30 Jun 2025 10:54:42
Three years in since our new owners came in and after that botched first window which they have admitted was a mistake I actually think they and their sporting
Directors are doing a pretty good job.
They have exercised a vision that has been really imaginative and sustainable partly because of the massive cut in our wage bill.
We now have a truly outstanding young squad but one that has already gained experience at Chelsea playing in the Premier League, in Europe and now in the Club World Cup.
Colwill and James have been with the club for years. Chalobah Palmer Enzo Caicedo Cucurella Sanchez Lavia Jackson and others are about to enter their third season with us.
Neto has had a full season.
Now they have recruited a few more outstanding young talents who can be integrated with the others and all with a manager who now has a years experience in all those competitions.
Replacing Roman after the government had deliberately sabotaged our club was a massive task. They have put £4.5 Billion into the club with no club debt and are now entering talks with the mayor of LDN to try to agree a way forward with the stadium development. A new FOS sponsor must be a priority and with our high profile appearence in the CWC I expect a deal to be announced shortly. Overall I've been quietly impressed .

1.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 13:46:08
RPD, new owners generally take some time to get a club moving in the right direction.

As fans we want the very best for our club and we want it quickly.

From a very low base our current owners, in my opinion, have gradually improved our club but there is and probably always will be, work to be done.

2.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 14:32:46
We must see things very differently… billions spent and a young unproven squad with massive weaknesses (st, LW, GK) …. With the amount spent we should have proven players in every position- think of the top 10 players in the world… maybe even top 20 … palmer the only one who gets close

But i guess aimlessly signing kids and hoping they turn out ok for profit fits the idea that the club is a business and winning means nothing.

3.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 16:03:52
I’m not sure how you have worked out that “winning means nothing? ”

Two seasons ago we finished 6th and trophy less. Last season we finished 4th and won a pot. If I remember correctly the current Liverpool owners took about 8/ 9 years to win a trophy of any description.

If the question is, could there have been an even better return/ success for there investment then I guess that depends what individual fans expected. I personally believed it would take about five years before we challenged for “major” trophies but I didn’t know how quickly or how large that investment would happen.

4.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 16:31:32
I love chelsea much more than anything but if were true with our selfs the club has gone from 3rd and ucl win to 5th and conference which is bad mostly because the club has spent 1.5 billion the club may have had any 3 forward in the world and had 1 billion left so I don't think it honest to say club and its staff are doing well Liverpool are the well run club.

5.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 16:55:16
The curre3nt liverpool owners did not come in and spend billions. however you want to look at it- its been a disaster so far.

The current state of the squad would be fiune had we wheeled and dealed our way to it. We Havent. we have spent more than anyone else yet aside from having more players than anyone else- our starting XI remains significantly weaker than the 3 sides that finished above us last season.

6.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 16:58:13
Tom, are you really suggesting that Liverpool wouldn’t have won the Conference League even West Ham won it, if we hadn’t won it it would have been an abject failure.

7.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 17:33:44
I think things are generally going as well as they could when the new owners came in we were in a mess they made some early mistakes but we are on an upward curve with a good improving young side.

8.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 18:02:03
Jimbo, what I am saying is what I have said. I’m told it took 8/ 9 years for the Liverpool with its current owners to win “any” trophy. I guess it could be argued that a club like Chelsea, Spurs Liverpool or any other supposed major club who have seasons without winning trophies are a “abject failure” depending on how individuals define failure or success.

I have acknowledged that fans can understandably believe that the amount invested demands a better return. I repeat that’s not what I believed would happen, I thought it would take about five years. I’ve also repeatedly said that I believe that the RA takeover and instant success was unusual.

Just one further point I’m not surprised that people refer to the total amount invested in player purchases but the same fans/ posters very rarely mention the amount that’s been raised from player sales.

If some fans/ posters want to see our current owners investment as a “disaster” that’s entirely up to them but surely the opposite can be true and some fans can see progress being made that’s also entirely up to them?

{Ed001's Note - Liverpool was not a team near the top when they took over, like Chelsea were when your owners came in Tom. It is a ridiculous comparison, Liverpool had been in freefall for a couple of years under owners who had no money prior to FSG or NESV as they were then, stepping in. It was a complete rebuild needed at Liverpool, while Chelsea had a huge army of players to choose from already. Instead of doing a stocktake of the situation, your owners just went crazy and made a complete mess of the first year and dragged the club down. All they are doing right now is putting you where you were when they took over - a top 4 club.}

9.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 18:28:24
Ed, as I’ve said, I personally see progress being made albeit slowly.

I have said many times that I believe our current owners did too much too quickly. I have also said many times that our owners made a complete pigs ear of there first year as CFC owners. I have also acknowledged that fans can understandably say they expected more success from the investments that have been made.

I agree that they have got us back to being in the top 4 and I’m obviously I’m happy with that as a minimum going forward.

{Ed001's Note - yes but you were trying to draw comparisons with Liverpool, when there is no comparison. It is a completely different situation and FSG didn't come in and throw money at it. They took their time and looked over everything first and built from the ground up. If your owners had done that, even if they had only spent a fraction of what they did spend, you would have been challenging for the title now, rather than just getting back to where you were when they took over. Oh and you wouldn't be lumbered with incredibly long contracts for players you don't want by people thinking they were being clever. If they had taken the time to do research, they would have seen that model is what messed up Leeds and so many other clubs. There would have been no need to use loopholes, because you could have done what you have done for so much less money.

Yes, they are improving now, but is that because they have learnt anything or just because they have thrown obscene amounts of money at it? There are still some worrying signs, you are still handing out ridiculously overlong contracts to all and sundry. You still have an immense squad, with no real plan for most of it to get any chance of first team football with yourselves. Their whole plan seems based on just buying as many talented youngsters as possible and crossing their fingers that enough of them will come good.}

10.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 18:50:11
You are correct ed but what about all the players that didn't sign contracts while RA was sanctioned. The players that wanted to leave.

Chelsea had to be a rebuild but as tomb and most point out the first year or 2 was a disaster. But I have to admit it's on an upward curve in my opinion.

Lots of fans will say the opposite as they don't like the owners or manager.

Looking at the likes of mount, Havertz and connor Gallagher they all wanted big money on shorter contacts from the outside looking in. When the clubs view seems to be longer contract with performance based pay.
Are any of them warranting that big payday they wanted. I would say no not at all.

Then add rudiger, christensen, kante kovatic, jorginho, azpi who all wanted to go for one reason or another that is 9 first team players and we all said mendy wasnt a good enough keeper so that's 10. And they are what I can remember so if that isn't a rebuild I don't know what is.

{Ed001's Note - but you already had replacements within the club for all of them. As for the big contract thing, at the time they came in they were not handing out anything based on performance based pay. Instead, they bought in a bunch of players on much bigger wages than the players you had, which then unsettled them. That is on the owners that those players wanted to go, that is something you are forgetting. They only changed to the performance-based contracts after the initial disaster.}

11.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 19:05:12
Ed001, the really worrying thing for me is that the hierarchy have failed to to appoint a top class coach: you can buy as many players as you want but success usually starts with the coach.

{Ed001's Note - good point. When spending so much, you would think you would go and get the best coach to head it up.}

12.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 19:06:24
Ed, I and many others have said that the first year of there ownership was full of mistakes. Apparently those mistakes have been acknowledged. I would also except that our so called rebuild was partially self induced unlike the required rebuild that the current owners of Liverpool inherited. I would also except that our spend has been more than Liverpools. My point is we are back winning trophies (albeit the conference cup) and it took Liverpool 8/ 9 years to win any trophy and clubs like Spurs about 15 years plus.

Obviously its impossible to make like for like comparisons but I repeat I’m happy ish with the slow progress that in my opinion is being made.

{Ed001's Note - again comparisons that make no sense, the trophy you won didn't even exist nor is it relevant. You have to finish so low down merely to qualify that it has not been an option for Liverpool and Spurs to win. Even the man who never wins a trophy, Moyes, has managed to win it.}

13.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 19:13:34
We must be truful and admit we are a disaster now now any more but from champions league win to 5th when spending the most is a bad bad return and I must say I was very excited to finish the season and we are going well now but ed1 is true we have spent 1.5 billion to be exactly below what we were beforehand and a big amount of players now ni onw wants them

And tomb very disrespectful to loverpool who are the best running football club we must give credit there

I have bad writing so I am sorry I must be misunderstand. I am happy we have very happy chelsea fans but I don't think we can say its been good but we now are at a spot where we are good.

14.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 19:22:33
Ed, further to your reply to blueblood. I agree our current owners didn’t have to react to players being out of contract in the way they did and yes they could and should have looked to internal solutions. They have owned up to those mistakes and it has cost the club time and money.

If I remember correctly I said at the time I feared that the owners would make what I referred to as “statement” signings. In fact the majority were all “sh@t signings” and the club is still paying for those mistakes but in the last two seasons I am seeing slow progress.

{Ed001's Note - I agree with you there.}

15.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 19:34:44
Raj, just for good orders sake two seasons ago we finished 6th and last season we finished 4th. I also haven’t said it is “good” but I have said I am happy with the team’s progress albeit much slower than I would have liked.

As I have said it’s probably impossible to compare like for like but my guess is that on that long journey that unusually Liverpool went without winning any trophies a significant percentage of there supporters would have taken the conference cup as a trophy and my guess is the same applies for spuds fans.

{Ed001's Note - but Chelsea weren't on a long journey. They had only just won the Champions League for heavens sake. You are making yourself look silly with this.}

16.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 20:07:10
Ok tomb that is fair yes to be happy but yes I agree with ed1 the club had a champion league winning squad and it is bad that we are now 5th and look kilometres away from the cream of the top Liverpool and man city and arsenal.

17.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 20:12:27
I don't think we deserved to win that champs league.
I don't believe the team was good enough but I will take it.
That and the fact pep tried getting clever and it back fired.

18.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 20:13:26
Tom I don’t understand why you keep going on about Liverpool and Spurs totally irrelevant. We were an elite European club: we are not anymore Frankly, I don’t see any meaningful progress.

19.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 20:28:08
Agreed Ed01 - TomB i understand you feel like you need to justify and defend the owners but come on … given the money spent i think i couldve done a better job with my football manager database and twitter highlight vids…. The club had just won the champions league and had a solid base ro work from…we’ve cycled through 2 full xis since then and keep making the same mistakes.

20.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 20:47:48
There is nothing new about making myself look silly.

I didn’t say that Chelsea were on a long journey, I said that unusually Liverpool were on a long journey between trophies and the spuds, not unusually were on an even longer journey between winning trophies and my guess is both sets of supporters would have been happy with winning any trophy.

{Ed001's Note - and completely irrelevant comparison as you were not in that position. You are trying to justify having been so low in the table to be unable to qualify for even a second tier tournament and had to make do with a 3rd tier one. One that West Ham under Moyes won the previous season to become the only trophy he has won as a manager.}

21.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 21:50:56
I’m obviously only guessing but I think a significant percentage of fans from any club who haven’t won any trophy for years would be happy to win a trophy. I was happy for us to win it and we were not that long between drinks. Anyway, I guess I do have something in common with some West Ham fans and David Moyes.

I am not trying to justify us finishing 6th and qualifying for the conference cup. We finished in the position we deserved to finish.

22.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 22:04:40
Kazblue, I do NOT feel the need to defend the owners. In fact I have been very critical of the owners self inflicted rebuild. I have also been critical of there early recruitment mistakes but I’m sorry I do, like some other posters believe that progress has been made.

The mistakes have been costly but apparently our owners have acknowledged there mistakes and I can only hope that they have learned lessons.

I said yonks ago that I thought it would take years before we got back to challenging for top honours. I also have no problem with that view being seen as negative.

23.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 23:14:07
No problem but I don't think the owner have learn from previous mistakes because we the club are making them also buy gitten and pedro when we have big squad jusy like last year and no sponsor.

24.) 30 Jun 2025
30 Jun 2025 23:40:05
My point is TomB - we haven't learnt from our mistakes. we keep making the same errors and as for progress being made . if i demolish my garden wall with my car and then put 3 bricks down. i can't claim progress has been made!

2 billion~ spent and no world class players. if they learnt there lesson then they've learnt the wrong one.

25.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 00:23:42
Raj and Kaz, I would obviously prefer it if our owners and its supporting structure hadn’t made mistakes. I can also guarantee you that they will continue to make mistakes. Particularly when it comes to player recruitment and I can’t believe there is any club that hasn’t made mistakes in player recruitment.

If I think the club has made a mistake and over a reasonable period of time my assessment is proved correct I would take zero joy in being proved correct. Also it’s virtually impossible to make every fan happy when the club makes a signing because we all have different views about a player’s ability.

Your posts reflect our different views on player’s ability. I personally think Palmer has a lot to prove but I think Caicedo is one of the ten best players in Europe in his position. I also think that when James is fit (thankfully that has improved) he is also in the top ten RB’s in Europe. I would also add that in my opinion Lavia will become a Chelsea legend.

I amongst others wanted Potter as our manager so I am no judge of managers but I am prepared to give EM time to hopefully be successful. I was happy enough with champions league qualification and I’m always happy with winning any trophy. Next season EM has to get the team to improve a lot if we are to seriously challenge for top honours. I personally believe it will be a very difficult next season. All of the so big clubs are strengthening there squads. So if this makes sense we have to run harder just to have marginal improvement.

If you just look at our league positions over the last three years then it’s hard to argue that progress albeit slow has been made. Should our heavy investment delivered more? Probably yes. Did I expect more? No.

Our squad size will be 25 plus academy players. I hope we have no players walking the corridors of cobham who are not in that first team squad. It’s early in the window so I remain convinced that we be selling or loaning around 15 players. ?

Just one more add on. Kaz, good luck with the rebuilding of your wall. Progress is made on the laying of that first brick.

26.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 09:07:49
Tom, the squad size will be 25 that’s the maximum allowed by the Premier League ( excluding under 21 year olds) . Laying the first brick isn’t progress unless the job is properly completed- one brick is a sign of of stagnation.

27.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 09:14:09
Personal opinion – it's been a mess and will remain a mess, though on the bright side the club does still exist. I can't see us seriously challenging for the title any time soon. I do hope to be proven wrong, but the none of the people running the club – the owners, sporting directors and various advisors – are anywhere near as clever as they think they are, and don't seem to be learning anything from their mistakes. I'd imagine our net spend over the three years of their ownership is the highest in that period of time for any club in history, and they've taken us from a top-tier club to a higher middle-tier club.

We need at least two or three seasoned professionals of good character to help mind the children, but the sporting directors only seem able to buy injury-prone (former City youth) players with bad attitudes and at least one major flaw in their game (for the attacking players usually not being able to score goals, though Delap is perhaps going to break that mould) . How we miss Thiago Silva – you only get a player like that once in a blue moon.

Ed001, apart from perhaps Muller (mentioned on another thread), which current older players do you think would be the best buys to model professionalism to the younger players whilst also potentially improving the team's output on the pitch (if only as a sub)? At Liverpool you had Henderson until recently (obviously the reason Tuchel brought him back into the England squad) . I thought Chelsea might offer KDB a contract, considering that it's always been felt he had unfinished business at Chelsea. But my guess is he would demanded wages far in excess of the structure they've set up, and that must be part of the issue? So perhaps it's not possible to have really top-class players?

{Ed001's Note - Lacazette, Walker-Peters, they are the best of the free agents, so picking up any of them for that job is out. What about someone like Milenkovic from Forest?}

28.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 09:17:42
No it’s not. The first brick is a sign of work in “progress. ”

I think that’s what I said, 25 players.

29.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 13:15:22
Tom, yes you said 25 and I said that’s the maximum you are allowed to.

30.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 13:53:29
I think we have had this conversation before and hence the reason I said 25.

31.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 13:52:02
Ed001, I think Milenkovic would be a very canny signing. I'm not sure he'd come cheap, to be fair. Surprised there's not much talk around him though – such a great partnership with Murillo last season!

Walker-Peters was linked a few years ago - always seemed a solid player. Whose spot in the squad would he take though?

Lacazette is interesting too – we've had excellent luck with ageing former Arsenal strikers in the past. But we've just bought about a thousand new attacking players, so there's again probably no room in the squad now!

{Ed001's Note - Walker-Peters is surely a better option than Gusto? He doesn't look suited to working with Maresca at all.

I am very surprised Milenkovic hasn't got more interest, he was once chased by just about everyone.

I have always liked Lacazette but I think his time is past sadly, would have been good for you at the start of this new era though.}

32.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 14:15:16
Edw, if you think that 4th position in the premiership makes us a high middle tier club that’s up to you.

I personally have no issues about what academy a player attended.

I also believe that our SD’s have more football knowledge than the average fan.

33.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 14:19:15
Good debate chatters. It was very clear that the squad pre the takeover was getting jaded with players looking to leave for different reasons and no title challenge for 6 years. We were drifting backwards and hanging onto the coat tails of Liverpool and Man City, we had a touch in 2021 when Pep had his moment of madness and gifted us the champions league which covered over the gaping big cracks. An overhaul was going to be needed whether Roman remained or not. Anyway, that is all history and what has happened has happened and we now find ourselves getting back to the top table and going into next season we have closed the gap to a handful of points behind City and Aresnal in 4th place which for me, places us firmly back in the top echelons of the premier league alongside the above mentioned (Liverpool are streets ahead of the rest of us at the moment), the signings are coming thick and fast and the departures will follow now the clock has ticked into July and I'm very upbeat ahead of the new season and see us pushing hard on all fronts but my glass is always half full and always has been. BTW any of you lot going to the game against Palmeiras?

34.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 14:47:14
Greenaway, it’s understandable that after they won there owners invested such a huge amount that fans understandably success almost instantly.

I also believe that the squad needed a revamp but also the owners could have made better use of our up and coming players. The first season was a recruitment disaster but that has been acknowledged.

other clubs that have gone through takeovers haven’t found instant success but then other clubs haven’t spent the amount of money that we have.

I’m content with the progress that’s been made but then my targets were never that ambitious.

35.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 15:55:05
Tom, why did bother saying we will have a squad of 25 as if it’s some prediction; it’s like saying we will start the game with 11 players!

36.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 16:19:54
Maybe because it wasn’t a “prediction” it was a “statement. ” Hence the reason I used the term “will be” and also as per a debate we had in a previous thread about a week ago.

37.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 20:20:27
Again Tom your defence is 'the first window was a disater' my argument is every window since has been bad. in fact the mistakes of the first window are almost all gone. replaced by costly mistakes in almost case.


as for our SDs having more football knowledge than the average fan. id disagree, even i could put the brighton squad in a hat and pick names out to sign as seems to be part of tthe current strategy.

38.) 01 Jul 2025
01 Jul 2025 21:16:56
Kaz, I wouldn’t be arrogant enough to say I know more about the ability of any footballer than a SD. If you feel you do know more that for me just highlights how impossible it is to make all fans happy.

I totally disagree about the transfers that followed that first season. Although I am not a fan of Disasi and even though I couldn’t see why we needed Felix that doesn’t mean I think he is a bad player. I rate Jackson, Palmer, Enzo, Lavia, Caicedo, Neto, Cucarella, Guiu and when fit Fofana. I also rate Chuka and I think KDH is underrated. Noni and BB I’m indifferent about. I haven’t seen enough of Jorgensen to judge him. We also have a batch of young players coming into the squad who also look like good additions. Delap wasn’t my first choice and I know zero about Pedro.

The fact that we see our players differently is fine with me. I think our squad should comfortably be qualifying for the Champions League every season. I also think that an Enzo, Lavia, Caicedo midfield is one of the strongest in the Premiership.

39.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 13:35:52
Disasi- terrible waste of money
felix another and we sent gallagher the other way a far superior player and a homegrown one at that

Lavia and fofana have played about 20 games between them since signing and neither can stay fit

youve named 9 players out of 40+ as somewhat successes although Palmer and caicedo/ cucurella sometimes are the only on there that can be considered successes

Its just baffling how you defend what's obviously been terrible transfer policy- feels like youve made defending the owners at any cost your way of 'supporting'

40.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 14:27:31
Kaz, In the figure of 40 that you mentioned, I assume you have included loan players? I deliberately didn’t include them as I prefer to see them playing in Chelsea blue.

I also didn’t mention academy players such as James, Josh, George and Chalaboa.

I also didn’t include Mudryk for obvious reasons.

I am NOT and have NOT defended the first years transfer policy. I am generally happy with our signings since then with a few exceptions.

All you have done is highlight how difficult it is to satisfy all of the supporters. You obviously don’t rate many if any of our players and I find that position “baffling” but it’s your opinion and you obviously entitled to it.

I have been critical of the owners when I felt it was appropriate and I will continue to be critical in the future if I feel it’s appropriate. The same applies to players, manager and SD’s. Obviously the reverse is true if I feel that any of them deserve praise.

41.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 15:32:55
Tom – 'if you think that 4th position in the premiership makes us a high middle tier club that’s up to you'.

I'm not sure what else, by definition, high-middle tier is if not the European places under the top 3?

And that's generous – previous seasons under the new ownership - 12th, 6th.

If we don't get top 3 (or win the Champion's League) this coming year, will you admit the owners have turned us into a higher middle-tier club? (The potentially more effective argument to give in response is that we were trending that way under RA anyway. Looking at the five seasons before the takeover, since winning it the last time in 2017/ 18 we finished 5th, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 3rd. )

42.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 16:18:37
Edw, my very poorly made point is why use the phrase “middle tier? ” Why not say 4th and qualifying for the Champions League.

If we finish 3rd I will just say we finished 3rd if we finish 10th I will say we have finished mid-table or 10th.

I would just say have a look at some other clubs who have been taken over in the last 20 years ish and basically the instant success of RA is as far as I can remember the odd one out.

I repeat that the amount of money our new owners have spent makes it is reasonable in my opinion, that some fans should feel that progress should have been quicker/ instant. I was not one of those fans. It’s also reasonable to argue that the first seasons muck ups delayed any potential progress.

I wasn’t critical of a Chelsea rebuild but I was critical of its attempted delivery because in my opinion it was shambolic. Some supposed well run clubs have often struggled to attain a top finish after a takeover but course they didn’t spend the money we have.

43.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 17:34:59
Tom - you are massively overstating that first window- every window since has been equally bad - the team has completely changed since that window can't be used an excuse at this point.

4th after 2 billion spent is not something to celebrate tbh so dunno why you bring that up as a great accomplishment- the loan players you mentioned all still cost money- even worse so as its unlikely almost any will make it close to the first team ( d. fofana, washington, chuk, kellyman)

the club has gone with the strategy of buying anything u21 that breathes in the hope they can sell a few on at a profit and to the massive detriment of the first team. you may support chelsea as a business, i support them as a football team.

44.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 18:51:19
Kaz, I’m not sure why you are struggling to take on board my previous comment. I have stated in thread and many times before that it’s reasonable that some fans expect a quicker return on the owners investment. I repeat from the very beginning of the takeover I had fairly modest expectations. My theory was based on personal experiences and other football club takeovers taking time to be successful.

If you believe I am “massively overstating” the negative impact of that first year then that’s fine but that will remain my opinion.

Not for the first time you are suggesting I have said things I have not said. I have NEVER said that finishing 4th is “something to celebrate” but I have said it is progress albeit slow progress.

Also, your suggestion that I support CFC as a business and not as club is frankly insulting.

Just for the record, I have also said that I believe the current owners are looking at CFC as a trading (players) business. That is why I made the choice some time ago not to get to “attached” to any player.

45.) 02 Jul 2025
02 Jul 2025 22:45:04
Tom, I often respect the things you say, and agree with you at times, but this whole 'the new owners are treating players as assets therefore I'm going to see them that way too' schtick is honestly just so depressing. You have a choice. Things don't have to get worse in the world – the soul doesn't have to go out of everything – but they will – it will – if you just passively resign yourself to it.

46.) 03 Jul 2025
03 Jul 2025 06:23:50
EdW, I can be accused fairly of many things but being “passive” isn’t a description of me that holds any water. I am a regular sender of emails to CFC and the FAB on issues that concern not only me but other fans as well. In this site, I have shared the content of some of those emails and the responses received.

My view is that our present owners and to a certain extent our previous owner towards the end of his tenure treat players as commodities. Maybe other clubs have the same BP, I wouldn’t know and maybe this is in part due to PSR/ FFP. I do NOT see our current owners as fans but I also understand that the fans (maybe unfortunately) aren’t owners.

Obviously there will always be certain players who are my favourites but I no longer feel as attached to them as I did in years gone bye. That is just an honest assessment of how I feel towards our owners, manager and players. That does NOT mean I do not LOVE my club as much now than as I did 63 years ago. With all due respect I think I know how I want to be a fan and I have zero interest in how other people choose to be a fan.