Surely the owners can see what we need, like we do & the WHOLE football world does as well.
We are going to have to sign, experienced players AND maybe just break our wage structure this summer, for the right player. If we are to get where we want to be.
Time will tell, but we are running out of cash, clever PSR tricks to try and stay compliant. Which make this summers window is the make or break one for us as a club.
Si, please sit down and take a deep breath as I don’t want to shock you and call you a problem.
You read it here first… I 100% agree with you and the changes required must start with Campos.
Excellent article, well written and a first class review of where we sit today.
PS my only negative, would be that having been one of those that sat through watching us at the bottom of the old second division it was definitely worse than!!!
So so true. I even went to the game where flasher Walker had to score a goal to keep us out of the old third division. Seriously, our problems today are mould in comparison.
Bang on, although I had forgotten it had rained. I’m not sure at the final whistle any of us cared. For those of us of that era, it made Love Walker a hero forever. Even when he played for Sunderland in the league cup semifinals subsequently. Anyone would’ve thought on the day that we had won the Premier League or league one as it was. Happy days of memories.
Si what a difference 12 months makes this times last year we were on opposing sides of opinion me pointing out the improvement under Poche since before Xmas and many were saying he is an ex Spurs manager he is terrible.
This year the whole project unravelled just before Xmas and now In April Maresca looks like a dead manager walking.
Last year I believe that Poche was removed at seasons end because he stood up to the SD’s and Egbali whereas this year they have installed a lap dog who doesn’t.
Maresca needs to restore his fortune at a level he can excel at it’s clear to me, Chelsea is way above that level and he wasn’t ready for various reasons.
I wish him well in his next job but for his sake and ours he must go.
Nice piece by the way I ticked the boxes all the way down 105% agree
Hard to disagree with anything there - well said. It's so frustrating that we are nearly there, so much talent waiting in the wings but so much dead wood. Just need the final pieces of the jigsaw and for them to fit in the right place.
Well said, Si. PSG got it round for so many years, but through Campos they gained clarity and expertise. You can see the direction Villa are going through Monchi and I'm sure arsenal are positive with Berta in situ.
I was fuming with the ornstein comments yesterday. Stating that there are clubs who admire maresca as some kind of validation for him was embarrassing. To hear we're making progress under him is a joke. And as we've all said many times in this community that we still need a keeper, defender, winger and striker after a 4-window plan is laughable from the club
Agree with the vast majority of this but I’m not on board with the idea of just sacking Maresca when we don’t know who we’d get to replace him. There’s not an awful lot of point if we’re going to get someone bang average - all we’re doing then is replacing one crap manager with another crap manager but throwing the instability of a sacking into the mix.
Plenty of people last season wanted Poch gone and look where that got us. I’m happy with the argument that Maresca should go but I think anyone who wants that should be able to put forward a shortlist of (attainable) replacements.
I want him gone. BUT I only want him gone once a new DoF decides upon who they want as manager, and if they want to sack Enzo.
Pickings are slim in the manager front. I’d want an experienced, winning manager, one with meaningful trophies in their cabinet and not lower leagues.
One name that I have in my head would be a massive massive gamble, and not sure if they’d even take the job, but they do tick the boxes of: experienced (managed at the highest top flight level for years), trophies (won everything in England except champions league), passionate, and knows Chelsea like the back of their hand - Emma Hayes.
Well said. It covers our problems, and possible cures, comprehensively.
The second worst thing we can do now is to assume that, even if we creep into the top five, the "project" is working and that Maresca is our only hope.
The very worst thing we can do is to carry on as we are in an "It'll be all right on the night" mentality. It won't do to do nothing and ignore the obvious failures so far, and that means replacing the coach asap and certainly before the players return for the Club World Cup.
Before all that, we're playing a tough Fulham in 2-3 hours. That might be a very significant couple of hours in this club's history.
Well said Si. I just look at PSG as the model way that a youth project should be done.
They have Barcola, Doue, Zaire Emery, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, William Pacho and Khravatskhelia who are all 24 and under, then surrounded by veterans like Dembele, Ruiz, Marquinhos, Hakimi and Donnarumma.
That's balance. That's how you do a youth project and that was overseen by Campos. I believe it was after 22/23 season when they decided to go in their new directon of not signing superstars trying to be the French Real Madrid and actually build a balanced and cohesive team.
They've won their league and are in a CL semi final. It only took them less than 2 years. We are nearly at the end of year 3 and look to be regressing from year 2. It's clearly not working. I hope they realise this before it's too late.
For the owners to have a clean slate - the SD’s have to go. Here is a quick track record of their time here at Chelsea, starting with their treatment of Cobham:
Lewis Hall
Ian Maatsen
Connor Gallagher
Hudson-Odoi
Josh Acheampong
Mason Mount
Trevoh Chalobah
Have all been treated horribly and disgraceful.
Treatment of other players:
Raheem Sterling
Ben Chilwell
Carney Chuckwuemeka
Transferflops:
Mudryk
Joao Felix
Axel Disasi
Dewsburry-Hall
Renato Veiga
Pedro Neto (also really underwhelming)
Jadon Sancho
Robert Sanchez
Omari Kellyman
Transferdeals that they messed up:
Declan Rice
Michael Olise
Victor Osimhen
Desire Doue
Mathys Tel
Transferdeals that they almost messed up:
Enzo Fernandez
Moises Caicedo
Mudryk
And lets not ignore the atrocity of squadbuilding they have put together after they spend billions.
Spot on as always Si 👏. It’s so clear what needs to be done. Everyone can see it so hopefully the owners can swallow their pride and make the changes. It would be nice for the ownership debacle to be solved too so a direction can be decided on.
I feel gaslighted when people try to convince me on Maresca and patience with the project. It just isn’t simply working and change is needed. The way it’s going. It won’t click over time because what we have is not good enough. The standards are low. Maresca has already create a negative relationship with the fans. Feels like it’s rubbing off on the squad too.
Perfectly said, Si. Every word. We really are close if we just got those appointments right, especially Campos as DOF. We can only hope the ownership wake up and do what needs to be done!
Great article, Si!
We are not far away
Yet we are far away!.
Which is exactly how I see it as well.
Surely the owners can see what we need, like we do & the WHOLE football world does as well.
We are going to have to sign, experienced players AND maybe just break our wage structure this summer, for the right player. If we are to get where we want to be.
Time will tell, but we are running out of cash, clever PSR tricks to try and stay compliant. Which make this summers window is the make or break one for us as a club.
Si, please sit down and take a deep breath as I don’t want to shock you and call you a problem.
You read it here first… I 100% agree with you and the changes required must start with Campos.
Excellent article, well written and a first class review of where we sit today.
PS my only negative, would be that having been one of those that sat through watching us at the bottom of the old second division it was definitely worse than!!!
Now you're talking Craige!
Those deep dark days of the early eighties!!
Don't think anything can be worse than that!🙂
So so true. I even went to the game where flasher Walker had to score a goal to keep us out of the old third division. Seriously, our problems today are mould in comparison.
Bolton away Craige!
I was there too!
Rained all day and Walker banged in the winner.
We had 4k that day out of an 8k crowd!
Great days. Kept us up.
Followed by my favourite season 83-84 .
Bang on, although I had forgotten it had rained. I’m not sure at the final whistle any of us cared. For those of us of that era, it made Love Walker a hero forever. Even when he played for Sunderland in the league cup semifinals subsequently. Anyone would’ve thought on the day that we had won the Premier League or league one as it was. Happy days of memories.
I played against Walker when he was playing for Woking. He was still quality despite him being at the end of his career and a very nice fella as well.
Wow 😮 Very cool 👌
Who wants Maresca? City for Under21s? 😂
Si what a difference 12 months makes this times last year we were on opposing sides of opinion me pointing out the improvement under Poche since before Xmas and many were saying he is an ex Spurs manager he is terrible.
This year the whole project unravelled just before Xmas and now In April Maresca looks like a dead manager walking.
Last year I believe that Poche was removed at seasons end because he stood up to the SD’s and Egbali whereas this year they have installed a lap dog who doesn’t.
Maresca needs to restore his fortune at a level he can excel at it’s clear to me, Chelsea is way above that level and he wasn’t ready for various reasons.
I wish him well in his next job but for his sake and ours he must go.
Nice piece by the way I ticked the boxes all the way down 105% agree
Si, have you heard anything about us making contact with Campos?
Campos and Ancelotti in the summer would be the dream 🙏🏻
Hard to disagree with anything there - well said. It's so frustrating that we are nearly there, so much talent waiting in the wings but so much dead wood. Just need the final pieces of the jigsaw and for them to fit in the right place.
Hire a winner as a coach. The whole mentality of the club will change once you have that guy. They need their Jose!
Well articulated! Couldn’t agree more!! Let’s hope common sense prevails.
Well said, Si. PSG got it round for so many years, but through Campos they gained clarity and expertise. You can see the direction Villa are going through Monchi and I'm sure arsenal are positive with Berta in situ.
I was fuming with the ornstein comments yesterday. Stating that there are clubs who admire maresca as some kind of validation for him was embarrassing. To hear we're making progress under him is a joke. And as we've all said many times in this community that we still need a keeper, defender, winger and striker after a 4-window plan is laughable from the club
Agree with the vast majority of this but I’m not on board with the idea of just sacking Maresca when we don’t know who we’d get to replace him. There’s not an awful lot of point if we’re going to get someone bang average - all we’re doing then is replacing one crap manager with another crap manager but throwing the instability of a sacking into the mix.
Plenty of people last season wanted Poch gone and look where that got us. I’m happy with the argument that Maresca should go but I think anyone who wants that should be able to put forward a shortlist of (attainable) replacements.
I want him gone. BUT I only want him gone once a new DoF decides upon who they want as manager, and if they want to sack Enzo.
Pickings are slim in the manager front. I’d want an experienced, winning manager, one with meaningful trophies in their cabinet and not lower leagues.
One name that I have in my head would be a massive massive gamble, and not sure if they’d even take the job, but they do tick the boxes of: experienced (managed at the highest top flight level for years), trophies (won everything in England except champions league), passionate, and knows Chelsea like the back of their hand - Emma Hayes.
Well said. It covers our problems, and possible cures, comprehensively.
The second worst thing we can do now is to assume that, even if we creep into the top five, the "project" is working and that Maresca is our only hope.
The very worst thing we can do is to carry on as we are in an "It'll be all right on the night" mentality. It won't do to do nothing and ignore the obvious failures so far, and that means replacing the coach asap and certainly before the players return for the Club World Cup.
Before all that, we're playing a tough Fulham in 2-3 hours. That might be a very significant couple of hours in this club's history.
Well said Si. I just look at PSG as the model way that a youth project should be done.
They have Barcola, Doue, Zaire Emery, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, William Pacho and Khravatskhelia who are all 24 and under, then surrounded by veterans like Dembele, Ruiz, Marquinhos, Hakimi and Donnarumma.
That's balance. That's how you do a youth project and that was overseen by Campos. I believe it was after 22/23 season when they decided to go in their new directon of not signing superstars trying to be the French Real Madrid and actually build a balanced and cohesive team.
They've won their league and are in a CL semi final. It only took them less than 2 years. We are nearly at the end of year 3 and look to be regressing from year 2. It's clearly not working. I hope they realise this before it's too late.
For the owners to have a clean slate - the SD’s have to go. Here is a quick track record of their time here at Chelsea, starting with their treatment of Cobham:
Lewis Hall
Ian Maatsen
Connor Gallagher
Hudson-Odoi
Josh Acheampong
Mason Mount
Trevoh Chalobah
Have all been treated horribly and disgraceful.
Treatment of other players:
Raheem Sterling
Ben Chilwell
Carney Chuckwuemeka
Transferflops:
Mudryk
Joao Felix
Axel Disasi
Dewsburry-Hall
Renato Veiga
Pedro Neto (also really underwhelming)
Jadon Sancho
Robert Sanchez
Omari Kellyman
Transferdeals that they messed up:
Declan Rice
Michael Olise
Victor Osimhen
Desire Doue
Mathys Tel
Transferdeals that they almost messed up:
Enzo Fernandez
Moises Caicedo
Mudryk
And lets not ignore the atrocity of squadbuilding they have put together after they spend billions.
Spot on as always Si 👏. It’s so clear what needs to be done. Everyone can see it so hopefully the owners can swallow their pride and make the changes. It would be nice for the ownership debacle to be solved too so a direction can be decided on.
I feel gaslighted when people try to convince me on Maresca and patience with the project. It just isn’t simply working and change is needed. The way it’s going. It won’t click over time because what we have is not good enough. The standards are low. Maresca has already create a negative relationship with the fans. Feels like it’s rubbing off on the squad too.
Perfectly said, Si. Every word. We really are close if we just got those appointments right, especially Campos as DOF. We can only hope the ownership wake up and do what needs to be done!
Thanks dude 🙏🏼