Sacking another manager will not change a thing

Changing the manager will achieve nothing and ignores the real problems

I’ll be honest, when I looked at the Brighton result and saw the reaction, I realised I barely have any emotional energy left for football. This club and how it’s being run, and the constant scapegoating of the manager when the real problems come above him, its sucking all my enthusiasm for football out of me.

I’ve been through this all before and I really cannot be bothered to have the same conversations three years in a row. Maybe the owners who read this should start taking fans views seriously, instead of congratulating themselves on what is actually failure or spinning failure as success.

Sadly, its also clear to me now at least some of our fans may never have the patience for a long term manager, because one bad run of form for any manager, and we tear him apart, bring him down & hound him out. We were indoctrinated to do this under Roman Abramovich and can’t get our heads around how football has changed.

Between the start 2010/11 season and the end of 2021/2022, all under Roman’s ownership we challenged for the title 4 times in 12 seasons and missed out on CL football twice. We finished over 30 points behind the PL champions in the last 5 years of Roman’s ownership as well as the first 2 of the new ownership. This decline has been coming. The new owners I thought would change this, so far they’ve merely continued as a side which battles for top 4, with two cup runs and one lost final.

The manager is not the most important issue right now. This magic bullet theory about managers has been proven false.

You only have to look at the most successful clubs right now - Manchester City, Liverpool, even Real Madrid, all have built success with stability at management level. Arsenal’s best team in years has appeared doing the same thing.

Fact is, in today’s game, you can’t build sustainable long term success or attract top players to your project without stability at manager level. Our fans need to get this into our heads, and fast.

Nothing much will change if the manager changes right now.

The biggest, most fundamental issues at our club right now are Clearlake Capital, the Sporting Directors and GK guru Ben Roberts.

I’ve talked about why this is so many times I’ve lost count, and I can’t deal with anyone thinking they’re doing a good job. Look at our recent form. Look at our squad with its lack of depth so our first XI have become burned out. Look at the lack of leaders, an elite core and good experience to help our young stars. Look at the abysmal treatment of players and total waste of money in the transfer market.

Anyone can see it.

Every Chelsea fan I know, without fail, is angry right now and we have a right to be.

The recent results show the squad building has been absolutely horrific and Enzo Maresca, like his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, has been let down in the transfer market when he asked for a proven elite striker. Its impossible to judge a head coach when they aren’t given the tools they ask for to do their job.

If we had a top GK, a proven elite 9 (who our last TWO managers have asked for and not been given), and quality depth in midfield, and Trev had been kept in the summer, I think we’d be in a better position now, regardless of who the coach is.

And of course, if we signed 4-5 grown adults who have won trophies, are proven at elite level, with leadership qualities and good experience, as well some prime years ahead, we definitely wouldn’t be. But the self professed geniuses in charge, think that experience is bad despite EVERY successful title winning squad in PL history having a blend of both youth and experience.

The “youth only” plan is not the plan these owners - or rather Todd Boehly - had in mind when they came here. PART of Todd Boehly’s plan was to sign a lot of elite young talent from all over the world, as we have. I still believe in that aspect of the project, I’ve not lost faith in that.

But as myself and Simon have advocated for years on this site, Todd also wants some experience and proven players alongside that & is willing to be flexible to achieve it. He wants best in class people running the club and his main goal is to win. He knows how to win in sports ownership, and how to build relationships with fans and players and respect the culture of the club.

Clearlake had no experience in sport ownership before this and have skewed the project in favour of kids only, with no good experience. Its absolutely ridiculous.

Right now, we’re not on course to win the biggest trophies. And in my view we’re not going to win those trophies again without a change right at the top of the club.

Another reason not to sack Maresca, is that no serious manager will get considered for or take our job right now, because they never get backed by the SD's, have no say on transfers or squad building whatsoever, and have to pick the GK Ben Roberts wants. It’ll be the same “project manager” who’ll follow orders. Nothing will change.

The biggest tell is we won’t dare hire a truly elite manager like Klopp, Pep, Tuchel, Carlo or someone of that level because the self professed geniuses running our club think they know more than all of them and want someone who they can control, rather than listen to and trust people at the absolute top of the game. If that doesn't tell you the manager ain't the problem, I don't know what does.

We’re currently on course to become a top 6 side who occasionally gets CL football , and whose best players get pinched by the real elite sides every few years and win a few cups, with a few easier European trophies. Basically Arsenal 10 years ago.

That’s embarrassing.

We’re Chelsea Football Club, not Borussia Chelsea.

Regardless of the owner's ambitions - and I know they are bigger than top 6 - that’s where we are right now. And that’s NOT where Chelsea should be. We’re not a feeder club for other big clubs, it's absolutely shameful we’re in this position where people are even considering this might happen.

I also don’t want to hear the excuse of our current league placing, because these issues will remain regardless of where we finish this season. If we succeed its down to Enzo getting the most out of this squad despite these issues, not due to the genius of the Sporting Directors.

There’s no external saviour coming. Roman Abramovich is not coming back no matter how many ask for it, and his way of running a football club belongs in the past anyhow.

The only way we can get real change now is Todd Boehly buying out Clearlake Capital, and even then, it's only faint hope.

Yes. Todd’s links to that ticketing firm aren’t ideal, but if you think the timing of that leak, coming at a time Clearlake is heavily under fire, was a coincidence, I think you’re being very naive.

Todd is the best man for the job. He’s a born winner, has a track record of winning, his first goal is to win, he has a long term perspective, he respects fans and our views & he understands what it takes to win and what type of characters you need to do it. And he has an emotional attachment to the club.

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“Winning is clearly the most important thing. We are focused on winning. I think that winning is at the top of the things that’s most important.”

Todd Boehly, 2024

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Todd, if you're reading, we need you right now. Don’t give up on Chelsea, many many Chelsea fans would happily see you replace Clearlake and that only increases with every defeat.

I for one am sick and tired of the same story two years in a row now. About this time every season we have a bad run and everyone wants the manager out, manager changes, nothing actually changes. And the people really responsible blame everyone else for their failures, the fans lap it up and think its all new and “this time” it will work out, when they real culprits face no accountability and are allowed to keep on making their mistakes & even pat themselves on the back for it. Because they appear to care more about their CVs than what's good for Chelsea FC.

I’m tired of us fans fighting amongst ourselves (including me at times), about managers or players, when it’s clear who we should be calling out and directing this anger towards first.

If necessary, and I hope its not, we should be (peacefully) protesting. Quite frankly, the people at the top need to realise how strong the depth of feeling is amongst fans, and its increasingly they won’t listen to us on socials, you could easily make an argument they don’t care about our views.

The real problem at Chelsea is obvious and something has to be done. It’s heartbreaking to see us in this situation for a third year running and I’m just tired of excuses.

We need to forget about judging the manager for now and focus on the real problem, the people above him who built this squad he has to coach.

Clearlake and the SD’s need to sort it out, make the decisions necessary, show some ambition and start being not just competent, but exceptional.

If not, they should leave for someone who’ll do a better job. Then we can have a conversation about the manager.

The Score