14 Apr 2026 15:30:04
Surely we must be in the running to snap up Iraola now he has announced his departure from Bournemouth. Knows the Premier League, plays front foot football, organised and has an outstanding record developing players.
14 Apr 2026 18:27:52
I think he may well be going to Utd. If we do make a manager change, he would have been my second choice.
14 Apr 2026 18:29:04
Greenaway, one would think so, but I'm convinced the owners will stick with LR whatever happens. If the owners sack LR, they surely would have to sack the SDs as well.
14 Apr 2026 18:56:23
Tom, fair enough. I think most of us would be happy with our second choice if it comes to that.
14 Apr 2026 19:13:26
Tom, I think you are right about Iraola, and it looks like Alonso will be at Liverpool. This worries me: two big teams who have been very poor but are still above us. Their owners do not have delusional strategies regarding only buying young players, and both clubs want to win trophies next season, not in some distant time in the future.
If we start next season with the same strategy and LR, we will struggle to make the top six, and our demise will be cemented.
14 Apr 2026 19:47:46
Jimbo, nothing is that definite. LR may well prove a lot of people/fans wrong, and after a pre-season he could surprise a few people.
Anyway, as always I would support the manager and team regardless, and I hope he is our manager for the next ten years!!
14 Apr 2026 20:26:51
Just out of curiosity, Tom, what league is 10 below the PL?
14 Apr 2026 21:00:32
Haha Bill, if results aren't forthcoming early next season then in my opinion we will be looking for yet another manager, if only to cover the tracks of the people who keep making these poor managerial choices.
14 Apr 2026 21:20:38
If Liam is our coach at the start of next season, we will be relegated and go into administration, just like Spurs will do if they go down this season.
14 Apr 2026 21:23:46
Greenaway, I doubt we would be relegated whoever the manager is.
15 Apr 2026 00:04:04
Tom, a pre-season isn't going to make LR into a good coach. It might make things even worse. If there is to be a change, it needs to be at the end of the season. Any coaches who might make a difference will be snapped up. I believe that this summer will be very significant for the club in terms of our direction.
Does LR stay? If not, who replaces him? Which players leave? Who will replace them? I used to look forward to the next season with genuine hope and excitement, but not anymore.
15 Apr 2026 05:10:15
Jimbo, I am not saying a pre-season will make LR into a good coach, but it will give him a chance to work with players and allow the SDs, owners, and maybe the fans to judge him with no excuses.
I have always seen the start of a season as an opportunity to succeed. I am concerned about football as a product, but maybe that's just me.
15 Apr 2026 08:43:57
There won't be any succeeding going on with the current set up.... LR needs to go asap and Shields and Stewart can follow him out the door.
15 Apr 2026 09:04:17
Tom,
You just can't give a coach ten games before sacking him. Where are we going to find a good coach from, Gary O' bloody Neill?
15 Apr 2026 09:14:40
Bill, I'm only saying what I think will happen.
If I am correct, and, sadly, he is seen as yet another manager failure after 10/15 games, we will then be looking for yet another manager who can join mid season, and that may well end up being a manager swap between us and Strasbourg.
I personally hope that doesn't happen, because, like a lot of fans, I want him to be a success.
15 Apr 2026 12:33:46
Shields and Stewart.
Isn't it Wistanly and Stewart that are the sporting directors???
{Ed001's Note - you have 5 sporting directors, the 3 mentioned and Fallows and Jewell.}
15 Apr 2026 14:10:58
Blimey, only five? I assume one of them is the ultimate boss?
{Ed001's Note - there seems to be 2.}
15 Apr 2026 15:38:53
Men's Team
Paul Winstanley: Co-Sporting Director. He joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion in late 2022.
Laurence Stewart: Co-Sporting Director. He joined the club from AS Monaco in early 2023.
In August 2025, both Winstanley and Stewart reportedly signed six-year contract extensions, solidifying their long-term roles under the Clearlake Capital-Boehly ownership.
They oversee the entire sporting operation, including scouting, data, and recruitment.
Key Recruitment Leadership
Working directly under the co-sporting directors are several high-profile recruitment specialists:
Joe Shields: Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent.
**Sam Jewell: Head of Global Recruitment (joined from Brighton in 2024).
{Ed001's Note - Dave Fallows as well. Also employed as a co-director. They need to sort it out and clearly delineate one person to be in overall command.}
15 Apr 2026 15:37:03
The 2 in charge is wistanley and Stewart isn't it ed.
{Ed001's Note - mainly, yes.}
15 Apr 2026 22:17:23
Why do you think they have so many in this role ed. Genuinely interested in your opinion
{Ed001's Note - they are trying to be clever and think that spreading the workload out will improve performance. They may well be right in that, but you need one person decision maker to control it or it becomes a committee and nothing ever gets done.}