59 minutes ago, forbzy said:

The season before Clearlake took over, we finished top 4, narrowly lost to eventual winners Real Madrid in Champions League QF, and made it to 2 cup finals (also winning UEFA Super Cup and World Club Championship). we managed that despite all the sanctions placed on the club for a large chunk of the season. Yes the team was overdue some changes, and some key players had already decided to move on at the end of the season. But even considering that you have to say it is an impressive achievement by Clearlake to take us from that to a rudderless midtable outfit in less that 1 1/2 years. They have forked out a small fortune on a set of crocks and flops. At this point they may even manage to relegate the club in the next couple of years. This season perhaps that won't happen as the promoted clubs are struggling to amass many points. But if we continue on this path much longer, relegation is a real possibility in seasons to come. 

I said it at the time subtle changes were needed whether you liked some of the players here or not they were experienced players and could have kept us ticking over while we slowly transition but this big bang rip and replace was so misguided it’s not even funny.

Just curious, but are there still people that believe this is just the inevitable blip that can be expected when refashioning the World Cup champions into a new bright young side that will challenge for titles at home and on the continent?

Or has anyone come around to the idea that it’s actually so f**ked up that our best hope is actually long term yearly mid table survival?

Todays sh*t show wasn’t even the slightest bit of a surprise and hasn’t ruined my Christmas as it was inevitable as receiving socks.

Still, it’s sad how quickly and ungracefully we have returned to the club we were in about 1980. We’ll, spare the fact that Geoff Hurst didn’t have a team that cost over a billion pounds.

But I still expect there are a few that will see some positives today that point to an imminent improvement and a run into the top six by season end. And next season will presumably see us as title contenders when these players have settled in and got experience.

9 minutes ago, Snedger said:

Just curious, but are there still people that believe this is just the inevitable blip that can be expected when refashioning the World Cup champions into a new bright young side that will challenge for titles at home and on the continent?

Or has anyone come around to the idea that it’s actually so f**ked up that our best hope is actually long term yearly mid table survival?

Todays sh*t show wasn’t even the slightest bit of a surprise and hasn’t ruined my Christmas as it was inevitable as receiving socks.

Still, it’s sad how quickly and ungracefully we have returned to the club we were in about 1980. We’ll, spare the fact that Geoff Hurst didn’t have a team that cost over a billion pounds.

But I still expect there are a few that will see some positives today that point to an imminent improvement and a run into the top six by season end. And next season will presumably see us as title contenders when these players have settled in and got experience.

I think the 1980 comparison is too harsh ; a better analogy would probably be to 1993 to 1996 under Hoddle.

1 hour ago, El regreso said:

I said it at the time subtle changes were needed whether you liked some of the players here or not they were experienced players and could have kept us ticking over while we slowly transition but this big bang rip and replace was so misguided it’s not even funny.

That's how easy the minimum level of competence was to achieve but somehow the new sheriff rode into town, guns blazing and literally has shot down every thing Chelsea was. Talk about how easy it is to destroy what takes years to build.

If there was one thing other fans seemed to respect us for, it was our ability to somehow remain relevant and win stuff even when we were having bad seasons.

Todd has come in and...... that proverbial too much money too little sense, is a tag that suits him to a T. What a buffoon!

I sincerely and 100% believe I wouldn’t of screwed Chelsea up like Boehly, and his clueless advisory bureau did, actually 75% of SE members wouldnt of failed, acces to literally bid for anyone, but strikers are forbidden:, I’d of gotten Mbappe and Kane, Caceido before his price went crazily north, wouldn’t of touched Cucurella, Mudryk, fofana who.??, Jackson, I’d of kept Mase and Hall, oh and wouldn’t of Hired Poch, maybe Brentford or Brightons gaffer, got JT and Drogs back in a coaching role, the passion they’d bring we don’t have no more….

Can't help but wonder how things might have turned out had Boehly signed Cristiano Ronaldo like he supposedly wanted to LOL.

Even at 38 he'd have surely finished off most of these big chances we keep spurning ... 

Did anyone try it on FIFA ? 🙂 

 

Edited December 24, 20232 yr by Sexyfootball

15 minutes ago, Ballack & Blu said:

I sincerely and 100% believe I wouldn’t of screwed Chelsea up like Boehly, and his clueless advisory bureau did, actually 75% of SE members wouldnt of failed, acces to literally bid for anyone, but strikers are forbidden:, I’d of gotten Mbappe and Kane, Caceido before his price went crazily north, wouldn’t of touched Cucurella, Mudryk, fofana who.??, Jackson, I’d of kept Mase and Hall, oh and wouldn’t of Hired Poch, maybe Brentford or Brightons gaffer, got JT and Drogs back in a coaching role, the passion they’d bring we don’t have no more….

Guaranteed 90% of this forum wouldn’t have hashed this up like they did, why? Well 90% would of gone for experience which can get you out of trouble when you are in difficult situations.

I would not of had signed:

Fofana - 70m with that injury record?

Cucurella - 60m for who?

Mudryk - 80m for who?

Disasi - 40m for who?

Enzo -100m for someone I never heard of before the world cup?

Caicedo - 100m for one good season at a mid table club?

Palmer - 40m well spent but I never thought he would be good

Sanchez - 30m for who?

Sterling - 50m he cost? Always thought he was overrated

Basically if I was the owner, we would probably stil be mid table because I would've still shipped out the dross from last season but it would be a 3 year project where we gradually improve the team with well thought out players.

I feel sick that we've spent so much money on absolute rubbish.

 

15 minutes ago, KonaKai Blue said:

I would not of had signed:

Fofana - 70m with that injury record?

Cucurella - 60m for who?

Mudryk - 80m for who?

Disasi - 40m for who?

Enzo -100m for someone I never heard of before the world cup?

Caicedo - 100m for one good season at a mid table club?

Palmer - 40m well spent but I never thought he would be good

Sanchez - 30m for who?

Sterling - 50m he cost? Always thought he was overrated

Basically if I was the owner, we would probably stil be mid table because I would've still shipped out the dross from last season but it would be a 3 year project where we gradually improve the team with well thought out players.

I feel sick that we've spent so much money on absolute rubbish.

 

Who would be on your list of "well thought out players" ?

Right a Christmas debate, worst of the current waste of dross, I’m balls deep on Mudryk, he  is like a very poor Aaron Lennon, lol

Edited December 24, 20232 yr by Ballack & Blu

19 minutes ago, Ballack & Blu said:

Right a Christmas debate, worst of the current waste of dross, I’m balls deep on Mudryk, he  is like a very poor Aaron Lennon, lol

I'd suggest a new thread ! 

5 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

2 of which are in relegation zone and 1 fighting out of relegation. 
 

“The new Chelsea.”

Kids don't even fail like this in FM games. To be the worst PL team for the whole calendar year is already a feat but 4th worst out of all top 5 leagues in Europe is really telling just how poor this project of the new owners has been.

Newcastle was struggling far more than us over the past years but when they got the new owners approved, there suddenly was this new fresh air around the club and they suddenly have a decent squad that is trying to establish themselves as a more constant top 4 team. For us it went the opposite way despite having a better starting position. The feeling is still as if the new owners just started yesterday. No real vision, no real mind behind the scenes... 

...Let's face it, their vision was Graham Potter.
He was supposed to be the Jose Mourinho of Roman's 2004 for the new owners but the polar opposite was the result. We are a low key relegation team due to several factors but the results don't lie, the new owners thought they knew how to build a team and they have failed. Jose went for a couple of Porto/Portuguese players and for the most part they were good, now the club has Cucurella that is basically just a meme and Sanchez getting injured shows that the MLS replacement kid is pretty much the same quality and with maybe more potential.

The problem is that we will just keep spending and judging by how that was done recently it will be mostly other team's transfer targets. The owners first wanted to start from scratch and after throwing away the baby with the bathwater they want the cake and eat it too, they want to build an epic squad for the next 5-7 years while at the same time competing for a top finish. This isn't a real plan, this is actually dangerous. But expect them to splash the cash in January.

1 hour ago, Gol15 said:

Let's face it, their vision was Graham Potter.
He was supposed to be the Jose Mourinho of Roman's 2004 for the new owners but the polar opposite was the result. 

Peak Potter vs Peak Mourinho must be the biggest mis-match in managerial terms you could possibly ever have

On the one hand - a European Champion ... a Special One ... not of the bottle ... overflowing with charisma and Euro chic .... great overcoat ... 

On the other hand -  a Champion of Swedish Arctic Division 3, who after 3 years at Brighton took them to the giddy heights of 9th in the PL ... an odd one ... some nice polo necks and a decent beard, but prone to gobbing on himself on the touchline and mumbling inanely in interviews, while sucking air through his teeth. 

Why did it go wrong LOL.

11 hours ago, Snedger said:

Just curious, but are there still people that believe this is just the inevitable blip that can be expected when refashioning the World Cup champions into a new bright young side that will challenge for titles at home and on the continent?

Or has anyone come around to the idea that it’s actually so f**ked up that our best hope is actually long term yearly mid table survival?

Todays sh*t show wasn’t even the slightest bit of a surprise and hasn’t ruined my Christmas as it was inevitable as receiving socks.

Still, it’s sad how quickly and ungracefully we have returned to the club we were in about 1980. We’ll, spare the fact that Geoff Hurst didn’t have a team that cost over a billion pounds.

But I still expect there are a few that will see some positives today that point to an imminent improvement and a run into the top six by season end. And next season will presumably see us as title contenders when these players have settled in and got experience.

My point exactly. The presumption is that our child prodigies will all develop exponentially whilst everyone else will just stand still and stagnant.

When any other footballing dynasty collapses it has taken 10 to 20 years to recover ground. And it gets harder each time as the whole footballing world is evolving simply due to the amount of multi millionaire owners in the PL nowadays.

13 hours ago, Snedger said:

Just curious, but are there still people that believe this is just the inevitable blip that can be expected when refashioning the World Cup champions into a new bright young side that will challenge for titles at home and on the continent?

Or has anyone come around to the idea that it’s actually so f**ked up that our best hope is actually long term yearly mid table survival?

Todays sh*t show wasn’t even the slightest bit of a surprise and hasn’t ruined my Christmas as it was inevitable as receiving socks.

Still, it’s sad how quickly and ungracefully we have returned to the club we were in about 1980. We’ll, spare the fact that Geoff Hurst didn’t have a team that cost over a billion pounds.

But I still expect there are a few that will see some positives today that point to an imminent improvement and a run into the top six by season end. And next season will presumably see us as title contenders when these players have settled in and got experience.

I have accepted that already which is why I don’t get upset as the results anymore. I mentioned that several times, fans should adjust to the new reality of where we are now and their weekends will be so much better.

19 hours ago, Snedger said:

Just curious, but are there still people that believe this is just the inevitable blip that can be expected when refashioning the World Cup champions into a new bright young side that will challenge for titles at home and on the continent?

Or has anyone come around to the idea that it’s actually so f**ked up that our best hope is actually long term yearly mid table survival?

Todays sh*t show wasn’t even the slightest bit of a surprise and hasn’t ruined my Christmas as it was inevitable as receiving socks.

Still, it’s sad how quickly and ungracefully we have returned to the club we were in about 1980. We’ll, spare the fact that Geoff Hurst didn’t have a team that cost over a billion pounds.

But I still expect there are a few that will see some positives today that point to an imminent improvement and a run into the top six by season end. And next season will presumably see us as title contenders when these players have settled in and got experience.

I was hopeful at the start of the season until injuries started happening, Nkunku out for that long was a serious kick in the balls, I thought we could've been in the top 6. 

As of now, midtable finish again is on the cards and it's definitely disappointing. We're doing worse than I expected but I don't think we as fans give managers a chance, there's no denying Boehly has taken us backwards, but at the same time, we need a project restart. Our fans don't have the patience to see it out, as soon as things get tough we call it quits, why can't we just let Poch see out his contract at the very least? Surely people cannot be under the illusion that another manager would come here and turn this team into a top 4 side overnight?

The criticism aimed at Boehly I completely understand, those calling for a new gaffer, I don't get it. 
 

1 hour ago, Victor90 said:

I was hopeful at the start of the season until injuries started happening, Nkunku out for that long was a serious kick in the balls, I thought we could've been in the top 6. 

As of now, midtable finish again is on the cards and it's definitely disappointing. We're doing worse than I expected but I don't think we as fans give managers a chance, there's no denying Boehly has taken us backwards, but at the same time, we need a project restart. Our fans don't have the patience to see it out, as soon as things get tough we call it quits, why can't we just let Poch see out his contract at the very least? Surely people cannot be under the illusion that another manager would come here and turn this team into a top 4 side overnight?

The criticism aimed at Boehly I completely understand, those calling for a new gaffer, I don't get it. 
 

At this point in time isn't it about preventing us from being dragged into a relegation battle that we are ill-equipped to deal with. This season we are lucky that the bottom three positions are populated with newly promoted teams.

51 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

At this point in time isn't it about preventing us from being dragged into a relegation battle that we are ill-equipped to deal with. This season we are lucky that the bottom three positions are populated with newly promoted teams.

f**k it, get Sam Allerdyce in then. 

I'm sure everyone on here will love that. 

I don't want it, but at least he'd hammer them into a formation, and make them work together.

35 minutes ago, Victor90 said:

f**k it, get Sam Allerdyce in then. 

I'm sure everyone on here will love that. 

A similar response would have been had if we'd appointed Dyche, but we have already seen how we stack up against him.

If Pochettino is the guy, and I sincerely hope he will be he  and his staff, have to do a hell of a lot better than what we have seen to date, because currently I can't see that we have the measure of anyone, barring possibly Sheffield United and Burnley (I wouldn't trust us to beat Luton atm)

On 25/12/2023 at 16:48, Victor90 said:

I was hopeful at the start of the season until injuries started happening, Nkunku out for that long was a serious kick in the balls, I thought we could've been in the top 6. 

As of now, midtable finish again is on the cards and it's definitely disappointing. We're doing worse than I expected but I don't think we as fans give managers a chance, there's no denying Boehly has taken us backwards, but at the same time, we need a project restart. Our fans don't have the patience to see it out, as soon as things get tough we call it quits, why can't we just let Poch see out his contract at the very least? Surely people cannot be under the illusion that another manager would come here and turn this team into a top 4 side overnight?

The criticism aimed at Boehly I completely understand, those calling for a new gaffer, I don't get it. 
 

I certainly expect a lot better than bottom 10. At the moment it looks impossible for us to get a win anywhere and that’s piss poor. For example how are you feeling about the game against Palace at home tonight?

It’s not acceptable and we need to expect more especially with how much we’ve spent and the talent in the squad. Surely you can’t say teams like Bournemouth have more quality than us? I think with our squad, with the injuries, the expectation should be fighting for anywhere between 6th to 8th.

At the moment it looks far more likely we will finish 16th.

I personally would like us to do very little business on January. Maybe some outs and one in or something like that. I don't want us to dominate the transfer window instead of the football. We have done the overhaul now lets give time and trust what we bought.

30 minutes ago, evissy said:

I personally would like us to do very little business on January. Maybe some outs and one in or something like that. I don't want us to dominate the transfer window instead of the football. We have done the overhaul now lets give time and trust what we bought.

Same here, one sh*t hot goal scorer, whoever that may be.

2 hours ago, evissy said:

I personally would like us to do very little business on January. Maybe some outs and one in or something like that. I don't want us to dominate the transfer window instead of the football. We have done the overhaul now let’s give time and trust what we bought.

Unless we are getting an elite striker/attacker there shouldn’t be any business. Co-sporting “wise guys” already f**ked it up with  inexperience players, trying to fix it in January will just compound the problem. 
 

Whatever happen to Christopher Vivell he seem to know what he was doing until these two “wise guys” came in and he left.

If Todd / Clearlake had done absolutely NOTHING when they took over we would be in a far far better position than we are now