20 Feb 2025 09:24:28
So it begins, I have read there is going to be a fans protest outside the Bridge prior to the Southampton game. Not against the team or Maresca but about the American owners.
I also see that TB wants some experience in the squad, something us fans have been calling for.
20 Feb 2025 11:47:30
Thanks for this info Bill. The move against the tried and tested policy of mingling in inexeperienced youth with experienced players in spine of team has condemned us to struggle to make progress despite the billions spent.
I think this last transfer window - when midfield stripped of possinle back up in Chucky and Casadei, Veiga loaned out (who could cover LB abd LCB), no striker/ prolific attacker added, and likes of Santos and possibly Petrovic not recalled as back up for Lavia and cos of GK worries - was the last straw.
The ownership of this club - and presumably SDs instructed by them - are seemingly compoletely unconcerned with us winning anything significant any time soon or even trying to ensure ECL qualification.
I think Eghbali has been the main culprit among the owners in seemingly siding with SDs v TB in question of firing Poch who - whatever you thought about him in terms of long term manager for CFC - he surely knew more about football and judging the players he had (who sho stay who should go) and what the squad needed in terms of additions than those who got rid of him.
CFC players could respect him as an Argentinian international as a player, but who also had at least something of a pedegree as an inexperienced manager in top flight football having won the French league, and taken Spurs (of all teams) to an ECL final. He also got us very good cup runs at least and only behind top 2 in EPL in points gained in last fifteen games. He also seemed well liked by all in the hugely injury hit squad.
OK he's history. Yet then if he was fired for performance of the hugely injury hit squad, why go and replace him with such a relatively inexperienced manager who had never done the job at the top flight level before. It seemed an insane gamble to many of us at the time though building perhaps on confidence from end of last seasdon we had a pretty good firts half of this one. But presumably EM appointment was on the basis that EM would just have to take decisions not be part of any of them - except bringing in KDH? - and be cheaper!
Now poor old EM has also been left with what looks like a perilously thin squad lacking in confidence and hovering on the brink of potential complete meltdown in what remains of the season. Though we still live in hope that this doesn't happen, yet quite hard to see where many goals are going to come from beyond CP, and our defence looks sieve like.
So we must get behind the team and its in many ways hapless if stubborn and apparently somewhat tactically limited manager. But quite right for fans to protest against a transfer policy overseen by the football ignorant owners and more miss than hit (on ytransfers) SDs seemingly only focused on Vision 2030 and trading in youngsters only - which is not to say that some of these youngesters are not great prospects. Plus there is something of a ticketing scandal - so many ending up on non CFC sites at inflated prices - to protest about as well!
Apologies for repeating much of what I've argued before but it has acted as some sort of masochistic therapy.
20 Feb 2025 12:23:33
Totally agree with your post JBS.
It will be interesting if the media builds up the protest which will then lead to story after story, 'chelsea in crisis'
20 Feb 2025 13:31:55
In my opinion its ridiculous. Again where were these protests before Xmas when we were 1 win away from being top.
When things start going wrong and results aren't what we expect then let's protest, the owners have spent over a billion, yes some if not most of them have been poor and the CF and GK haven't been addressed but come on. I'd understand if the owners came in spent 50 million.
20 Feb 2025 14:33:21
SteveCfc
I get that they have spent a great deal of money and I also get they have admitted in their early ownership, they were badly advised.
That been said whether correct or not, they went down the route of buying young players, what I don't get is many of them have not been given a chance but loaned out or sold.
When they went down this route the SD's job surely was to advise them that they needed experience and leaders in the side.
The other issue for me was bringing in an inexperienced coach to guide a young squad, this squad needs experienced leadership.
20 Feb 2025 17:20:54
Bill is right imho Steve Cfc . its not. that the owners haven't spent vast sums they obviously have. But it's the problem that despite all the spending they have failed to build a side that is the desirable mix of youth and experience with a strong spine from GK through to prolific scorer/ scorers. Instead one gets the idea that they are gambling overly on youth and relative inexperience- including in the manager who also did well in first half of season with Championship title favourites Leicester before they faded in second half. That's what seems to have been happening in last ten games despite close run win v the Hammers. That's when things started to go wrong as many of us feared it. might even while enjoying our good spell but pointing out ongoing defensive frailties and concern of lack of support for Jackson up front and way in which the manager had sidelined ( on orders from above? I don't know) so many of what had looked like at least a deep squad from EPL game time. Then that January window.
But hope you're right and we are all. over reacting and EM will get us ECL qualification.
20 Feb 2025 18:03:36
JBS, I certainly wasn’t fooled by our start to the season. I always felt we would struggle without signing a top class keeper, at least one experienced CB and a striker. To make things worse we appointed a coach with no pedigree or experience and conducted an awful summer transfer window. We will struggle to make top 5 and are fortunate that Spurs and Man U are dreadful. Any changes need to be made at the top of the structure starting with the SDs who are clearly out of their depth. I am sorry that I keep repeating the same things. As things are going I am beginning not to care anymore.
20 Feb 2025 18:18:24
Boehly without Clearlake much more likely to be a success, he is a person with the sporting experience Clearlake all about money.
20 Feb 2025 20:13:23
Probably correct Seymns2.
21 Feb 2025 09:44:41
I think we are repeating ourselves - and I've done this more than most recently - because it is hard to believe that the club haven't both noticed and been able to do something about the weaknesses you have stressed. But it is tiring going on and on doing this to no effect. I have also found the ticketing scandal - with so many tickets popping up on commercial ticket vending sites plus inflated sums while non-season ticket members struggle ever to get a chance to buy one save in extrotionately priced Westview - pretty alienating.
Yes seymns2 I think you are right about TB who at least has successful background in sports ownership even if not football.
21 Feb 2025 11:17:24
One thing I will say, it's an absolutely embarrassing feat to spend over a billion pounds and find ourselves in this situation. The people responsible for this mess should no longer be in there positions. I said it a year ago I'll say it again, put any one of us in there position and I near guarantee we'd do a better job.
21 Feb 2025 18:52:57
Standard interesting to see if us posters were sporting Directors where the club would be,
As a sporting Director would of kept any of our last 4 managers don't mind Maresca but don't think he is an upgrade on any of the previous three.
Would of bought Kepa back and purchased a striker Groykeres from Coventry at the time, Palmer is the standout top purchase that wasn't obvious and I would of missed , would of kept one experienced midfielder Jorginiho and would of made Thiago Silva player and assistant manager.
God knows where we would be with me in charge ha ha.
21 Feb 2025 19:55:48
Seymns, as SD I would have kept Tuchel and would not appointed the following ones including Maresca. I too would have kept Silva in a coaching role and I would also have missed Palmer but I think that signing was more luck than judgement. I certainly wouldn’t have signed any of the players we brought in last summer. We should take over as joint SDs. Lol.
23 Feb 2025 19:37:31
I wouldn’t have signed Felix or KDH and that’s because they are bad players, I just didn’t think we needed them. I would have also kept Chuka and Ugo in our first team squad.
I would have signed Neto every day of the week but probably sold Noni.