Chelsea Banter 4

20 Apr 2026 07:39:17
{Ed's Note - Greenaway has posted a new article entitled, Chelsea's Bigger Problem Behind the Scenes

20 Apr 2026 01:49:57
The fight that both Liverpool and Villa put up is the main reason we aren't getting European football.

Liverpool have been absolute dogs water this season and will still qualify, down to our inability to show anything under Liam.

I don't mind having a season without European competition, on the condition Liam is sacked. If he remains, I'd expect a large number of international supporters stop setting alarms.

19 Apr 2026 17:53:31
A sign last night at the game read £1.4 billion and I miss Victor Moses.

19 Apr 2026 18:13:41
I miss Bovril and sherry from the little hut/caravan in the corner of the shed.

19 Apr 2026 18:37:43
Blimey, Tom, you paid £1.4 bil for Novril and sherry?

19 Apr 2026 18:41:00
Looks like top 5 places in the PL are settled. Not sure if 6th place will qualify for the CL, but frankly, I doubt we will end up in the top 6. In any event, we are not good enough to be in the competition. At least the title race is still open.

19 Apr 2026 19:00:42
Anyone who qualifies for the competition is good enough in my book.

I seem to remember a Bovril and sherry from under the counter was 3d (about 1.5 pence). I also seem to remember admission for kids was 10d (about 5p). It truly was a working class game in those days!!

19 Apr 2026 19:24:26
Tom, you are obviously reading the wrong books. I was waiting for your typical response.

19 Apr 2026 19:39:46
Don't wait for me. I just have zero problems in how we qualify for any competition.

The last time we won the Champions League, I think, we finished 4th in the Premiership to qualify. They don't put the previous year's league position on the trophy.

19 Apr 2026 21:34:04
The World Cup and Champions League have been extended (diluted) for political purposes by the corrupt officials to obtain votes, to ensure they retain their seats on the gravy train paid by football lovers around the globe. If anyone thinks qualifying for the CL in sixth place in an extremely poor Premier League is an achievement, well...

19 Apr 2026 21:57:56
Tom, I remember paying 50p to move from the shed to the benches in the west stand and the peanut sellers, they were the days.

19 Apr 2026 22:02:07
I don't care how we qualify for a competition. I do care that, if we qualify on a technicality, it isn't used to dilute the manner in which a clearly unacceptable season is reviewed.

19 Apr 2026 22:11:28
Greenaway, the worst thing about the old West Stand was the toilets, or, to be more accurate, the toilet. 🤢

20 Apr 2026 06:59:13
J, I couldn't agree more, mate. Like you, I couldn't care less how we qualify for a competition, but no way should qualification be used to paper over some significant shortcomings.

20 Apr 2026 09:00:38
We have several teams breathing down our necks. Now is not the best time to talk about European qualification. Currently, our form is probably near the bottom 3 if not in it.

20 Apr 2026 09:08:36
Bill, now is the time for everyone to support the team and manager in getting the best league position possible.

20 Apr 2026 10:04:30
Bill, mate, when you wanted Maresca out, I told you what might well happen.

20 Apr 2026 10:24:19
Greenway, Maresca out because he started behaving like a spoilt child. Regardless, the morons in charge of the process decided Liam was the answer, but then it was most likely decided by the same people who have signed an endless list of comedy signings in the past few years, so it's not a massive surprise.

20 Apr 2026 14:25:15
I have not generally been a fan of our current owners' and manager's decisions, but then when I look back over the last 20+ years I have only been ok with about three manager signings.

In fact, I'm always happy with the rumours of us signing someone I rate, but I'm very rarely happy with the players the club eventually sign for the last 60 years ish.



I guess I've always been a miserable old git.

20 Apr 2026 17:53:51
Maybe Tom, but as long as I can remember, the decision making has never been worse. We are on the verge of an absolute disaster, being led by people that are clearly massively incompetent.

20 Apr 2026 18:48:58
The present owners certainly made many initial mistakes. From the outside it looked as if they came up with a plan to sign young players with potential. Those players were put on very long contracts but on PRP. I can sort of understand that plan, but there are two parts I question. 1) Why act so quickly, and why not use young academy players throughout that process. 2) I am not as obsessed with age as some fans, as I am not sure age is necessarily a barrier to leadership. So, why not sign leaders, particularly in key areas.

Outside of the so called plan, I have two further issues. 1) Ticket prices and availability to members. 2) Away fans in The Shed should be stopped.



Your post uses words such as "massively incompetent," I see it as mistakes, but mistakes that were avoidable. I hope they will acknowledge their errors and "slightly" change course. We are not "on the verge of an absolute disaster." I was happy enough with last season, and although I expected a lot more from this season, we can still win a trophy and may just manage a CL spot, but it will depend on other teams.
I always said that next season was the one that we will find out if this approach has been good or bad. People will make their judgement based on this season, and that's up to them, but I will (as usual) stick to my own measurements and timetable.

20 Apr 2026 19:03:50
I'm so sorry, I should have also added that I strongly believe the decision makers (maybe the SD's) made a massive mistake when allowing Em to leave mid-season. Whatever the issues were, they should have been papered over until the completion of this season.

I have no way of proving this, but I am personally convinced we would now comfortably be secure in a CL spot.
Anyway, he has now left, so as far as I'm concerned "The King is dead; long live the King."

20 Apr 2026 20:34:40
Tom, your criticisms of the club are what many people on here have been saying for a couple of years. It is sad how we went from a Champions League-winning team to battling for 6th, after spending a monstrous 1.4billion.

20 Apr 2026 21:22:10
Standard, my criticism isn't about the amount of money spent. My point is there was no rush, and taking our time would have meant giving more opportunities to academy players.
I am definitely not obsessed about the amount of money invested. Or the money recovered on sales.
I was not a fan of football under Tt, but I will always be grateful for our CL success.

In my opinion, the squad investment prior to the takeover had been poor, and a rebuild was required.
Like a lot of clubs who have new owners, I anticipated it taking a few seasons for any new owner to be seen as successful.
I cannot understand why fans expect immediate success, and I can't understand why some fans are so eager to criticise. Sometimes these things take time.

21 Apr 2026 07:57:19
Kazblue, if you choose to believe the club's PR people, who put the blame on Maresca for leaving, that is entirely up to you. I have said on here repeatedly that he wanted to stay, but also wanted to have a bigger influence on recruitment, something the sporting directors didn't like, hence their interference and him walking away.

{Ed001's Note - Green, it was not the club's PR people, he was spotted in talks with City's people months before he left. It was reported to the club, they spoke to him and he said then he was looking to move on as he felt Chelsea's ambitions did not match his own. They initially tried to convince him to stay, but he became increasingly vocal in public and he was not attending to his coaching (in the belief of people that I know anyway) correctly.}

21 Apr 2026 09:27:34
Greenway, Maresca created his own problems by speaking to another club, shouldve been sacked the day that was found out. However, the board has definitely not helped, and my opinion on them is clear.

Tom, you keep saying judge next year, same as you said last year and the year before...

theyve been here long enough for me to judge that theyre clueless... billion+ and a few years in... theyre not showing any signs of improving... Rosenior and signing Garnacho are a perfect example of the issues within the club... sack all 5 sporting directors and the manager asap.

21 Apr 2026 09:00:10
Ed, as always mate brilliant information. Thanks.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}

21 Apr 2026 09:22:31
Thanks ED01, pretty much exactly what I have been saying and it goes back to last smmer when Maresca asked for an experienced centre back who could play out from the back to replace Levi Colwill, their refusal to back him and him not accepting that decision lightly after delivering 2 trophies and a top 4 finish.

It is done now but could and should of been managed better.

{Ed001's Note - it could and should have been, but they were caught by surprise by the City talks.}

21 Apr 2026 10:37:44
Kazblue, you are correct I have always been consistent with my assessments. I will repeat my thought process.

I will praise and criticise managers and players performances from game to game. I will then make an end of season assessment on that season's general performance. I rarely give up on a player after one season.

I have no idea what job the SD's have been asked to do. I personally think they have made some good signings and like all SD's in my opinion they have made some questionable signings. My assessment of those signings will be different from other fans. My guess is the owners judge the SD's performance based on all signings and not just one or a few.

I have made my views very clear several times on our current owners. They would not have been my choice but as I understand it we were caught between a rock and a hard place with our choices. I also made it vey clear that I believed the club needed a squad rebuild. I also highlighted my concerns that a new owner might choose to make "statement signings, " sadly that was the case. I also think the owner went about the rebuild to quickly and without making an assessment of our academy talent.
Unlike some I did not believe it would be a quick fix and that is the reason my first season guess of our league position was I think 8th-10th My second season league position guess was 3rd-5th. This season was 2nd-4th. Obviously I am bitterly disappointed with this seasons league performance and it has fallen way below my expectations. For me next season was always the season I expected us to challenge for the premiership title. I will wait until after this next window before making my prediction for next season.
Other fans/posters are obviously entitled to make their judgement on players, managers, SD's and owners whenever they want.
My view is that players should be judged after a substantial amount of games, Cucarella was slagged off by many in his first season but came good and is a classic example of fans rushing to Judge. SD's should also be judged over a period of time particularly because of the age of players they have been asked to recruit and how long it might take for those signings to develop their talents. I am also aware that not all signings will be successful.
I repeat, I did want these owners. They created a BP put in place the structure and hired the personal to fit that structure. If it does not work after a period of several seasons, if it fails my focus for criticism will be 100% be on them but that will not happen until the end of next season. I hope I am singing their praises.

21 Apr 2026 18:44:25
Great Tom, you now share the same opinion as the many. It was extremely rushed, they were naive, thought it was going to be easy, and made a real pigs ear of it. Doesn't mean they can't turn it around, though, and I'm hoping they do, because they clearly do want success.

21 Apr 2026 18:58:54
Pigs ear is a massive understatement... It's been embarrassing start to finish.

21 Apr 2026 19:42:11
Standard, I expressed my concerns when the new owners "took over" that they may well make "statement" signings.
I did want a major rebuild of a squad that I believed had run its course. My point then and now was, with the exception of a couple of positions, there was no need to rush into so "many" signings.
Unlike some, and obviously Kazblue, I am now "generally happy with the majority of our signings." My guess is players I rate or see potential in will be different from other fans, but that is never going to change.


I remember very well posters slagging off players after one or a couple of bad performances, Hato being the most recent.
My point remains, there is no need to rush to judge, especially in football.
Many years ago I stupidly compared Morata with Ossie, how stupid was I.

19 Apr 2026 11:28:07
Is Garnacho the worst signing the club has ever made?
id still probably say Bakayoko 1st but Garnacho a close second. Who in God's name signed off on Garnacho? The kid isn't even related to a footballer; he has to go.

19 Apr 2026 12:23:22
Sadly not even close. In recent times Ziyech would be close to the top of my list and maybe Werner. In times gone by the list would be very long.

19 Apr 2026 12:27:36
I'd have Garnacho miles higher than Ziyech and Werner, at least they were good players when we signed them. 😅

19 Apr 2026 12:33:09
I have to be honest and say I had no opinion about Garnacho pre us signing him, but the other two I did, and, sadly, I was proved right.

19 Apr 2026 13:25:59
Tom

Many of us were right on Garnacho. A poor footballer, I use the term loosely. How a so-called experienced SD or SDs thought this was a good signing shows just how bad our recruitment is, young or old.

19 Apr 2026 13:33:55
They will get some right and some wrong. Who was the scout who picked out Werner and Ziyech?

19 Apr 2026 14:39:42
No idea.

19 Apr 2026 16:25:54
I wonder if they got the same s*** as our current SD's?

19 Apr 2026 17:54:44
Garnacho is definitely up there.

19 Apr 2026 18:38:59
Probably not, Tom, as we had a good team to keep us occupied.

19 Apr 2026 19:03:25
Bill, I think we have some very good players.

19 Apr 2026 21:51:01
Gitttens and Sanchez are up there as well.

19 Apr 2026 23:52:54
Nonsense, Tom... Ziyech's goal against Spurs far outweighs anything Garnacho has done for us and ever will do.

20 Apr 2026 07:29:42
The general performances of Ziyech, for me, put him way below Garnacho. I do remember Lamps saying he had a "wand as a left foo." Sadly, we rarely saw it, and, for me, he was one of the laziest players I have seen play in Chelsea blue.

Just for the record, I think Mendy was far worse than Sanchez.

20 Apr 2026 11:22:17
You must be watching a different Garnacho, Tom... Aside from lower league opposition in the odd cup game he's been absolutely pathetic and got a terrible attitude... Sooner we get rid, the better, he's almost just a worse version of Sancho... except we paid millions for him!!!

20 Apr 2026 14:00:58
Kazblue, you must be reading different posts. I haven't praised Garnacho. I make comments on players and managers from game to game, and then give my summary/assessment on both at the end of a season.

In my opinion, Ziyech was "one" of our worst ever signings. I could add quite a few more in recent times, and a very long list over 60+ years I've been supporting Chelsea.



If you think Garnacho is the worst player ever for Chelsea, that's up to you. I rarely make a final decision on a player based on one season anyway!!

Just so you know, I have made up my mind about one player who is in his second season at the club who I consider pretty poor, but he is still being picked.

20 Apr 2026 14:31:16
Garnacho, like many of our recent signings, is crap. My worst ever would be Mudryk by an absolute mile, an utter disaster that hasn't fully been resolved yet.... Just terrible, terrible business since these owners came in.

20 Apr 2026 14:41:12
If Garnacho stays at the club for next season, I will give my final judgement then.

Mudryk looked like a player caught in headlights. I understand he was massively home sick and deeply concerned about his family. They sound like excuses but they could well be valid excuses. I hope the lad gets back to football and sorts out his life.

19 Apr 2026 10:43:16
{Ed's Note - Greenaway has posted a new article entitled, Chelsea's Bigger Problem Behind the Scenes

19 Apr 2026 11:47:34
Greenaway, I have no idea if your assessment of why Maresca left the club is accurate.
As far as I know, Maresca was listened to about signing another CH, but a decision was made to go with what we have. In hindsight, that looks a poor decision by whoever the decision maker is. Decisions are made at all clubs; some work out and some don't. As fans, we judge with the benefit of hindsight.
I personally now have zero interest in Maresca or why he left the club.

My view is thanks and goodbye.
I do have an interest in our current manager, the SDs and owners. My broad view is the buck should always stop at the top. The owners create a structure and appoint the people to work within the structure. That all sounds reasonable, but experience tells me that owners have a tendency to blame others and rarely look at themselves.

19 Apr 2026 22:00:02
Thanks for publishing my views ED's.

{Ed033's Note - Thanks.

19 Apr 2026 09:08:14
Well… have waited and waited for things to improve and the project to come to life…. Looks like we’ll be waiting a while longer.

LR might be the worst manager to ever manage in the prem but the bigger issue is who on earth decided he was the right man for the job? Anyone know who's call ☎️ it was? One of our 5 sporting directors maybe? Maybe all of them? - We really are on the edge of disaster as a club rn.

19 Apr 2026 08:59:58
This morning I was going to post early my usual end of season summary, but in the end I decided to at least wait until I have calmed down.

18 Apr 2026 23:40:36
Sounds like Estavou will be out for the remainder of the season. Sad for the young lad.

19 Apr 2026 00:24:23
In a way, Tom, it's good that the young lad will be away from the toxic environment. Fans at the Bridge will only become more vocal towards the owners, SD's, the coach, and players.

19 Apr 2026 06:07:34
That is a very sad reflection of our supporters.

19 Apr 2026 10:49:23
No, Tom

It's a very sad reflection of our owners and sporting directors.

19 Apr 2026 12:04:26
No way Bill, the players and team should be supported throughout all games. I am not a fan of booing at half time and can barely tolerate boos at full time, but I sort of get post match frustration. No player should feel they have to be sheltered from a supposed group of toxic fans.

19 Apr 2026 13:28:10
How do you put your views over to the club then, Tom, if not booing?

19 Apr 2026 13:35:51
I have said I can sort of understand booing at the end of a match, but not during a match or half time. It just doesn't sit well with me!!

19 Apr 2026 15:06:31
If you do something wrong at wrk, you normally get told straight away; they don't wait till the end of the day. We pay the money, we have a say.

19 Apr 2026 16:14:18
If only that was the case. Yes, if you do something wrong at work, you would deserve to be told. That doesn't always mean you will be sacked.

On booing players or the team during a game, I find that totally bizarre. I go to support the players and my club, particularly when times are difficult.

19 Apr 2026 22:04:25
I smacked the last numbnut I heard booing at HT in the kisser, no place for it. Either support the team or jog on.

18 Apr 2026 23:31:21
I think it's perfectly reasonable for fans to vent their feelings and protest if feel it's justified.

I have spoken to a fellow ST holder who was chatting in a pub today with Chelsea and Strasbourg protesters. He said it was strange when the Strasbourg supporters were praising LR with the Chelsea fans saying he is rubbish. The only thing they seemed to agree on was the need for different owners. Of course no supporter had any idea who the new owner should be!

19 Apr 2026 00:28:45
Tom

There is no way a fan can say who acnee iwner should be. That would only be down to who actually bids for our club.

That being said, it's an issue that can't be changed for at least 7 years.

What can be changed are SDs, coaches, and players, and more importantly, the BP.

19 Apr 2026 06:12:43
Bill, as I understand it, a significant percentage of yesterday's protest was "BlueCo out."

19 Apr 2026 10:51:37
That can't happen until 2032, Tom, even if they wanted out now themselves.

Goodness knows what the Clearlake investors are thinking.

19 Apr 2026 12:18:23
Maybe Clearlake investors have a slightly longer view than the majority of fans.

19 Apr 2026 13:29:36
Investors don't want to lose money, Tom. If it carries on the way it's going, they will sell for a fraction of what was paid.

19 Apr 2026 13:39:01
Bill, it could well be investors will lose money. That's what happens sometimes when you invest in a project that has no guarantees of success.

I was never a fan of these investors as I'm not a fan of "funds" being owners of football clubs.

19 Apr 2026 15:51:17
Me neither, Tom. Unfortunately, the position we were in meant beggars could not be choosers.

19 Apr 2026 16:15:49
As I said in an earlier post, it looked like we were caught between a rock and a hard place as far as owners are concerned.

19 Apr 2026 17:27:30
I'm not sure who can buy football clubs now; however, we would have been better off with Saudi owners, who would not have started by appointing themselves as SDs. They would have appointed a top-class hierarchy, and, no doubt, a top-class coach, and left the football to those who have some knowledge of the game, unlike these eejits we have as owners.

19 Apr 2026 17:42:29
I have no problems with state ownership.

18 Apr 2026 22:18:17
We've gone backwards this season and frankly we weren't that food in the league last season but at least we qualufied for Champions League.

Ok, two seasons ago under Poch we were also only on 48 points after 33 games, but as have said several times before we had has worst injury list in our history that season and record breaking among EPL teams I think. Anyway, we did win our last 5 games in hhe league on the trot and qualify for the mighty Conference League finishing in 6th place. Most of us thought we could be on way up.

Just needed a few top notch additions.

But would be amazed if we won our last 5 this season and dont have high hopes of beating Leeds in FA semi. They are in cracking form and we are in cracking up form.

Club ownes and SDs surely most to blame for this.

Will admit I switched off at half time so perhaps we were brilliant but unlucky second half?!

Probably best if we arent in Europe and get in a manager who can build a team that can compete properly in the EPL. United have benefited thos season from no European football.

18 Apr 2026 22:57:46
J, Poch was totally hopeless. Liam is totally hopeless. We had a very good coach in Maresca, but he was let down by the club after asking for an experienced centre back. Some on here called for him to go. Naive at best. He outwitted one of the best coaches in world football to win the CWC, and got us Champions League football.

The grass was never going to be greener. Those who wanted him out were happy, but where are we now? It is a mess, and could and should have been managed better. The SDs are to blame, and change is needed. If this clown stays in charge, we will lose the FA Cup semi to Leeds, who look like staying in the Premier League. Spurs are so poor.

18 Apr 2026 23:12:03
People and fans will look for change in the belief that it can only get better. Obviously, sometimes it does, but there are zero guarantees.

This situation cannot be allowed to carry on, and something needs to change, but I doubt anything will change.

18 Apr 2026 23:48:40
And there lies the main problem, Tom.

19 Apr 2026 07:10:09
I did not want Maresca out, and dont think many on here did either. But Maresca wanted to leave, was talking to other clubs, and his last weeks in charge saw us dropping points. But, yes, I blame the owners and the legion of SDs and the youth-only policy for this mess we're in.

19 Apr 2026 07:20:38
A few days ago on this site, a poster suggested that a mixture of young players and an inexperienced manager was not an ideal situation. I said, at the time, it would be an interesting debate.

19 Apr 2026 10:54:01
Not sure where the debate would be, Tom. Most, if not all, agree with that sentiment unless you don't.

19 Apr 2026 11:32:58
I'm not sure it would normally matter about age, and, of course, my No1 choice as manager was, and still is, someone with no premiership experience.