On 31/03/2026 at 23:33, WhiteWall said:

The main, unspoken, issue now though is that it is too late to act, even if they wanted to change approach. They have no money and they have put themselves into a sell to buy situation both financially and under the rules of the authorities.

It is continually debated on here, on social media and on TV, who should form the nucleus of the team and who should be sold, with little thought as to how these players will be sold. Regardless of media briefs and gaslighting they have found it extremely difficult to move any players on, let alone make enough profit to allow them to trade in the market for better quality players. I think that there remains a general lack of appreciation of how tiny the actual 'permanent' transfer market really is.

Good point about the challenges around selling players at a decent price. Does make the strategy of buying a ton of young players with 'potential' look reckless. No wonder our overall wage bill is higher given that we have so many players on the books whether with the club or on loan.

Would have been better if Reece was the one whistleblowing.

Cucu said what needed to be said but the Maresca thing was hilarious, 1 win in 10 games then he says they're playing by heart. Wtf is that all about?

8 hours ago, Zeta said:

You know, it is perfectly okay for players to like managers they've worked with, even if the fans don't. Some of the vitriol at him just because he liked Maresca is a bit much. You work with people for over a year, you'll probably form a connection. It's natural to be disappointed when they suddenly go without warning. Happens all the time in football.

Should we forgive nazis that talk well about Hitler?

Big fan of him off the pitch. He speaks out what most of us think, yet some c**ts in here insult him. I wished that other players started talking against the model, starting with our captain, who seems to prefer to defend those c**ts in the board and their policy.

I have lost a lot of respect for Reece.

5 hours ago, RMH said:

Big fan of him off the pitch. He speaks out what most of us think, yet some c**ts in here insult him. I wished that other players started talking against the model, starting with our captain, who seems to prefer to defend those c**ts in the board and their policy.

10 hours ago, RMH said:

Big fan of him off the pitch. He speaks out what most of us think, yet some c**ts in here insult him. I wished that other players started talking against the model, starting with our captain, who seems to prefer to defend those c**ts in the board and their policy.

5 hours ago, axman2526 said:

I have lost a lot of respect for Reece.

Perhaps Reece doesn't agree with what the majority on this forum think of Blueco, or perhaps he does and is taking a non-public route to address the matter. We just don't know what he thinks or does, so dissing him like this is uncalled for. The right to express yourself includes the right to not express yourself.

choosing Cucu over Reece. Low IQ move.

We don’t know what Reece has said behind the scenes, we do know Cucurella has only had a problem now that his bald boyfriend has been sacked so he’s back to being sh*t again.

2 hours ago, Valerie said:

Perhaps Reece doesn't agree with what the majority on this forum think of Blueco, or perhaps he does and is taking a non-public route to address the matter. We just don't know what he thinks or does, so dissing him like this is uncalled for. The right to express yourself includes the right to not express yourself.

And pathetic. But why should today be different around here?

29 minutes ago, dermott said:

And pathetic. But why should today be different around here?

Filling in the unknowable blanks, preferably in a negative way, then condemning someone for that entirely speculative opinion. Sheesh.

Edited April 3Apr 3 by Valerie

2 hours ago, Valerie said:

Perhaps Reece doesn't agree with what the majority on this forum think of Blueco, or perhaps he does and is taking a non-public route to address the matter. We just don't know what he thinks or does, so dissing him like this is uncalled for. The right to express yourself includes the right to not express yourself.

But we do know what he thinks.

“I've spoken to everyone from the top of the club down, from ownership to sporting directors, and I'm fully behind the project and what we're trying to build”

“But I wanted to make sure that the direction and vision was aligned and, for sure, everyone from the top to the bottom is aligned and this club's ambition is to win.”

“Every year I've been here, the club has won trophies and we're going to continue to try and do that.”

I personally feel he and Palmer missed a chance to apply real pressure on the board. The latter when came 5th at the Ballon D’or, and James could have held out and waited to see how the club approaches the next transfer window. In both instances the players took the easy way out and signed lengthy improved contracts. The press release from James in laughable from a fan perspective.

25 minutes ago, markpitts said:

But we do know what he thinks.

“I've spoken to everyone from the top of the club down, from ownership to sporting directors, and I'm fully behind the project and what we're trying to build”

“But I wanted to make sure that the direction and vision was aligned and, for sure, everyone from the top to the bottom is aligned and this club's ambition is to win.”

“Every year I've been here, the club has won trophies and we're going to continue to try and do that.”

I personally feel he and Palmer missed a chance to apply real pressure on the board. The latter when came 5th at the Ballon D’or, and James could have held out and waited to see how the club approaches the next transfer window. In both instances the players took the easy way out and signed lengthy improved contracts. The press release from James in laughable from a fan perspective.

Diplomacy, my dear boy, diplomacy.

On 02/04/2026 at 10:47, nonotnowjim said:

I like Cucu as a player - at least some of what he offers. But the twat pining for Maresca, who was a useless, risk averse manager, who had us playing super boring, unprogressive football, which was slow and predictable - is utter nonsense.

We should not confuse the matter.... the board sacking maresca was the correct decision based on how we played on the pitch. Just because they followed that up by bringing in Rosenior - who in my opinion is also having us play the same super boring, unprogressive football, which is slow and predictable, and which as a result is a bad error in judgement, doesnt make their decision to sack fraudesca wrong.

We were sh*t with Poch - it was the right decision to sack him after he failed to change the slow way we played, despite having had a whole season to do so.

We were sh*t under maresca - it was the right decision to sack him after he also failed to change the slow way we played.

We should also sack Rosenior - if between now and the end of the seasonm it looks like he refuses to change the slow way we play.

I bring this back to Emery at villa. He came in, and immedietly there were signs of progress. A clear new style to how the team tried to play. Doesnt always need to work. I am ok with short term pain, but I do want to see progress and intent to change.... which nobody is doing. The only one who showed glimmers was Potter towards the end, but overall, he also failed to deliver enough evidence that there was a clear change to the slow style (although he admitedly had less time than poch or fraudesca.

One of the problems we have as fans is we don't know exactly how much input the SD's have on our style of play.

My guess is quite a lot, I can't prove this obviously, but as an example the last few managers seem to see an inverted Gusto or Cucurella as the key to attacking success or Enzo being an untouchable and being allowed to roam about the pitch freely without any tactical plan - it seems too much of a coincidence to me.

• Don't make Enzo an untouchable - if he's not playing well drop him

• less passing out from the back as the goalkeepers and the defenders look uncomfortable with it

• less of this waiting for the press and then passing at the last possible moment - its stupid and we don't do it well enough

• introducing more 2 touch football (that would speed up this slow paced football)

These are 4 little changes which don't even need a transfer window, you could start implementing them this week.

To me, especially with the recent board member comments about managers hardly making a difference to football results just points the SD's deciding who and how we play and the manager is just the fall guy if it doesn't work or out the door if they go against the rules in place.

John Stones inverting into midfield and helping City win the treble has caused this obsession from the directors 100%.

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

John Stones inverting into midfield and helping City win the treble has caused this obsession from the directors 100%.

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

John Stones inverting into midfield and helping City win the treble has caused this obsession from the directors 100%.

Been my point for years. Inverted from CB cos the pace of Walker could cover at RB and RCB where needed.

Edited April 3Apr 3 by WhiteWall

1 hour ago, Sconnie Blue said:

John Stones inverting into midfield and helping City win the treble has caused this obsession from the directors 100%.

Yep, I think Pep started it with Joao Cancelo and Joe Sheilds would have been at Man City during that time as well.

7 hours ago, Valerie said:

Perhaps Reece doesn't agree with what the majority on this forum think of Blueco, or perhaps he does and is taking a non-public route to address the matter. We just don't know what he thinks or does, so dissing him like this is uncalled for. The right to express yourself includes the right to not express yourself.

Not often we find ourselves differing on such Val.

If Reece does genuinely believe in BlueCo then history will prove him wrong.

if he is trying to work his way from the inside then ok, don't public back BlueCo or the directors themselves. I know he publicly cannot go against them, nor would I expect him to do. But instead of talking them up, talk up your team mates, Chelsea fc, our history of winning and desire to continue it.

Just say nothing about BlueCo. As you suggested, exercise that right of discretion to not say anything about them.

5 hours ago, dermott said:

And pathetic. But why should today be different around here?

You too eh? OK my reply to Val explains where I am coming from. If you find it pathetic then fair enough, I won't apologize for how I would have wanted him to handle it.

Surprised he got away with the Barca comment, saying it would be hard to turn them down, rather than no comment, or shutting the question down. I suppose they can’t ban two players, when you’ve got trash like Hato waiting in the wings.

Aside from that, he was just echoing how the fans feels, albeit as mentioned previously by myself, really fatigued by the mentioning of young players, as it’s more a talent ID issue than a youth issue for the most part.

29 minutes ago, Term_X said:

Surprised he got away with the Barca comment, saying it would be hard to turn them down, rather than no comment, or shutting the question down. I suppose they can’t ban two players, when you’ve got trash like Hato waiting in the wings.

Aside from that, he was just echoing how the fans feels, albeit as mentioned previously by myself, really fatigued by the mentioning of young players, as it’s more a talent ID issue than a youth issue for the most part.

Me too. And why has he done so but not Enzo?

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

Not often we find ourselves differing on such Val.

If Reece does genuinely believe in BlueCo then history will prove him wrong.

if he is trying to work his way from the inside then ok, don't public back BlueCo or the directors themselves. I know he publicly cannot go against them, nor would I expect him to do. But instead of talking them up, talk up your team mates, Chelsea fc, our history of winning and desire to continue it.

Just say nothing about BlueCo. As you suggested, exercise that right of discretion to not say anything about them.

You too eh? OK my reply to Val explains where I am coming from. If you find it pathetic then fair enough, I won't apologize for how I would have wanted him to handle it.

It's a regular occurance that forum members have an uninformed opinion, then seek validation in players' behaviour, and when players don't say something or act in a way that is supposedly the "right" way, they get scolded. Occasionally their high salary serves as an additional stick to beat them with for not behaving in the exulted fashion that some anonymous supporter requires of them. Ugh.

9 minutes ago, Valerie said:

It's a regular occurance that forum members have an uninformed opinion,

True, fair enough on that.

10 minutes ago, Valerie said:

then seek validation in players' behaviour, and when players don't say something or act in a way that is supposedly the "right" way, they get scolded.

Do you believe I was seeking validation from the forum by expressing my loss of respect for Reece over his comments after signing his new deal?

No denying I don't believe Reece has acted the right way. Making comments that support blueco I firmly believe is detreminatal to the club.

16 minutes ago, Valerie said:

Occasionally their high salary serves as an additional stick to beat them with for not behaving in the exulted fashion that some anonymous supporter requires of them. Ugh.

That's fair. I don't care what they make, do the best you can for yourself.

I am a faceless anonymous supporter who's opinions probably make less of an impact on Reece or any other player than an earwigs fart does to a hurricane.

Edited April 3Apr 3 by axman2526

14 hours ago, 2211 said:

One of the problems we have as fans is we don't know exactly how much input the SD's have on our style of play.

My guess is quite a lot, I can't prove this obviously, but as an example the last few managers seem to see an inverted Gusto or Cucurella as the key to attacking success or Enzo being an untouchable and being allowed to roam about the pitch freely without any tactical plan - it seems too much of a coincidence to me.

• Don't make Enzo an untouchable - if he's not playing well drop him

• less passing out from the back as the goalkeepers and the defenders look uncomfortable with it

• less of this waiting for the press and then passing at the last possible moment - its stupid and we don't do it well enough

• introducing more 2 touch football (that would speed up this slow paced football)

These are 4 little changes which don't even need a transfer window, you could start implementing them this week.

To me, especially with the recent board member comments about managers hardly making a difference to football results just points the SD's deciding who and how we play and the manager is just the fall guy if it doesn't work or out the door if they go against the rules in place.

I will be very surprised if SD has specific input on formation and the only manager who played inverted fb all the time was Maresca (big reason why Cucu is his big supporter).

In general, HC does not make much difference because the gap between player is so much bigger than manager.

Edited April 4Apr 4 by Bob stark

On 03/04/2026 at 08:50, Valerie said:

Perhaps Reece doesn't agree with what the majority on this forum think of Blueco, or perhaps he does and is taking a non-public route to address the matter. We just don't know what he thinks or does, so dissing him like this is uncalled for. The right to express yourself includes the right to not express yourself.

You’re correct, as most of the times, so I stand corrected.

Cucu is the mole

Cucurella's barber? He doesn't go to the barber to get his f**king hair cut that's for sure.

Never a slow news day at Chelsea is it.