A year really is a short time in football.

Edited February 2, 201610 yr by dkw

One bad season and the plastics freak out. The club is not in disarray, people think Chelsea should win the league by right. 

 

We will get a new manager, he will bring in some new players and we will be a top 4 club again.

Edited February 2, 201610 yr by kiwi1691

Maybe it's not really really easy. We've won more in Romans time than any English club except Man U who enjoyed a unprecedented period under fergie who (much as I hate to say) was a once in a generation talent. What have city really done. We won the champions league, we've qualified virtually every year for the group stage. We're champions of England, we've won the fa cup more times in the last decade than any other team. What have arsenals owners achieved. What is Woodward doing with that joke clown of a manager. Liverpool, they've been run well hey?

Sometimes it's not easy to get the right people, get them to gel, sometimes people disappoint. Sometimes they don't (refer trophy haul). We've also had a clear plan in terms of youth academy which hopefully hopefully we'll see the benefit of over the next 5 years, but maybe setting that up and making it the best in the country isn't that easy either. We've made a couple of errors in the transfer market but we've also made some outstanding deals.

I went to my first game in 1973 and had to wait nearly 25 years to see us win something that wasn't the data zenith simod sh#t cup. Pep hasn't won anything for City and we've had half a bad season (so bad we're still in the champions league and fa cup and unbeaten in 9). I'm not saying we're great at the moment or Romans a perfect owner but I'd take him over ANY other owner, he's proved his commitment to the club over a long period and during that we've come from nowhere and probably over the period as a whole been the best run club in the country.

Give the guy a break, he's Chelsea and you obviously can't remember where you were when we were sh*t.

What a great post     

We may not be in disarray exactly, but we certainly ain't where we should be.

One bad season and the plastics freak out. The club is not in disarray, people think Chelsea should win the league by right. 

 

We will get a new manager, he will bring in some new players and we will be a top 4 club again.

 

Mate no-one threw around words like plastic so why start now? 

 

You're right, we will get a new manager and he may bring in some new players. But what makes you think we'll be top four again 'by right'? Doesn't that depend on who the manager is and doesn't that ultimately depend on what direction this club takes?

 

Do you think we try to build an attacking, entertaining side like we were before Jose was hired or do you think we just go for instant success?

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

 

That's not far off how I and a lot of other supporters that I know who have been going for decades feel. Dismay, a lack of affinity with the club as it is being run now and it's not something new for those suggesting it's simply the JT and Jose stuff. There's been unease in the past with the Rafa hiring and the CPO stuff which is why trust isn't simply given to Roman because he gave us a lot of money. For some it goes beyond that and the things he's bought us.

Pass the razor blades :(

Pass the razor blades :(

 

Not quite at that stage mate, but I think everyone can understand some people's concern at the way the club they love is currently being run. Other's don't have that feeling. To each their own.

Not quite at that stage mate, but I think everyone can understand some people's concern at the way the club they love is currently being run. Other's don't have that feeling. To each their own.

It's code for ENOUGH ALREADY!

It's code for ENOUGH ALREADY!

 

Sorry bruv. It's not all doom and gloom. 

Well Roman has chosen people who helped shape a CFC squad which was successful in PL & CL for 8 yrs 2004-2012. In that period his wealth  [transfer and wages] was directly responsible for bringing top players and upcoming talents to the team - Drogba, robben, ballack, essein, deco, carvalho, a.cole, ramires, luiz, mikel, mata, oscar,hazard  and keeping Cech, Terry & Lamps at CFC. Only crib during this time was that the academy was not adding to the first team and Roman did get working on getting the academy in shape. Yes he did indulge in two marquee purchases - Sheva and Torres but that can be excused. So I wouldn't go ahead and say Roman or people he had placed trust in had belittled the club in any way till 2012. 

 

It is only after that things started to spiral out of control. Replacement of the old guard was done horribly. The identified guys were forced out. 

 

Drogba - Lukaku (Sold)

Lampard - MvG (Loaned)

A.cole - Bertrand (Sold)

 

Jose was brought in knowing well that the old guard needs to be replaced, new core has to be built, be self sufficient in finances, style of play has to be flamboyant & youth needs to be integrated. Objectives which Jose found rather difficult to achieve in the 2.5 yr tenure. Roman even supported Jose to the point where sacking him was the only option left.

 

Real problem seems to be lack of a director of football - someone who decides on the big picture. Emenalo has failed to demonstrate the credentials required for such a role till now, letting go of key players and replacing them with depth options. This has led to overall dilution of our squad strength - so much so that teams like newcastle, southampton and west ham seem to have similar squads.

 

So roman just needs to get a director of football who will address the long term objectives (finance, youth etc) and work with the manager to implement the same.

The club is not in disarray, granted, they have had half a bad season, and mistakes have been made both in terms of player recuitment and manager dismissals, but we are a long way from disarray. Maybe if we had an owner like those at Pompey a few years ago then we could say that, but what we have at the moment is a blip.

 

1) The club listened to Fans, who got what they wanted and we now have huge plans to develop our home Stamford Bridge into the best ground in the country

 

2) We are the Champions on England and progressed from the group stages of the Champ League

 

3) We have some hugely talented players

 

4) We have an owner who has consistently let money do the talking, bringing in world class players/managers  which has ensured that we have consistently been challenging over the last 10 yrs.

 

5) We have no "right" to be in the champ league every year - Whilst I still hope we will qualify this season, if we dont it is not the end of the world.

 

6) Lampard left because he wanted to play more, Drogba left because he wanted to play more football, Cech was allowed to leave because we respected a legends wishes and wanted to play more football. JT has been told we are not going to give him a new contract at this time until a new manager is in place, we have not told him he has to leave.

 

7) Whilst all good things come to an end, and even IF our form this season indicated the start of a decline back into mid table medicrity  (i dont think it is!), then we still have it significantly better than we have in the past.

 

KTBFFH

Bunch of half wit plastics on this board I swear.

Roman has been a brilliant owner. Made some mistakes but has been brilliant. Emanalo...brilliant made some great signings and big player sales. Very peculiar why so many Chelsea fans hate him and use him as a scapegoat. Probably because he's Nigerian.

The man who is to blame or at least 80% lies with Jose.

The Jose who sold a wonderful collection of players Emanalo put together.

The Jose who kept reverting to defensive football when we were a man and goal up instead of going for the kill.

The Jose who subbed JT at half time and couldn't even get his leadership to help turn this team around.

The Jose who created the dumbest most needless internal warfare at the club and a law suit against us.

We are in this position due to Jose's short term vision which has created long term failure. How we could do with KDB Mata and Lukaku right now.

Spurs

Southampton

Aston Villa

 

Over the last two seasons, our net spend has been just over £1 million. I know FFP means amortisation over the lifetime of a contract is an issue, but are Chelsea in an age of austerity? Or are we amassing a large warchest for whomever the next coach is?

 

 

Hard to fault a guy who has put so much money into the club, but I think we're reaching a point where his confusion over what he wants this club to be has reached a point where it's damaging the club. 

 

For years we were told that he wanted a more attractive-style of football, yet when push comes to shove and he can't get Pep he goes for Jose. We all love Jose, but he wasn't the right guy for what the aims of the club were and despite his success there was always going to be a conflict between what the two men wanted. Now we're stuck at yet another crossroads where we've failed to get Pep and the best coach who might be available is Simeone, again a more pragmatic coach.

 

City on the other hand had an owner who knew broadly what he wanted, then hired the best people in the world to achieve it. That's now paid off with them not only having a team who will probably win the league this season, but arguably the best coach in the world arriving next season. Even if you disagree, it's obvious that he was their main target and they've spent the last few years laying the groundwork to acquire him. That is top-class strategic planning.

 

I see a lot of people blame Emenalo and I understand why, but he isn't the problem. It's clear he's unqualified and been promoted way beyond what his skills deserve but that is Roman's fault. 

 

What I think he needs to do is take a step back, employ the best people around who can take this club where he wants it to get and also get people involved who know what this club actually is. The divide between those running the club and those who support this club is greater than it's ever been in my time supporting the club and despite feeling helpless, we're arguably in the strongest position of any club in the country when it comes to the influence we have. At some point he might go too far and then we're in real sh*t.

 

 

Hmmm - a member who joined yesterday, was in here for 30 minutes, made 67 posts, mostly critical of the club and the owner?  yeah, that seems legit!  No Agenda, right?

Bunch of half wit plastics on this board I swear.

Roman has been a brilliant owner. Made some mistakes but has been brilliant. Emanalo...brilliant made some great signings and big player sales. Very peculiar why so many Chelsea fans hate him and use him as a scapegoat. Probably because he's Nigerian.

The man who is to blame or at least 80% lies with Jose.

The Jose who sold a wonderful collection of players Emanalo put together.

The Jose who kept reverting to defensive football when we were a man and goal up instead of going for the kill.

The Jose who subbed JT at half time and couldn't even get his leadership to help turn this team around.

The Jose who created the dumbest most needless internal warfare at the club and a law suit against us.

We are in this position due to Jose's short term vision which has created long term failure. How we could do with KDB Mata and Lukaku right now.

Well said mate

Bunch of half wit plastics on this board I swear.

Roman has been a brilliant owner. Made some mistakes but has been brilliant. Emanalo...brilliant made some great signings and big player sales. Very peculiar why so many Chelsea fans hate him and use him as a scapegoat. Probably because he's Nigerian.

The man who is to blame or at least 80% lies with Jose.

The Jose who sold a wonderful collection of players Emanalo put together.

The Jose who kept reverting to defensive football when we were a man and goal up instead of going for the kill.

The Jose who subbed JT at half time and couldn't even get his leadership to help turn this team around.

The Jose who created the dumbest most needless internal warfare at the club and a law suit against us.

We are in this position due to Jose's short term vision which has created long term failure. How we could do with KDB Mata and Lukaku right now.

What he said... Like I said initially overreaction

Well the whole league will be in dissaray next season when Pep arrives to take teams to school.

Well the whole league will be in dissaray next season when Pep arrives to take teams to school.

Sorry Enigma but i've to disagree a bit with you on this. Here's Pep's record on the english soil.

www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/10152346/pep-guardiola8217s-record-on-english-soil-he8217s-lost-more-than-he8217s-won

He might be successful and all but it won't come easy and mostly definitely won't be schooling.

Bunch of half wit plastics on this board I swear.

Roman has been a brilliant owner. Made some mistakes but has been brilliant. Emanalo...brilliant made some great signings and big player sales. Very peculiar why so many Chelsea fans hate him and use him as a scapegoat. Probably because he's Nigerian.

The man who is to blame or at least 80% lies with Jose.

The Jose who sold a wonderful collection of players Emanalo put together.

The Jose who kept reverting to defensive football when we were a man and goal up instead of going for the kill.

The Jose who subbed JT at half time and couldn't even get his leadership to help turn this team around.

The Jose who created the dumbest most needless internal warfare at the club and a law suit against us.

We are in this position due to Jose's short term vision which has created long term failure. How we could do with KDB Mata and Lukaku right now.

 

I'm far from plastic and there's no need for that word. There's plenty of criticism from the support and you'll probably hear that at the match tonight.

 

But you blame Jose - WHO HIRED JOSE?

 

Who went from acquiring players like Mata, De Bruyne, Hazard etc. to play one style and then hired a coach who has always played a more pragmatic style? Did Jose appoint himself or was he hired by the owner?

 

That is the definition of muddled thinking which is what the root of this thread is about.

Hmmm - a member who joined yesterday, was in here for 30 minutes, made 67 posts, mostly critical of the club and the owner?  yeah, that seems legit!  No Agenda, right?

 

Not an agenda as such beyond wanting to see Chelsea be as successful as possible, but I absolutely cop to the fact that I signed for a moan. Hard to discuss Chelsea without being too pessimistic considering what we've been going through but beyond that, no agenda mate.

 

Well Roman has chosen people who helped shape a CFC squad which was successful in PL & CL for 8 yrs 2004-2012. In that period his wealth  [transfer and wages] was directly responsible for bringing top players and upcoming talents to the team - Drogba, robben, ballack, essein, deco, carvalho, a.cole, ramires, luiz, mikel, mata, oscar,hazard  and keeping Cech, Terry & Lamps at CFC. Only crib during this time was that the academy was not adding to the first team and Roman did get working on getting the academy in shape. Yes he did indulge in two marquee purchases - Sheva and Torres but that can be excused. So I wouldn't go ahead and say Roman or people he had placed trust in had belittled the club in any way till 2012. 

 

It is only after that things started to spiral out of control. Replacement of the old guard was done horribly. The identified guys were forced out. 

 

Drogba - Lukaku (Sold)

Lampard - MvG (Loaned)

A.cole - Bertrand (Sold)

 

Jose was brought in knowing well that the old guard needs to be replaced, new core has to be built, be self sufficient in finances, style of play has to be flamboyant & youth needs to be integrated. Objectives which Jose found rather difficult to achieve in the 2.5 yr tenure. Roman even supported Jose to the point where sacking him was the only option left.

 

Real problem seems to be lack of a director of football - someone who decides on the big picture. Emenalo has failed to demonstrate the credentials required for such a role till now, letting go of key players and replacing them with depth options. This has led to overall dilution of our squad strength - so much so that teams like newcastle, southampton and west ham seem to have similar squads.

 

So roman just needs to get a director of football who will address the long term objectives (finance, youth etc) and work with the manager to implement the same.

 

Agree with most of this but those last two paragraphs are why we're in serious trouble because Roman doesn't see a problem with the people he's hired (except the coaches). Until he does, we'll continue our downwards slide.

Agree with most of this but those last two paragraphs are why we're in serious trouble because Roman doesn't see a problem with the people he's hired (except the coaches). Until he does, we'll continue our downwards slide.

You know Bayern didn't qualify for the UCL during the 2007/2008 season ( qualified for the Europa though and got to the SF) but since then here's their final UCL positions

2014/15: semi-finals

2013/14: semi-finals

2012/13: winners

2011/12: runners-up

2010/11: round of 16

2009/10: runners-up

2008/09: quarter-finals

Since that unfortunate season back in 2007/2008, they have a new stadium, risen to 4th most valuable club in football and dominated the german league to the extent my granny would win the title with them. What I'm trying to say is, they didn't panic, fans didn't predict doomsday neither did they curse Franz Beckenbauer or throw slur words at him. They rose back to the top. No one can predict the future. Barca, Madrid have also had bleak periods in their history yet look at them today. Let's give it 2-3yrs and see how it turns out.

You know Bayern didn't qualify for the UCL during the 2007/2008 season ( qualified for the Europa though and got to the SF) but since then here's their final UCL positions

2014/15: semi-finals

2013/14: semi-finals

2012/13: winners

2011/12: runners-up

2010/11: round of 16

2009/10: runners-up

2008/09: quarter-finals

Since that unfortunate season back in 2007/2008, they have a new stadium, risen to 4th most valuable club in football and dominated the german league to the extent my granny would win the title with them. What I'm trying to say is, they didn't panic, fans didn't predict doomsday neither did they curse Franz Beckenbauer or throw slur words at him. They rose back to the top. No one can predict the future. Barca, Madrid have also had bleak periods in their history yet look at them today. Let's give it 2-3yrs and see how it turns out.

 

That's a great example I think, because they made a lot of changes to their squad and spent a lot of money, but the point is that they had established leaders on the board. I think it would have still been Hoeneß in charge then as he had been for quite a while, under the person you mentioned (Beckenbauer) and Remmenigge. Those are people who not only understand football, but understand the club they're representing.

 

And they've continued that by appointing people like Sammer who are football men through and through. This was a man who won the Bunedesliga as a player, had over 50 caps for Germany, won the Bundesliga with Dortmund as a coach and was appointed Technical Director of the German national team laying the foundation for their World Cup success under Low.

 

That is the standard they set for themselves in that role. We're just happy to appoint someone like Emenalo and that's why things will not change.

That's a great example I think, because they made a lot of changes to their squad and spent a lot of money, but the point is that they had established leaders on the board. I think it would have still been Hoeneß in charge then as he had been for quite a while, under the person you mentioned (Beckenbauer) and Remmenigge. Those are people who not only understand football, but understand the club they're representing.

And they've continued that by appointing people like Sammer who are football men through and through. This was a man who won the Bunedesliga as a player, had over 50 caps for Germany, won the Bundesliga with Dortmund as a coach and was appointed Technical Director of the German national team laying the foundation for their World Cup success under Low.

That is the standard they set for themselves in that role. We're just happy to appoint someone like Emenalo and that's why things will not change.

Yes they made changes and spent some decent amounts and some shrewd appointments. The season isn't over, there's no telling if we won't do same. The Emenalo story especially amongst us fans will always be speculations, assumptions and hearsays, majority have no clue to what goes on in the boardroom. I think its unjust to vent anger/raise unfair opinions against the man as most can confidently state his role as the club.

IMO the only think truly wrong with Roman is he expects trophies EVERY year. Strange eh?

 

He is so focussed on winning in the short term he forgets that actually building more organically has the ability to give a platform for sustained success. 

 

How can we develp youth when every single game is a must win? What manager is going to take a chance on youth when it is clear, 2nd place is a failure and you'll lose your job? We have had several managers who may not have been perfect but they had talent and should have been given the time to mould a squad, AvB is the one who really sticks out for me. Was told to reinvent the squad, change the play style and was ousted by the players of whom he was trying to transition from. Short term success was the result at a cost. Mourinho, the first sign of trouble was booted. Ancelotti played THE best football Chelsea have ever played yet was booted after a bad November.

 

Its part of the reason we have Emenalo from the start, he controls the club's incoming and outgoings, the manager is there to coach the first team. He is the consitency and the managers are replaceable. Yet he has bought first team players patently not suited to the play style of the managers we've had. Since when has Mourinho EVER played traditional wingers? He likes wingers to cut in and play narrower, always has. So why buy Salah or Cuadrado? ME either chose the wrong players or the wrong type of manager.

 

I would like to see a change in philosophy which will see the Manager given complete control of first team affairs and the freedom to lose matches without it being his head every single game. 

 

Other than that though, Roman is probably the 2nd best owner in the PL elite clubs. What would we prefer FSG no money, the Glazers rinsing every penny out the club or Usmanov rinsing the fans whilst maintaining 4th?

Yes they made changes and spent some decent amounts and some shrewd appointments. The season isn't over, there's no telling if we won't do same. The Emenalo story especially amongst us fans will always be speculations, assumptions and hearsays, majority have no clue to what goes on in the boardroom. I think its unjust to vent anger/raise unfair opinions against the man as most can confidently state his role as the club.

 

We might do something similar but I don't know if we have Bayern's buying power of 2007. We've basically spent the last two seasons selling assets to buy new players and not actually spent a lot of new money (FFP and amortisation makes this trickier but still, breaking even for two seasons is a weird one) whilst every other club in the league can outspend all but a handful of clubs across Europe.

 

Emenalo is one of two things though. He's either the mastermind for all the footballing matters at the club and that means he's incompetent, or he's nothing more than a messenger boy/glorified yes-men and that means he's impotent.

 

Neither is an acceptable option for a top European club and there's not a single European club who would act in such an amateurish fashion. 

 

At the risk of sounding like an entitled plastic, I expect more from this club just as I would expect more from any other business I was a shareholder in. I simply don't understand the low expectations of some. Yes it could be worse, yes it was worse in the 1980s but as an optimist surely it could be so much better?