03 May 2026 07:51:15
3 wins from our last 4 fixtures should give us 6th place and a possible Champions League spot if Villa win the Europa League and finish 5th.
Hardly anything to be shouting about but after the quite stupid decision of the club not to back Maresca (we would of likely finished top 3 or 4 comfortably) and appoint Liam I guess it is all we can hope for, win the FA Cup and put another pot in the trophy cabinet and I would consider it a very good season but I'm old school and only about winning trophies and making memories on the terraces with limbs flying everywhere.
Will be a tough ask but still all to play for.
03 May 2026 10:21:35
Greenaway and Maresca got caught like a little child with his hands in a sweaty jar having secret meetings with Man City.
I have never been a fan of changing managers mid season, but on this occasion the club was left with little choice but to part ways.
03 May 2026 13:20:32
And there lies the whole problem with the way the club is run, Tom. We have inexperienced, control-freak sporting directors who didn't like Maresca (and Poch and TT before him) standing up to them and asking for more of a say in how to move forwards.
Both Poch and Maresca walked because of them, and that is why we are now in this mess, and the same thing will continue to happen unless change is made.
03 May 2026 14:38:09
Maresca wanted the City job. He could have gold the club he was negotiating a deal with City for this summer, but instead he went behind the club's back. Any respect I had for him has disappeared.
I never wanted TT because he falls out with everyone, so him going was no surprise. I also never wanted Poch, mainly as I see him as a habitual loser.
All the managers since TT have known the structure before they willingly took the gig.
I assume the next manager will also be aware of how Chelsea is now run. If they don't like it, then don't sign up as manager!!
My guess is all the managers appointed under this ownership have been given an opportunity for input, but sometimes the player or players a manager wants is not available.
Remember we had what looked like plenty of RA signings that looked from the outside as vanity owners signings.
03 May 2026 15:11:07
Tom, none of us know for certain the details about all 3 of those departures, but the bottom line is something clearly needs to change or we will continue to slide away. I admire your loyalty (and Bill's) towards the sporting directors and club owners, but their recruitment and inability to back the managers when they ask for something is holding us back. Maresca wanted a centre back to replace Levi, and also wanted some more experience in the side to take us to the next level. When he was told he couldn't have it, he felt the club didn't match his ambition and then started looking around (tapped up).
Who can blame him? Poch did the same, and the whole process will continue unless the club changes direction. Liam got the job because he was a Blue.co yes man, but look how that ended. Hopefully the owners change course and allow the likes of TT, Maresca, Poch and whoever the next one is to guide the ship before it sinks. There is so much good in place with player recruitment, but their meddling and insistence on making all the decisions without adequate input from the head coach has to change.
03 May 2026 15:23:11
The problem is the so-called structure, 5 SDs who are promoted above their competence, plus a head of global goalkeeping who couldn't find a keeper if one came up to him and poked him in the eye. Presumably the process is committee decision making.
Committees do not lead to strong leadership, nor to good decisions. If people are happy with that, fine, but it will not lead to success on the field. May as well give the job to Callum.
03 May 2026 15:42:33
We are all guessing but Ed posted about the Maresca secret conversations with City. I have zero interest in him after that revelation.
I sincerely hope the structure changes but at the moment that seems unlikely. I had no problems with committee unless they disagreed with my decision. My view is there has to be a person ultimately responsible within a committee.
I have no idea about the so called "competence of our SD's. I have a mate tell me a horror story about one of them but that could well driven by his own shortcomings. It would appear to me that the vast majority of clubs supporters regularly slaughter their respective SD, s.
03 May 2026 16:06:11
The appointment of LR on a six year contract is a prime example of their incompetence.
03 May 2026 16:07:35
One further point, and I am fed up with saying it. I have zero loyalty towards any of the SDs and certainly not our current owners who I "never" wanted.
I support the club.
03 May 2026 16:15:04
I have only wanted one manager since Conte, and that turned out to be a disaster.
The decision makers who appointed a string of managers need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Getting rid of Maresca, I do not blame them for it.
03 May 2026 16:35:49
I am not really concerned about past managers or why they departed. I am concerned about the future. If things don't change, we are doomed to mid-table mediocrity. I really hope the owners have a proper "reflection" rather than a superficial one. It doesn't really fill me with confidence that one board member berated supporters at a meeting, saying "we will f****** have one of the best teams in the world in a few years." Talk about delusional! I can't remember his name and can't be arsed to look it up.
He is that hack columnist for The Times.
03 May 2026 16:36:11
Greenaway,
Not quite sure why you think I have loyalty to the SDs or the ownership.
I don't know how many times on here I have criticised both the SDs and owners.
The SDs for recruitment of both players and coaches, and the owners for a lack of a permanent FOS and lack of movement on the stadium.
The owners we can do nothing about for another 7 years, but we can and should get rid of all 5 SDs.
Regarding Maresca, it was he who wanted to leave mid season, playing everything out in the media. The club had no choice but to part ways, but I'm sure they did not want to do it mid season if they had a choice.
03 May 2026 17:31:04
Jimbo, you are totally right. The problem lies with the sporting directors, who are so arrogant and full of themselves. They may be decent scouts, but they have been elevated to positions where they are out of their depth, such as appointing and working with head coaches. Bill and Tom, you constantly defend them for not backing Maresca with what he wanted, as that is your view, but better qualified SDs would have listened and reached compromise, at least until the end of the season.
I don't blame Maresca one bit for walking away with the way Winstanley and Lawrence treated him, storming into the dressing room after games, etc. He just had enough in the end, as did Poch, who walked away. They just want a yes man, and unless a new SD in the mould of Emenalo comes in together with a proper experienced coach, this highly talented group of players will all leave and we will slip into oblivion.
03 May 2026 18:01:15
My worry with the SDs is that they will appoint Marvo Silva after his team lost 3-0 yesterday.
Their thoughts are that he will fit in well, as LR liked to lose 3-0 as well.
03 May 2026 18:07:48
I have not seen a report suggesting that any SD 'stormed' into a dressing room, and a poster some time ago suggested that the owners insisted on a player playing.
As I understand, the manager is responsible for training, tactics and team selection. It's reported that managers do have a say in recruitment.
As far as I'm concerned, Maresca could have easily expressed his intentions to the board and negotiated an agreement to leave at the end of the season.
That, for me, would have been the professional thing to do. Instead, apparently he got found out and then had to come clean. No respect for the man, but I guess it's common behaviour in football.
03 May 2026 18:22:15
Bill, unfortunately, you might be right. It's difficult to envisage any half decent coach wanting to join the circus. The LR appointment was like asking a 10 year old kid if he would like to run a sweet shop.
03 May 2026 20:55:04
It wasn't a clever appointment and that grass isn't always greener.
03 May 2026 20:58:51
If my mate is right, we are negotiating "terms" with Alonso.
I think him and the Bournemouth manager look half decent.
03 May 2026 21:42:53
Tom, logically, sometimes the grass is greener. It depends where you look; anything is greener than Joe 90.
04 May 2026 01:40:38
The clue was in the word "always."
04 May 2026 08:53:50
The grass is always greener when the summer finishes and winter comes.
04 May 2026 08:59:10
Tom,
I think we are talking to a number of coaches, and the massive five SDs, coupled with the many owners, are totally confusing themselves.
I believe, like yourself, I wanted Hoeness, but that is unlikely. My second choice would have been the Bournemouth coach. We will probably get Silva, and then it's rinse and repeat.
04 May 2026 11:11:56
Bill, it looks to me as if Hoeness is going to Liverpool. My second choice was Iraola, but I will be happy enough if my mate is correct and we get Alonso.
I watched a lot of German football when his team won the league, and I have to admit to not being that impressed.
When I saw them, they played three at the back, and I'm not a fan of that shape. Of course, that could just be making use of the players you have in your squad.