One of the biggest things was injuries to key players. Kante, Pulisic, Ruben and Rudiger out for lengthy periods.

So much to be proud of, well done to Frank and his backroom staff. It’s all about context and considering the circumstances we found ourselves in securing a top 4 is one heck of an achievement.

No one gave Frank and boys much of a chance.

What’s more he did it in some style and has helped once again for Chelsea to become a fashionable club graced with style and panache. He brought the youth in, always went for a win, took risks and learnt a lot.

There were doubters along the way but the league table does not lie. Fourth place achieving the almost impossible.

Absolutely buzzing and delighted for Frank. He is Chelsea through and through and we can see how much this means to him.

KTBFFH.

Well done to him for getting us into the top 4. So getting Champions League football next season.

Now for the FA Cup Final v Arsenal.

 

9 minutes ago, erskblue said:

Well done to him for getting us into the top 4. So getting Champions League football next season.

Now for the FA Cup Final v Arsenal.

 

Indeed mate, be quite something all things considered to win the FA Cup. Winning trophies breeds success. 

13 minutes ago, The Swan said:

Indeed mate, be quite something all things considered to win the FA Cup. Winning trophies breeds success. 

Winning trophies breeds success.     And a very good habit to develop as a team as it builds confidence.

 

 

 

I said when Lampard was appointed that if he manages to secure top 4, it would be an outstanding achievement - given the circumstances and the state of the squad.  Last July, without Hazard, the squad looked VERY stale and we couldn’t see where the goals we’re going to come from. 
 

Fantastic work. 
 

Now, let’s beat Arsenal!

Almost one weeks rest before the FA final, drinks tonight and then heads down preparing, IMO.

A Cup and 4th place would be an astonishing season..........

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by strider6004

A whole thread.

Honestly, he already overachieved. I said it would be great for the youngsters to fight for top 4 and feel the experience of the really important games, but wouldn't be a tragedy to miss it as long as we were in the competition. Well, not only were we, we also won it. 

I rate FA Cup as Europa League if not more. If he wins it, it would be the same season as the one that Sarri had. And Sarri had Hazard and Luiz, who no matter how much you guys dislike, was a terrific passer and opened up the games with his diags way, way, waaaaaaay better than Rudiger and Zouma. 

3 minutes ago, Droopy said:

Honestly, he already overachieved. I said it would be great for the youngsters to fight for top 4 and feel the experience of the really important games, but wouldn't be a tragedy to miss it as long as we were in the competition. Well, not only were we, we also won it. 

I rate FA Cup as Europa League if not more. If he wins it, it would be the same season as the one that Sarri had. And Sarri had Hazard and Luiz, who no matter how much you guys dislike, was a terrific passer and opened up the games with his diags way, way, waaaaaaay better than Rudiger and Zouma. 

I'm not trying to put Europa League down, but... Last season we had maybe 3 serious games in the Europa League and that's including the final that was an easy win.

Just look at our run in the FA Cup this season, clearly a much more impressive feat than Europa League if we win it.

What an amazing achievement I genuinely would of taken top 6 at start of the season Super Frank has done us proud lets just we smash the gooners and maybe get an early goal or 2 against bayern to make it exciting although dont hold out to much hope for the latter

On 23/07/2020 at 01:09, Brutos said:

Klopp was a proven winner

Happy Champions League qualification day Brutos!!!

Com'on give Frankie a bit of your Sarri lurve. It will help cheer you up

Edited July 26, 20205 yr by just

Mission Accomplished, well done Frank! Nobody really believed we'd get the 4th spot at the start of the season, to get there it's an unique achievement. You only had to look at the ones that missed out, Spurs, Arsenal, Leicester etc, all had deeper squad than us. United only got there because they spent big in both windows, so despite the bruises and bumps we got along the way, it's outstanding. With key reinforcements to come, we'd be mad not to aim higher, and Lampard is not the kind to settle for 4th spot cup next season.

Brilliant stuff Frank.

I have to concede that I was pessimistic about his ability to achieve Top 4 given the array of factors that were against him: 1) players dropping like flies, 2) limited managerial experience and 3) what was effectively a two-window transfer ban.

But I should have realised that this is Frank Lampard. A man with such unparalleled reserves of determination and intelligence that he silenced the knockers who thought he wouldn't amount to much as a player when he was back at West Ham by becoming a PL legend. 

If he could do so as a player, he could easily do so as a manager, and so he has. Sums up the man really. 

5 hours ago, Droopy said:

Honestly, he already overachieved. I said it would be great for the youngsters to fight for top 4 and feel the experience of the really important games, but wouldn't be a tragedy to miss it as long as we were in the competition. Well, not only were we, we also won it. 

I rate FA Cup as Europa League if not more. If he wins it, it would be the same season as the one that Sarri had. And Sarri had Hazard and Luiz, who no matter how much you guys dislike, was a terrific passer and opened up the games with his diags way, way, waaaaaaay better than Rudiger and Zouma. 

Not to forget a fully fit world class player in Kante. Full internationals in Higuain, Morata, Zappacosta, RLC .. And Lamps replaced them with Tammy, Tomori, Pulisic, Reece, Mount.. all bar one players from the Championship.. so anyone who know says its the same squad which Sarri finished 3rd with must be kidding themselves.. Sarri was the ultimate definition of a short term manager in my opinion.. i was glad he left when he did...

8 hours ago, JM7 said:

I said when Lampard was appointed that if he manages to secure top 4, it would be an outstanding achievement - given the circumstances and the state of the squad.  Last July, without Hazard, the squad looked VERY stale and we couldn’t see where the goals we’re going to come from. 
 

Fantastic work. 
 

Now, let’s beat Arsenal!

Well said.

Fantastic Work indeed as you so rightly state.

9 hours ago, erskblue said:

Well done to him for getting us into the top 4. So getting Champions League football next season.

Now for the FA Cup Final v Arsenal.

 

Going from one nerve-wrecking match to another. How Chelsea 

3 hours ago, Jangz said:

Not to forget a fully fit world class player in Kante. Full internationals in Higuain, Morata, Zappacosta, RLC .. And Lamps replaced them with Tammy, Tomori, Pulisic, Reece, Mount.. all bar one players from the Championship.. so anyone who know says its the same squad which Sarri finished 3rd with must be kidding themselves.. Sarri was the ultimate definition of a short term manager in my opinion.. i was glad he left when he did...

TBH I was annoyed when Sarri left, even if it was inevitable eventually. I dislike the managerial merry-go-round we have going on at the club, and when Frank signed, I feared it was too early for him, and he would fall victim the merry-go-round (that is always a danger at Chelsea, though). I did not want to see a club legend fail. Now I feel happier about our 4th spot than last season about third, even proud (too Arsenal?). The circumstances for the team are so much different, and despite some hopeless matches that made me tear my hair out, there were other matches which made me jump around with joy. Remember how Frank celebrated at Spurs, that was I think how we all felt. 

Sarri delivered the Europa Cup, which felt even better for having soundly beaten Arsenal. Pleasepleaseplease, do it again for the FA Cup, Chelsea!

I have an app-conversation going with my Feyenoord-supporting boss. He thinks he's hitting me hard with the table showing us 4th, while Feyenoord came 3rd in the unfinished season. I had to explain Champions League football and signing top talents to him, the poor dear who thinks his club is relevant 

11 hours ago, The Swan said:

So much to be proud of, well done to Frank and his backroom staff. It’s all about context and considering the circumstances we found ourselves in securing a top 4 is one heck of an achievement.

No one gave Frank and boys much of a chance.

What’s more he did it in some style and has helped once again for Chelsea to become a fashionable club graced with style and panache. He brought the youth in, always went for a win, took risks and learnt a lot.

There were doubters along the way but the league table does not lie. Fourth place achieving the almost impossible.

Absolutely buzzing and delighted for Frank. He is Chelsea through and through and we can see how much this means to him.

KTBFFH.

Perfect

2 hours ago, Valerie said:

I have an app-conversation going with my Feyenoord-supporting boss. He thinks he's hitting me hard with the table showing us 4th, while Feyenoord came 3rd in the unfinished season. I had to explain Champions League football and signing top talents to him, the poor dear who thinks his club is relevant 

If he is showing you that as a taunt,  then the only reason one would ever want to discuss football with that individual would be if he is their boss. :)

Looking back, I was reasonably happy with how last season panned out and was so happy for Sarri when we won the EL final in such a dominant fashion. Do you remember how he looked at his winners medal? That was a big moment for him and I would have given him the job there and then. As it turned out he didn't want it and the board had a real difficult task on their hands in finding a replacement.

Which candidate in their right mind would go to a trigger happy club that had just lost its best player and couldn't buy any new players. The recruitment of the right manager at that point in our history was crucial as we could have easily dropped into mid-table obscurity without too much complaint from the fans. It would have been easy to blame the board for getting the ban and any manager would have had that excuse. Not being able to mold the team how they wanted and not being able to bring in new players would have been a real good excuse for finishing 8th, 9th or 10th.

The board would have known this. When Franks name came into the equation my very first thought was a big "YESSS" but then rational thoughts started to surface and the fact he had only had one reasonable season in the Championship made me have second thoughts. When I started to think a bit more I realized my heart was winning and I really did want Frank as head coach. I remembered the victories with him as a player and rather strangely I remembered his after match celebrations. He always went to the fans and made the most of those victories. He was  a giant among players and that team had some real top players. He walked off after those victories as part of a truly great team and seemed to be more than just a great player. JT was the Captain but Frank was always there. He always played his part and he always celebrated as a member of a team. After a short while I realized I wanted Frank as head coach because of what he had done for Chelsea on the pitch. I was happy to ride that emotional wave and fully supported his appointment. His minor success at Derby didn't come into it although seeing them beat Utd in the cup was a great achievement.

Did the board make an emotional decision or did they really think Frank would get top 4 in first season? If he had failed the fans would probably have forgiven him but there must be a question over whether the board would have. In the end Franks appointment was a win win for the board but I suspect they are more chuffed than the Flying Scotsman. 

What is it that he has done? How has he got this young team playing so well and with confidence? Firstly its not all about him. Jody Morris should get a big hand for the support he provides. His understanding of the young players and their abilities will be crucial but I suspect Frank values him tactically and generally as a sounding board. There it is again. Frank working with others within a team.  Frank is doing something in the dressing room that motivates the team. I see a team on the pitch with a plan and a work ethic. They move the ball quickly when required and work hard. Yes they concede but that can be fixed. Maybe its a tactical problem or maybe we just need a new left back and keeper. (This seems to be the general consensus, if a little harsh on Alonso) I place my trust in Frank and Jody to eventually sort this.

It's beginning to become apparent that Frank is applying himself to this coaching/managing malarkey. There is no doubt he is a smart cookie but learning how to make a team gel and then motivate them and then get them to play in a certain way is not something you can learn in a classroom. Its a skill that you pick up by listening and learning over the years and then applying that knowledge to your management skills. Getting the players to believe in you is key and the success of this first season gives Frank the credibility to kick on in his second.

We have a team and a style developing right in front of us. Maybe we can out score everybody next year. Maybe we will sort the defense with a new keeper. Maybe its just a tactical tweak. I don't know. What I do know is that Frank has learnt an awful lot in his first season under extremely difficult circumstances and long may that continue.

 

 

What can we say about the man that hasn't already been said. Yes he is a managerial novice, and for most of the season our defence has been horrific (much to my frustration) but you can only work with what you have, and he has managed it brilliantly. He must be very proud. He inherited our weakest squad for years and has still managed to tick all the boxes. To finish in a CL spot WHILST blooding so many promising young players takes some doing.

An FA Cup victory would be the icing on the cake albeit does not define the season. If you'd have said 4th at the beginning of our season most would've said you were barmy.

A couple of defensive reinforcements to go along with our already enviable attack, and Frank may be leading a title charge next season.

"I won't shout from the rooftops because it's top 4 and we're Chelsea"

Loved that line from Lampard after the game yesterday. He's still the winner we know from his days as a player and this is just the start for him at the club.