jump ship immediately?

Well if you don't think they would then fine.

Henry is 29 and has just comitted his future to Arsenal. He is fully settled here with his wife and two children and is now regarded as a club legend. I would bet a lot of money on him staying if we went down

I really doubt Henry would stay if we went down. And the reason is that Henry is 29 and not 22. At his age he has 3 or maybe 4 years of top flight football left in his career. Spending a season in Championship is not something he would go for.

He might not quit Arsenal, but I am sure if we are to go down, he would choose to go on a loan for a year at any top flight club.

But its not just one year, its effectively two seeing as these players want Champions league football.

For someone at 29, it would be stupid. For someone at Henry's level it would be mental.

I think Owen, Emre, Luque, Carr, Babayaro, Bramble , Milner, Dyer, and maybe Duff and Martins would go(most likely Duff as he's on higher wages). Maybe Moore and Butt aswell, i understand Moore wants to move back to Aussie next year.

------------------Given-------------------

Gate---Taylor---Huntington---Bernard

Solano----Parker---Pattison----O'Brien

-----------------N'Zogbia----------------

------------------Ameobi-----------------

SUBS: Harper, Ramage, Edgar, Lua Lua, Finnigan

We'd probably do better than the current team with that.

Surely Zog would leave if he's that good...

borocooper wrote:Surely Zog would leave if he's that good...

He'd be one of the first to go for chrissakes.... I'd be shocked if Parker didn't immediately get offers from Utd and Arsenal, aswell.

I think people have to much faith in there players.

Parker would be off, no doubt about that.

borocooper wrote:Surely Zog would leave if he's that good...

Why? He's not on big wages and he's not an arrogant cunt. I doubt he would leave. Given and Parker are that good aswell but i doubt they would leave.

Obispo wrote:

borocooper wrote:Surely Zog would leave if he's that good...

He'd be one of the first to go for chrissakes.... I'd be shocked if Parker didn't immediately get offers from Utd and Arsenal, aswell.

Strange, i thought you thought Parker was no more than average?

To be honest I think Parker would be on his way aswell, didnt take much to leave his first club did it?

If Man U wanted him he'd be away in no time, same as Zog.

borocooper wrote:To be honest I think Parker would be on his way aswell, didnt take much to leave his first club did it?

If Man U wanted him he'd be away in no time, same as Zog.

These guys have contracts though, i think the club would hold onto them for 1 season atleast to get promotion. Look at Andy Johnson at Palace.

Yeah Andy Johnson is obviously a decent bloke.

I dont think Parker has the same sort of loyalty, otherwise he wouldnt have left Charlton, hadnt he just signed a long contract with them before he decided he wanted out?

Kimbo wrote:

Obispo wrote:

borocooper wrote:Surely Zog would leave if he's that good...

He'd be one of the first to go for chrissakes.... I'd be shocked if Parker didn't immediately get offers from Utd and Arsenal, aswell.

Strange, i thought you thought Parker was no more than average?

I never said that. I said he was a richman's Sean Davis, or a poor man's Roy Keane - whichever way you want to look at it.

He'd have plenty of offers in England. My gripe is that he isn't suited to, nor is he good enough for, international football against the best teams.

borocooper wrote:Yeah Andy Johnson is obviously a decent bloke.

I dont think Parker has the same sort of loyalty, otherwise he wouldnt have left Charlton, hadnt he just signed a long contract with them before he decided he wanted out?

Obviously if Man Utd or Arsenal came in for him maybe he'd want to leave. BUT that doesn't mean Newcastle would want to sell, we'd be able to afford one or two high earners after selling most the likes of Owen, Duff, Milner, and Emre.

------------Cudicini--------------
YOUTH--Tezza---Mancienne---Keenan
---------------Maka------------------
---------Lampard(no1 wud want him)
------------------J.Smith-------------


and whatever the rest... i cant be arsed to do it