How do we move forward?

[Butch]

So, how do we move forward?

Is this just a matter of "settling in" time that Felipe needs?

Is this just a matter of getting in a player (or three) that will allow Chelsea to play in Felipe's philosophy?

Or is this more deep-seated?

To be honest, I am not so sure.

It's not like Felipe has not brought any change to Chelsea. I mean, early season we were pretty much flying. I think if we're happy to be a 4-5th-placed side fighting for a Champions League place every season, we're probably okay. And Felipe can have his 2-3 seasons of growing into his job, slowly changing the personnel and maybe we can mount a serious challenge for the EPL at that time.

But if we really want to keep some momentum of the previous 4 seasons (whatever little is left) going forward, I'm afraid we may be in for some big, difficult decisions.

For Felipe has seriously disappointed me. This is not the face of Chelsea that I want - this amiable, soft "we are everyone's friends" persona. I don't know what sort of PR game we're playing, but I rather the Jose game face. I also rather his no-nonsense attitude to the current seemingly lackadaisical one.

Somehow, I feel he either doesn't have a grasp of "competitive" football, or he is unable to transmit this to his team (or, gulp, both). I mean, we not play uncoordinated football; we also lack passion. Currently, we have a few players, e.g. Lamps, JT, and Ash in the main, "carrying" the others. I mean, surely, the manager must be partly to blame. We've already heard the undertones of player discontent with the new style of training. I wouldn't pay any heed in normal circumstances, but Jose had instilled the "winning feeling" in everything that was done at the club and I can't help but feeling we're letting up now ever since he left.

Let's for a minute say we keep Felipe at the helm. Certainly, there are negatives to manager musical chairs as well. Would significant changes in playing staff help things? And by significant, how many changes are needed? Will Roman actually fund these needed changes?

I can't even begin to discuss which players might come in and help us as I can't really see what Felipe is after, to be honest. I don't see a style of play, like I did with Jose, or even Grant. It is so uncoordinated. What we could do with for sure is some speed and cutting edge, on both flanks. So, that's two players already. We need to replace Drogba. That's three. I personally feel we need a different midfielder to Ballack, to come in and do a job when Lamps or Essien are out - so that's a fourth. I think we have good enough defenders so I'm thinking we need a minimum of 4 additions/changes. That is not a small number. Would Roman fund that? I can't really see things changing too much with Felipe at the helm and any less than 4 player additions. I just can't. I think departures are just as important as additions and I can't wait to see the back of Malouda and Drogba. I really can't.

As I said, if we're happy with our "fall from grace" in our new role as 3-5th placed challengers and hope Felipe pulls something out of the hat at some point, then we can keep doing what we're doing and wait for those 1-2 expected player changes in the summer. Maybe we SHOULD be happy with that considering where we were not that long ago. But if we expect to really challenge at the top edge of all the tournaments we enter, I fear it may require something else.

Cheers,

Butch

[Chippy]

I can understand your thinking here and agree with a lot of it but the reasoning behind what you say is sort of mixed for me,

If you as I do feel we need four players to turn this team into genuine contenders then surely that tells you that Scolaris task is a big one without them?

If we roll on to the summer and bring in one or two as you say we will be thereabouts and challenge for the odd cup but certainly wont be favourites for anything.

My reasoning tells me that in either instance a different manager would likely yield the same returns...i.e a new manager (if he is decent) and four new players will likely see us as genuine contenders,

a new manager (decent) and one or two new faces will likely see us yo yo around the top five in the same way..

Doesn't that point to just giving Scolari the benefit of the doubt and letting him bring some players in in the summer rather than another huge upheaval of manager, backroom staff and whatever else?

unimpressed though I am so far I doubt it would have been any different whoever was in charge espessially trying to play in a more attacking way,

He could do what Grant did which in my opinion was to try to play more entertaining until it go's wrong then revert to the Mourinho style which Grant did very well but two things make that out of the question for Scolari and that is Roman sacked Grant for doing it and we have no Makalele..

the team has always been a strong defensive unit and say what you will about the same players as last year a defensive unit that has lost Makalele has lost its heart.

Mikel is a tidy player and for his age in the role he plays is useful but there is a huge difference between the two.

[Butch]

Scolari's is not an enviable task. I fully accept his job is a difficult one.

But while the addition of 4 players would make his job easier, I am still unconvinced by his ability to stand "toe-to-toe" with the other top managers. That really is where Jose, for example, excelled. That is the kind of edge you need to be successful (more often than not).

As I said though, I am unconvinced, meaning I am not sure about him, yet I am not sure we'd do better with another manager either, for it depends who we brought in. I know who I want, but I doubt it'd happen ever again.

As such, we're left in this strange situation where we haven't a clue either way. Brings me back to the feeling that Roman needs to back Felipe and let's just find out one way or the other. Anything is better than this "mess".

Regarding Mikel, I am not too disappointed in him. He has been a bright spot in our season, IMHO.

Cheers,

Butch

[Chippy]

Scolari's is not an enviable task. I fully accept his job is a difficult one.

But while the addition of 4 players would make his job easier, I am still unconvinced by his ability to stand "toe-to-toe" with the other top managers. That really is where Jose, for example, excelled. That is the kind of edge you need to be successful (more often than not).

As I said though, I am unconvinced, meaning I am not sure about him, yet I am not sure we'd do better with another manager either, for it depends who we brought in. I know who I want, but I doubt it'd happen ever again.

As such, we're left in this strange situation where we haven't a clue either way. Brings me back to the feeling that Roman needs to back Felipe and let's just find out one way or the other. Anything is better than this "mess".

Regarding Mikel, I am not too disappointed in him. He has been a bright spot in our season, IMHO.

Cheers,

Butch

Thats exactly how I see it (bar the choice of manager you would like to see return) unless its Ruud :)

I am not dissapointed with Mikel..far from it I am just saying to play as defensively as we did at our best Maka was a much better option.

we could bring in one of a dozen managers and still end up in the same situation, one day the club has to back one and see how they do over a couple of seasons at least.

[Tea Bar Boy]

I really don’t know what we would need to get it all going right again but it is obvious now what a mistake it was to alienate and let Steve Clarke go .

I do think Big Phil has a lot to answer for it was noticeable from the middle of September a lot of things were not right off the pitch .

It really depends how you view it he inherited a team who finished 2nd in the League and where one slip away from winning the European Cup Final .The team I have been watching the last few months are an incoherent shambles.

He brought 2 good players to improve the team (one superbly Bosingawa the other only plays in warm sun ) .

It is obvious there is disharmony with tactics, training methods, subs. non playing etc ….but he is only here for 2 years does he have the stomach for a fight ? If not next year will be worse…

[blizeH]

This'll make me sound like a c**t, and as much as I do like most of Chelsea's players and will always stick up for them, even people like Ballack that always seems to work hard, I've had enough of. Malouda who I always want to see given a chance, I've had enough of. Deco showed so much promise, I'd love for him to recapture some of that form but it just ain't going to happen. Kalou is another player who just isn't going to cut it unfortunately.

1. ... with the exception of Terry, Cole, Cole, Lampard and Essien - I really couldn't care less who leaves the club now, maybe a few extra players I'd like to see stay (Cech, Belletti etc)

2. Get rid of the 'dead wood'. As I said above, this includes Malouda, Deco, Drogba and maybe even stretch it to Malouda etc too.

3. A new manager, this is absolutely essential. I like Scolari but he really doesn't have any idea unfortunately. An ex Chelsea player would be ideal, preferably the Clarke/Zola combo, but I'd also be happy with Hughes or even Di Matteo. All ex Chelsea legends, all would be an instant hit with the fans, all have done quite well at club level (Di Matteo is the only question mark, but he's awesome right now with MK Dons (I know, I know)) and they're all young enough that they could build a dynasty, kinda like what Fergie has done at United.

... I honestly, I dunno. I just don't care any more.

I want players and a manager I can actually relate to. I'd rather have a bunch of average players working their socks off all game than I would what we're getting now. I'd rather take a risk on some younger players, argghh... apologies for the rant :)

[Dorset]

Butch - one man’s ‘fall from grace’ is anothers ‘know your place’….I was about to post this when I saw your piece and it overlaps, so..

As the Premiership season moves inexorably on its way towards the ritual anointing of Sir Alex and his gallant squad of players, who are never knowingly understated, overpaid or dissatisfied with their lot, the rest [mere bit players in the drama] begin to shuffle themselves into some semblance of order on what is affectionately known as a league table that never lies. This time around abysmal officialdom has taken more than its usual toll on us, but we mustn’t grumble, what with our poor form, poor management team and oh so much poorer owner combining to make incompetents like Mike Riley seem the least of our problems.

Lately I have been reminded of that old That Was The Week That Was sketch where John Cleese was upper class, Ronnie Barker was middle class and Ronnie Corbett just ’knew his place’. If he didn’t know it before arriving on these shores, Big Phil knows his place now alright - not only below the permanent upper class seniority of Ferguson, but also looking up at a social climber called Rafa, who has paid his dues over five years of often bewildering apprentice-serving to become the current favour receiver of officialdom. No matter how much Benitez may argue to the contrary, it seems that this season Alonso can ham it up as much as he likes [altogether now - five times, he’s done it five times!!] safe in the knowledge that his efforts are going to be both Oscar and red card winning. Riley is one of an ever growing list of duped referees, albeit the easiest to fool due to certain learning difficulties that have also seen him give an endless supply of penalties to ManU over the years, but that said you cannot deny our complicity in the latest scam, as Frank talked about the ‘previous’ on both sides and being all ears has always been one of Old Mother’s traits.

The irony in all this is that Chelsea supporters are coming across as the much maligned recipients of a decision that clearly altered the outcome of the match, yet most of us appreciate that we’re not good enough as a team at the moment anyway and would be only too pleased to see some semblance of change however it may be brought about. To say that Riley’s ineptitude aids the cause would be quite wrong, because we are all hurting and downright angry, but something tells me that this game is no more than a false dawn for Rafa and his impotent crew, who struggled throughout and fired blanks for eighty nine minutes. Therefore this cloud does have a silver lining in that Anfield will surely go on being the same under achieving home of the Great Premiership Pretenders that it has been for nigh on twenty years.

Okay, naïve over status we may have become [and here Mike O would use the word corruptible to describe the peripheral stuff of which Riley is a part] but at least we have never been deluded about our present situation, our past Jose-busting of the system, or our hoped for future reliance on a mixture of youth, experience and the odd bit of explosive talent. Can’t happen soon enough is what I say and have tried to convey in all recent posts. So get on with it Phil, there are no more excuses to be had or wished for by the supporters and the place you are in now may not be yours to occupy, let alone ’know’ for any longer than one season.

[Scott]

Fergie was right early in the season when he implied that our team was too old to win the league. This squad must be totally rebuilt IMO. How many players that started Sunday can you say have thier best years ahead of them? Mikel, hopefully Kalou.

[Tea Bar Boy]

Fergie was right early in the season when he implied that our team was too old to win the league. This squad must be totally rebuilt IMO. How many players that started Sunday can you say have thier best years ahead of them? Mikel, hopefully Kalou.

I'll buy you a season ticket and pay for your flights over each week if Kalou every scores 20 premiership goals two seasons running ...........

[ethicalstrategy]

So, how do we move forward?

Sign Quaresma?