I like Conte but he's stinking up the joint at the moment. 

He's exuding far too much negativity and I can't believe it isn't effecting the squad. 

Last night was the first time I think I have seen him sit down during a game. More or less from kick off he was stood on the touchline, arms folded and sullen. I just don't see how he's going to turn this around... Rightly or wrongly he doesn't appear to like the way the club conducts transfer business but he's become a walking contradiction. Start of the season he bemoaned a lack of squad depth but recently he's started saying the club signed too many new players.

I don't like that we change manager so frequently but we're in serious danger of dropping out of the top four and facing the prospect of no Champions League football next season. 

We've lost to Burnley, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Watford this season... Frankly it's embarrassing that we're losing to those types of teams with regularity. 

Unfortunately I think for the best of the team we need to change manager... Not bring in an interim until the end of the season, look to appoint someone now. Try to get us over the line this season, get familiar with the squad and then have a full summer to mold the squad how they want it.  

What if City sacked Pep last season after he got battered a few times?

8 hours ago, Total-Football said:

Stadium size has become quite irrelevant to income nowadays. for example Arsenal finances break down as such:

Gate- 100m

Broadcasting-198m

Commercial- 91m

Retail and Licensing- 26m

Property Development - 1m

Player Trade- 7m

£423m for Arsenal

If we compare Chelsea (As we do not have this years financial report from Chelsea):

Gate- £70m (Same as last season)

Broadcasting- £165m (£151m for the league, £2.5m for the FA cup and £11.5m for CL group stage) 

Commercial- £110m (£60m Nike, £40m Yokohama, £10m Carabao) 

Retail- £26m (Assuming the same as Arsenal)

I don't know what the last two are for but I am assuming Chelsea have similar incomes as well- £8m

 

This comes out at £379m for Chelsea. As you can see, arsenal are mainly beating us because they have £32m more in broadcasting then we do. How they have achieved this whilst finishing 5th I have no idea (And it seems odd that it is so high compared to our own revenue from broadcasting) But their stadium is completely negated by the fact that we make more in commercial deals. The numbers are odd.

Broadcasting is probably because they were in Europe last year and we weren’t. The stadium income is relevant though, it’s why all the top clubs either have large stadiums already or are building them currently. 

With this all going on (wrong team selection, lethargic attitude), I wonder what Conte's assistents are saying to him. Are they yes men, or do they keep their mouths shut, or do they give contrary opinions that Conte ignores?

We can't give more time to Conte, otherwise we will finish outside of the top 4... Conte is the first to blame because if him who picks the team. Bakayoko is his transfert choice. It's also him who made come in, Kante, Hazard and Morata against Norwich so that they had need to be rest.

It's the same who pick to replace Willian to Fabregas... And we all know that Kante - Fabregas in two middle, that doesn't work. 

Edited February 6, 20188 yr by Cyborg7

4 hours ago, Chelsea Buzz said:

Sad this is, really. Not sure where it all started to unravel. Perhaps the handling of Costa in the summer started the ball rolling, who really knows?

The team has never looked quite right all year long. Slowly you could see the life draining from Conte on the touchline match after match. No longer managing each pass, etc. Not celebrating goals. The press conferences have become the snow ball rolling down hill that cannot be stopped. Conte is consumed by it. Coaching a large English club, in London no less, is one of the most pressure packed jobs you can take. The pundits dream up story lines and then watch to see if they can play out over time. They can be the ultimate haunt if you allow them.

2018 has been as horrific as mystifying as to where this has all come from. It seems to coincide with the opening of the January transfer market. Though Conte has a point we need an upgrade with 2 or 3 world class additions, the majority of these players did win the title last year, even if extremely as overachievers. Perhaps this has not sat well with the core players. No doubt the desire, passion, etc has been missing all of 2018. The Norwich games were just awful, only Norwich did not even have talent enough to beat us.

I have been a huge Conte supporter and fan. I hate to see it end this way so quickly. Was hoping for three years at least.

Unfortunately, I think we can all see clearly now. With the divide created by Conte and the Board, and perhaps with the players now too, this needs to end and soon. The last two matches have to be the worst two back-to-back match performances from Chelsea in 25 or more years, especially considering the competition. Other than Hazard's wizardry, we looked like a bunch of League Two players playing Watford in the 4th round of the League Cup. I believe the players are doing him in now. He even eluded to it in the post match comments, something to the effect in England, players can get the coach sacked, but not elsewhere.

Oddly, with the right manager, we could revive the rest of the year and squeak into the Top 4 I think. Need some life breathed in. New training methods. New tactics. New formation. I know, eventually a lot of new players, but that is another topic for another day.

The next couple of days shall be interesting. I just cannot see him surviving much longer.

He is a great coach. An honest man to a fault perhaps. But this is a tough job. It is not for everyone.

 

 

Good Post.

Sometimes you look and find it hard to understand how things can go so wrong, so quickly. This time last season we were flying high - Hazard had just scored that wonder goal as we beat Arsenal and were heading towards PL success. This season has just been one disappointing performance followed by another with the only real bright spots being some of Hazards performances and the emergence of Christensen.

I really thought Conte could turn it around but we have progressively looked worse. 7-1 in two games against Bournemouth and Watford, two games you looked at at the start of the seaso as guaranteed 6 points. Even thinking back to the Watford home game, they had us on the rack and could have easily been 4-1 up. We rode our luck that day but last night it came back to bite us. The squad looks a shambles, as I posted in the match thread - too many squad players who aren't good enough to start week in. week out or who's best days are behind them and they are spent at the top level. As you rightly point out, we over-achieved last season and perhaps like Leicester the season before, that took a lot out of many players and they just can't reach those same heights with the added pressure.

Got an eye on the web today and have the radio close by as you feel there is an inevitability that the news will break that we have parted with yet another coach. It won't come as a surprise but that won't make it any less sad and regrettable. If Hiddink turns up again I don't think I can take that - might take a drive down to Beachy Head.

 

Edited February 6, 20188 yr by Nibs

38 minutes ago, Valerie said:

With this all going on (wrong team selection, lethargic attitude), I wonder what Conte's assistents are saying to him. Are they yes men, or do they keep their mouths shut, or do they give contrary opinions that Conte ignores?

 

Apparently his brother has a lot of influence.

1 hour ago, ForeverCarefree said:

I like Conte but he's stinking up the joint at the moment. 

He's exuding far too much negativity and I can't believe it isn't effecting the squad. 

Last night was the first time I think I have seen him sit down during a game. More or less from kick off he was stood on the touchline, arms folded and sullen. I just don't see how he's going to turn this around... Rightly or wrongly he doesn't appear to like the way the club conducts transfer business but he's become a walking contradiction. Start of the season he bemoaned a lack of squad depth but recently he's started saying the club signed too many new players.

I don't like that we change manager so frequently but we're in serious danger of dropping out of the top four and facing the prospect of no Champions League football next season. 

We've lost to Burnley, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Watford this season... Frankly it's embarrassing that we're losing to those types of teams with regularity. 

Unfortunately I think for the best of the team we need to change manager... Not bring in an interim until the end of the season, look to appoint someone now. Try to get us over the line this season, get familiar with the squad and then have a full summer to mold the squad how they want it.  

With Jose it was more of the players falling out with him, but he was still there on the sideline taking it on the chin, trying to get something happening.

With Conte it's like he's given up, just look at the contrast from last season to this season, it's piss poor quite frankly. 

I'm eagerly awaiting for his sacking to be announced, I know that sounds terrible but we aren't going to move on from this unless we just get a change in scenery, we have some important fixtures coming up and top 4 is a must. We can either wait it out like we did under Mourinho and watch us slip beneath Arsenal. 

I almost feel insane for thinking it but i think it would be best for all parties if the club and Conte part today. I really can’t see any way out of this now and for me it’s clear Conte is about to lose the entire squad if he has not already. His comments after Bournemouth about overachieving with this squad must have been like poison for our players.

Yesterday everyone including Conte just looked like a bunch of guys that did not care. I don’t think we have any chance of securing top 4 if things do not change. We need someone to come in that can rejuvenate and rally the squad again.

I'm not sure which way I feel at the moment, but, realistically, who is there to replace Conte?  What top manager is available and any good for our predicament?

5 hours ago, Chelsea Buzz said:

Sad this is, really. Not sure where it all started to unravel. Perhaps the handling of Costa in the summer started the ball rolling, who really knows?

The team has never looked quite right all year long. Slowly you could see the life draining from Conte on the touchline match after match. No longer managing each pass, etc. Not celebrating goals. The press conferences have become the snow ball rolling down hill that cannot be stopped. Conte is consumed by it. Coaching a large English club, in London no less, is one of the most pressure packed jobs you can take. The pundits dream up story lines and then watch to see if they can play out over time. They can be the ultimate haunt if you allow them.

2018 has been as horrific as mystifying as to where this has all come from. It seems to coincide with the opening of the January transfer market. Though Conte has a point we need an upgrade with 2 or 3 world class additions, the majority of these players did win the title last year, even if extremely as overachievers. Perhaps this has not sat well with the core players. No doubt the desire, passion, etc has been missing all of 2018. The Norwich games were just awful, only Norwich did not even have talent enough to beat us.

I have been a huge Conte supporter and fan. I hate to see it end this way so quickly. Was hoping for three years at least.

Unfortunately, I think we can all see clearly now. With the divide created by Conte and the Board, and perhaps with the players now too, this needs to end and soon. The last two matches have to be the worst two back-to-back match performances from Chelsea in 25 or more years, especially considering the competition. Other than Hazard's wizardry, we looked like a bunch of League Two players playing Watford in the 4th round of the League Cup. I believe the players are doing him in now. He even eluded to it in the post match comments, something to the effect in England, players can get the coach sacked, but not elsewhere.

Oddly, with the right manager, we could revive the rest of the year and squeak into the Top 4 I think. Need some life breathed in. New training methods. New tactics. New formation. I know, eventually a lot of new players, but that is another topic for another day.

The next couple of days shall be interesting. I just cannot see him surviving much longer.

He is a great coach. An honest man to a fault perhaps. But this is a tough job. It is not for everyone.

 

 

Brilliant post Buzz! 

I feel depressed, last nights match sucked the life out of me, it was symptoms of two years ago. I know it sounds ridiculous but I was genuinely upset last night, I could only laugh or I would cry but it's just sh*t that we have to constantly go on this merry-go-round of managers every 2-3 year span. 

I know every fan on here recognised the last two performances, we watched it and we put two and two together. We've seen these types of performances before, the players are no longer playing for the manager, we either change up now or it gets worse. 

3 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I'm not sure which way I feel at the moment, but, realistically, who is there to replace Conte?  What top manager is available and any good for our predicament?

You know it's f**king sh*t when even Yorkley can barely be optimistic. 

4 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I'm not sure which way I feel at the moment, but, realistically, who is there to replace Conte?  What top manager is available and any good for our predicament?

So much primadonas in our team then. If someone say you are not good enough, what you do? Prove that he is right, by not playing or giving all you can and prove him wrong ?

This should not be used as a excuse for the players and how bad they are.
Zidane is backing his team by all the time and say they are good enough and he don`t need new players and so on, and they are so so bad in the league.
So to me that is not the problem.

The main problem is the board and always will be and new manager won`t change that.

And what will happen if we sack Conte and appointing new manager right away, and he could not catch top 4 ? What we are going to do, sack him too at the end of the season? What will happen if he lose his first 2-3 matches?

I didn`t see big changes after we sack Jose, and appoint Hiddink.

Changing of a manager won`t always have a positive scenario.

Are some of you think about this ???

I`m done with this forum. Here everyone change his opinion and are always finding someone to complain about.

I will come next year, when we have new manager, after 20 matches, and then we will talk at what place Conte is in his new team and are what place we are.

 

5 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I'm not sure which way I feel at the moment, but, realistically, who is there to replace Conte?  What top manager is available and any good for our predicament?

 

In terms of availability, it basically boils down to Ancelotti, Enrique and Tuchel. Unless Hiddink wants another pay day.

I'd love Conte to be able to turn it round but i don't think he can. We've seen before that when you lose the players you have no chance. If we are wanting someone like Ennrique in, get him in now so that he has 4 months and a full pre season to start implementing his methods.

5 minutes ago, Slojo said:

With Jose it was more of the players falling out with him, but he was still there on the sideline taking it on the chin, trying to get something happening.

With Conte it's like he's given up, just look at the contrast from last season to this season, it's piss poor quite frankly. 

I'm eagerly awaiting for his sacking to be announced, I know that sounds terrible but we aren't going to move on from this unless we just get a change in scenery, we have some important fixtures coming up and top 4 is a must. We can either wait it out like we did under Mourinho and watch us slip beneath Arsenal. 

I don't think he has given up, despite the body language. Thing is, he was doing his 100MPH stuff on the touchline, kicking every ball and jumping into the crowd when we were playing well and winning. He would look a bit of an idiot (like Klopp against Spurs) if he was still doing it when the opposition are going back down our end and sticking the ball in our net.

And yes, "eagerly awaiting sacking to be announced" not only sounds terrible but IS terrible. If Conte can't achieve top 4 with this squad I doubt anyone else will - think you're gonna be seriously disappointed if you think Conte going means everything will be rosy again.

 

2 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I'm not sure which way I feel at the moment, but, realistically, who is there to replace Conte?  What top manager is available and any good for our predicament?

Exactly YB. We are f**ked!

4 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

 

Publicly saying that he overachieved with these players last season is like saying to them "last season I got you to play better than you actually are".

It can only go downhill when you say something like that.

3 minutes ago, Nibs said:

I don't think he has given up, despite the body language. Thing is, he was doing his 100MPH stuff on the touchline, kicking every ball and jumping into the crowd when we were playing well and winning. He would look a bit of an idiot (like Klopp against Spurs) if he was still doing it when the opposition are going back down our end and sticking the ball in our net.

And yes, "eagerly awaiting sacking to be announced" not only sounds terrible but IS terrible. If Conte can't achieve top 4 with this squad I doubt anyone else will - think you're gonna be seriously disappointed if you think Conte going means everything will be rosy again.

 

Exactly YB. We are f**ked!

I'm certainly not in the camp that thinks sacking Conte will turn things around drastically, but I'm certainly in the camp that believes things will at least get better. It's a case of not sacking Mourinho two seasons ago, we got Hiddink who didn't really do wonders with the team, but had we have kept Jose we probably would have been in a relegation battle. 

Conte aside, am I really the only one who thought the players didn't give up last night after Bakayoko walked, and actually fought pretty hard in the second half?

Conte's body language is dreadful at the moment. One wonders if there is something else going on. I don't think he's lost the players but we are in all kinds of trouble. But please not Guus again!

3 minutes ago, Kentonio said:

Conte aside, am I really the only one who thought the players didn't give up last night after Bakayoko walked, and actually fought pretty hard in the second half?

Ken I've seen us down to 10 men before and we've played a lot better than that.

I remember when Chris Foy sent 2 of our players off against QPR away (Bosingwa & Drogba) and we outplayed them with 9 men, we lost 1-0 but we didn't stop fighting and should have won the game given the chances we created for ourselves. And that was with AVB in charge! 

There was no fight in that squad from start to finish, bits here and there, the Hazard goal was very good, but after that, we soon dropped off and conceded instantly. 

1 minute ago, Slojo said:

Ken I've seen us down to 10 men before and we've played a lot better than that.

I remember when Chris Foy sent 2 of our players off against QPR away (Bosingwa & Drogba) and we outplayed them with 9 men, we lost 1-0 but we didn't stop fighting and should have won the game given the chances we created for ourselves. And that was with AVB in charge! 

There was no fight in that squad from start to finish, bits here and there, the Hazard goal was very good, but after that, we soon dropped off and conceded instantly. 

I'm not saying it was a good performance in any way, I just think the lads kept fighting despite how badly it all went. There's been times in the past where I've wanted to kick them up the arse for not putting the effort in, but that match last night really wasnt one of them. Kante in particular ran his heart out right to the end.

Edited February 6, 20188 yr by Kentonio

12 minutes ago, Slojo said:

 

I was there that night - good man and much liked by everyone. I was just totally envious about the scooter.Not sure he's right for now, though.