Maybe he doesn't have the players at his disposal or most are injured but his subs are killing us in recent games. I still believe he won't be good for the entire season in the current game but we will never know that, will we?

Well, we don't have strong bench anymore but I think most choices he made were spot on.

If we'd won yesterday we'd be two points off 7th which is Europa League potentially, isn't it?

And if we hadn't overturned the Southampton half time score, if we conceded a late goal at Norwich, if JT didn't score so late vs Everton. If, If , If...

Lack of tactical nous? Anyone who follows his career knows that Guus Hiddink is a veteran master-tactician. He's excellent at turning things around and he would be excellent entire season manager. Believe me he can handle the pressure better than some of the top managers.

But he's at the end of his career. He just want to retire and watch football as a spectator.

This season I am struggling to see the master-tactician your talking about

This season I am struggling to see the master-tactician your talking about

I agree that Guus has lost his tactical and technical edge. I think Roman was/is okay with that because we needed his strengths more than we needed a tactical genius.

Come on, he's done a great job! I'd like to have won the Stoke game and with the dropped points against Watford or WBA we could be 4 points from CL position, and having to play Liverpool, City and West Ham (would be direct contenders). But that doesn't mean that Guus has done a bad job. He has picked up group of players that were totally broken and has put them to work together and climb up the table. We have even seen some good spells of football and we have seen Traore and Kenedy play and score. We were thinking of relegation with Mourinho and with Guus we are disappointed at not getting into the top 4 fight. Furthermore, we are even thinking about the possibility of winning the FA Cup! (And some of you even contemplate the possibility of going far on the CL). So yes, he's done a great job with respect to the team and the fans. You can't be seriously complaining about his work.

Come on, he's done a great job!

Nah.

He's done a steady job so far but it's hardly been great. We have dropped quite a lot of points with drawing a fair number of games we really should be winning. His record at the bridge is actually rather average.

IF he gets us past PSG and a FA Cup then that will be a success, so let's wait and see.

If we look only at the numbers, yes, he is average. But for me the important thing is how he has recovered the mentality of a group of players that were so f****d up they didn't seem to care any more. Even more, I was going to SB hoping not to get beaten by too many goals and thinking that a draw would be good, and now I go to the Bridge thinking that we can win any game. So he has also helped towards the mentality of the fans. For me that is a job well done. In any case, we can't really say he's done a bad job, can we? (not that you've said so, Chelsbear)

If we look only at the numbers, yes, he is average. But for me the important thing is how he has recovered the mentality of a group of players that were so f****d up they didn't seem to care any more. Even more, I was going to SB hoping not to get beaten by too many goals and thinking that a draw would be good, and now I go to the Bridge thinking that we can win any game. So he has also helped towards the mentality of the fans. For me that is a job well done. In any case, we can't really say he's done a bad job, can we? (not that you've said so, Chelsbear)

 

Why do you go thinking we can win a game? Most people I saw on Saturday weren't surprised at all that we'd thrown it away because we seem to draw every game at home.

 

We actually have a chance to qualify via the league for Europe yet he rested his key players on Saturday to give us a better chance to win the Champions League.

 

We're a mid-table team yet rather than go for the mid-table finish and get into Europe, he is betting on us being crowned European champions. I understand why he'd do that, because the riches of the Champions League are too great to ignore, but it does seem like the safer bet was to go for a Europa League finish.

If we look only at the numbers, yes, he is average. But for me the important thing is how he has recovered the mentality of a group of players that were so f****d up they didn't seem to care any more. Even more, I was going to SB hoping not to get beaten by too many goals and thinking that a draw would be good, and now I go to the Bridge thinking that we can win any game. So he has also helped towards the mentality of the fans. For me that is a job well done. In any case, we can't really say he's done a bad job, can we? (not that you've said so, Chelsbear)

 

Funny you should say that... because we've actually only won one out of six home league games since Hiddink has been here. He's done okay, steadied the ship and all that, using much more conservative tactics than most permanent Chelsea managers would get away with, but nothing spectacular.

I am saying that I think we can win games, not saying that we win every game. And yes, we've drawn some games, but with coming backs like that against Everton or Manchester Utd, which we would have lost not too many months back (I still remember the Southampton game or that against the Liverpool sc*m). That attitude in the team, that I hadn't seen with Mourinho, is what makes me go to SB thinking that we can watch some decent footie and get the three points. And the latest matches (league and FA Cup) at SB have been 5-1, fair enough against not very good teams, but our players had a good mentality and we saw good football from them. Obviously the Stoke match was a disappointment and for me the difference in this draw (in comparison against that of Everton or ManUtd) was that we could have got the 3 points if the players had put their mind to it. So yes, IMO this team is now able to win games if they work for it and I don't go thinking how many goals we are going to get this time. And on Wednesday I'll drag my back side to SB again thinking that Chelsea can put a quality performance and we can go through, if they put their mind to it. It is going to be tough, but a few months back I'd go thinking we were going to lose.

Did we not come back from 2-0 down away at Newcastle? The point is at the Bridge we win hardly any game! 5 draws in 6 league matches is not exactly inspiring. Also bear in mind that Hiddink is clearly playing not to lose, whereas under JM we were going gung ho. Let's not pretend JM couldn't have gone negative and got 6 draws from the next 8 games like Hiddink did.

Can any who is good at these sort of things produce a league table showing where everyone would be if the league had started when Hiddink took charge?

 

That would be pretty interesting and I am sure I read a week or so ago we were second to only Tottenham in terms of the "form" league table.

Did we not come back from 2-0 down away at Newcastle? The point is at the Bridge we win hardly any game! 5 draws in 6 league matches is not exactly inspiring. Also bear in mind that Hiddink is clearly playing not to lose, whereas under JM we were going gung ho. Let's not pretend JM couldn't have gone negative and got 6 draws from the next 8 games like Hiddink did.

 

Going Gung-Ho? Under JM? Was I hibernating or something?

Can any who is good at these sort of things produce a league table showing where everyone would be if the league had started when Hiddink took charge?

That would be pretty interesting and I am sure I read a week or so ago we were second to only Tottenham in terms of the "form" league table.

Third for the last 12 games (since Hiddink started). Second for the last 13 games (since Jose left).

http://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:12/type:home-and-away/

Third for the last 12 games (since Hiddink started). Second for the last 13 games (since Jose left).

http://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:12/type:home-and-away/

 

And in that period we have the same home record as Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa.

For what he's done, he's done it better than Jose, no ifs or buts, better ok...., understand the game ffs, we could genuinely of been relegated, bring on 2016-17 season.....

At the end of the day I think if we would be third in the league if the season started when Guus took over that says it all. The proof is in the pudding. You can say his home form is poor but its balanced out by an impressive away record. Third is third, wouldn't worry about how we were there, if we were there.

 

And third is more then respectable with the current squad in my opinion and doesn't take into account the fact he took over a complete train wreck of a situation and had no pre-season etc.

 

Could his home form be better? Of course. There is definitely plenty of room for improvement in various places but on the whole I really don't think you could have asked for much more under the circumstances.

My opinion is that it's too small of a sample size that doesn't take into the relative difficulty of opponents. It'd be like saying that had Steve Holland managed the entire season he'd have won every game scoring a record 114 goals in the process. Has he done a decent job? Probably yes, under an unambitious remit with a flawed squad. He's not trying anything too difficult and has no responsibility for our future whereas Jose was still trying to win games.

Well we can only judge him on what he has done, obviously.

 

I don't really think it is anything like saying that Steve Holland would win every game in a season based on his one game in charge, that's just silly (I obviously get your point though so no need to expand on it).

 

I think you are being a little harsh to be honest. I agree he has not come in and torn up tree's with anything that different/new but would you really expect him to given the circumstances?

 

Mourinho may have been "trying to win games" but on the most part the wasn't succeeding. I don't believe Guus is setting out not to win games either but sure you could argue he could have been more adventurous in a few games, granted.

 

Either way he won't be around next season so let's just be thankful we appear to be finishing in the top half and hope he can guide us to a cup triumph like last time- I would say that would be a good salvage of the season.

Wednesday night is defining for Guus.

Third for the last 12 games (since Hiddink started). Second for the last 13 games (since Jose left).

http://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:premier-league/form/matches:12/type:home-and-away/

 

Strange how we are conceding goals aplenty at home whilst being rock solid away. One thing I'm pretty sure about is if we were in that position now 4 pts behind the leaders, there would be only one team that would be champions from that position. Just goes to show how much we f**ked up this season, everyone involved in this debacle should hold their heads in shame.

My opinion is that it's too small of a sample size that doesn't take into the relative difficulty of opponents. It'd be like saying that had Steve Holland managed the entire season he'd have won every game scoring a record 114 goals in the process. Has he done a decent job? Probably yes, under an unambitious remit with a flawed squad. He's not trying anything too difficult and has no responsibility for our future whereas Jose was still trying to win games.

It's exactly this and saying Chelsea would finish this position are all what ifs. The start of the season and midway through are different scenarios and nothing against Hiddink but taking over half way through the season there was always going to be an improvment on what had happened before.

What if Costa wasn't performing for Hiddink at the beginning of the season because he was unfit. What if Courtois didn't get injured? What if Fabregas was the one out for 3 months? The whole hing is what ifs.

Someone said the away form has been rock solid, rock solid is well over the top.

It's exactly this and saying Chelsea would finish this position are all what ifs. The start of the season and midway through are different scenarios and nothing against Hiddink but taking over half way through the season there was always going to be an improvment on what had happened before.

What if Costa wasn't performing for Hiddink at the beginning of the season because he was unfit. What if Courtois didn't get injured? What if Fabregas was the one out for 3 months? The whole hing is what ifs.

Someone said the away form has been rock solid, rock solid is well over the top.

 

How would you describe it, out of interest? 

Edited March 7, 201610 yr by mclovin83

How would you describe it, out of interest?

Tbh I would say it's been very good, Arsenal one was good because thats how you do a job on them. Southampton was a good comeback against a good team, palace nice. Watford, Utd and Norwich was a struggle to watch.

Tbh I would say it's been very good, Arsenal one was good because thats how you do a job on them. Southampton was a good comeback against a good team, palace nice. Watford, Utd and Norwich was a struggle to watch.

 

So you believe rock solid to be "well over the top" in terms of describing our away form under Hiddink but you would instead choose to describe it as "very good" ?

 

I'm confused.