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The Ben Jacobs' Inside Chelsea column!

The international break is a welcome one for Chelsea, and beating Burnley after it could put them right back in the mix for a top-six finish. It's obvious Chelsea aren't favourites to finish quite that high, but they do have a game in hand.

Despite no match last weekend, some fans continue to voice their concerns. And on Monday, Chelsea's Fan Advisory Board (FAB) countered a letter from the Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) which warned against "irreversible toxicity" amongst the fanbase.

“Bluntly, we don’t recognise the suggestion that fans are not being involved in the future of the Club," said a FAB statement. "This goes directly against our experience. So we wanted to set the record straight…

“Every Chelsea fan (including the ownership group) is frustrated at setbacks or results that don’t go our way. But the team and the Club more broadly needs its supporters. The only people who benefit from Chelsea fans turning on Chelsea are fans of other clubs. If we’re pulling in the same direction then ‘every little thing gonna be alright’.”

Interestingly, CST chair Mark Meehan also sits on the Fan Advisory Board and has been vocal about what he perceives to be a lack of engagement.

Both the CST letter and the Fan Advisory Board statement show the fanbase is divided. And I think that's normal with plenty of valid questions out there about Chelsea's project, pricing and finances.

The key is for opinions and criticism to be constructive, and I felt the CST letter was exactly that. In my view it doesn't help having fans toxically turning on Mauricio Pochettino, players like Raheem Sterling or the owners. It's maybe a commonplace reaction when form isn't great (and supporters pay hard-earned money); and it can also be a bit of a last resort when fans feel there is a lack of communication. We also saw this with Newcastle under Mike Ashley.

Yet the Fan Advisory Board is a positive step toward transparency and engagement. And going forward, the body must continue to be as widely representative as possible and make sure their work is visible.

I also still think Chelsea's owners or sporting directors will speak when they feel the time is right. Although no window is open, doing so (publicly at least) with 11 games left might cause more harm than good. It's arguably better to outline the vision in the off-season when Mauricio Pochettino has been reviewed and it's clear if Chelsea have a trophy and/or European football.