On 03/09/2025 at 11:14, nonotnowjim said:

Those criticizing the club here are probably missing 1 thing. That George has never really shown much to suggest he is a superstar in waiting.

I think he is a decent young player, but nowhere near good enough to consistently minutes at Chelsea.

The club then accepted a healthy deal from Fulham, and would have happily sold, knowing he was not likely going to play much for us… and the. The Wilson deal fell through, which has a knock on impact on George.

Those talking about Garnacho are (I think) deluded if they think the players are in the same category. Garnacho is for me much better already, with a much higher ceiling.

Spot on!

3 minutes ago, Clown Lake said:

Spot on!

yeah - i am always right. 😇

On 03/09/2025 at 16:14, nonotnowjim said:

Those criticizing the club here are probably missing 1 thing. That George has never really shown much to suggest he is a superstar in waiting.

I think he is a decent young player, but nowhere near good enough to consistently minutes at Chelsea.

The club then accepted a healthy deal from Fulham, and would have happily sold, knowing he was not likely going to play much for us… and the. The Wilson deal fell through, which has a knock on impact on George.

Those talking about Garnacho are (I think) deluded if they think the players are in the same category. Garnacho is for me much better already, with a much higher ceiling.

I think this ^^ is right.

The reality is that to most the presence of a HG player very much puts a tick in the box and despite all the negativity we still have a decent number of academy players in our squad and whilst they are going to find it difficult ( ironically not as difficult in RAs tenure) to break into the group there is a number of youngsters that are on the fringes indeed some are now sampling football at senior level on loan.

I think we all wanted George to be another of those players that not only were given a debut but proved worthy of a staring place. Sadly he isn’t but he will make a decent living at a good level but he on the evidence we have seen he isn’t ever going to get the game time he clearly craves.

Of course he might continue his development at say Fulham and suddenly have an amazing break out season and if he does we will get pelters from outside and no doubt some will point a finger at Clearlake but football is as we see a hard nosed, cut throat business where success has to be immediate literally no time to let a player to prove their worth.

On 03/09/2025 at 16:14, nonotnowjim said:

Those criticizing the club here are probably missing 1 thing. That George has never really shown much to suggest he is a superstar in waiting.

I think he is a decent young player, but nowhere near good enough to consistently minutes at Chelsea.

The club then accepted a healthy deal from Fulham, and would have happily sold, knowing he was not likely going to play much for us… and the. The Wilson deal fell through, which has a knock on impact on George.

Those talking about Garnacho are (I think) deluded if they think the players are in the same category. Garnacho is for me much better already, with a much higher ceiling.

..he is 19. And I still insist the only thing Gittens & Garnacho have over him is minutes on the pitch. Gittens has looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights in his appearances so far, and won’t be surprised if the same applies to Garnacho. Sure he is ahead of George development wise but he has been playing in a team happy to hit opponents on the counter. Wait till he has to be a problem solver here constantly facing a double team before we can make that judgement. Neto who is 25yrs and his lauded as been good (not IMO) has admitted he has struggled with the double team. Even watching him now he mostly just kicks it and runs behind the defenders.

Edited September 6, 2025Sep 6 by markpitts

On 03/09/2025 at 16:14, nonotnowjim said:

Those criticizing the club here are probably missing 1 thing. That George has never really shown much to suggest he is a superstar in waiting.

I think he is a decent young player, but nowhere near good enough to consistently minutes at Chelsea.

The club then accepted a healthy deal from Fulham, and would have happily sold, knowing he was not likely going to play much for us… and the. The Wilson deal fell through, which has a knock on impact on George.

Those talking about Garnacho are (I think) deluded if they think the players are in the same category. Garnacho is for me much better already, with a much higher ceiling.

Why does every player have to be a superstar, we need a squad of players and its impossible to create that squad with superstars only. We need a next level of player capable of playing around 20 games a season across all competitions, capable of filling in and coming of the bench and George is definitely one of those level of players in my opinion.

I just don't understand why fans think every single player in a squad needs to be the best player in his position, it simply isn't possible.

3 hours ago, dkw said:

Why does every player have to be a superstar, we need a squad of players and its impossible to create that squad with superstars only. We need a next level of player capable of playing around 20 games a season across all competitions, capable of filling in and coming of the bench and George is definitely one of those level of players in my opinion.

I just don't understand why fans think every single player in a squad needs to be the best player in his position, it simply isn't possible.

Fair enough. My initial view from the little we have seen him, is that I dont think George is good enough to be contributing consistently to Chelsea. Personally, I think Garnacho is much better and more likely to be a player who can contribute to a successful squad.

Obviously, there are always tiers of players.

Superstars/other worldly - your Messi's, ronaldos, Maradonnas, Hazards

World class/best in class - Lamps, Cech, JT, Essien, Maka, Drogs, Zola,

Top Tier Supporting class - Ferreira, Azpi, Eidur, Brana,

Solid supporting players - Ramires, Cahill, Willian, Mikel, Loftus cheek, Pedro

Unspectacular, but can play a role - Bridge, Emerson, Kalou, KDH,

Players not good enough in the long run - Bakayoko, Hilario, Kenedy, Boga, Broja, Abraham, Scot Sinclar.

Personally...I put George in the final category. Can have a decent career - but not good enough for us. Garnacho I think has potential to be solid or top tier support....

9 hours ago, markpitts said:

..he is 19. And I still insist the only thing Gittens & Garnacho have over him is minutes on the pitch. Gittens has looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights in his appearances so far, and won’t be surprised if the same applies to Garnacho. Sure he is ahead of George development wise but he has been playing in a team happy to hit opponents on the counter. Wait till he has to be a problem solver here constantly facing a double team before we can make that judgement. Neto who is 25yrs and his lauded as been good (not IMO) has admitted he has struggled with the double team. Even watching him now he mostly just kicks it and runs behind the defenders.

Hundreds of 19yr olds in the game. Very few of them good enough to have a career with chelsea. Not seen anything from George to suggest he is one of the 0.1%

Fair enough if you do - I wish him all the best and hope he makes it here or elsewhere. Personally i don't think it will be here.

Got to agree with Jim on this one.

George isn’t a ‘bad’ player and is only 19, but he’s shown nothing so far that he’s at PL level let alone Chels level. Think of all the Cobham lads that didn’t quite make it here at similar ages RLC, CHO, Mount etc…

We always need squad players, that’s a given, but also should we not be thriving for the best?

Garnacho (minus his annoying face) has shown he is a better player.

Gittens for me is the head scratcher, but when the SD’s have spunked 60M on someone they’ll give them every chance to success over someone that is now viewed as (put your cocks & clits away and don’t get too excited for this phrase) PURE PROFIT!

I am confused how anyone can make a definite judgement on a player who has played a total 320mins of first team football, started only one 1 PL game and played only 178mins in the PL.

It’s very easy to say Garnacho is the better player because he has played more PL mins; 5200mins +, and we seem to turn our noses up at our own youth players. The Data though is very interesting, and says something different.

Neither Garnacho nor Gittens take us to the next level, so why spunk £100m on them? If we want to go to the next level, keep George for subs for free and spend £100m on a proven player that is top class. Simple.

35 minutes ago, RMH said:

Neither Garnacho nor Gittens take us to the next level, so why spunk £100m on them? If we want to go to the next level, keep George for subs for free and spend £100m on a proven player that is top class. Simple.

It's what I can't wrap my head around either...

It's not that I rate George is going to be a worldbeater, but I don't think Gittens or Garnacho are levels above him yet we've splashed out 100 million on them, the people upstairs don't have a f**king clue. Same clowns who resigned Felix knowing full well the manager didn't rate him, just to loan him out again then beg Saudi.

On 03/09/2025 at 16:14, nonotnowjim said:

Those criticizing the club here are probably missing 1 thing. That George has never really shown much to suggest he is a superstar in waiting.

I think he is a decent young player, but nowhere near good enough to consistently minutes at Chelsea.

The club then accepted a healthy deal from Fulham, and would have happily sold, knowing he was not likely going to play much for us… and the. The Wilson deal fell through, which has a knock on impact on George.

Those talking about Garnacho are (I think) deluded if they think the players are in the same category. Garnacho is for me much better already, with a much higher ceiling.

I don't know how, from the relatively few League minutes he has played that you can confidently predict that our 19 year old player is no where good enough to play consistent minutes for Chelsea ? . And in those few League minutes this 19 year old has failed to prove to you that he's a " superstar" in the waiting ?? .

He has been more than good enough in games I've seen him play to be fair .

Anyway, Gittens is going be an easy tap in for you soon Jim ! 😂

16 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

yeah - i am always right. 😇

Being applauded by our resident financial accountant actually means you know feck all about feck all !

10 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

Fair enough. My initial view from the little we have seen him, is that I dont think George is good enough to be contributing consistently to Chelsea. Personally, I think Garnacho is much better and more likely to be a player who can contribute to a successful squad.

Obviously, there are always tiers of players.

Superstars/other worldly - your Messi's, ronaldos, Maradonnas, Hazards

World class/best in class - Lamps, Cech, JT, Essien, Maka, Drogs, Zola,

Top Tier Supporting class - Ferreira, Azpi, Eidur, Brana,

Solid supporting players - Ramires, Cahill, Willian, Mikel, Loftus cheek, Pedro

Unspectacular, but can play a role - Bridge, Emerson, Kalou, KDH,

Players not good enough in the long run - Bakayoko, Hilario, Kenedy, Boga, Broja, Abraham, Scot Sinclar.

Personally...I put George in the final category. Can have a decent career - but not good enough for us. Garnacho I think has potential to be solid or top tier support....

2 of your "World class" players actually didn't look very good in their early careers at Chelsea .

Drogba and Lampard. .

6 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

I don't know how, from the relatively few League minutes he has played that you can confidently predict that our 19 year old player is no where good enough to play consistent minutes for Chelsea ? . And in those few League minutes this 19 year old has failed to prove to you that he's a " superstar" in the waiting ?? .

He has been more than good enough in games I've seen him play to be fair .

Anyway, Gittens is going be an easy tap in for you soon Jim ! 😂

The same way that from even fewer minutes, it seems apparent that Estevao will be good enough to contribute to us at a significant level, in the long term.

Estevao looks like he is/will be good enough for Chelsea.

George Does not look like he is/will be good enough for Chelsea.

5 hours ago, The Rising Sun said:

2 of your "World class" players actually didn't look very good in their early careers at Chelsea .

Drogba and Lampard. .

But...they were world class. 1 was an England International already when we signed him. Frogs was already developed and mature - and clearly had the tools.

Their first seasons were not their best - but they still contributed a hell of a lot more than George.

11 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

But...they were world class. 1 was an England International already when we signed him. Frogs was already developed and mature - and clearly had the tools.

Their first seasons were not their best - but they still contributed a hell of a lot more than George.

True, both were mature players. I don't know what they were like at 19 like George is now, You and no one else for that matter can know how he will develope. Although your new friend Clownlake insists that young players only get better !! 😂

West Ham fans hated Lampard from a very early age. thought he wasn't good enough for them . They had to watch him score his 200th goal when we played them at the Bridge !!

11 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

But...they were world class. 1 was an England International already when we signed him. Frogs was already developed and mature - and clearly had the tools.

Their first seasons were not their best - but they still contributed a hell of a lot more than George.

"

When West Ham fans could tell that Lamps wasn't good enough for them....

""A section of the support believed I wasn't good enough for the starting line-up so I was put on the bench as some kind of favour.

"And they let me know this every time I moved to do a warm-up."

In fact, Lampard claims some West Ham fans even cheered when he was carried off the pitch with a broken leg in 1997, something the Chelsea boss says made him consider giving up football altogether."

6 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

"

When West Ham fans could tell that Lamps wasn't good enough for them....

""A section of the support believed I wasn't good enough for the starting line-up so I was put on the bench as some kind of favour.

"And they let me know this every time I moved to do a warm-up."

In fact, Lampard claims some West Ham fans even cheered when he was carried off the pitch with a broken leg in 1997, something the Chelsea boss says made him consider giving up football altogether."

Did you expect better from West Ham fans? They don't call them the pikeys for no reason.

23 minutes ago, The Rising Sun said:

True, both were mature players. I don't know what they were like at 19 like George is now, You and no one else for that matter can know how he will develope. Although your new friend Clownlake insists that young players only get better !! 😂

West Ham fans hated Lampard from a very early age. thought he wasn't good enough for them . They had to watch him score his 200th goal when we played them at the Bridge !!

of course we can't "know" how he will progress.... we are all in the same boat and make judgements based on what we see.

I don't think from what we have seen of George that he has shown he has "it" to become a useful player for chelsea in the long term. I guess the club agree given they were content to sell him.

but of course - we cannot know for sure. And we can't give a chance to every 19 yr old lad just in case they are the 1 in a million who can make it.

By contrast, Steve O who has come in and played less minutes looks far more likely to be a Chelsea level player - look far better on the ball, more confident, more product than George. Of course - that might also be wrong, but it's the opinion I, and I assume the club also have given the amount they paid for him.

Edited September 7, 2025Sep 7 by nonotnowjim

4 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

of course we can't "know" how he will progress.... we are all in the same boat and make judgements based on what we see.

I don't think from what we have seen of George that he has shown he has "it" to become a useful player for chelsea in the long term. I guess the club agree given they were content to sell him.

but of course - we cannot know for sure. And we can't give a chance to every 19 yr old lad just in case they are the 1 in a million who can make it.

By contrast, Steve O who has come in and played less minutes looks far more likely to be a Chelsea level player - look far better on the ball, more confident, more product than George. Of course - that might also be wrong, but it's the opinion I, and I assume the club also have given the amount they paid for him.

Of course you may well be right Jim. But I wouldn't put too much faith in a player on the basis that the club have bought him for a significant fee ! Anyway have a good Sunday mate, see ya.

On 06/09/2025 at 08:46, dkw said:

Why does every player have to be a superstar, we need a squad of players and its impossible to create that squad with superstars only. We need a next level of player capable of playing around 20 games a season across all competitions, capable of filling in and coming of the bench and George is definitely one of those level of players in my opinion.

I just don't understand why fans think every single player in a squad needs to be the best player in his position, it simply isn't possible.

I agree but £22m plus sell on for a squad player at best is too good to turn down, especially when you already have others in his position.

Usually players that are their youth national teams carrying forces have a good future and are the level we aspire. George is not that. Just looked at his national youth records and he is not that impressive.

Palmer, Noni, Paez, Estevao, Santos and Casadei were all that. We need this level more than George's. However I think he will play a good career. Probably not for us though.

So early in both players careers to be deciding who’s going to do what, many players shine at youth level only to never kick on. Sometime purely because they have filled out quicker and can physically dominate at that level.

I can’t say I have seen anything from Gittens to suggest he was worth spending £60m on when we already had George. I have seen more from Estevau but I haven’t blown the smoke up his arse quite like some have……very early and all so young.

For a cautionary tale look at the defence, we spent a lot of money on players who as it turns out wasn’t as good as players we already had at cobham who we were willing to and in some cases did let go.

Edited September 8, 2025Sep 8 by C3blue

Purely on percentages I'd say a player like Estevao is a safe bet. He's been head and shoulders above his peers on any given age group he's been a part of. On top of that he seems to preference his football above his free time. He is destined to be a great player.

Usually the stories where a top prospect fails is made story of and it is something that resonates with people but seldom the story is this boy is as good as he's been most of his youth career. Not really a story.

Many of top 10 age group youths end up playing at a good level where as the group from 30-100 is probably a ton of hit and miss. So many professional people are evaluating these young players all the time.

You also need the opportunity in a right club. To me George is not in the right club. He should be at Championship or somewhere in Europe. Even Fulham to me seems the wrong place.