17 minutes ago, BiafranBlue said:

All i can say is this, we missed Costa and to some extend David Luiz this season.

And Nemanja Matic.
He was underappreciated by many but he was a vital player for us.
Last season he assisted more league goals for us than Kante, Cesc, Bakayoko and Drinkwater has managed this season all together.

3 hours ago, ForeverCarefree said:

Blame all around on this one. 

The board, once again, have been all over the place with transfers. Leaving it too late to sign players meaning they don't get a decent pre-season with the squad and allowing the manager to work with them. We lost big names, experience and personalities in the summer in Costa, Terry and Matic and in hindsight perhaps allowed too much leadership and personality to leave in one go. 

It was all over the media that Lukaku was our first choice, we sat on our hands and only after United had put in a bid did we make a serious move for him but by then United's bid completely blew us out of the water with whatever we were willing to offer. 

Bakayoko and Drinkwater both arrived injured. Drinkwater appears to have been signed for nothing more than his passport. Allowing Chalobah to leave for £5m and then dropping £35m on Drinkwater was just bemusing. Whoever allowed Matic to leave when Bakayoko and Drinkwater weren't fit was just idiotic. 

Failed to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was apparently wanted for the right wing-back roll and we ended up signing unknown Zappacosta as a last minute alternative. 

Then there was the wierdness of Barkley almost signing on transfer deadline day, then not turning up for a medical and then signing on the first day of the winter transfer window instead. He's a player (along with Luke Shaw and John Stones) who was identified years ago as potential successor Lampard (Stones and Shaw were to replace Terry and Cole). He's very much a club signing and was always going to be dumped on a manager regardless of what team system they were playing. 

Failed to sign Sandro so went into the season with only one recognised left sided defender, waiting until the last day of the winter transfer window to sign Emerson. 

What went on with Emenalo? Why was he allowed to leave half way through the season? Who was identifying and recruiting the players in January? Why hasn't he been replaced yet? The man acted as a middle man between the manager and the board and he's just allowed to up and leave with no replacement.

Conte apparently bemused by our transfer management for the second year running clearly went into the new season at odds with the board. I don't think he was able to separate his grievances with the clubs' higher ups to his day to day dealings with the squad. He's been moody this season (though it's not like he hasn't done this throughout his managerial career to date), been a bit Jekyll and Hyde on the touchline, one game up and animated the next sullen and still. 

His tactics have clearly not always gone over well with the squad. Unlike last season where he seemed to get them all pulling in the same direction, embracing the switch to 3-4-3, this year it appears a defensive mindset has irked some of the squad. 

He's become stubborn with his selections and tactics. Sometimes seeming to select certain players as a message to the board (putting a clearly non match fit Barkley into the team following injury away to Arsenal in the league cup) that he's been left to work with an inferior squad. Deploying the false 9 when Michy was available was bizarre and a hindrance to the team. 

And as for the players. Too many have under-performed, Pedro is a shadow of the quality, goal scoring treat he was last year. Moses and Alonso have blown hot and cold in the wing back roles. Hazard hasn't stamped his authority on games enough and hasn't scored or assisted anywhere the number of goals he should, going completely missing in big matches. Morata has been a failure for a record signing, too sulky and soft a player to be leading the line every game. Bakayoko looks almost embarrassingly bad as a player, incapable of doing the most simple things. Christensen isn't ready and is making way too many mistakes. Cahill doesn't look capable of playing every week any more, errors are catching up with him, especially lacking the experience of Terry or Luiz alongside him. Fabregas doesn't have the legs to play in a two man midfield, Conte used him sparingly last season and often further up the pitch, the reasons seem obvious this season. 

TL:DR

Blame has to be shared around every aspect of the club. I expect Conte to leave but we need to take this as an opportunity to change more than just the manager. Emenalo's replacement needs to be announced and work closer with the manager to sign the players he needs, club signings like Barkley need to stop because they're a distraction. A career path for the likes of Loftus-Cheek to come into the first team need to be made clear, we're allowing talent like Chalobah to leave and signing expensive replacements (Barkley). We have players within the club capable of fulfilling squad roles, getting decent minutes without needs to spend unnecessarily. 

Players, there needs to be come big decisions made. Do we move on Bakayoko, Morata, Zappacosta quickly and cut our loses? Decisions to be made about Fabregas, Pedro, Willian, Luiz. 

The coming couple of months are going to be very important in shaping the future of the club. 

Excellent post you just about summed everything up. 

I worry at how late we are leaving everything in the market these days, Pep had all his players signed early and won the league, is it any coincidence that signing your players earlier guarantees better success? When we first signed Pedro it took him a while to settle, maybe if we didn't sign him last minute like we did he would have had a better season in his first season. 

Ultimately I think we are paying the price of going after too many bargains and penny-pinching. 

However, the main question is, who's mainly at fault? I do think that's important. Because Emenalo is no longer here, Conte is allegedly not signing some of these players, what's going on? I think Conte having another season here won't help, but who am I to say that? If we get another manager we could end up in the exact same cycle over and over again and nothing will change. 

 

I think with a new manager that will play a back four (most of the time) and with a new attacking midfielder, a good defensive midfielder and another striker we would be good to go and challenge.

 

17 hours ago, bluehaze said:

Very slender would you have put any money on Brighton winning ?.

I have no idea what that is. I'll rephrase that for todays football fan '' I literally have no idea what that is''. Someone on here said they were literally on Talk Chelsea when AVB was in charge I literally have no idea what that means. Or as Jamie Redknapp who's very fond of the word literally said '' He literally put that on a plate for him'' which of course would mean someone putting a football on a plate.

What the absolute f**k? 

Team lacks leaders and personality.

Say what you want about them and how much you love them but azpi, Cahill, Kante, cesc, willian, hazard and morata are none to a man the leaders or personalities that luiz, Terry, ashely Cole, maka,  essien, ballack, duff and drogba were.

Last season conte believe, led and had matic, luiz, Terry and costa to lead as well. It worked. This season from the get go we handed him garbage signings bar one good one, rudiger, the rest simply not good enough.

The general did not believe in his lieutnants or sargents and all fell apart.

Like it's already been said,a constant whinging boss,standing by you in training with a whip,trying to flog a dead horse wasn't going to bode well, and it hasn't. 

Has he gone yet ?  

24 minutes ago, WeatherMan said:

Has he gone yet ?  

Guess after the final. If he cannot motivate the team someone else should take charge for the final.

Well, as for me I blame Emenalo. Girls football coach, what's he got on Roman?

5 hours ago, axman2526 said:

Team lacks leaders and personality.

Say what you want about them and how much you love them but azpi, Cahill, Kante, cesc, willian, hazard and morata are none to a man the leaders or personalities that luiz, Terry, ashely Cole, maka,  essien, ballack, duff and drogba were.

Last season conte believe, led and had matic, luiz, Terry and costa to lead as well. It worked. This season from the get go we handed him garbage signings bar one good one, rudiger, the rest simply not good enough.

The general did not believe in his lieutnants or sargents and all fell apart.

Emerson a great signing and has been massively underused.

Drinkwater isn't world class but likely would have done a better job than Bakayoko. 

Zappacosta has barely featured. 

The signings may not be world class but Conte hasn't used the squad available to him to the best of his ability.

5 hours ago, Argo said:

What the absolute f**k? 

I'm really confused... 

21 minutes ago, Slojo said:

I'm really confused... 

By me or the person i quoted?

He just went on a bizzare rambling bringing up something i said in a totally different convo.

22 minutes ago, Argo said:

By me or the person i quoted?

He just went on a bizzare rambling bringing up something i said in a totally different convo.

Both 

Let's just pretend we never went on TalkChelsea yeah. 

On 13/05/2018 at 20:16, 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.

 

I'd be happy with 5th place, especially after what happened last season. I'd be happy with relegation. I'd sooner have been relegated than have the FSW managing us. I think many would have been okay with 5th this season, given the loss of personnel last summer, Terry, Matic and Costa and so on. I just want a manager that wants to manage us. I want a manager that wants to be at Chelsea. A manager that occasionally puts the needs of the club that employs him before his own ego. Conte gets paid a cool 8 million a year to manage us. You'd think the least he could do is focus on getting the best out of his troops. You'd think the least he could do is try to motivate them rather than moping about the place with a face like a slapped arse, moaning about the board to anyone that will listen, falling out with any player with a personality. I want a manager that is committed to the club. Conte is committed to nobody but himself, a bit like our previous narcissistic manager. Forgive me for being sick and tired of it.

2 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

Emerson a great signing and has been massively underused.

Drinkwater isn't world class but likely would have done a better job than Bakayoko. 

Zappacosta has barely featured. 

The signings may not be world class but Conte hasn't used the squad available to him to the best of his ability.

I think this is not talked about enough. My gripes with Conte are: 

1. Over-reliance on a system that is too predictable 

2. Use of his squad, including subs

While I generally support Conte, it's ridiculous how much he complained about squad size yet he doesn't play 3-4 perfectly capable players with any regularity. I get that we've had some injuries but Drinkwater and Zappacosta have not been utilized this season. You could argue Barkley, Emerson and Luiz haven't been either. Why in god's name hasn't DD paired with Kante more often? We have 30 matches worth of proof they work together well. 

I've been saying it forever, unless these rumors of discord are nonsense, someone is lying. Either the club have gone back on their word to buy the players Conte wants or Conte has no reason to complain bc he wasn't promised top quality players in the first place. The Giroud signing makes me think there is little tension and both the manager and club are on the same page. Antonio is just not doing a great job atm

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11373128/chelsea-may-move-for-spurs-boss-mauricio-pochettino

4 hours ago, STATS said:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11373128/chelsea-may-move-for-spurs-boss-mauricio-pochettino

He has 3 years left on his contact at spuds. No chance of him being Chelsea manager next season. 

12 hours ago, WeatherMan said:

Has he gone yet ?  

No he bloody hasn't, he's like a bad smell hanging around the club.

4 hours ago, STATS said:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11373128/chelsea-may-move-for-spurs-boss-mauricio-pochettino

What a load of bollox, poch is in charge of a young ambitious team, in a new stadium and playing in the champs league, then there's us, ageing, De motivated squad, club a shambles behind the scenes, no champs league,and hoping to move into a new stadium in goodness knows when? They are on the upward curve as a club, we are on the downward curve. 

It only seems like yesterday that Conte was hailed as the perfect antidote to Mourinho. He got on with the job without fuss- no winging about refs, fixture congestion, FA conspiracys; we even played with a bit of flair and panache. 

What a difference a year makes.

Saying that not that long ago there was a theory that a manager had to be a bit of a horrible bastard to win the premiership- this was during the Fergie/ Moueinho days when " dark managerial arts" were in vogue, then suddenly Leicester triumph with a cutie pie boss at the helm.

f**k knows what the future holds, I just hope that Roman doesn't decide to surprise everyone by keeping hold of a dead duck coach.

 

2 minutes ago, Ewell CFC said:

It only seems like yesterday that Conte was hailed as the perfect antidote to Mourinho. He got on with the job without fuss- no winging about refs, fixture congestion, FA conspiracys; we even played with a bit of flair and panache. 

What a difference a year makes.

Saying that not that long ago there was a theory that a manager had to be a bit of a horrible bastard to win the premiership- this was during the Fergie/ Moueinho days when " dark managerial arts" were in vogue, then suddenly Leicester triumph with a cutie pie boss at the helm.

f**k knows what the future holds, I just hope that Roman doesn't decide to prove a point and surprise everyone by keeping hold of a dead duck coach.

 

 

1 hour ago, chi blue said:

What a load of bollox, poch is in charge of a young ambitious team, in a new stadium and playing in the champs league, then there's us, ageing, De motivated squad, club a shambles behind the scenes, no champs league,and hoping to move into a new stadium in goodness knows when? They are on the upward curve as a club, we are on the downward curve. 

Ageing? 

Only two of our regular starters are 30. We have many problems right now but that isn't one of them. Infact Spurs have more problems in that regard  (Vertonghen, Alderwierld and Dembele) than we do.

2 hours ago, chi blue said:

What a load of bollox, poch is in charge of a young ambitious team, in a new stadium and playing in the champs league, then there's us, ageing, De motivated squad, club a shambles behind the scenes, no champs league,and hoping to move into a new stadium in goodness knows when? They are on the upward curve as a club, we are on the downward curve. 

We also have the best academy in Europe and a greater willingness to pay more in wages/fee's.

6 hours ago, chi blue said:

What a load of bollox, poch is in charge of a young ambitious team, in a new stadium and playing in the champs league, then there's us, ageing, De motivated squad, club a shambles behind the scenes, no champs league,and hoping to move into a new stadium in goodness knows when? They are on the upward curve as a club, we are on the downward curve. 

We are still a bigger club than tottenham.  There is no doubt about it.  Spurs are about to get raided in either this transfer summer or the next.  Kane, Eriksen, are not long for them and Alli may also follow if he continues to improve.  Real specifically have a history of taking Spuds players.  

We also have probably the best academy in the world and will have a new stadium as well.  

Whether we want Poch, a serial bottler, is another questions altogether.  

I had a debate with my Liverpool supporting mate today (he chats sh*t thinks Liverpool deserved to finish second, I was like so why did you finish 4th then?) but anyway. He was saying how badly we’re treating Conte and I proper lost my rag. People like my mate looking from the outside in don’t get it. Conte hasn’t shown the fans much respect, he looks sisnteteated, is constantly putting down players and wants to leave. This isn’t a situation where the club is only bothered about league position or the timing of an exit from the CL, this is about a man and a club who have fallen out, a man who refuses to accept any responsibility for our dire season and finally a man who appears to have zero respect for the fans. So yes while we have had harsh sackings in the past, Conte’s will be fully deserved. f**king Liverpool fans!