42 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

yeah, but would you happily take mid-table, 8th to 17th and no silverware next year (and for the following few seasons) if there was a published plan of action for you to see and approve?

 

The only way we finish below 8th is if we have a epic meltdown, our squad is way too good to be finishing mid table. Even this season when it's likely Conte will leave and the team is off form we are still 5th

 

Finishing top 4 and and maybe a cup or 2 for the next few years while we change our philosophy and start implementing our young players is a realistic goal.

 

Also in regards to Sarri, there shouldn't be a massive issue in getting our team to play his tactics, while we would need a couple new signings it wouldn't require an overhaul

 

Azpi would replace Hysaj as the more defensive orientated fullback, Emerson would replace Ghoulam as the more attacking orientated fullback, Rudiger would replace Koulibaly as the powerful, fast and comfortable on the ball CB and Christensen would replace Albiol as the technically gifted CB

We'd need a new signing for a deep lying playmaker to replace Jorginho, Kante would replace Allan as the box-to-box midfielder and RLC or Barkley would replace Hamsik as the CM/AM

Hazard would replace Insigne as a wide forward who cuts in, Morata could potentially replace Mertens and Willian and new signing would replace Callejon

A new deep lying playmaker and attacking midfielder to be signed while implementing Ampadu, RLC, Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina/Sterling, Zouma/Clarke-Salter

 

56 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

yeah, but would you happily take mid-table, 8th to 17th and no silverware next year (and for the following few seasons) if there was a published plan of action for you to see and approve?

 

Yes.

Of course better would be better. I would like, at least, Thursday night footy to give the young squad European experience but a target of 3 years to start winning cups again would be acceptable.

Now all we need is a night out with Roman to convince him of our plans.

2 minutes ago, ZippyNW said:

Now all we need is a night out with Roman to convince him of our plans.

I'd be wanting an invitation to his gigantic, luxury yacht instead of a night out TBH 

1 hour ago, yorkleyblue said:

yeah, but would you happily take mid-table, 8th to 17th and no silverware next year (and for the following few seasons) if there was a published plan of action for you to see and approve?

 

Not too long ago 8th place was giddy heights for us, even just 20 years ago we were regularly finishing in 11th place.

It doesn't matter if us fans would accept mid table positions, the club would not accept it, missing out on CL revenue is not acceptable to them.

I'm not really convinced that the fans WOULD accept it.  Just look at the toxic abuse that starts flying in the match-day threads if we concede or don't win, or, god forbid, don't match up to the expectations of people  all around the world watching on their version of Sky.  Multiply that by a season's  worth of not being able to threaten top 4 or  europe or the FA cup and imagine how many armchair fans we'd have at the end of that season.

9 minutes ago, yorkleyblue said:

I'm not really convinced that the fans WOULD accept it.  Just look at the toxic abuse that starts flying in the match-day threads if we concede or don't win, or, god forbid, don't match up to the expectations of people  all around the world watching on their version of Sky.  Multiply that by a season's  worth of not being able to threaten top 4 or  europe or the FA cup and imagine how many armchair fans we'd have at the end of that season.

That isn't a bad thing though. Flush out the tin pot, gory hunting fans and build a great team for the future. Works for me. I'm sure most actual fans would accept a year or two of mediocrity.

True.  Didn't say it was a bad thing, but imagine the uproar from some  of the smartarses in here who have never even been to a football match, but get all their football knowledge from their Sky subscription and what Redknapp and Neville tell them,  if the club actually said "we're going to have a few years of  building a team, using the academy and getting back to the Chelsea way,so we probably won't be winning much over that period!" 

FFS we've had people in here claiming that sitting in their mum's spare room watching a stream gives an equal  match-day experience and game viewpoint as actually being at the Bridge.  I think that some of them have invented a very special telly that allows them to look through the very small window of pitch view that Sky or BT provide and see round the edges of the screen to see exactly what the rest of the pitch, all the players, the manager,  the bench and the crowd are all doing.

Imagine what would happen to their support if we didn't get to be the main match on Sky/BT as often as we do, if we featured as the Super Sunday superstars about as often as Everton or Brighton.  

I've said many times before, a lot of members in here are great football fans, who happen to have locked onto Chelsea in the recent past, rather than Chelsea fans specifically.  I mean, at least one of these football tactical brains has spent some time recently calling the manager and several players c**ts, has has openly boasted about betting against the team.  Not a fan, in my view, and the sooner that sort f**ks off the better.

Edited April 18, 20188 yr by yorkleyblue

the one issue with sarri is that he could find himself banned from touchline because he likes to be a bit outspoken and risque with his words, and we know the FA are quite sensitive. he once got a two game ban for calling mancini a "poof" and "faggot" and also after a game in the presser post match after being asked a question by a female reporter this was what he said. After being asked a question the 59-year-old was not happy with, he replied: “You're a woman, you're beautiful, I won't tell you to f*** off for those two reasons.”

Edited April 18, 20188 yr by enigma

3 hours ago, enigma said:

the one issue with sarri is that he could find himself banned from touchline because he likes to be a bit outspoken and risque with his words, and we know the FA are quite sensitive. he once got a two game ban for calling mancini a "poof" and "faggot" and also after a game in the presser post match after being asked a question by a female reporter this was what he said. After being asked a question the 59-year-old was not happy with, he replied: “You're a woman, you're beautiful, I won't tell you to f*** off for those two reasons.”

He's got the job !

im a mong

Edited April 18, 20188 yr by lukecfc

11 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

This is my view. I would happily take top 4 and no silverware next year if we could clearly see a vision and direction the club is going in. I imagine 'Pool will win something next year and that is because they identified the manager for the job and helped him build his dream. It could take a season or two but we'll get the rewards in the long run. 

We have the perfect opportunity to do both!!!

Our spine  (Tibo, Azpi, Kante and Hazard) is bonafide world class AND suited to the proactive, attacking football that Sarri, Jardim etc play (versatility is one thing this spine have over the old one). Liverpool when Klopp arrived had 1 world class player and Spurs when Poch arrived had none so they were building from scratch, the groundwork is already there for a Sarri, especially given his commitment to work on the training ground which is music to my ears after Conte's moaning!!!!

If we keep them 4 i can feesibly see us challenging for trophy's and building something at the same time.

Sarri has been over 18 years has been with 12 diffrent clubs, I doubt whether he is a long term option.

6 hours ago, DG19 said:

Sarri has been over 18 years has been with 12 diffrent clubs, I doubt whether he is a long term option.

2 clubs since 2012. He pinged about in the lower leagues but has stayed at clubs once at the top. 

We will have to build him a smoking area. 

He started as an amateur team coach and slowly moved up the Italian league's. Very understated beginning compared to other coaches.

21 minutes ago, Total-Football said:

He started as an amateur team coach and slowly moved up the Italian league's. Very understated beginning compared to other coaches.

That makes me like him already (unless of course he decides to join Liverpool or Spurs in the future  ).

I agree with the complaint that managerial jobs in the Premier League revolve around the same middle-aged underwhelming few where it comes to Brits (the Pardews and Allerdyces of this world), but when that complaint comes from entitled former players who expect to be a shoe-in 2 months after they've gotten their badges, I want to punch them. How about getting experience lower down the leagues and work your way up, the way most of us learn our trade? Or is that beneath them ?

Sorry, pet peeve of mine 

IN 2016, Maurizio Sarri memorably said: “If I saw my team defending and counter-attacking after 30 minutes, I would get up and return to the bank because I would not be having fun.”

 

Ps- bank because he worked in a bank 

11 minutes ago, DG19 said:

IN 2016, Maurizio Sarri memorably said: “If I saw my team defending and counter-attacking after 30 minutes, I would get up and return to the bank because I would not be having fun.”

 

Ps- bank because he worked in a bank 

That could work as a Guardiola quote

3 minutes ago, lukecfc said:

That could work as a Guardiola quote

sarriola

just watch them win the serie a and he signs a new contract ffs. as much as i would like to see napoli pip juve to the league, i hope juventus win it for selfish reasons. 

Edited April 19, 20188 yr by enigma

55 minutes ago, enigma said:

just watch them win the serie a and he signs a new contract ffs. as much as i would like to see napoli pip juve to the league, i hope juventus win it for selfish reasons. 

They wont win the league now. Drew against Milan puts them 4 points behind Juventus with 5 games to play. Juventus are absolutely clinical in that league, especially this season. They have ben an absolute machine. Napoli could be ending the season with 90+ points and they still wont be close to the league title because Juve are so good this year.

1 hour ago, lukecfc said:

That could work as a Guardiola quote

Not a bad thing is it? Sarri is implementing similar football (If anything his positional game is actually better then Guardiola's) with a lot less money and worse players. What he has achieved at Napoli is very impressive.

Just now, Total-Football said:

Not a bad thing is it? Sarri is implementing similar football (If anything his positional game is actually better then Guardiola's) with a lot less money and worse players. What he has achieved at Napoli is very impressive.

I was joking about him being a chequebook manager.

1 minute ago, lukecfc said:

I was joking about him being a chequebook manager.

Oh. I missed it entirely. My bad.

 

Point still stands for anybody complaining about him being too idealistic to succeed and how we need to be defensive and pragmatic to win the league.