8 minutes ago, just said:

Hopefully Keir Stamer is reviewing Maresca's right to work status in the UK. Be great if they put him on one of the deportation flights to France.

Surely he fails on any criteria relating to 'experience and ability'

That said we would struggle to out a team out if that was applied.

I can't imagine that our potential shirt sponsorship is increasing in value ??

Casper Stylsvig has left Stamford Bridge less than two years after arriving in November 2023. Stylsvig previously held roles at Barcelona, Manchester United and Milan in various capacities. While Stylsvig has now moved on, Chelsea’s pursuit of a new front-of-shirt sponsor is not expected to be affected. According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, Todd Kline - who leads Chelsea’s commercial operation and worked alongside Stylsvig - will continue ongoing discussions with a host of companies who are interested in linking up with Chelsea.

4 hours ago, just said:

Hopefully Keir Stamer is reviewing Maresca's right to work status in the UK. Be great if they put him on one of the deportation flights to France.

Can Sir Kier look at Todd and Blueco 's right to own our club ?? Or would he have to ask his boss first . Donald "The Ballroom Builder " Trump ?? ....

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

Can Sir Kier look at Todd and Blueco 's right to own our club ?? Or would he have to ask his boss first . Donald "The Ballroom Builder " Trump ?? ....

Keir would say....Todds "done nothing wrong" and he has "full confidence" in Blue Co.

2billion spent and still short of a keeper, center back, creative midfielder and left winger.

3 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I can't imagine that our potential shirt sponsorship is increasing in value ??

Casper Stylsvig has left Stamford Bridge less than two years after arriving in November 2023. Stylsvig previously held roles at Barcelona, Manchester United and Milan in various capacities. While Stylsvig has now moved on, Chelsea’s pursuit of a new front-of-shirt sponsor is not expected to be affected. According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, Todd Kline - who leads Chelsea’s commercial operation and worked alongside Stylsvig - will continue ongoing discussions with a host of companies who are interested in linking up with Chelsea.

In the time we have taken looking for the right sponsor we have probably lost at least 50 million per year. Even if we had negotiated an average deal it would have been worth that much.

4 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

Can Sir Kier look at Todd and Blueco 's right to own our club ?? Or would he have to ask his boss first . Donald "The Ballroom Builder " Trump ?? ....

The government could exercise their power under national interests and cultural protection, to take over our club and change the ownership and management model. Angela Rayner as Director of Finance, and Diane Abbott as first team manager.

Win, win.

Everyone remember how we manage to get Makalele from real, even when he was a regular in their side and we had only just started to see Roman's cash being spent?

The great real madrid had a model, the Galactico model. Only those elite, marketable players (Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham etc) could command top level wages.

Maka was not marketable so their brass paid him like a Real Madrid B player. We would pay them a good fee for the time, and give him top wages. Real stuck to their model and let him go, much to their managers, and Zidane, dismay. Real suffered, and Maka became part of our spine.

Real ended up changing their model, because they also valued winning above all and saw they were wrong.

These clowns value their ability to make long term profits above all, that's why the model remains unchanged.

Roman built us a spine. After 3 seasons we had Cech, Ashley Cole, JT, Maka, Lamps and Drogba as our spine. All world class.

Who do we have after 3 years of Blue co that are world class? James and Caicedo. After 2 billion spent.

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

Everyone remember how we manage to get Makalele from real, even when he was a regular in their side and we had only just started to see Roman's cash being spent?

The great real madrid had a model, the Galactico model. Only those elite, marketable players (Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham etc) could command top level wages.

Maka was not marketable so their brass paid him like a Real Madrid B player. We would pay them a good fee for the time, and give him top wages. Real stuck to their model and let him go, much to their managers, and Zidane, dismay. Real suffered, and Maka became part of our spine.

Real ended up changing their model, because they also valued winning above all and saw they were wrong.

These clowns value their ability to make long term profits above all, that's why the model remains unchanged.

Roman built us a spine. After 3 seasons we had Cech, Ashley Cole, JT, Maka, Lamps and Drogba as our spine. All world class.

Who do we have after 3 years of Blue co that are world class? James and Caicedo. After 2 billion spent.

Makelele's transfer has entered folklore but I think the "failure" of the Galacticos is heavily overstated because people don't remember what "Zidanes y Pavones" really was. It was not just supplementing expensive, world-class transfers with the youth team, but the insane idea that Real Madrid would overspend on the attacking 'Zidanes' and rely on the academy and youth signings to provide defensive options. They ditched that idea pretty quick, to be fair, and by the time Mourinho was around they had signed the likes of Xabi Alonso and Raul Albiol to add defensive ability.

I don't subscribe to the idea that the owners have somehow invented a whole "new" way of doing successful football, despite their claims; firstly, because plenty of clubs have tried this 'model' (eg Arsenal post-2005) and utterly failed, and secondly because Chelsea under Emenalo already embraced the same model to skirt FFP/PSR rules, since at least 2012. If you think about it, 'Zidanes y Pavones' is basically the same idea that our owners are going for, except the expensive signings are for much less proven players, and the young players are farmed for profit. Yet we somehow have this bizarre notion that you can't be successful by targeting established players. Our current strategy is alarmingly close to Barcelona post-2015 where the club massively overpaid for any player under 24 with a bit of hype, and then relying on the academy to fund the the difference.

At this point there is no way you can convince me the plan is to win.

How are these sporting directors getting contract extension?

This squad is shocking. Holes galore,full of raw kids.

We might as well have noy signed a single player and just used our youth team players.

Millions wasted on players that will never play for us. Top 4 is the absolute maximum we can ever achieve with this approach.

Couldnt even keep our spending and finances under control without being punished by uefa.

Can't wait until these twats can sell up and move on, but I fear the damage done will be irreparable.

4 hours ago, big blue said:

At this point there is no way you can convince me the plan is to win.

How are these sporting directors getting contract extension?

This squad is shocking. Holes galore,full of raw kids.

We might as well have noy signed a single player and just used our youth team players.

Millions wasted on players that will never play for us. Top 4 is the absolute maximum we can ever achieve with this approach.

Couldnt even keep our spending and finances under control without being punished by uefa.

Can't wait until these twats can sell up and move on, but I fear the damage done will be irreparable.

I think the aim is to win, but I'm not convinced there is a "plan". The strategy is to clearly aggregate as many young players as possible, ride the natural improvement curve, and hope that some of those players turn out to be trophy-winning quality. The 'normal' inputs to the system, such as coaching, mentoring and experience, have all been discarded as secondary. When Eghbali claimed he was bringing in a new data-driven approach I was expecting more than him relying on the law of averages.

The bolded part needs addressing. I cannot stress this enough - this is as good as it gets. The current ownership are happy to forego profitability and revenue in favour of increasing raw value, and they are able to rely on the natural upturn of the market to do that. Whoever buys the club from Boehly & Co will be left holding the bag and will be seeking not just value, but actual profit. The next owner is far more likely to be a Jim Ratcliffe than an Abramovich.

12 minutes ago, SydneyChelsea said:

I think the aim is to win, but I'm not convinced there is a "plan". The strategy is to clearly aggregate as many young players as possible, ride the natural improvement curve, and hope that some of those players turn out to be trophy-winning quality. The 'normal' inputs to the system, such as coaching, mentoring and experience, have all been discarded as secondary. When Eghbali claimed he was bringing in a new data-driven approach I was expecting more than him relying on the law of averages.

The bolded part needs addressing. I cannot stress this enough - this is as good as it gets. The current ownership are happy to forego profitability and revenue in favour of increasing raw value, and they are able to rely on the natural upturn of the market to do that. Whoever buys the club from Boehly & Co will be left holding the bag and will be seeking not just value, but actual profit. The next owner is far more likely to be a Jim Ratcliffe than an Abramovich.

Of course the plan is to win. Even levy want to win for spurs but levy have a certain number that he want to keep.

Similar to Chelsea, our board want to win but they want to keep salary low and they don't want to spend big on transfer fee.

Just look at the difference between how our ownership acted after the CWC success, and how Liverpools did after their title win. Both American ownership by the way.

One significantly strengthens their squad, including brining in the best number 9 in the league, looking to win more silverware, the other makes theirs weaker in the hope of making profits down the line.

On 24/09/2025 at 01:57, Bob stark said:

Of course the plan is to win. Even levy want to win for spurs but levy have a certain number that he want to keep.

Similar to Chelsea, our board want to win but they want to keep salary low and they don't want to spend big on transfer fee.

They also need to keep turning players over at enough profit to fund the PSR gap and the annual amortisation costs. Where they are at now, they have to keep recruiting as low as possible and keep turning over in order to keep a reasonable book profit margin.

Seems the best place to post this. Earlier today I received the email below from the Chelsea Supporters Trust. All a bit of a fiasco with the distribution, selling and advertising of tickets. I'm getting more and more cynical in my old age but I think that the club is trying to force out season ticket holders especially those who have been around since the dawn of time and don't spend much money in the ground.

"Chelsea Supporters' Trust Condemns Ticket Pricing and Communication Failures for Champions League Fixtures

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) is deeply concerned with the club’s handling of ticket sales for upcoming UEFA Champions League fixtures. Recent decisions have been marked by poor communication, unjustifiable price increases, and a disregard for supporters.

The message is clear – stop exploiting our loyalty.

Poor Communication
The announcement of individual ticket sales and pricing for the Benfica match came less than 24 hours before sales began. This short notice once again highlights the club’s failure to respect the realities of life for ordinary supporters, many of whom make significant personal and financial sacrifices to attend matches.

Unjustified Price Increases
By placing the Benfica match in the AA pricing category, tickets will see a 77.5% increase for a league stage match compared to many tickets for last season’s Conference League semi-final. While the Champions League is undoubtedly a more prestigious competition than the Conference League, these sharp increases are neither justified nor sustainable.

As a result, we can reasonably assume that the club will place all knockout matches in the same AA category, regardless of opposition. This approach undermines the credibility of the category pricing system.

Removal of Concession Pricing
The AA category designation for the Champions League also removes concessions for seniors, under-20s, and under-23s in many parts of the ground – something that was never widely communicated before pricing for this match was released. This contradicts the club’s previously stated commitment to ensuring accessibility for supporters, and especially to encouraging the next generation of fans attending matches.

Wider Concerns
The lack of transparency around pricing, the rushed sales process, and the disregard for concessions paint a troubling picture of the club’s priorities. While the CST recognises that matchday revenue is reinvested into the club, we reject the idea that the revenue is coming from the right places and that it is being spent wisely – especially when it is at the expense of supporters attending matches. Looking at the latest financial records released by Chelsea from 2023/24, matchday revenue accounted for 17% of all revenue. These increases have an outsized impact on supporters and matchday atmosphere, and a minimal impact on the club, especially when taking into account that commercial revenue has not been maximised.

Decisions like these risk further alienating loyal supporters and threaten the matchday atmosphere that makes Stamford Bridge unique.

Our Call to Action
The Chelsea Supporters Trust calls on Chelsea FC to:

• Immediately review its Champions League ticket pricing strategy.

• Reinstate concession pricing across the ground for all Champions League fixtures sold on a match by match basis.

• Communicate ticket sales timelines and structures with sufficient notice and transparency.

Without urgent change, the club risks further undermining its relationship with the very supporters who are the lifeblood of Chelsea Football Club.

On behalf of Chelsea Supporters' Trust"

Ah I asked you about the CPOs position on this in the stadium thread, makes more sense to talk about it here.

Todd can probably get more money from vivid seats for the game so is likely hoping many regular "customers" don't come so he can getthe tourist's in.

18 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Ah I asked you about the CPOs position on this in the stadium thread, makes more sense to talk about it here.

Todd can probably get more money from vivid seats for the game so is likely hoping many regular "customers" don't come so he can getthe tourist's in.

No worries. Have replied in the stadium thread. Will copy my answer to here. You're right if the club can make more money from casuals they will. I don't think Chelsea is alone in finding ST holders a hinderance or a pain in the arse.

@axman2526 Below is copied from the Stadium thread.

Haven't seen anything from the CPO board. Will have a look and post if I find anything. As the Supporters Trust and the CPO board work closely together I suspect the CPO board will agree with the CST. As was pointed out at the CST AGM - see my posts in the Boehly thread - there was a lot of frustration about the Benfica and the rest of the CL tickets due to the increase in costs and at short notice. As I mentioned in my last post in the Boehly thread I think that the club is trying to force out season ticket holders especially those who've been around for ages and don't spend too much money in the ground. I left it too late to buy tickets for the CL games which were sold as a package. One of the reasons was because I wasn't sure if I could to all the games. Strangely for the women's three CL games at the Bridge I could buy those on an individual basis. I only bought one for the Paris game as can't go to the other two.

Strasboug fans have been protesting all season against Blueco and the chairman now they are taking things to the next level, they are going on strike and refusing to go to the next game fair play to them,

2 hours ago, Caps_Lock_King said:

Strasboug fans have been protesting all season against Blueco and the chairman now they are taking things to the next level, they are going on strike and refusing to go to the next game fair play to them,

Aye credit to them for sticking the course. Good luck to them.

Good on Strasbourg fans. The club has an incredible history that BlueCo continue to sh*t on. It's disgraceful that so many (mostly American, on social media) undermine their efforts

13 hours ago, WhiteWall said:

They also need to keep turning players over at enough profit to fund the PSR gap and the annual amortisation costs. Where they are at now, they have to keep recruiting as low as possible and keep turning over in order to keep a reasonable book profit margin.

It is always a good idea to keep recruiting cheap with low salary. The chance that you can get profit and sell them are so much higher.

So far so good though. No wonder they gave our SD extension.

19 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

It is always a good idea to keep recruiting cheap with low salary. The chance that you can get profit and sell them are so much higher.

So far so good though. No wonder they gave our SD extension.

Except we are not recruiting 'cheap' of late. Low wages, yes, but transfer fees are very high.

1 minute ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Except we are not recruiting 'cheap' of late. Low wages, yes, but transfer fees are very high.

The transfer fee is a concern but as long as it is not over the top. It is fine.

Let's just use gittens. 50 is quite steep but all we need to do is for him to develop into a ok pl winger and we can get probably 30 m and as long as he is just OK we don't have to increase his salary that much or at all. So not much loss and we can probably get book profit

If he turns out to be good, we can get our money back or even make profit , if he turns out great, that is 🤑🤑🤑

Edited September 26, 2025Sep 26 by Bob stark

4 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

The transfer fee is a concern but as long as it is not over the top. It is fine.

Let's just use gittens. 50 is quite steep but all we need to do is for him to develop into a ok pl winger and we can get probably 30 m and as long as he is just OK we don't have to increase his salary that much or at all. So not much loss.

If he turns out to be good, we can get our money back or even make profit , if he turns out great, that is 🤑🤑🤑

Slight issue here is he is a £25m-£30m who is being paid wages of a £50m+ player. When it’s time to sell him for £30m if he turns out just OK, you will struggle to shift his wages.