01 Apr 2024 13:24:59
Standard has written an article entitled My review of every Chelsea signing under Boehly. Just my opinion, other opinions are welcome.
01 Apr 2024 15:09:31
Happy Aprils Fool Day Standard.
Player signings and there abilities is all about personal opinion. So I have zero comment to make about your review.
The new owners inherited a team that had lost two CH’s on free transfers and virtually no quality cover for the RB or LB position.
They also had a CF who couldn’t hit the barn door with a banjo and another who no longer wanted to be at the club. Also, a LW who was never a premiership player and a RW who was always injured.!
We also have a homegrown fans favourite who apparently who couldn’t agree terms with the club he loved. A loan CM who wasn’t hardly used and probably not good enough, another who wanted to leave. On top of these three we had one of the clubs best ever midfielder getting an offer the player couldn’t refuse.
On top of all this they also had little choice but to replace two goalkeepers, both who got regular pelters from fans on this site.
We then have fans getting angry at the sale of home grown players. It’s happened at our club many times before these owners took over and it’s understandable that fans feel affinity towards these players but we have to except we are a business.
The new owners have made decisions I don’t agree with. In a perfect world they should have given themselves more time before making some signings in the early part of there tenure. They have admitted mistakes were made and tried to rectify those early errors.
I am a supporter who has suggested we lack player leadership. Im not sure that observation is fair or should be a criticism of the owners. Recently I see Petrovic becoming more vocal and I think Enzo is showing signs of leadership and that comment also applies to Jackson.
For me the owners took advantage of a long term contract situation that had been used at our club and other clubs before they took over. I suppose it could come back to bite us on the backside but I haven’t seen any proof of that being the case to date.
I didn’t want TT sack but I think his football was a durge. I did want Potter and I wasn’t happy when the owners pulled up stamps on his Chelsea career. I thought it was a massive mistake to reappoint Lamps, I remember the cries on this site of how things couldn’t get any worse, well it did. I didn’t want Poch as our manager but now I don’t want him sacked this season or next season.
I am obviously disappointed with our premiership position and some of out performances this season but for me it was predictable although I did get a bit carried away after our good pre season. I still think we will finish between 6th-8th in the premiership and as I said at the beginning of the season a “cup pot” would be brilliant. In my opinion we were unlucky in the league cup but we will be at Wembley again soon for a semi that will be tough but not impossible to win.
As always, COME on MY MIGHTY BLUES.
01 Apr 2024 17:12:35
Tom, as to your point about lack of leadership of the players, you are right but there is a lack of leadership at the club from top to bottom. This was evidenced by Poch choosing James and Chilwell as Captain and Vice Captain respectively. Neither has leadership skillls and I suspected as did many other supporters that they would spend much of the season on the treatment table, which has turned out to be the case. Another season with Poch would finish me off. The last two seasons have been the least enjoyable in the time I have supported the club and, once again, I can’t wait for the season to be over.
As for the league CF I disagree that we were unlucky, we got to a final with easy draws and blew it. Losing a final is a failure.
01 Apr 2024 18:05:30
Jimbo, I can sort of understand the logic of picking James and Chilly as captain and vice captain. With both being on the treatment table for long periods of time it now doesn’t look such a good idea. Unlike some fans I had no idea that there injury woes would continue into this season.
I have a feeling that the owners will stick with Poch next season just to see if things work out. I wanted Naglesham as our manager and if Poch does get the sack he would still be my choice.
It’s obvious if you lose any match it’s a “failure” but sometimes a performance doesn’t get what it deserves.
01 Apr 2024 20:20:58
All we have done is send a striker out who doesn’t want to play for us but is still way better than what we have, replace a striker that can’t hit a barn door with a banjo for someone else who can’t hit a barn door with two banjos. It’s not worked out great for the owners due to them not knowing anything about football And being surrounded by people who they have listened to that know nothing about football. And then bringing in a manager that is awful and people wouldn’t look and hasn’t won anything. I think we have got some half decent players and the rest should go we haven’t the right manager and this homegrown bollox for me is stupid if there not good enough they shouldn’t be there the likes of Gallagher he’s not good enough for us to move forward he’s been ok this season due to others being injured is he Bellingham NO these are the player the old Chelsea would be fighting for. In that note I do think we have some good young talent that are not currently with the club but on loan. Let’s be right as well what a signing Palmer has been if he’s not playing you don’t know where the goal threat is and again not a surprise he’s linked with already leaving the ship and looking for a better option (don’t fault him) all expectation has been taken out the club and everything Roman built has gone to ruins. The Americans went big like they always do but unfortunately for us they got it wrong we must try and keep the half decent players and build round them and see where we go for there. I’d get rid of the likes of James Chilwell just due not not being fit I also remembering one of the Ed’s saying James doesn’t really look after himself well rather like Hazard and the way he was.
End of the day season ticket holder arm chair watcher doesn’t matter where not the Chelsea we was and we are far from it the Americans have come in and got it wrong hopefully they turn it a round but the Roman Empire and everything it stood for has been destroyed with in a season. Up the mighty blues.
01 Apr 2024 20:39:42
Tom, love the April fools Day comment. Nice to see you retain your humour despite your troubles. I will say though, that by not changing Poch any time soon we are simply kicking the can down the road. We clearly have very talented players who just need a bit of guidance and organisation, not to mention discipline. The confidence is lacking and true leadership is required at the top (Poch) . Sadly he is just not a winner and would struggle to find any top club in Europe to take him on. Spurs sacked him, PSG sacked him (and he was out of work for a good while until we took him on) . We need a winner, a
great motivator, a disciplinarian, a tactician and someone who can release the great potential of these players. Some of the worlds greatest managers wanted to sign our players, and for a reason as well, they saw the talent, the potential. As an example, if Moises had gone to Liverpool, they also offered over £100 million, he would now be seen as a world superstar under Klopp. They also saw the talent, just as our recruitment team did. Replace Poch with Klopp and we challenge on all fronts (won't happen of course) . who is out there?
01 Apr 2024 21:16:02
Nib, we were very successful in the Roman era but let’s not think that mistakes weren’t made. I’ve said before that a stat suggests that about 20% of all signings don’t work out and certainly in the RA era we had a few poor signings and that includes Lukaku. Also, Jackson in my opinion is a massive upgrade on Werner.
G8. We made at least two signings in the summer window where the valuation was almost out of our control.
As for Poch going now, well as I put in my post I remember so many on this site calling for Potter to sacked. My warning was “things can get worse. ” Obviously I didn’t want to proved right but the same applies now. Things can get a lot worse and any new manager appointed as a caretaker or permanent can be a lot worse than Poch.
I made my case for not appointing Poch at the start of the season. My reasons had nothing to do with him being ex Spurs but so many on this site posted about him having a track record of improving young players. Obviously the club thought the same and now he is our manager and he will get my support this season and next season.
01 Apr 2024 21:43:23
Why Tom? Poch is taking us backwards, why put up with that? The great thing about our huge domination of English football under Roman was he was ruthless. It starts and ends with the manager. Potter was so far out of his depth it was sad to see. Had to go. Poch is utterly hopeless, why on earth would you keep him? Roman was smart in that respect, ruthless to the core. I hope Clearlake follow that example, if they don't, we are in trouble.
01 Apr 2024 22:48:11
The ratings are your opinion and that’s valid but I really don’t understand some of them. Andre Santos gets 7/ 10 but Casadei 3/ 10 even tho Santos cost more, didn’t play at all the first half of the season out on loan and has played about 4 games at Strasbourg. Whereas Casadei was playing most games at Leicester and got a few goals + assists. I do agree with quite a bit of the others though. Think some of the younger players get a bit of a hard shift like casadei, Ugochukwu etc.
02 Apr 2024 01:09:35
It was hard fuser as I haven't seen many of them play. In hindsight I probably should have jusy reviewed first team players as I was just picking a number.
All in all its been a calamitous 2 years and I cannot agree with g8 that we have 'clearly talented players' because they have not shown it at all.
02 Apr 2024 03:31:42
G8, im not against sacking Poch but who do we replace him with? It’s not going to be Mourinho, that’s been covered repeatedly, there’s only 1 advisor in favour of him. Alonso is staying at Leverkausen, Amorim is the only other stand out imo and I think he might end up at Liverpool. Who else is there? Nagelsmann? Maybe. Flick, maybe. De Zerbi, no thanks and think Utd/ Barca/ Bayern want him. Michel at Girona is doing well but he’s part of the City group so I imagine he’ll wait for Pep to leave in a year or 2. Southgate? Hard pass.
Nagelsmann could extend at Germany, maybe go to Liverpool if they don’t get Amorim. Not sure who else is interested in him. Flick might go back to Bayern for a year whilst they wait it out for Alonso.
In the end we might miss out on all of them even if we sacked Poch tomorrow.
02 Apr 2024 05:22:50
Potter, may well not have ever been a successful Chelsea manager but let’s be fair. He inherited a bloated squad of players a percentage of which didn’t want to be there and unlike Poch he didn’t have the benefit of a pre season. Apparently and only according to some outlets his performance record at Chelsea is comparable to Poch. We will never know how it would have turned out if he had been given more time but I am convinced under his management we would have got more points than Lamps did.
The point I’m making isn't very compelling for Poch but it is just an example of how the grass isn't always greener and things can get worse.
If we finish the season between 6th-8th I see that as progress. This young team will have learned a lot this season and so should have Poch. Also, it can only help the players getting to Wembley twice. I personally think we only need a few players to create a well balanced team. I also think there will be a lot of players leaving the club in the summer. So I think Poch should be given an extended chance to prove he can be a winner in this country.
02 Apr 2024 07:07:13
G8, Clearlake have been far more “ruthless” than Roman ever was!
02 Apr 2024 09:22:56
Tom, you mention that some posters suggested that Poch had a good track record for improving young players, I do recall some people saying that. However, I’m not sure what that is based on. Even if it is true, that is not the main function of the head coach otherwise what is the point of employing a shedload of coaches. The head coach should be focused on the tactics, identity and mentality of the team. Poch has never proved he is a winner anywhere he has been; how many chances does he need?
02 Apr 2024 09:36:36
Fuser. That is a very good question and I as you know my choice would be Jose. Amorim is doing well in Portugal but can he transfer that to the Premier League? Hansi Flick maybe?
Tom. The most ruthless act I have witnessed was the sacking of Carlo in the tunnel after winning the Cup Final. Roman was No.1 for ruthlessness.
02 Apr 2024 11:23:35
Jimbo, I assume the theory of Poch improving young players was based on something he did at the Spuds.
G8, I’ve said this many times I would almost any other manager rather than having Jose back for a third time. I have heard good reports about the manager from SL and I always wanted Naglsemann but I guess he won’t be free until after the Euros and if they do well he could well stay on.
I don’t think Roman ever had three managers in one season and I don’t think how they were sacked is a measurement of being ruthless.
I repeat to a those who always call for a manager to be sacked. It is no guarantee of success and things can get a lot worse.
02 Apr 2024 17:21:43
Tom, it is unsatisfactory that we might have to sack another coach but the problem is that the club made a very poor choice. There is nothing so have seen this season or in Poch’s history to indicate he can bring us back to a team that is competitive at the highest level. Things might get worse but they may also get a lot better.
02 Apr 2024 18:41:14
Jimbo, that’s why I haven’t used the words “will get worse” and used the words “can get worse. ”
I am just expressing caution in the same way I did when fans on this site were clamouring for Potter to be sacked.
I made my observation about Poch when he was appointed. Once he was hired as our manager he gets my support but just to clarify my situation/ feelings, when I think the manager deserves criticism I will dish it out as I have done on numerous occasions this season. I then look at the alternatives to Poch and I cannot see that many who I think will make a significant difference.
Some on this site want Jose. Not for me thanks, I can’t see why the club would go down the route of employing such a divisive character. I’m sure some will take TT back, I would rather watch paint dry than endure a season more of his football. Both have a legend status with fans, let’s just leave it as it is.
I can only see two alternatives, both of whom are employed. The lad from SL gets good things said about him but he has generally played with a back three and the prospect of seeing that again at the Bridge doesn’t fill me full of joy. Nagelsmann was my first choice in from of Poch but he could well be extending his contract.
The question has been asked by a lot of other poster's. Who are the real alternatives that the majority of fan will be happy with?
I have said I think Poch stays for this season and will be our manager at the start of next season. If I’m wrong it won’t be the first time.