If this is Maresca complaining about the SD, then finally he shows some balls.

I’ve had my head under a rock since our game. 3 points and went about the weekend.

It wouldn’t be Chelsea without some new headlines and drama. Is this club ever capable of just a few days of calm!

13 hours ago, Zeta said:

I know things weren';t great at the end of Tuchel's time here, but he's the only manager we've had since Jose that I really felt a connection to, that I felt got the club. I'd love to have him back, if the ownership can swallow their pride.

It is not about pride though.

Let's just use last summer. If you sell Madueke n Jackson and bring in Delap, gittens, TT will complain non stop every press. It will never work

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by Bob stark

1 hour ago, Bob stark said:

It is not about pride though.

Let's just use last summer. If you sell Madueke n Jackson and bring in Delap, gittens, TT will complain non stop every press. It will never work

And Estevao, on of the best young players on the planet, who our glorious bellend leader chooses to barely use, even when were in the sh*t. I`m sure TT wouldnt have minded that, but it wouldnt fit your weird agenda now would it.

7 hours ago, acaeus said:

There aren't many 19yo CBs playing in the top flight of the PL for a very good reason. Josh would cost points atm. Just to be clear, I have very high hopes for Josh to become a WC CB in the future.

Yes there is, there have been 19 year old CB`s play in the PM, weve had several ourselves. and this might shock you but that 19 year old Josh who would cost points, hasnt, yet. Whereas the players he should be playing ahead of have cost us multiple points in multiple games, he has show hes more than capable to play yet is down the pecking order behind actual proven liabilities.,

7 hours ago, acaeus said:

I think Enzo has done more in football than Santos has. Honestly, I did not think that was even debatable, but I guess anything goes in a forum. I've also seen Enzo dominate games against Brazil one too many times.

He has done more in football, he has also been utterly abysmal for 95% of the games hes played for us this season and yet is seen to be undroppable. That in itself creates resentment in a squad, and also may problems on the pitch because either hes nowhere near as good as we thought he was or our useless manager has no idea how to get the best out of him. He has a "system" that plays to Enzo`s failures, rather than his strengths, and yet he keeps picking him and putting him in a position to fail, thats dreadful managing. Either use him correctly in a system, or dont use him and put an actual useful player in, someone like Santos who does fit perfectly.

There's 2 truths with this situation, the squad isn't good/experienced enough to win a title in all likelihood, but its also a hell of a lot better than our manager is getting out of it, simply down to a complete lack of cohesion and understanding due to his abysmal tactics, in game decision making and frankly moronic rotation policy. Especially in the defence where I doubt he has played the same 4 players more than 2 games on the trot (if that). Hes terrified of either upsetting players dropped, or tiring them out, but instead has created a situation where no players have any idea whats going in, they dont know if they will play, be on the bench, dropped....

Pick a core 6 players, GK/CB/CB/CM/CM ST and dont rotate unless you really really need to. Build around that, keep as many other players in the team for as many games as possible, only rotate them out when then need it. He hasnt a clue what hes doing even on the rotation, get the f**king game won then rest players in a game, rather than see us go behind and have to desperately throw the better players on hoping for them to win the game for you, thats the worst situation to put someone on to.

Where is this "hes under orders" thing on rotation come from, he did the same at Leicester, first result from a google search was this🇨🇬

"Earlier in the campaign, Maresca regularly rotated six or seven players for midweek matches, and mostly to good effect, with City’s results consistent."

The reason the results were consistent was simply because they had a premier league squad in the championship.

Ironically it looks like he then stopped rotating so mentally and started whining about having too many fixtures, then wouldnt drop certain players (no matter how bad they played, ring a bell?) saying the bench players werent ready to play anymore....

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by dkw

13 hours ago, Snedger said:

I think that it’s a bit muddied by the complete lack of experience and maturity in the squad. Apart from old man Tosin (who is definitely not a top tier player) at 27, the whole squad is in nappies. And I think that is an issue in itself. Some of these players in better balanced squads would be even better than we think they are. Equally some would still be awful if put into the greatest sides in the history of the game.

Yes. They are lacking the dressing room and on pitch presence that all of our title-winning squad had.

Still incredibly bald.

16 minutes ago, dkw said:

And Estevao, on of the best young players on the planet, who our glorious bellend leader chooses to barely use, even when were in the sh*t. I`m sure TT wouldnt have minded that, but it wouldnt fit your weird agenda now would it.

What agenda ?

I may dislike Maresca but how he handle Estevao has been by far his best decision. You need to be responsible dealing with kids minute if you want the kids to have a long career.

1 hour ago, dkw said:

Where is this "hes under orders" thing on rotation come from, he did the same at Leicester, first result from a google search was this🇨🇬

"Earlier in the campaign, Maresca regularly rotated six or seven players for midweek matches, and mostly to good effect, with City’s results consistent."

The reason the results were consistent was simply because they had a premier league squad in the championship.

Ironically it looks like he then stopped rotating so mentally and started whining about having too many fixtures, then wouldnt drop certain players (no matter how bad they played, ring a bell?) saying the bench players werent ready to play anymore....

Well, a squad with PL experience but not good enough for the PL. As is common in the Championship.

His pre Cardiff press conference is coming up soon. I bet he completely avoids answering all the questions about his 'not being supported' remarks from Saturday. I am certain we will get absolutely no further detail on this and he will just say everything is fine and we will be left wondering what on Earth he was going on about.

14 minutes ago, Snedger said:

His pre Cardiff press conference is coming up soon. I bet he completely avoids answering all the questions about his 'not being supported' remarks from Saturday. I am certain we will get absolutely no further detail on this and he will just say everything is fine and we will be left wondering what on Earth he was going on about.

That whole thing looks to me like hes trying to get his pay off and leave, managers who create friction with the owners usually do so to take the cash and run.....

Hopefully.

"I already spoke about that and I don't have anything to add. It is Cardiff tomorrow please."

Well, there's a surprise.

6 minutes ago, dkw said:

That whole thing looks to me like hes trying to get his pay off and leave, managers who create friction with the owners usually do so to take the cash and run.....

So does he think he's already done enough if that's his aim, or is he backing down?

1 minute ago, Snedger said:

So does he think he's already done enough if that's his aim, or is he backing down?

Who knows, but once a manager takes on the owners its the end game every time. Just hope this time its sooner rather than later so we can attempt to rescue the season.

1 minute ago, Snedger said:

So does he think he's already done enough if that's his aim, or is he backing down?

I love the build up on BBC to this pre-match conference, all for nothing.

Must be terribly disappointing for the journos.

So there has been mention of the possibility of Glasner, and i do like much of what he does.

So i asked for some AI assistance. You know, from the Clown Lake Bot. My question:

What was the relationship like between Markus Krosche and Oliver Glasner

The results were, errm, familiar! 😬

AI Overview

The professional relationship between Markus Krösche, Eintracht Frankfurt's sporting director, and then-head coach Oliver Glasner was marked by

initial success followed by significant friction and a breakdown in communication, ultimately leading to Glasner's departure in 2023. 

Key Areas of Disagreement

• Transfer Strategy and Squad Depth: The primary source of conflict was their differing opinions on squad composition and investment.

  • Glasner's View: He was openly critical of the "imbalance" and lack of quality/depth in the squad, repeatedly asking for more money to be invested in experienced players to compete for European spots via the league.

  • Krösche's View: Krösche focused on a long-term strategy of reducing the average age of the squad and developing young talents like Hrvoje Smolcic and Faride Alidou. He felt Glasner should work with and develop the existing youth players rather than demanding expensive new signings.

• Public Outbursts and Communication: Glasner was known for his fiery press conferences and public criticism of the team's performances and squad quality, which was seen negatively by the club's management and team members. Krösche, in turn, was reportedly annoyed that Glasner used the squad as an alibi for poor league form.

• Contract Negotiations: The relationship was further strained when Glasner did not immediately accept an improved contract offer, leading to constant media speculation and "unrest" around his future, which annoyed Krösche. 

Outcome

Despite achieving significant success, including winning the UEFA Europa League in 2022 and reaching the DFB-Pokal final in 2023, the breakdown in the working relationship became "impossible" to sustain. Eintracht Frankfurt announced in May 2023 that they would part ways with Glasner at the end of the season by "mutual consent". 

In a public statement, both parties maintained a professional tone, with Glasner stating the talks were "honest, open and fair" and Krösche emphasizing the need for clarity for the club's future. 

1 minute ago, Shweaves said:

I love the build up on BBC to this pre-match conference, all for nothing.

Must be terribly disappointing for the journos.

I don't think only the media are disappointed. But it was beyond predictable that he'd say nothing further.

2 minutes ago, dkw said:

Who knows, but once a manager takes on the owners its the end game every time. Just hope this time its sooner rather than later so we can attempt to rescue the season.

As much as I would love to see the back of him, I just can't get that excited at the prospect as I have no faith anyone even marginally better would be appointed. The same, but different.

4 hours ago, dkw said:

There's 2 truths with this situation, the squad isn't good/experienced enough to win a title in all likelihood, but its also a hell of a lot better than our manager is getting out of it, simply down to a complete lack of cohesion and understanding due to his abysmal tactics, in game decision making and frankly moronic rotation policy. Especially in the defence where I doubt he has played the same 4 players more than 2 games on the trot (if that). Hes terrified of either upsetting players dropped, or tiring them out, but instead has created a situation where no players have any idea whats going in, they dont know if they will play, be on the bench, dropped....

Pick a core 6 players, GK/CB/CB/CM/CM ST and dont rotate unless you really really need to. Build around that, keep as many other players in the team for as many games as possible, only rotate them out when then need it. He hasnt a clue what hes doing even on the rotation, get the f**king game won then rest players in a game, rather than see us go behind and have to desperately throw the better players on hoping for them to win the game for you, thats the worst situation to put someone on to.

Well said.

The only testimony to his policy thus far is that both James and Fofana appear to now be more resilient. This, of course, from him not playing them for months on end anyway..

3 hours ago, GarnachoCheese said:

Still incredibly bald.

All bellends are, ultimately

initial success followed by significant friction and a breakdown in communication, ultimately leading to Glasner's departure in 2023. 

No surprise. He stood up to the Palace board over the Guéhi sale. Reported to have threatened to quit if Guéhi was sold without an equally experienced CB lined up. Definitely not Chelsea material under this regime.

18 minutes ago, dkw said:

That whole thing looks to me like hes trying to get his pay off and leave, managers who create friction with the owners usually do so to take the cash and run.....

Hopefully.

its that Machiavellian Italian temperament. Conte has been the inspiration for a generation of potential saboteurs. As you say, here's hoping

"Are you happy with people saying you have bad relationship with the sporting directors and owners?"

Maresca: "I said after the game that I love Chelsea supporters - they deserve the best. Again, I don't have nothing to add"

Ouch.