40 minutes ago, Caps_Lock_King said:

This is sort of PR crap they are paying the journalists on the payroll to put out

Chelsea have 'exceptional' manager already lined up if they sack Maresca

Simon Phillips taking the brown envelopes

Chelsea have a club-wide ideology to play possession-based football only," Phillips wrote.

"So they would only look for that kind of manager. I also wouldn’t expect any big personalities to come in, because the head coach gets very little say in operations.

"If Maresca goes, I can only see Liam Rosenior ‘getting promoted’ from Strasbourg. I genuinely see that happening.

"I don’t think we would see an Andoni Iraola or even an Oliver Glasner come in. They already have Rosenior lined up for when needed."

Rosenior seems like the obvious choice. Knows the environment, looks like a yes man, already works with Chelsea or soon to be Chelsea players (Sarr, Emegha, Paez, Penders). Already worked with Andrey Santos and Clearlake will probably bring him some other Strasbourg players on top of that (Barco? Enciso? Amo-Ameyaw?).

Will probably start the season with a squad even younger than the current one, no experienced players will arrive, I can see the club getting no solid offers for Jackson and Rosenior will convince him he is needed and have Jackson and Emegha as main options at CF with Joao Pedro playing more deeper as a 10 or coming inside from the wing.

Season will start with 4 wins in the first 10 matches and lots of goals conceded and we will once again cry for experienced players to be brought in.

1 hour ago, The Rising Sun said:

Yes it is indeed interesting. Especially the allegations about Bloom betting on his own club !

Thanks for posting it mate 👍

1 hour ago, forbzy said:

Certainly seems like the press are circling there. Will be interesting to see what they unearth.

When the seagulls follow the trawler... its usually because theres something tasty waiting for them. wait and see if this has legs and can be stood up. But leaves me think what if?

Far be it from me to stick up for Eghbali and co, but please remember that Boehly is the guy who oversaw this 22/23 transfer window. There is a happy medium between the two and I am just not sure why we can't do it.

22 minutes ago, timetowaste said:

Far be it from me to stick up for Eghbali and co, but please remember that Boehly is the guy who oversaw this 22/23 transfer window. There is a happy medium between the two and I am just not sure why we can't do it.

If I remember correctly Boehly was initially trying to run all the signings with advice from the likes of Tuchel that first summer. Tuchel didn't really want to have that role and most of those signings didn't work out. Pretty sure Aubameyang was only signed for Tuchel and then they got rid of him a few days later.

I would exclude Cucurella from that group, and to a lesser degree Fofana who I still think is a decent player. Sterling and Koulibaly stand out as 2 of the worst from that summer (although we did recoup some of our losses with Koulibaly).

By the time we reached the January window Eghbali was more involved and was part of the group that flew to Benfica for Enzo F's signing. Not to mention I think Vivell was in place then too. Notably the strategy had already shifted to only target young players at that point.

I’ve said this in previous thread before or maybe in this one earlier but the UK government really takes most of the blame for us getting these owners. Them putting a deadline for Roman to sell the club meant there was no time for him to vet for the best owners. It also meant there was no time for Boehly to actually get footballing people to help him run the club that summer which led to him making mistakes, sacking Tuchel and the club having a sh*t season. That gave room for Clearlake to take over and become front and center and here we are today.

And now said government have that 2.5bn.

1 hour ago, timetowaste said:

Far be it from me to stick up for Eghbali and co, but please remember that Boehly is the guy who oversaw this 22/23 transfer window. There is a happy medium between the two and I am just not sure why we can't do it.

Looking back I have sympathy for him. He was just put in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the world and only had a couple of months before the season started with some of our key players like Rudiger and Christensen leaving and several holes to fill. If the UK government didn’t f**k us over the deal could have been done earlier or at a more convenient time for a better transition.

He at least wanted us to win which is more to ask than what Clearlake is doing.

1 hour ago, timetowaste said:

Far be it from me to stick up for Eghbali and co, but please remember that Boehly is the guy who oversaw this 22/23 transfer window. There is a happy medium between the two and I am just not sure why we can't do it.

Eghbali and the Sporting Directors took charge October/November of 2022, so the recruitment afterwards was their doing. (Enzo, Mudryk, Madueke, etc).

The only thing you can blame Boehly for in the summer of 2022 was the lack of direction, (given he isn't a sporting director) but the intent to build us into a powerhouse was certainly there.

• Cucurella was genuinely one of the best LBs in the league

• Fofana was still touted the best young CB in the league before he came here and destroyed both his knees.

• Sterling was still a top player in the league, and to this day still our best winger besides Estevao.

• Koulibaly was one of the best CBs on the planet but Serie A tax hit hard on him. We got it completely wrong.

• Aubameyang, if given enough time, would likely have been better than Jackson, Pedro and Delap. (market for STs was bleak and we had to get rid of Lukaku first).

Boehly also was the one who appointed Vivell to the club, who was responsible in bringing Nkunku (who was a top player before his injury) and when we almost signed Gvardiol.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Sconnie Blue

11 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Eghbali and the Sporting Directors took charge October/November of 2022, so the recruitment afterwards was their doing. (Enzo, Mudryk, Madueke, etc).

The only thing you can blame Boehly for in the summer of 2022 was the lack of direction, (given he isn't a sporting director) but the intent to build us into a powerhouse was certainly there.

• Cucurella was genuinely one of the best LBs in the league

• Fofana was still touted the best young CB in the league before he came here and destroyed both his knees.

• Sterling was still a top player in the league, and to this day still our best winger besides Estevao.

• Koulibaly was one of the best CBs on the planet but Serie A tax hit hard on him. We got it completely wrong.

• Aubameyang, if given enough time, would likely have been better than Jackson, Pedro and Delap. (market for STs was bleak and we had to get rid of Lukaku first).

Boehly also was the one who appointed Vivell to the club, who was responsible in bringing Nkunku (who was a top player before his injury) and when we almost signed Gvardiol.

Prior to that window he also decided to add Clearlake to his bid, they are here because of him.

He is also paying himself 20mill a year to be our chairman and do... what exactly?

Ah yeah use vivid seats to line his pockets and con fans.

48 minutes ago, Frankie8Lampard said:

Looking back I have sympathy for him. He was just put in charge of one of the biggest clubs in the world and only had a couple of months before the season started with some of our key players like Rudiger and Christensen leaving and several holes to fill. If the UK government didn’t f**k us over the deal could have been done earlier or at a more convenient time for a better transition.

He at least wanted us to win which is more to ask than what Clearlake is doing.

I don't have any sympathy for any of the new ownership. The club when bought by Boehly/ Clearlake was exactly as it was under Roman, same backroom staff , players , managers etc and now had no debt...

They didn't have to immediately storm in and purge everything that held the club together while with no football knowledge, spending record amounts. From the Telegraph vvvv

" From groundsmen to masseurs, marketing executives to academy managers, even the HR specialists whose job it is to negotiate departures – the people who ran the Abramovich regime have been swept away. On the playing side, there have been four managers.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by The Rising Sun
Information

1 minute ago, axman2526 said:

Prior to that window he also decided to add Clearlake to his bid, they are here because of him.

He is also paying himself 20mill a year to be our chairman and do... what exactly?

Ah yeah use vivid seats to line his pockets and con fans.

The transition of Summer 2022 to November 2022 needs to be studied.

• From Boehly backing Tuchel his signings.

• From Boehly wanting Edwards, only to settle on Vivell.

• To Sacking Tuchel.

• To Boehly backing down and Clearlake+Directors taking over.

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Sconnie Blue

Apparently they bought a disaster of a club !!

""'It goes further. The new ownership sees fault everywhere with the club they inherited. From the shortcomings on digital and licensing revenue, to why it was that Chelsea academy players needed extensive loans to prepare themselves for the senior team while Manchester City’s young talent have been Premier League ready."

15 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

I don't have any sympathy for any of the new ownership. The club when bought by Boehly/ Clearlake was exactly as it was under Roman, same backroom staff , players , managers etc and now had no debt...

They didn't have to immediately storm in and purge everything that held the club together while with no football knowledge, spending record amounts. From the Telegraph vvvv

" From groundsmen to masseurs, marketing executives to academy managers, even the HR specialists whose job it is to negotiate departures – the people who ran the Abramovich regime have been swept away. On the playing side, there have been four managers.

I was going to say the same, there was no need to come in and have a clean start. They should have kept the back room to help them get off, so I've no sympathy for any of them, including Boehly. They were arrogant as f**k and they’ve been hit by the reality. sh*t owners that are nothing more than mediocre.

November 1st 2025...

Chelsea have appointed ex-Liverpool recruiter Dave Fallows to create a five-man sporting director team.

The unique approach by Chelsea will see Fallows lead football development at the club, focusing on scouting and data, loans and player pathway, and overall staff development across the men's, women's and youth teams.

Fallows forms part of a five-strong leadership structure led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with sporting director for scouting and talent Joe Shields and sporting director for global recruiting Sam Jewell.

In keeping with the long player contracts typically favoured at Stamford Bridge, the five directors are all under contract until 2031 in the hope of adding depth, stability and continuity within the club.

2 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

The transition of Summer 2022 to November 2022 needs to be studied.

• From Boehly backing Tuchel his signings.

• From Boehly wanting Edwards, only to settle on Vivell.

• To Sacking Tuchel.

• To Boehly backing down and Clearlake+Directors taking over.

I mean it looks to me like it went down like this, and this is just my reading of the situation:

Todd's original bid was himself, Mark Walter's (the majority owner of the dodgers his long term business partner) and other investors not including Clearlake. This we know as fact.

There was a time the bid led by Sir Martin and Lord Coe was a serious rival. The late addition of Clearlake to the Boehly bid is a clear indicator they were losing and needed the extra capital. in todds panic not to lose he handed them a majority ownership.

Once in late at that stage Clearlake took a very short term hands off approach, leaving it to Todd to get things going with Tuchels help.

Their analysis came along in that time, wages too high, old player do not retain on paper value. What does a private equity fund company set out to do with ALL their assets? Cut costs, raise value, make money and sell. Todd is not naive, he knew their business.

Todd's window went against that. Big money on fees and wages with no resale value in too many cases. So they flexed their majority ownership muscles and brought in directors to execute there plans. Which remain ongoing.

How would have we carried on with just a Todd ownership? likely with a lot less spending unless he had investors come in willing to sit back and fund what he wanted to do. It would not be this kindergarten fc model though, I am confident to say.

It appears he was investing in more players to try and win in the now, but he buggered it up as he brought clearlake to our club, he set himself up as chairman to take 20mill out of the club each year, set up before clearlake took over, and then, with Clearlake blessing, he used vivid seats to rip off fans and line his own pockets.

2 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

November 1st 2025...

Chelsea have appointed ex-Liverpool recruiter Dave Fallows to create a five-man sporting director team.

The unique approach by Chelsea will see Fallows lead football development at the club, focusing on scouting and data, loans and player pathway, and overall staff development across the men's, women's and youth teams.

Fallows forms part of a five-strong leadership structure led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with sporting director for scouting and talent Joe Shields and sporting director for global recruiting Sam Jewell.

In keeping with the long player contracts typically favoured at Stamford Bridge, the five directors are all under contract until 2031 in the hope of adding depth, stability and continuity within the club.

5 people that together cannot make up half a competent sporting director

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

I mean it looks to me like it went down like this, and this is just my reading of the situation:

Todd's original bid was himself, Mark Walter's (the majority owner of the dodgers his long term business partner) and other investors not including Clearlake. This we know as fact.

There was a time the bid led by Sir Martin and Lord Coe was a serious rival. The late addition of Clearlake to the Boehly bid is a clear indicator they were losing and needed the extra capital. in todds panic not to lose he handed them a majority ownership.

Once in late at that stage Clearlake took a very short term hands off approach, leaving it to Todd to get things going with Tuchels help.

Their analysis came along in that time, wages too high, old player do not retain on paper value. What does a private equity fund company set out to do with ALL their assets? Cut costs, raise value, make money and sell. Todd is not naive, he knew their business.

Todd's window went against that. Big money on fees and wages with no resale value in too many cases. So they flexed their majority ownership muscles and brought in directors to execute there plans. Which remain ongoing.

How would have we carried on with just a Todd ownership? likely with a lot less spending unless he had investors come in willing to sit back and fund what he wanted to do. It would not be this kindergarten fc model though, I am confident to say.

It appears he was investing in more players to try and win in the now, but he buggered it up as he brought clearlake to our club, he set himself up as chairman to take 20mill out of the club each year, set up before clearlake took over, and then, with Clearlake blessing, he used vivid seats to rip off fans and line his own pockets.

This is my view, too.

Clearlake was a Boehly deal-with-the-devil. Majority ownership of a consortium in a sector they had zero experience in, whereas the minority owners at least had experience in running sporting organisations. I thought at the time of bidding, when it was revealed that all the competing bids were consortia, it would be a disaster as consortia usually are in football. The simple fact is that too many cooks spoil the broth.

While the wheels haven't quite fallen off yet, I have maintained that both BlueCo ownership groups have been pulling in different directions for some time. I am convinced that Clearlake's sole focus is investment growth, repackaging the club's assets and identity for one that can be sold on to a new private equity group in 5-10 years. It is a strategy that is based on clever marketing and rebranding not genuine financial sustainability that comes from success. I think they are more focused on convincing every one they are doing something 'new and different' in a manner that is palatable to uneducated investors. It is a strategy that allows them to artificially inflate the on-paper value of their fund's "assets" to the only stakeholders they care about, their investors and their lenders. The inflated transfer fees, long contracts etc. allow them to game a system in a way that makes the imaginary numbers rise to the benefit of their shareholders alone.

The Boehly side of the group have at least some sporting merit, and while 2022's window proved to be a disaster there was at least some footballing logic behind it.

3 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

November 1st 2025...

Chelsea have appointed ex-Liverpool recruiter Dave Fallows to create a five-man sporting director team.

The unique approach by Chelsea will see Fallows lead football development at the club, focusing on scouting and data, loans and player pathway, and overall staff development across the men's, women's and youth teams.

Fallows forms part of a five-strong leadership structure led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with sporting director for scouting and talent Joe Shields and sporting director for global recruiting Sam Jewell.

In keeping with the long player contracts typically favoured at Stamford Bridge, the five directors are all under contract until 2031 in the hope of adding depth, stability and continuity within the club.

I believe the collective noun for a group of Chelsea Sporting Directors is called a Clusterf*ck of SDs

5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

November 1st 2025...

Chelsea have appointed ex-Liverpool recruiter Dave Fallows to create a five-man sporting director team.

The unique approach by Chelsea will see Fallows lead football development at the club, focusing on scouting and data, loans and player pathway, and overall staff development across the men's, women's and youth teams.

Fallows forms part of a five-strong leadership structure led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with sporting director for scouting and talent Joe Shields and sporting director for global recruiting Sam Jewell.

In keeping with the long player contracts typically favoured at Stamford Bridge, the five directors are all under contract until 2031 in the hope of adding depth, stability and continuity within the club.

Nominative determinism? BlueCo's leadership certainly has been the fallow(s) years...

WLD BlueCo out!

10 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

November 1st 2025...

Chelsea have appointed ex-Liverpool recruiter Dave Fallows to create a five-man sporting director team.

The unique approach by Chelsea will see Fallows lead football development at the club, focusing on scouting and data, loans and player pathway, and overall staff development across the men's, women's and youth teams.

Fallows forms part of a five-strong leadership structure led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with sporting director for scouting and talent Joe Shields and sporting director for global recruiting Sam Jewell.

In keeping with the long player contracts typically favoured at Stamford Bridge, the five directors are all under contract until 2031 in the hope of adding depth, stability and continuity within the club.

Jesus department of ff'ing Five!

So now they're bloody empire building - bring back Marina Granovskaia!

Abramovich era (2003-2022) = 1106 games (671 wins, 241 draws, 194 losses) = 2254 points (2.04 points per game) = 60.67% winning record

• Ranieri = 59 (36-12-11)

• Mourinho = 185 (124-40-21)

• Grant = 54 (36-13-5)

• Scolari = 36 (20-11-5)

• Wilkins = 1 (1-0-0)

• Hiddink = 22 (16-5-1)

• Ancelotti = 109 (67-20-22)

• Villas-Boas = 40 (19-11-10)

• Di Matteo = 42 (24-9-9)

• Benitez = 48 (28-10-10)

• Mourinho = 136 (80-29-27)

• Holland = 1 (1-0-0)

• Hiddink = 27 (10-11-6)

• Conte = 106 (69-17-20)

• Sarri = 63 (39-13-11)

• Lampard = 84 (44-17-23)

• Tuchel = 93 (57-23-13)

BlueCo era (2022-Present) = 193 games (97 wins, 39 draws, 57 losses) = 330 points (1.71 points per game) = 50.26% winning record

• Tuchel = 7 (3-1-3)

• Potter = 31 (12-8-11)

• Saltor = 1 (0-1-0)

• Lampard = 11 (1-2-8)

• Pochettino = 51 (26-11-14)

• Maresca = 92 (55-16-21)

Think Eghbali Out protests would actually start making some waves given how sensitive that bloke is.

43 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Think Eghbali Out protests would actually start making some waves given how sensitive that bloke is.

While Eghbali is the focal point it is really all of Clearlake that are the biggest issue as they seem to be calling all the shots at present. BlueCo is comprised of Todd Boehly, Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss, and Clearlake, but it is the latter that has all the power at present. There have been suggestions that Todd is not happy with some of the decisions being made. Is there any hope he might find some new backers to buy out Clearlake's stake?

1 minute ago, forbzy said:

While Eghbali is the focal point it is really all of Clearlake that are the biggest issue as they seem to be calling all the shots at present. BlueCo is comprised of Todd Boehly, Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss, and Clearlake, but it is the latter that has all the power at present. There have been suggestions that Todd is not happy with some of the decisions being made. Is there any hope he might find some new backers to buy out Clearlake's stake?

More likely to happen the other way round I would have thought ... unless Todd has a mate who won't mind paying $3bn for something probably only worth $1.5bn ...

7 minutes ago, forbzy said:

While Eghbali is the focal point it is really all of Clearlake that are the biggest issue as they seem to be calling all the shots at present. BlueCo is comprised of Todd Boehly, Mark Walter, Hansjorg Wyss, and Clearlake, but it is the latter that has all the power at present. There have been suggestions that Todd is not happy with some of the decisions being made. Is there any hope he might find some new backers to buy out Clearlake's stake?

Eghbali is Clearlake, or am I mistaken? He's a co-founder.