12 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

Mudryk and Enzo probably get a free pass from the owners because fans buy a lot of their shirts. 

Enzo #1 in shirt sales in 23/24 and Mudryk #5 apparently.

Actual footballing performance is probably of lesser importance to Eghbali than the $$$$ 🙂 

 

Sterling f**ked up ... he should have spent some of his huge wage packet on buying a load of his #7 shirts LOL

I thought Palmer would be the highest. Who's buying Mudryk shirts ? The guy literally can't play.

Sterling in the under 18s 🤣

 

 

If I am him, I am playing with the under 18s for three years, then retire. F$£K around and find out Ted Lasso and Co....

Edited August 20, 20241 yr by El regreso

Glen Johnson still looking fit.

 

Raheem Sterling has been left out of Chelsea's squad for the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off with Servette.

He must be leaving.  Where will he go? I know that West Ham wanted him, but they cannot afford him. Juventus apparently interested. The fact is he is no longer a Chelsea player - it is just a matter of time.  We will have to cover some of his wages or buy him out - but he is done.

As I mentioned the other day, the statement was deeper than just being dropped for a game!

Now of course Clownlake can refer to the statement as a reason for it so it doesn't look so bad on them!

If your face doesn't fit at this club whether you are a good player or lost form, you're exiled!

1 hour ago, Mod said:

As I mentioned the other day, the statement was deeper than just being dropped for a game!

Now of course Clownlake can refer to the statement as a reason for it so it doesn't look so bad on them!

If your face doesn't fit at this club whether you are a good player or lost form, you're exiled!

Now is fairly well known on here I am not a fan of Sterling. I did not want us to sign him, have wanted him sold basically each window since, and will be quite happy if he is sold.

However that does not mean I turn a blind eye to what the owners are doing with him. 

Seems pretty clear to me Sterling was part of the plans until Neto and/or Felix joining changed the ownerships mindset and they now look at him like they do Kepa, Trev, Conor etc etc.

Us fans are customers, the players are commodities and the owners are of course the brokers.

"Seems pretty clear to me Sterling was part of the plans until Neto and/or Felix joining changed the ownerships mindset and they now look at him like they do Kepa, Trev, Conor etc etc.

Us fans are customers, the players are commodities and the owners are of course the brokers."

Or maybe after preseason, Maresca said that our wingers were lacking in what he wanted to do and we needed to upgrade our wings. The owners brought in Felix and Neto which are much better at combining than Mudryk, Madueke, and Sterling.

Palmer, Nkunku, Guiu, Fernandez, and Caicedo seem to do better with a rhythm and tempo to play with, Madueke and Sterling like a lot time on the ball, which kills rhythm if they aren't successful.

1 hour ago, Wearyourblue said:

Madueke and Sterling like a lot time on the ball, which kills rhythm if they aren't successful.

Based on Maresca's system at Leicester, that would actually make them more suited 

1 hour ago, SydneyChelsea said:

Based on Maresca's system at Leicester, that would actually make them more suited 

But as a Leicester fan already mentioned on this forum he isn't as rigid as he was at Leicester, let alone just playing like Leicester did with just a plan A.

I believe once everyone gels it will be faster. Yes, it will still be a fk load of passess and possession but it's already faster than it was a Leicester. 

 

But in rgds to sterling...i think it's more the owners that replaced sterling with neto/felix as maresca wanted sterling and said so. But then Neto/felix came along and squad has changed. 

Also one of the reasons i think we shouldn't start judging maresca until after the transfer window shuts. I honestly doubt he knows his confirmed 25man squad yet. Sure he knows most but as the sterling/neto/felix issue has shown it can still change.

I've posted this before but end of Aug (window shuts) he can concentrate on the squad properly and I'll judge him around october/November.

Edited August 21, 20241 yr by Simplymo

We are all guessing as to whose decision it is, and who may, or may not, want sterling....

But one thing is clear: Since he has joined chelsea, Sterling has at no point delivered performances on the pitch that justify his position as a high earner.

Given that he has not ever been a consistent performer for us, I am totally on board with him being moved on. It's overdue - and whether that it a board position or a maresca decision, i don't care....it is the right call. 

14 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

We are all guessing as to whose decision it is, and who may, or may not, want sterling....

But one thing is clear: Since he has joined chelsea, Sterling has at no point delivered performances on the pitch that justify his position as a high earner.

Given that he has not ever been a consistent performer for us, I am totally on board with him being moved on. It's overdue - and whether that it a board position or a maresca decision, i don't care....it is the right call. 

Moving him on is fine. We are handling it in a really messy and seemingly disrespectful manner and we've also left it incredibly late. Maresca was on record only a couple of weeks ago that Sterling would be a key player for him this season and clearly it was a shock for Raheem that he's now suddenly banished as well with the rest of them.

You know, Ten Hag banishing one player last season at United was a big story. That was Jadon Sancho. We are doing the same, only we're doing it to about half a dozen players which is entirely unprecedented.

I don't think we'll be able to move Sterling and Chilwell on. So one should question if alienating senior players like that is a good idea for morale at Cobham. And it's pretty obvious what the answer is, at least for me.

 

7 hours ago, Mod said:

As I mentioned the other day, the statement was deeper than just being dropped for a game!

Now of course Clownlake can refer to the statement as a reason for it so it doesn't look so bad on them!

If your face doesn't fit at this club whether you are a good player or lost form, you're exiled!

the statement isnt the main problem, the ridiculous timing of it is. why do it then, why do it when it would cause the most problems for the new manager right before his 1st game. Its a c**ts trick, and he should be treat as a c**t.

I bet that we are moving Sterling on to accommodate Oshihem coming. Both are on big wages and I reckon can’t/wont want to pay both. That’s why we are being so aggressive with Sterling. 

1 hour ago, OriginalS said:

Moving him on is fine. We are handling it in a really messy and seemingly disrespectful manner and we've also left it incredibly late. Maresca was on record only a couple of weeks ago that Sterling would be a key player for him this season and clearly it was a shock for Raheem that he's now suddenly banished as well with the rest of them.

You know, Ten Hag banishing one player last season at United was a big story. That was Jadon Sancho. We are doing the same, only we're doing it to about half a dozen players which is entirely unprecedented.

I don't think we'll be able to move Sterling and Chilwell on. So one should question if alienating senior players like that is a good idea for morale at Cobham. And it's pretty obvious what the answer is, at least for me.

 

Interesting you mention Utd because yes Sancho was indeed banned from first team training last season and it appears that is the case again but also for what on the face of it obvious reasons was Sancho yet he wasn’t actually charged.

But do you remember that Rashfold was likewise banned or what about Schweinstiger ( spelling ) it happens the difference is that professionals and vastly experienced don’t go issuing statements or even engaging with the press

Then look  at Arsenal banished Ozil and PEA alongside why . Because they wanted to force the high paid players out.

Of course we are talking about Chelsea and the here and now but please try and gain some perspective of course  its brutal but it’s the industry the players have chosen

Edited August 21, 20241 yr by terraloon

5 minutes ago, terraloon said:

Interesting you mention Utd because yes Sancho was indeed banned from first team training last season and it appears that is the case again but also for what on the face of it obvious reasons was Sancho yet he wasn’t actually charged.

But do you remember that Rashfold was likewise banned or what about Schweinstiger ( spelling ) it happens the difference is that professionals and vastly experienced don’t go issuing statements or even engaging with the press

Then look  at Arsenal banished Ozil and PEA alongside why . Because they wanted to force the high paid players out.

Of course we are talking about Chelsea and the here and now but please try and gain some perspective of course  its brutal but it’s the industry the players have chosen

Rashford did issue a statement actually.

Personally I don't see much wrong with the statement either tbh. Why is Sterling expected to be exceedingly respectful when the club is handling him and many, many others in a blatantly disrespectful manner? You reap what you sow.

When you do this to multiple players especially academy lads the optics is not good.

If I am a young player or top class player unless Chelsea is doubling tripling my wages I am not moving to Chelsea for any another reason than money.

2 minutes ago, El regreso said:

When you do this to multiple players especially academy lads the optics is not good.

If I am a young player or top class player unless Chelsea is doubling tripling my wages I am not moving to Chelsea for any another reason than money.

Pat Nevin just posted a similar perspective in his BBC article this morning : 

The breaking story was Raheem Sterling being omitted from the squad and immediately sending out a press statement.

From Sterling's perspective, he will have watched Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, among others, being ruthlessly cut from the squad.

It is more likely that his own deselection is opening salvos in the next heartless piece of precision elimination from the squad, rather than the technical decision suggested by manager Enzo Maresca.

This might be one way to trim the bloated squad, but it doesn't make the group feel together and it can engender a fearful and toxic culture.

Can you really feel part of the club when you know you are one tap on an accountant's spreadsheet away from being unceremoniously dumped?

If that is the fate of Gallagher - last season's captain - what hope did Sterling, a decorated England international, and Chalobah, who joined the club at the age of eight, have of sticking around?

The club will have to pay a large proportion of his wages and I suspect any fee would be in the region of the difference between Felix's and Conor's value. That's if we can get a fee.

Whatever happens its all a bit late and feels like its been initiated by the difficulties encountered by moving Conor on.

Not part of the plan, but why bother playing in pre-season and only addressed this before kick off? With only a week so left in the window, how are they going to offload him? The general feeling is he wants to stay in London, so that leaves very little options for a transfer. He's not in the England setup and not that keen to get back it in, nothing stops him from sitting out the remainder of his contract. He's a senior figure in this young team, again the kids are watching and looking forward to when they hit late 20s

1 minute ago, icecoolguy22 said:

Not part of the plan, but why bother playing in pre-season and only addressed this before kick off? With only a week so left in the window, how are they going to offload him? The general feeling is he wants to stay in London, so that leaves very little options for a transfer. He's not in the England setup and not that keen to get back it in, nothing stops him from sitting out the remainder of his contract. He's a senior figure in this young team, again the kids are watching and looking forward to when they hit late 20s

I guess that's why Raheem and his agent resorted to their own advertisement ... 🙂 

From what we've read, he is very much wanting to get back in the England fold, so I doubt he will want to go full Bogarde on us.

I think had he been told him immediately that he was surplus to requirement in the first meeting back in June/Julu he would have been okay with that.
However what seems to have happened here is that he was told he is an integral part of the squad until the board realised they need to fix their f**k ups with too many players.

He was in promotional material on advertising etc… so clearly he was in the plans for the season and Maresca wanted him until he was told actually “no you don’t” he’s leaving.

This is another mess from Ted Lasso and his comedic duo Laurel and Hardy!!

3 hours ago, dkw said:

the statement isnt the main problem, the ridiculous timing of it is. why do it then, why do it when it would cause the most problems for the new manager right before his 1st game. Its a c**ts trick, and he should be treat as a c**t.

Blimey mate, when did you get so angry! Apparently Enzo claimed he didn’t know on the interview after the match. I doubt releasing a statement would affect the teams performance especially when there are players being exiled all over the show over the weeks!

Im not even supporting him releasing a statement, just making a point that it’s deeper, as opposed to just being dropped for a game and Sterling moaning about that. The board are complete clowns and now Sterling is another victim of that!

1 hour ago, Mod said:

Blimey mate, when did you get so angry! Apparently Enzo claimed he didn’t know on the interview after the match. I doubt releasing a statement would affect the teams performance especially when there are players being exiled all over the show over the weeks!

Im not even supporting him releasing a statement, just making a point that it’s deeper, as opposed to just being dropped for a game and Sterling moaning about that. The board are complete clowns and now Sterling is another victim of that!

I hate when a player does something as blatantly snidey as that, what did he think he was going to gain from it exactly? All it could ever do was harm the team, the manager, the coaches etc.

The fact is the timing was aimed at having the biggest negative impact on the club, therefore the players and coaches/manager. f**king disgraceful in my opinion, totally uncalled for.

Ive never thought he was great for us, but I havent had a problem with him, didnt want him sold etc. But a manager picks a match day squad for his reasons, as a player you live with it. you either get grumpy and just continue to not deserve a place or you grit your teeth, train harder, make him pick you then fight to stay in the team. you dont drop sh*t like that, the self intitled little prick.

There's your clarity, son