Chelsea Banter

18 May 2024 17:07:51
Congratulations to our chelsea women, champions once again.

18 May 2024 17:44:38
Brilliant and just gereat for Emma Hayes to end with yet another trophy. She must be Alex Ferguson level successful in this respect. Just a pit that v dodgy refereeing cost her and CFC a cnache of wimming the women's Champions League.

18 May 2024 17:47:50
Absolutely Bill, champions again!

The profile our women’s team give our club is enormous. Very attractive proposition for club sponsors.

Good luck to EH and FK who will now move on to pastures new. Both are Chelsea legends.

18 May 2024 09:23:18
I will be at the game tomorrow. It could well be the last time I see Cucarella, Gallagher and Chalaboa playing in Chelsea colours and it will definitely be the last time I see Silva playing for us in the Premiership.

As I said a long time ago I can see about ten players (including loan players) leaving CFC in this window. Thanks and good luck to all of them.

I can't see us being crowned champions next season but it is the first time in a couple of years that I will renewing my season ticket with expectations rather than trepidation.

Anyway, COME on MY MIGHTY BLUES.

18 May 2024 13:15:32
I hope we keep Big Trev but I understand he is looking for a move to get regular playing time, Conor will leave if he doesn't sign that contract and I hope Marc C stays, he has been brilliant since his surgery and it is great to hear the match day fans singing his name. Silva is doing his coaching badges and I would love to see him back one day as our head coach.

17 May 2024 19:45:53
Just been reading an article about a very long serving employee of CFC called Brian Pullman who has just retired from his work at the club age 86.

There must be hundreds of Brian's up and down the country. Brilliant.

18 May 2024 09:23:40
I'll be back in england in January, maybe they'll hire me to replace the position 😅.

18 May 2024 09:35:50
Why not apply. I think he served the club for about 56 years.

I bet he could tell some stories about our club and players. He should write a book.!

17 May 2024 12:12:40
Remember when Romero before he was eventually sent of v chelsea, was tackled and kicked out at James while in the floor, VAR looked at it and said " petulant not violent "

We should appeal and use that example, the inconsistency is what's annoying.

17 May 2024 13:57:21
Matt I mentioned that incident below in the VAR thread. An appeal would make sense but I just don’t see it being overturned. Regardless of the inconsistency James should know better than to do it.

17 May 2024 14:36:03
To be fair, those two incidents were of a completely different order of magnitude.

When I first saw the James one I thought it was nothing, but on the replay with the correct angle it's an extremely hard kick out with a lot of force applied through the studs. You could definitely hurt someone like that. Romero's was petulant, fairly soft contact with the laces and not the studs (though there are different kinds of laces kicks, of course – thinking of Rooney's when he got sent off for England), and highly unlikely you could injure someone. Players have certainly been sent off for it before (Beckham, for example), but I'd rather they weren't. I'm a big critic of the way VAR has been used, but on balance both of those decisions were correct.

If you want to show where VAR has been totally idiotic, you'd absolutely look at the Lamptey on Mudryk – you couldn't see a clearer red card than that. But then VAR has history for being shocking when it comes to intentional contact with the player's head, either through forearm, elbow, shoulder – remember Azpi being absolutely assaulted by Mane in the final a couple of years ago? There have been loads of similar incidents in the last couple of seasons: Bruno Fernandes on Max Aarons last year particularly sticks in my head. Had a long good look at him (which you could obviously see on the replay) and then smashed him in the face with his forearm as they were running side by side. VAR had a glance and decided it was nothing.

17 May 2024 15:13:11
I remember Harry maguire kicking out at one of our players with far more force in the stomach and got absolutely nothing for it. Whether it’s right or wrong there needs to be consistency.

17 May 2024 20:46:00
Horans: and of course Keita's horror tackle on Chalobah that left cuts down his thigh that needed stitches, and no card. Yes, consistency would be great. I guess that's an issue with a subjective opinion, and why VAR is such a mess. When the ref makes a mistake on field you can understand it. When there's an extra ref looking at replays and they still make the same mistakes it's harder to swallow.

16 May 2024 17:01:06
Clubs will vote on VAR, hopefully they use mudryk being concussed off the ball and no red card given as a reason why it's a failure, it is the ones using / refereeing the VAR but it doesn't help, it is clear and obvious and the ones on var duty can't get anything right, just seen amrabat leave holes in back of Gordon's socks and VAR couldn't watch the replays and see it, too busy watching casermiro and not seen it, unreal.

16 May 2024 19:05:52
I don’t think VAR will b scrapped, 14 clubs need to be in favour. Also, before doing away with it efforts should be made to made improve it: it has made the right decision on many occasions.

16 May 2024 19:53:02
What they need to do is suspend it for next season then that gives them time to improve any changes they need to make to improve the system and it also gives them Time to thoroughly test it.

It should only be brought back in when clubs are sarusfied it will work for the clubs, players, officials and most importantly fans.

16 May 2024 20:48:50
It’s the officials behind var.

17 May 2024 11:52:08
Was just rewatching the highlights from the 4-1 win over spurs and Romero kicks out at Colwill after a tackle and VAR looked at it and said it was petulant but not violent. Looked pretty much identical to what James did at Brighton.

I don’t think VAR will be scrapped as i don’t think it’ll hit the 14 votes mark but i hope it gets 12-13, to give the PGMOL a massive kick up the arse. Major changes are needed in order to bring a much better level of consistency. In its current form it’s not fit for purpose.

16 May 2024 14:21:30
Chelsea have scored 100 goals this season
-Moved from 12th to 6th
-Last season we were 37 points behind 4th, now 8 points behind Villa (4th) this season
-The last time a Chelsea player scored 20 league goals was Diego costa ( 14, 15 season) Palmer has 22 this season
-spurs were tipped to win the league at a point, Chelsea are 3 points behind them

You can give credit to a manager while not rating him, and I'm doing just that, I was in the Poch out camp but now feel he deserves another season. The recruitment team have done a remarkable job with a number of signings and I'm trusting them to find the next gems to complete the squad. Patience was always key and I'm sure most on here will agree there has been huge improvement at the club this season and we are not far off sitting at that top table again.

16 May 2024 16:51:07
I think he’s done an amazing job tbf. Yeah the first half of the season wasn’t great but trying to impose a new philosophy/ tactic onto relatively inexperienced players who are entirely new to each other, was always going to take time. Time for players to build chemistry with each other and learn what runs/ passes each other makes etc. The most injuries in all of Europe also compounded how much harder it’s been and the fact the injuries were mostly to our most experienced players (Chilwell, Nkunku, James) having to play Colwill at left back as both Cucu and Chilwell were out then to have to play Cucu at RB a couple weeks later as both James and Gusto out etc. Trying to embed a philosophy amongst all of that must truly have been a struggle.

There are of course some massive disappointments. The cup final being the biggest. Also not playing Maatsen imo was a mistake.

16 May 2024 18:35:02
Give him another season. We have to really. Who else is there. He’s made some terrible substitute decisions. But so many injuries haven’t helped. I know Jackson is scoring a few, he needs to be replaced. And goal keeper. I’m not a fan of badiahille but I ain’t a fofana fan either. Both headless chickens with no positional sense. I think cucurella and chillwell can fight for left back, and James and gusto for right back. Midfield caiciedo has his place locked down, enzo I’m still not sure he is all that.

16 May 2024 21:39:41
We have conceded 62 goals in the PL this season, our worst ever in the PL. Whoever is coach season needs to concentrate on that.

16 May 2024 22:43:56
I would expect improvement next season all over the pitch.

I’m sure the squad will be refined and improved in the next window.

I will be pleased when the club announces the outcome of its seasons review. I want and believe Poch will be our manager for next season. I think virtually every player has improved throughout the season under the management of Poch.

16 May 2024 23:56:38
Tom, virtually every player has improved under Poch- nonsense.

17 May 2024 03:43:42
Jimbo, do you think the amount of goals we’ve conceded is down to tactics or individual player mistakes? Or perhaps it could be down to injuries? An inconsistent back line? Arsenal have the best defensive record this season in the PL. White/ Saliba/ Gabriel have played pretty much every single game. How many different CB pairing’s have we been forced into playing due to injuries. We’ve had LB’s playing at RB. CB’s at both RB and LB. Even had to promote and play Gilchrist (who’s done v well tbf so not knocking him) when he was unlikely to have even been in the frame before the season started.

In order to be defensively sound there needs to be a level of consistency at the back.

17 May 2024 06:13:42
Jimbo, all about opinions but I firmly they believe they have and it’s just one of the reasons I believe he deserves to start as our manager next season.

Fuser, I agree our goals against hasn’t been helped by having to use different defensive combinations.

17 May 2024 08:56:31
Tom, you absolutely right, it is all about opinions, if we are shared the same views things would get boring.
Fuser, you are right there needs to be a consistency in selection to build a defensive unit. However, I think there are other issues which pre-date Poch. In regards to set pieces, none of our FB/ WBs are strong in the air defensively and apart from Caicedo our midfielders and forwards are not defensively aware. Tactical issues come into it too, we always look vulnerable to set pieces. It is reported that we are bringing in CB and goalkeeper that might improve things but imo some of our defenders are just not good enough.

17 May 2024 10:29:36
Jimbo, the list of players who haven’t improved under Poch is in my opinion very short. Sterling, Sanchez, Silva. I would add that Enzo could have been on my list but I will hold fire as he carried a painful injury for eight months.

17 May 2024 11:04:59
I’d say with the spend / players in / out, managers in / out I’d say we are a year behind this project. The potter experiment didn’t work, Plan was champions league this season,
From where we were, I recall 16 games in, 12th, goal difference 0, we have improved, as a team and individuals, that includes poch,

The next window is by far the most important,
We’ve got some great young players, who will be better, there young, this window needs to be no more potential and youth, we are stacked, get
Some proven world class and experience,

It may not excite the fans but it’s what the squad needs,

Chalobah needs to stay too,

Before this seasons even finished I’d say next season, be amongst the top 2/ 3 teams but top 4 should be minimum with (hopefully) good cup run in Europa.

17 May 2024 14:15:23
Matt I’m pretty sure a dedicated set piece coach has been signed and is joining in the summer, so hopefully we’ll see improvement in that department.

17 May 2024 17:18:47
Tom, Disasi, Badioashile, Mudryk haven’t improved. Colwill has gone backwards having been played out of position. Caicedo and Cucurella have only recently moved towards their performances at their previous club. Gusto was good from the start and surely you are not giving credit to Poch for Palmer. I don’t buy into the myth that Poch brings on young players. The two biggest improvements by young Chelsea players are Maatsen and Hutchinson.

17 May 2024 17:58:19
Disasi was showing significant signs of improvement before his injury and BB has improved in every game since his injury.

Caicedo had a shaky start but has for some some time been showing his class and Cucarella has been asked to play in different positions and has answered every question asked of him from the moment he came back into the team.

Gusto was good going forward at the start of the season but lacked defensive discipline but that side of his game has improved measurably.

CG is no longer a headless chicken.

Jackson is still learning but at last looks a threat.

Noni has truly surprised me with his overall contribution.

Mudryk at long last is displaying some intelligence and work rate.

Colwill was playing very well and improving from game to game. Shame about his injury.

Of course I’m giving credit to Poch for Palmer. He is now contributing goals as well as assists and the manager is picking him. I suppose I should thank City for selling us such a rough diamond.

Pleased that Maatsen and Hutchinson have improved through the season. Good luck to them.

17 May 2024 18:10:57
Tom, we are all entitled to believe what we want- as I said I don’t accept the myth. Palmer was never a rough diamond.

17 May 2024 19:22:25
Obviously we are entitled to believe what we want.

You may well get your way and Poch isn’t our manager for next season. If the players carry on improving under his management can only be good. I was unaware of any “myth” about Poch improving young players but he certainly has this season.

If you think Palmer was anywhere near the finished article when he joined our club you are mistaken. He has improved throughout the season and his manager was Poch not Pep.