Saw an interview on the official website recently, they looked and sounded relaxed and almost comfortable with our current situation. I know they are not responsible for day to day activities but the route they are taking us on seems flawed in terms of who they are bringing in for the first team or indeed the near future.

They seem to have good credentials but are they right for Chelsea, will it all come good in say 3-5 years? Or do they need to modify their strategy to aid the current first team? Should Boehly & Behdad take a trip to their office rather than visit the dressing room after games?

 

Edited September 27, 20232 yr by OneTommyLangley

Many fans see success only in terms of the present, and see long term as a few months away. To the fans, we are a club first, and they want us to be a winning one NOW.

These guys on the other hand are looking at the bigger picture and frame long term in the mindset of multiple years -  not months. They probably see us as a business first. 

Whilst it is in everyone's interests to see success, it is easier to be relaxed and unaffected by short term volatility if taking a holistic long term approach. The same is true in all walks of life and business. But most fans don't want that. 

Although tim tok culture wants instant gratification, patience is a virtue. 

Personally - I am happy for the new approach. It is risky. It may not work. But I am glad we are trying

Many people wanted us to find the hidden gems before they got big and rose in price... this is the way to do it. I think they will buy experienced players for a few years now though to balance the squad. Definitely a clear strategy which is also what people wanted (yes I know mixed with winning games.)

8 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Many fans see success only in terms of the present, and see long term as a few months away. To the fans, we are a club first, and they want us to be a winning one NOW.

These guys on the other hand are looking at the bigger picture and frame long term in the mindset of multiple years -  not months. They probably see us as a business first. 

Whilst it is in everyone's interests to see success, it is easier to be relaxed and unaffected by short term volatility if taking a holistic long term approach. The same is true in all walks of life and business. But most fans don't want that. 

Although tim tok culture wants instant gratification, patience is a virtue. 

Personally - I am happy for the new approach. It is risky. It may not work. But I am glad we are trying

If they see us as a business first and i think they do and it takes 3-5 years will we still be in a position to benefit at a footballing level with perhaps no or limited european football and perhaps an exodus of some of the young talent.

i think the club might need results now more than the fans.

Edited September 27, 20232 yr by OneTommyLangley

2 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Many fans see success only in terms of the present, and see long term as a few months away. To the fans, we are a club first, and they want us to be a winning one NOW.

These guys on the other hand are looking at the bigger picture and frame long term in the mindset of multiple years -  not months. They probably see us as a business first. 

Whilst it is in everyone's interests to see success, it is easier to be relaxed and unaffected by short term volatility if taking a holistic long term approach. The same is true in all walks of life and business. But most fans don't want that. 

Although tim tok culture wants instant gratification, patience is a virtue. 

Personally - I am happy for the new approach. It is risky. It may not work. But I am glad we are trying

Everyone is happy to think long term - until it turns out something will have to be sacrificed short term. 
Human nature.

That being said, the road the owners have chosen is extremely risky and could backfire immensely - we’ll just have to wait and see

48 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

To the fans, we are a club first, and they want us to be a winning one NOW.

These guys on the other hand are looking at the bigger picture and frame long term in the mindset of multiple years -  not months. They probably see us as a business first. 

In addition to supporters, the limited amount of decent players we have also want to compete and win now. Enzo, Chilwell, Silva, Poch and others openly talked about going for the Premier League title this season before it all kicked off v Liverpool. So now it's clear as day as those (and a few others) are striking increasingly frustrated figures while we for the second season in a row am in relegation form.
One can talk about a holistic long term approach until we are blue in the face but when the fans are against it, the players are against it and the manager is against it, it's doomed.

 

Edited September 27, 20232 yr by OriginalS

44 minutes ago, OriginalS said:

In addition to supporters, the limited amount of decent players we have also want to compete and win now. Enzo, Chilwell, Silva, Poch and others openly talked about going for the Premier League title this season before it all kicked off v Liverpool. So now it's clear as day as those (and a few others) are striking increasingly frustrated figures while we for the second season in a row am in relegation form.
One can talk about a holistic long term approach until we are blue in the face but when the fans are against it, the players are against it and the manager is against it, it's doomed.

 

I would bet that the public narrative (title challenge) is very different to the conversations being had behind the scenes. Poch was never going to come out and say the season is a free hit, as that takes the pressure of the players and gives them a way out if they decided to down tools.

The players are maybe a different question and none of us know what was/was not discussed with them individually....but we pay well, and have players tied up on long term contracts - so I am fairly comfortable with the situation player wise.

The important thing is that the owners, directors and manager are together, united and on the same page. If they all are onside and in agreement about working on a long-term project - then that is all that matters. The players we have purchased support that longer ter vision, and frankly, I couldnt give a toss what most fans want.  Fans are a fickle bunch- and I hope they will not be big consideration in our decision-making and club policy.  Listening to fans is rarely the right answer....

What we cant do is agree that we need to change our approach, and then shift the goalposts once we hit a sticky patch.

The only sensible outcome is for fans to be patient, look at the long term picture, reassess in 12 months and again in 24 months time. If it isnt working after 2 years, then we change. We cannot always flip flop around.

3 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

 

The important thing is that the owners, directors and manager are together, united and on the same page. If they all are onside and in agreement about working on a long-term project - then that is all that matters. The players we have purchased support that longer ter vision, and frankly, I couldnt give a toss what most fans want.  Fans are a fickle bunch- and I hope they will not be big consideration in our decision-making and club policy.  Listening to fans is rarely the right answer....

I think your logic is flawed here. First of all, Pochettino is only on a two year contract, suggesting that he's brought in to deliver.
Secondly, Potter was sacked when we dropped to 11th place in April of last year, 14 points off Top 4.

If the owners were hellbent on this being a long-term project then why was Potter sacked? Surely it was because results weren't good enough in the present. And he a the manager that I genuinely believe they liked a lot and one they initially intended to be patient with.

 

 

With none of their expensive signings hitting the ground running, I imagine Stewart and Winstanley are on some dodgy ground. They probably need to see a short-term improvement in results in order to avoid a bullet from Clearlake, who have already shown an appetite for making changes for perceived non-performance (Potter, Koulibaly, Vivell, Glick just for starters).

Would not be at all surprised if Clearlake are still making overtures to the ex-Liverpool Sporting Director Michael Edwards.

51 minutes ago, Sexyfootball said:

With none of their expensive signings hitting the ground running, I imagine Stewart and Winstanley are on some dodgy ground. They probably need to see a short-term improvement in results in order to avoid a bullet from Clearlake, who have already shown an appetite for making changes for perceived non-performance (Potter, Koulibaly, Vivell, Glick just for starters).

Would not be at all surprised if Clearlake are still making overtures to the ex-Liverpool Sporting Director Michael Edwards.

Agree, Stewart & Winstanley may not be directly responsible for current team performance but they may find themselves accountable if the financial performance struggles.

If the performance is as is in two years time i doubt we will still be entertaining these two and their master plan.

 

 

Edited September 27, 20232 yr by OneTommyLangley

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

I would bet that the public narrative (title challenge) is very different to the conversations being had behind the scenes. Poch was never going to come out and say the season is a free hit, as that takes the pressure of the players and gives them a way out if they decided to down tools.

The players are maybe a different question and none of us know what was/was not discussed with them individually....but we pay well, and have players tied up on long term contracts - so I am fairly comfortable with the situation player wise.

The important thing is that the owners, directors and manager are together, united and on the same page. If they all are onside and in agreement about working on a long-term project - then that is all that matters. The players we have purchased support that longer ter vision, and frankly, I couldnt give a toss what most fans want.  Fans are a fickle bunch- and I hope they will not be big consideration in our decision-making and club policy.  Listening to fans is rarely the right answer....

What we cant do is agree that we need to change our approach, and then shift the goalposts once we hit a sticky patch.

The only sensible outcome is for fans to be patient, look at the long term picture, reassess in 12 months and again in 24 months time. If it isnt working after 2 years, then we change. We cannot always flip flop around.

I doubt if the strategy will or should be changed to suit the fans desire. The positive of poor on pitch performance, if sustained, might be easier access to tickets for the die hards 🙂

1 hour ago, OriginalS said:

I think your logic is flawed here. First of all, Pochettino is only on a two year contract, suggesting that he's brought in to deliver.
Secondly, Potter was sacked when we dropped to 11th place in April of last year, 14 points off Top 4.

If the owners were hellbent on this being a long-term project then why was Potter sacked? Surely it was because results weren't good enough in the present. And he a the manager that I genuinely believe they liked a lot and one they initially intended to be patient with.

 

 

A two year contract does not mean he's here for instant success. 

1 hour ago, Victor90 said:

A two year contract does not mean he's here for instant success. 

Exactly. It is a sensible move, which protects them against Potter style payouts, whilst allowing the club to assess progress within those 2 years.

Progress can be measured in a number of ways.

- Have we seen a positive trajectory of performances?

- Are we scoring more goals?

- Are we consistently giving teams a good match, instead of folding like an accordion?

- Have we changed our style from the drab and dour sideways/backwards - to something consistently more progressive? 

 

All of those things will point to progress, WITHOUT necessarily needing a corresponding move up the league to justify keeping Poch on. 

 

The silly thing is that by the end of Potter, we had seen some such progress (games against Milan, Dortmund and Villa spring to mind) - and yet the fans turned the place toxic. Lets hope the same doesnt happen in the event that we see similar progress under Poch (without the results).

I believe them, and Joe Shields, will be judged more on what happens with players like Santos, Paez and the like, than an Enzo or Caicedo.

Do players like Santos and Paez become stars for us, top players at PL, or European level if we return to it, and either look a snip for less than 20mill each or we sell on for Enzo level money and make massive profits?

If they get more of those right than wrong they have done their jobs. 

Enzo was a vanity signing by our owners as he was flavour of the month after the world cup, caicedo was the same in the summer.

No scouting needed to hear of them, no way they knew of Santos or Paez before our scouting department brought them up.

Crikey are these two still here?

Surely we should see some glimmer of improvement by now? 

Boehly & Behdad must be very patient chaps.

What have they been working on that is so important that they completely missed Emma Hayes departure. Thiago Silva  will be another shock when he retires. 

I cant see what they bring or might bring in the future, it feels like the blind leading the blind.

There are some really poor teams in the Premier League and most of them are beating us.

Im not buying this 3-5 year project nonsense, we cant even score a goal with any regularity.

Do we really have to wait a decade for an improvement whilst paying a fortune for a squad that delivers mid table mediocrity?

 

 

Edited December 24, 20232 yr by OneTommyLangley

Possibly two of the poorest appointments in a Hall of Shame of bad decisions since this mob took over our club.

Marina had her faults but man she would wipe the floor with these two. Clubs must get giddy when these two are on the phone.

Edited December 24, 20232 yr by El regreso

Marina would fire these two melts in a heartbeat 

I think we should roll the mat up and start again, get the clowns out of this circus, that includes the ringmaster general, Boehly biggest joker since Bumbling Boris…

On 24/12/2023 at 23:41, El regreso said:

Marina had her faults but man she would wipe the floor with these two. Clubs must get giddy when these two are on the phone.

21 minutes ago, Andy2461 said:

Marina would fire these two melts in a heartbeat 

Let's not forget who paid £97M for Lukaku, £72M for Kepa, £36m for Bakayoko, £34m for Drinkwater etc etc etc, plus their associated silly contracts. In total. we lost about £450m on her watch on players signed since 2015/16 and subsequently sold. And that doesn't yet include the likes of Lukaku, Kepa, Ziyech who are all on loan but likely to add another £140m or so to that when they are eventually moved on permanently. 

We've needed someone better on transfers for a long time, but it doesn't look like Stewart and Winstanley are the answer sadly ... 

Trying to be positive, we could still say it's early days to evaluate their deals, but not looking at all good so far !

Those pining for Marina do need to get a grip. She oversaw some truly atrocious purchases...

Lukaku, Kepa, Bakayoko, Drinkwater - as set out above - bit also the likes of Morata, Batsman, Havertz, Pulisic, ZIyech, Zappacosta - all of whom cost over £30m.

 

12 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Those pining for Marina do need to get a grip. She oversaw some truly atrocious purchases...

Lukaku, Kepa, Bakayoko, Drinkwater - as set out above - bit also the likes of Morata, Batsman, Havertz, Pulisic, ZIyech, Zappacosta - all of whom cost over £30m.

 

None of these have turned out to be fantastic signings but still have some hope for a couple of the young ones.

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/transfer-news/chelsea-thomas-tuchel-signings-potter-25785481

41 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Those pining for Marina do need to get a grip. She oversaw some truly atrocious purchases...

Lukaku, Kepa, Bakayoko, Drinkwater - as set out above - bit also the likes of Morata, Batsman, Havertz, Pulisic, ZIyech, Zappacosta - all of whom cost over £30m.

 

I was highly critical of her but at least she kept us competitive. Essentially always in the Top 4 (only missing out once in her last decade) and we kept winning trophies. Transfers were atrocious for the last half a decade or so but transfers aren't the whole picture.

And compared to these clowns she was a saint.

To the extent they are hated by their clubs own fans (both here and in France) they can thank themselves and their dumb arrogance.

 

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by OriginalS

33 minutes ago, OriginalS said:

I was highly critical of her but at least she kept us competitive. Essentially always in the Top 4 (only missing out once in her last decade) and we kept winning trophies. Transfers were atrocious for the last half a decade or so but transfers aren't the whole picture.

And compared to these clowns she was a saint.

To the extent they are hated by their clubs own fans (both here and in France) they can thank themselves and their dumb arrogance.

 

She kept us generally in the top 4 - but at what cost? The truth is that we have not been genuinely competitive in the league for some time - let alone looked close to mounting a genuine title challenge...and by the end of Roman/Marinas time we had been reduced to something which we used to mock. We are better than celebrating a top 4 finish in the way that Arsenal do.

The approach of buying the shiny new flavour of the month was failing, and there was no long term planning. The club was rotten to the core, with mercenary players sucking the soul from the club.

A reset was definitely needed and we are right (in my opinion) to try something new. After years of success, we should be able to take a couple of years of pain - if the outcome is that 2 years down the road we are set for more prolonged success.

That is the gamble. None of us know if it will be successful - and there will be ups and downs as we find out.

 

And the french have no reason to hate Boehly and co.... Strasbourg are currently 9th. They finished 15th last year.

 

1 hour ago, nonotnowjim said:

She kept us generally in the top 4 - but at what cost? The truth is that we have not been genuinely competitive in the league for some time - let alone looked close to mounting a genuine title challenge...and by the end of Roman/Marinas time we had been reduced to something which we used to mock. We are better than celebrating a top 4 finish in the way that Arsenal do.

The approach of buying the shiny new flavour of the month was failing, and there was no long term planning. The club was rotten to the core, with mercenary players sucking the soul from the club.

A reset was definitely needed and we are right (in my opinion) to try something new. After years of success, we should be able to take a couple of years of pain - if the outcome is that 2 years down the road we are set for more prolonged success.

That is the gamble. None of us know if it will be successful - and there will be ups and downs as we find out.

 

And the french have no reason to hate Boehly and co.... Strasbourg are currently 9th. They finished 15th last year.

 

Everyone with an IQ above 55 knows our approach won't be successful.

Because it hasn't been successful in terms of challenging for trophies a single time across the hundreds of clubs that have done it for decades.

The idea you can just buy a load of kids and have a super team in a few years is a complete fantasy not a serious football strategy.

Marina got a lot wrong and our recruitment wasn't the best for many years but it's massively unfair to suggest it's anywhere near as bad as It currently is as you could argue we've had the 3 worst windows in the sports history back to back to back since Boehly come in.

A lot of money spent on such little quality and the results speak for themselves.

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by Whats_The_Mata?