10 minutes ago, theone said:

again after that performance who would you replace there were so many candidates 

You mean after the game or during a football match were a manager is meant to recognise his team is playing sh*t. A manager should be able to recognise failings within a game, does Baka need to be taken out of midfield, do we need more width, why the f**k are we playing with 3 at the back still, just examples but Conte has a strict formation with the same way we play and that won't change till the 80th min or the 75th if Conte feels like treating the fans.

He should have been sacked months ago. I honestly have no faith in us to do anything in the FA Cup final with him in charge. 

I honestly didn’t think he was sabotaging us but after that and midweek I’m convinced he has been. Get rid now!

It's funny how the board are now suddenly deciding not to be trigger happy.

If this was before Mourinho he would have been sacked after the 4-1 loss to Watford. I'm currently sat on the fence but I can't help but feel we're giving leniency to the wrong person, I don't think I've ever been so unconfident for a cup final in all my life of supporting this club. 

34 minutes ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Who knows, in an attacking formation we keep more of the ball and pin Newcastle back. Conte seems to get a hard on by sitting deep and inviting pressure so that we can 'learn to struggle without the ball'.

We pinned them back the 2nd half until their 2nd. At one point we had 10 players in their half. I don't see anything wrong with the way we play except for the predictably. Barkley and Giroud should have each had 1 today and both of those chances were before the game got out of hand. 

This has been the theme of the season IMO. Players miss open chances, think Morata, or there's a hands difference between scoring and the keeper saving like today. When's the last time we scored one like their 1st? That ball either drops to a defenders feet or the keeper makes a save bc our shot placement sucks. Just been an awful season in terms of finishing and catching some breaks. 

Basically I'm not blaming a negative/defensive approach for our woes bc I don't think we've been defensive in most of our matches. 

Edited May 13, 20188 yr by TheChelseaBlues

Conte on not qualifying for UCL: "I am the last person to speak about this, you can ask the club"

His latest comments directed at the club after the game today. It blows my mind how long he's gotten away with comments of this kind. He's been at it since the start of the season essentially.

He is and has been poison to the club and squad for months now, players are tired of his tactics and antics and don't want to play for him and he is waging war against the board.
One can only imagine how toxic the atmosphere inside the club must be.

He should have been sacked months ago. That would likely have saved the season in my view.

5 minutes ago, TheChelseaBlues said:

We pinned them back the 2nd half until their 2nd. At one point we had 10 players in their half. I don't see anything wrong with the way we play except for the predictably. Barkley and Giroud should have each had 1 today and both of those chances were before the game got out of hand. 

This has been the theme of the season IMO. Players miss open chances, think Morata, or there's a hands difference between scoring and the keeper saving like today. When's the last time we scored one like their 1st? That ball either drops to a defenders feet or the keeper makes a save bc our shot placement sucks. Just been an awful season in terms of finishing and catching some breaks. 

Basically I'm not blaming a negative/defensive approach for our woes bc I don't think we've been defensive in most of our matches. 

When we score and take the lead we are content with leading instead of attacking with the same intent and going for more goals. I don't think you understand what is being meant by defensive. Even Rudiger pointed this out. We stared with only 3 attacking player today Giroud, Hazard and Barkley. You need to watch how City, Liverpool and Spurs play. They don't settle for the 1-0. They go out to destroy teams. This has been the most boring, insipid and negative season I've seen from Chels in quite some time and 100% of that has to do with the manager and his tactics/approach and mentality. So i don't know wtf you're talking about tbh. 

Poisonous attitude that has cost us champions league football, no doubt about it.

Has be to sacked. 

I wonder if we win the FA cup will we have to "ask the club" how we won? I'm sure old Antonio had nothing to do with it. 

As good as it was to see Barkley in the team, he really needed to be introduced slowly rather than chucked in after months without football. Against Huddersfield was ideal because they sat back, and having him to be the goal threat outside the area would have been useful. He needed 30-45 mins here and there the past few weeks, not nothing and then throw him in against a team like newcastle away. This is why the 5 at the back is restrictive, it only allows us two up top if we have three in midfield, and Conte's picks for midfield are always the same; two defensive minded midfielders and one creative one.

Four at the back would allow for Kante to sit in front of the defence and tidy up, while Fabregas and Barkley could provide more in offence, while having three in attack. Such a frustrating formation, and his reluctancy to have moved away from it has been his downfall. We can blame Morata etc for not being clinical, but a more attacking formation allows us that extra threat in offence. When we needed a change most this season, Conte didn't bother. Unlike last season where he changed it after a couple poor results. It has felt like he's been in a season (or at least half a season) long strop. 

I'm confused what he's being paid £20 million a season for, or whatever amount it is. Is it just to be a motivator? If so, I'm sure you can find one of them in the yellow pages for 100 quid an hour. A coach is supposed to come up with new ideas, form tactics, innovate, change things when they're not working. What is he being paid millions of pounds for? I'm yet to find the answer because he's doing very few of the above things. 

I would love to know the ins and outs of this season, just so I can make a fair assessment but I really don't know. Has Conte been dealt a bad hand by the board? Or has Conte purely f**ked up and made bad mistakes? 

It's really hard to tell, at the end of the day he's had over 200 million to spend. But we can't be too sure if it was him who picked his targets or not. 

I really don’t think he has any room to complain. The club spent money, it may not have been his first choice targets but he has enough talent in the squad to get us into the Top Four and he failed. The club made a huge mistake by not sacking him sooner. His latest comments are a f**king joke too. Pathetic!

Just now, Slojo said:

I would love to know the ins and outs of this season, just so I can make a fair assessment but I really don't know. Has Conte been dealt a bad hand by the board? Or has Conte purely f**ked up and made bad mistakes? 

It's really hard to tell, at the end of the day he's had over 200 million to spend. But we can't be too sure if it was him who picked his targets or not. 

Look, board didn't back manager with new signings, whatever.  They let Matic go was the only really big mistake I see that they made.  You cannot tell me that our courting of Italian players/italian league players coinciding with the hiring of Conte is just pure happenstance.  Even with Morata it's someone Conte is intimately familiar with.  These can't just all be coincidences where Conte has no input, I just don't buy it.

My problem is Conte continues to put down the club.  Starting with the board (who rightly deserve some blame) and ending with the players.  He is taking very little blame over and over.  I will say it again, a leader of men does not act this way.  

I cannot see any way that Conte stays, even with the cup title, which would be his first cup title by the way.  I'm starting to think Conte is overrated as a manager and even more overrated as a tactician.  If he stays I hope he proves me wrong, I truly do.  I would much rather be all hunky dory than doom and gloom.  

Why doesn’t a journalist just flat-out ask him why in the hell he started Bakayoko?

1 minute ago, TheChelsRVA said:

Look, board didn't back manager with new signings, whatever.  They let Matic go was the only really big mistake I see that they made.  You cannot tell me that our courting of Italian players/italian league players coinciding with the hiring of Conte is just pure happenstance.  Even with Morata it's someone Conte is intimately familiar with.  These can't just all be coincidences where Conte has no input, I just don't buy it.

My problem is Conte continues to put down the club.  Starting with the board (who rightly deserve some blame) and ending with the players.  He is taking very little blame over and over.  I will say it again, a leader of men does not act this way.  

I cannot see any way that Conte stays, even with the cup title, which would be his first cup title by the way.  I'm starting to think Conte is overrated as a manager and even more overrated as a tactician.  If he stays I hope he proves me wrong, I truly do.  I would much rather be all hunky dory than doom and gloom.  

I actually don't think letting Matic go was a mistake, but I think we should have gotten somebody better to replace him. 

But yeah you're right, however, we don't know exactly. Maybe he wanted Matic to stay and the board overruled it, maybe he didn't want half of the players he got, I can tell he didn't want Barkley. 

4 minutes ago, TheChelsRVA said:

Look, board didn't back manager with new signings, whatever.  They let Matic go was the only really big mistake I see that they made.  You cannot tell me that our courting of Italian players/italian league players coinciding with the hiring of Conte is just pure happenstance.  Even with Morata it's someone Conte is intimately familiar with.  These can't just all be coincidences where Conte has no input, I just don't buy it.

My problem is Conte continues to put down the club.  Starting with the board (who rightly deserve some blame) and ending with the players.  He is taking very little blame over and over.  I will say it again, a leader of men does not act this way.  

I cannot see any way that Conte stays, even with the cup title, which would be his first cup title by the way.  I'm starting to think Conte is overrated as a manager and even more overrated as a tactician.  If he stays I hope he proves me wrong, I truly do.  I would much rather be all hunky dory than doom and gloom.  

I agree with all of that bar him staying, he's burnt too many Bridges so the best for all concerned is he walks of in the sunset from Wembley with an FA Cup winners ,medal round his neck.

2 minutes ago, Slojo said:

I actually don't think letting Matic go was a mistake, but I think we should have gotten somebody better to replace him. 

But yeah you're right, however, we don't know exactly. Maybe he wanted Matic to stay and the board overruled it, maybe he didn't want half of the players he got, I can tell he didn't want Barkley. 

I didn't want Barkley either so I can agree with Conte on that one  

But even if we are to talk about Barkley, he came in today for the first time in months and was immediately more impactful than Bakayoko.  This leads me to believe that even Bakayoko was a Conte target and he's too stubborn to admit he was wrong.  Bakayoko could turn out to be a good player (ehh) but it's clear he should be rotated out or put on loan so he can get experience...

5 minutes ago, TheChelsRVA said:

I didn't want Barkley either so I can agree with Conte on that one  

But even if we are to talk about Barkley, he came in today for the first time in months and was immediately more impactful than Bakayoko.  This leads me to believe that even Bakayoko was a Conte target and he's too stubborn to admit he was wrong.  Bakayoko could turn out to be a good player (ehh) but it's clear he should be rotated out or put on loan so he can get experience...

i don't think he's had much say who the club targeted only the type of players he wanted

i think he wanted someone in similar mould of him, he said  Bakayoko needs time to be integrated to the team but has no option but to play him

i  think he's just fed up and don't want to be here 

Edited May 13, 20188 yr by theone

59 minutes ago, enigma said:

As good as it was to see Barkley in the team, he really needed to be introduced slowly rather than chucked in after months without football. Against Huddersfield was ideal because they sat back, and having him to be the goal threat outside the area would have been useful. He needed 30-45 mins here and there the past few weeks, not nothing and then throw him in against a team like newcastle away. This is why the 5 at the back is restrictive, it only allows us two up top if we have three in midfield, and Conte's picks for midfield are always the same; two defensive minded midfielders and one creative one.

Four at the back would allow for Kante to sit in front of the defence and tidy up, while Fabregas and Barkley could provide more in offence, while having three in attack. Such a frustrating formation, and his reluctancy to have moved away from it has been his downfall. We can blame Morata etc for not being clinical, but a more attacking formation allows us that extra threat in offence. When we needed a change most this season, Conte didn't bother. Unlike last season where he changed it after a couple poor results. It has felt like he's been in a season (or at least half a season) long strop. 

The Barkley situation is jusg wierd, 6 games on the bench with not a single minute then he throws him in for a start. It was like the Arsenal away game when Barkley was barely fit and Conte lost us that.

20 minutes ago, Phillip said:

Why doesn’t a journalist just flat-out ask him why in the hell he started Bakayoko?

I was thinking the same, I would be asking why wait till the 80th to make a sub?

35 minutes ago, Slojo said:

I would love to know the ins and outs of this season, just so I can make a fair assessment but I really don't know. Has Conte been dealt a bad hand by the board? Or has Conte purely f**ked up and made bad mistakes? 

It's really hard to tell, at the end of the day he's had over 200 million to spend. But we can't be too sure if it was him who picked his targets or not. 

I have been saying all along that it's a combination of things.

It started with the board - They were a shambles during the summer transfer window. Bidding on Lukaku just as he had agree to join United, it made us look like a joke. Going all in for Morata after missing out on Lukaku. Taking so long to bring in Bakayoko (i wish they hadn't bothered but you get my point), waiting until the last day of the transfer window to sign Drinkwater (another we shouldn't have bothered with) selling Matic to a rival before we had a replacement in place and settled. Buying Zappacosta (i can't believe our options were that thin) Oxlade-Chamberlain being one of our big targets, which they still missed out on. The pathetic attempts at signing Alex Sandro. The only good thing they did was get Rudiger quickly, and i don't think its a coincidence that he turned out to be our best signing.

Then it was Conte's turn - Bitched and moaned throughout the whole season because the board didn't give him what he wanted. But he should have just got on with it. Most managers in the business are dealt a worse hand than him and they have got on with it because it's their job. He still had a Premier League winning side, it wasn't as bad as he was making it out to be every week. Yes, it may not have been good enough to win the league, but it was more than capable of securing a top 4 finish. His tactics, his formation, his substitutions, his overall attitude, it's been awful. He's supposed to be head coach, not some sulky kid. 

And finally, the players - They may have had to put up with a sulky manager all season, but they have once again downed tools when things have gotten tough. When things go bad with this lot, they rarely recover, they just deteriorate more as the season goes on. Their performances have been lazy for months now, they jog their way through games. The opposition put more effort in than our lot, you can see it. When we concede a goal, heads go down and there isn't much communication between the players, there isn't much of a reaction at all. People always say the coach can't motivate the players so should be sacked, but i don't think anybody can motivate this lot. They are grown men, they shouldn't need to told they are amazing just so we can get some damn commitment out of them! They are paid enough, so put in the work, no excuses! I'm sick of our players giving their all one season and then switching off the next, it's been happening for too long now.

Edited May 13, 20188 yr by Scott Harris

The fans have sung his name through everything and he shows us and the club no respect. 

21 years ago for those who remember we played Coventry a couple of weeks before the cup final when we had to wear their away kit. It was a nothing game all the fans could think of was the cup final against Boro. Following year I remember sitting in the West Stand against Blackburn another game we lost but no one cared all the fans could think of was Stockholm in fact t-shirts of Stockholm Chelsea 98 were doing a roaring trade.

Now we lose what was a nothing game we all knew Liverpool would win and granted we were terrible today. But it goes to show how much football has changed and not for the better a bloke wins a premiership gets us to two cup finals and is treated with utter contempt by some on here. No one appears to be looking forward to next weeks cup final in fact I've read some want us to lose thinking it might mean Conte stays that's the mindset of the modern football fan and it's a disgrace.

2 hours ago, The Liquidator said:

When we score and take the lead we are content with leading instead of attacking with the same intent and going for more goals. I don't think you understand what is being meant by defensive. Even Rudiger pointed this out. We stared with only 3 attacking player today Giroud, Hazard and Barkley. You need to watch how City, Liverpool and Spurs play. They don't settle for the 1-0. They go out to destroy teams. This has been the most boring, insipid and negative season I've seen from Chels in quite some time and 100% of that has to do with the manager and his tactics/approach and mentality. So i don't know wtf you're talking about tbh. 

Spurs just won 5-4. Is that what you mean by destroying teams? Winning 5-4 is destroying someone, 1-0 is asking for failure and negative? Conte has been this way since his inception. Solid foundation, start with a solid defensive base and build. We play out from the back, or intend to when Thibo doesn't just boot it long because he's nervous. Calling Conte's tactics defensive or negative is an oversimplification and misguided. Like I said, we attack when we have the impetus and defend when we don't. 10 men in the other team's half is about all you can ask for. You can argue we aren't effective on the front foot or in front of goal but that's a different issue. 

You don't know wtf I'm talking about because you categorize players as either defensive or attacking. Our wingbacks are an essential part of our attacks yea? I'd call them attacking players. Hazard and Barkley tracked back today right? Are they now defensive as well? Point is they are not mutually exclusive, who plays with 5 attackers who do not have a role in defending? Who plays with 5 defenders who do not have a role in attacking? I'm curious why you categorize our two CMs and wing backs as defensive. Maybe it's not so bad to have defensive players, Dave probably had more assists this season than any other defender in the league. 

 

Here's something else Rudiger said. Sounds like he's calling out the players. “I think in the second half we can finish the game. But like the last few months we didn’t and we concede. Like the last weeks again, we give them a gift. I think that was the first chance they have.”

Edited May 13, 20188 yr by TheChelseaBlues

59 minutes ago, bluehaze said:

21 years ago for those who remember we played Coventry a couple of weeks before the cup final when we had to wear their away kit. It was a nothing game all the fans could think of was the cup final against Boro. Following year I remember sitting in the West Stand against Blackburn another game we lost but no one cared all the fans could think of was Stockholm in fact t-shirts of Stockholm Chelsea 98 were doing a roaring trade.

Now we lose what was a nothing game we all knew Liverpool would win and granted we were terrible today. But it goes to show how much football has changed and not for the better a bloke wins a premiership gets us to two cup finals and is treated with utter contempt by some on here. No one appears to be looking forward to next weeks cup final in fact I've read some want us to lose thinking it might mean Conte stays that's the mindset of the modern football fan and it's a disgrace.

But that is factualy incorrect. It wasn't a nothing game. It was actually a game with a chance, albeit a slender one, for us to qualify for the CL which would have made us more attractive to summer transfer targets. And the lambasting for this manager actually is carrying on from the apparent sabotage perpetrated in the week when the opportunity of grabbign that 4th place was actually even more realistic.

1 hour ago, bluehaze said:

21 years ago for those who remember we played Coventry a couple of weeks before the cup final when we had to wear their away kit. It was a nothing game all the fans could think of was the cup final against Boro. Following year I remember sitting in the West Stand against Blackburn another game we lost but no one cared all the fans could think of was Stockholm in fact t-shirts of Stockholm Chelsea 98 were doing a roaring trade.

Now we lose what was a nothing game we all knew Liverpool would win and granted we were terrible today. But it goes to show how much football has changed and not for the better a bloke wins a premiership gets us to two cup finals and is treated with utter contempt by some on here. No one appears to be looking forward to next weeks cup final in fact I've read some want us to lose thinking it might mean Conte stays that's the mindset of the modern football fan and it's a disgrace.

You sound like one of the AKB's at Arsenal.

Very very few are treating him with "utter contempt", you can criticise or want a change without hating someone you know?