I agree with you van but I and many thousands of us are pi**ed off that the great players in our youth set up are not getting enough chances to play in the 1st team.

They keep winning Youth cups and then get sent out on loan never to be seen again, even if they did really well like Patrick Bamford did at Middlesboro last season.

I know Guus is just beginning to give RLC, Traore and Kenedy a go, but that should have happened months ago, when our so called superstars were not interested in giving us 100%

Most of us wanna see young players come through the ranks. Which I think they will have more of a chance now with Guus in charge, than they did before.

As the club are looking to cut the wage billl, and are therefore not splashing out on large transfers any more. As the New Stadium needs a shed load of money.

Looking back to the players that we had acquired for the past few seasons(minus a few dud players), I'd say the groundwork was pretty good.. The one who messed it up is JM with his pragmatic style and choice of players.. Hard to blame roman for hiring him the 2nd time because like me, he was led to believe that JM would integrate more attacking style from his trademark style but it's a lie.. we all wanted he came back but it didn't turn out like it should be..

Looking back to the players that we had acquired for the past few seasons(minus a few dud players), I'd say the groundwork was pretty good.. The one who messed it up is JM with his pragmatic style and choice of players.. Hard to blame roman for hiring him the 2nd time because like me, he was led to believe that JM would integrate more attacking style from his trademark style but it's a lie.. we all wanted he came back but it didn't turn out like it should be..

 

I think you can absolutely blame the person who hired Jose, considering his track record is clear for all to see. In fairness, Jose came in and did pretty much what he usually does and the only thing a club would hire him for. You said it yourself, it's his trademark style.

 

The club laid the groundwork for one style of football and then hired a coach who has always played another style largely speaking. It's impossible to blame anyone other than Roman.

Embrace the change Wembley is lucky for us so who knows.

 

It could be worse you could live in Moss side.

 

That will be the biggest shock for Pep. Although I'm sure he's bright enough to have checked into Manchester's horrifically awful year round cloud and I'm sure he'll be aware that if he wants good food that he'll be making many trips back to the continent.

 

But knowing about it doesn't change the fact that he'll barely see the sun for three years and that Pizza Express is about as close to fine dining as he'll get.

Lol there's always the Curry Mile.

Roman out,

I agree with you van but I and many thousands of us are pi**ed off that the great players in our youth set up are not getting enough chances to play in the 1st team.

They keep winning Youth cups and then get sent out on loan never to be seen again, even if they did really well like Patrick Bamford did at Middlesboro last season.

I know Guus is just beginning to give RLC, Traore and Kenedy a go, but that should have happened months ago, when our so called superstars were not interested in giving us 100%

Most of us wanna see young players come through the ranks. Which I think they will have more of a chance now with Guus in charge, than they did before.

As the club are looking to cut the wage billl, and are therefore not splashing out on large transfers any more. As the New Stadium needs a shed load of money.

I did have a whole response written (not aimed at you just in general) but it feels like we go around in circles on here.

We're fine.

I'm out.

Club is run by Roman like Putin runs Russia

 

Absolute power

No dissent

No accountability

 

Thats not a critique just an observation

 

 

However the club is at a crossroads, the upcoming critical path decisions need to be made wisely, as we never get any insight

into the brain of the club all we can do is speculate, but lets be honest some of their actions are mind blowingly bad, to counter 

that its not all been 2 bob so Fairplay Roman thanks!

 

Lets just hope sound decisions are made on manager and player recruitment over the summer, otherwise could be a long

journey back to the top of English football......................

Yes it is down to Abramovich. He needs to take responsibility for overseeing the club's decline this season and for us failing to qualify for the Champions League next season which will impact our future revenue and player recruitment.

If he screws up the next managerial appointment and fails to invest in the squad properly, then we will be looking at a slow spiral of decline. This is the weakest Chelsea squad in Abramovich's time here. The failure to manage the transition from the Cech, Terry, Lampard, Drogba era was always going to be hard. I thought they'd do a much better job than they have.

It was all well and good going for Pogba and Stones to recreate a new spine for the side. When we failed to sign those two players our strategy was to hope we might sign them next season. Fat chance. That is not a plan B. It's just having no plan at all.

Now that Guardiola has buggered off to City; and Stones and Pogba are a pipe dream, I really hope that we have a vision for the club going forwards. I just doubt it - and after the sacking of Mourinho I have less faith that the Board are capable of devising any long term direction.

Edited February 2, 201610 yr by Socrates

We stumble from one crisis to another.

Question is........What's the next crisis gonna be after we've sorted a new contract for JT and got ourselves a long term manager ( definition of Chelsea board long term vision means 18 months ) ?

Could be.......Objection by Wembley council or the FA decline our request to play at Wembley - it seems it's problem after problem for us at the moment

I never wanted Pep but I respect that City had a plan, laid the groundwork to achieve it and then made the change from a position of strength. Even if they didn't get him, they had a team in charge who knew exactly what type of football they wanted to play, bought the players they needed to achieve that and also had their academy playing the same way.

 

I wouldn't call that licking their bumholes, more appreciating a well-run club. That doesn't mean they'll automatically win everything but they've put themselves into the best position possible to achieve that outcome which is really all any business can do. 

 

They stated their aims, hired the best people available to do that and backed them. We haven't done that.

 

You can say it's doom and gloom to look at our situation and highlight the flaws. It's easy to dismiss unpalatable thoughts like that and you don't have to look far to see other examples of that in other areas but the best way to dismiss them is to present a more hopeful future.

 

Your points are that City haven't had our trophy haul (two less FA Cups and one less league cup over the same period, with this year's league up for grabs), we've signed world-class players over the last decade and that none of City's success is guaranteed. That's all true.

 

But where's the argument for our future being brighter than the 'pessimists' have suggested? 

 

Why are you not counting European trophies? 

 

As for an "argument for our future being brighter than the 'pessimists' have suggested?"... I don't have a crystal ball and I can't guarantee that we won't endure a disappointing few years. We are having our worst league campaign since Roman took over which will probably effect us next season, and we have the added complication of our new ground (all funded by Roman) of course. 

 

My point was more that we have enjoyed great success with Roman winning pretty much every trophy going, including that old European Cup that is so easily forgotten, and have basically been spoilt as fans. Trips to Wembley have become routine, as have European away trip to places like the Camp Nou. We are incredibly lucky and ion the most part down to Romans investment. 

 

If we have a few years out of Europe and fighting our way back to the top four then so be it. In a funny way I think I would actually quite enjoy it. 

 

I just think people who have no doubt enjoyed and celebrated all of our success over the last 10 odd years should cut Roman some slack and try not to appear like spoilt brats when things aren't all rosy. I'm not saying he can do no wrong, of course he can, but this seasons fall from grace is not down to Roman.

 

We won the league just last year and all loved it. I was in the MHL when we sang Mourinho's name followed by Abramovich's on the final game of the season - great times. 

 

This year has been a disaster and suddenly it's "all down to Roman"

So the players gets no blame ?

The club is in complete disarray because of the whole lot of them employed at the club including the players except for Willian ( Willian has been a shining star putting in a shift in all games, and he has got to be our player of the season )

Why are you not counting European trophies? 

 

 

Because I was referring to the first 8 years of Roman's reign and comparing it to the 8 years that City have been under Mansoor's ownership. Unfortunately Moscow doesn't count as half either.

 

 

I just think people who have no doubt enjoyed and celebrated all of our success over the last 10 odd years should cut Roman some slack and try not to appear like spoilt brats when things aren't all rosy. I'm not saying he can do no wrong, of course he can, but this seasons fall from grace is not down to Roman.

 

 

And this is the inevitable 'Roman gave you success so don't question him' argument which I understand the root of, but also question the usefulness of. Trips to Wembley weren't uncommon before Roman (in fact I had two in my first season as a member) and we also got to go to the Camp Nou and San Siro (a certain captain scored a f**king great goal there I've heard) before Roman had even acquired the coin he tossed to choose between us and Spurs.

 

Now you've made me think of that era, I'm also reminded of the amazing work Colin Hutchinson did along with Ken Bates and Matthew Harding (boo hiss) to begin the development of this club into an entertaining, continental, forward-thinking club who were innovative in the transfer market and took us to a position where Roman could entertain us as an option to buy.

 

 

We won the league just last year and all loved it. I was in the MHL when we sang Mourinho's name followed by Abramovich's on the final game of the season - great times. 

 

Me too. I also went to the games in the months before that when it was painfully obvious we were running on fumes and needed investment. It didn't come. 

 

 

This year has been a disaster and suddenly it's "all down to Roman"

 

Not suddenly at all. Our turbulence has always been down to him in my opinion and the sharp change in direction when we appointed Jose was probably the most obvious. We spent years and hundreds of millions of pounds laying the groundwork for a style of football completely at odds with what Jose has always produced and then really didn't give Jose much support financially over the last 18 months.

 

Roman sets the tone for this club more than perhaps any other owner at any other club. He surrounds himself with yes men and has failed to settle on a consistent idea of what he wants this football club to play and I think the vast resources probably mask a lot of issues.

So the players gets no blame ?

 

The problems go beyond this current crop of players. There are endemic, institutional problems in this club and we need changes at the very top if we have aspirations to be a top European club over the next 10, 20 or 50 years.

 

At the moment we're looking like we're about to return to the constant chop-changing of coaches except there's one difference - we won't have the money to fix the holes in the boat. 

ShedEnder91..... the way you reply to posts reminds me of a certain former member.... have you ever been a member of this forum under a different name?

ShedEnder91..... the way you reply to posts reminds me of a certain former member.... have you ever been a member of this forum under a different name?

 

Type it out and press reply? Fairly common on most forums.

 

But no, was a member of a different non-Chelsea forum with a similar username though. Why?

Type it out and press reply? Fairly common on most forums.

 

But no, was a member of a different non-Chelsea forum with a similar username though. Why?

 

Great BANTZ!!!!     

I havent read the whole thread, in the past i've been dug out for my opinion(not on here but elsewhere) that imo under Roman we really should have won more PL titles.

 

Dont get me wrong i'm grateful for everything Roman has gave us & ive enjoyed the fantastic ride we've all been on, but with Roman's money & the squads we've had we really should have dominated the PL more.

 

The obvious problem was the sacking of managers & lack of stability, the likes of Scholeri AVB & Grant had to go but sacking Ancellotii only a year after doing the double, finishing 2nd with a depleted squad & then sacking him was bloody stupid imo.

 

When you compare City winning two titles to our four & given how long City have been under Arab rule against Roman's time here shows we really should have won more titles.

 

Here we are again, can any of you seriously think we'll challenge for the title in the next few years?

I havent read the whole thread, in the past i've been dug out for my opinion(not on here but elsewhere) that imo under Roman we really should have won more PL titles.

 

Dont get me wrong i'm grateful for everything Roman has gave us & ive enjoyed the fantastic ride we've all been on, but with Roman's money & the squads we've had we really should have dominated the PL more.

 

The obvious problem was the sacking of managers & lack of stability, the likes of Scholeri AVB & Grant had to go but sacking Ancellotii only a year after doing the double, finishing 2nd with a depleted squad & then sacking him was bloody stupid imo.

 

When you compare City winning two titles to our four & given how long City have been under Arab rule against Roman's time here shows we really should have won more titles.

 

Here we are again, can any of you seriously think we'll challenge for the title in the next few years?

 

Absolutely spot on.

 

Roman has spent more money than he's had to papering over the mistakes that were largely his fault. I'd be just as grateful if he'd spent less but done so in a more efficient way and hired people who had more experience in certain positions. 

We stumble from one crisis to another.

Stopping on the way to pick up silver ware.

We stumble from one crisis to another.

Question is........What's the next crisis gonna be after we've sorted a new contract for JT and got ourselves a long term manager ( definition of Chelsea board long term vision means 18 months ) ?

Could be.......Objection by Wembley council or the FA decline our request to play at Wembley - it seems it's problem after problem for us at the moment

 

I note from a previous post you have supported the club since 62 which gives you the Tommy Doc era over myself. As you know well our current position isn't a crisis given our past. We have been the luckiest supporters around for the past 12 yrs , the ones leading upto Romans acquisition of the club weren't too bad either, we just have to enjoy the rollercoaster ride that it is and remember we can't win everything and few lean years won't do us any harm.

Before we all climb up City's arse, it should be pointed out that we won our our titles against the Invincibles and a rampant United with the best manager of all time leading them. They won theirs at the tail-end of Ferguson's career with the last kick of the season, with Arsenal and Liverpool fading and with our never-ending change of managers. They've had some fantastic players in Aguero, Toure, Silva, Company and others, but even at their peak they still haven't truly dominated. Even with this year being the most ridiculous of years their lead is minute, so lets not rewrite history from a light blue perspective...keep it dark blue.

It was all well and good going for Pogba and Stones to recreate a new spine for the side. When we failed to sign those two players our strategy was to hope we might sign them next season. Fat chance. That is not a plan B. It's just having no plan at all.

 

Maybe Plan B is that the likes of RLC and Christensen will turn out to be better than Pogba and Stones over the course of their career ... ?

 

Pogba is a bit flavour of the month, and an excuse for a bit of Fergie bashing for me. Stones is ok, but not as great as his media write up. Neither of them were worth the money that would have needed to be spent to prise them away from their current clubs, and I for one am glad Roman and the board exercised a bit of control with these two .

Couldn't agree more, and, yes, it is hard to criticise Roman because of the funds he's put into the club, but the more I see the way he works the more troubled I become.  He doesn't respect the fans in the sense he doesn't value their feelings and at best fails to appreciate that we may have a valid point of view.  For example, Benitez, Lampard, Mourinho, JT; the way he has handled those situations has been dreadful. And what about a few words from him in the club programme?  He just won't relate to us.  I think this man is obsessed with the Champions League and looks for quick fixes.  He won't tolerate what he regards as failure.  When you are trying to build a dynasty, like Jose said he wanted to do, you have to accept that there will be highs and lows along a twisted journey.  I've been supporting Chelsea since 1959 and have experienced plenty of 'downs' in all those years and do you know I felt a lot closer to my Club then than I have in the years Roman took over.  When he sacked Jose recently I not only was going to give up my season ticket but actually cease to be a Chelsea supporter, after 57 years.  Plenty of trophies but this club no longer has a heart