Yep, I think people who were stating Maresca was a better coach than Poch did not take into consideration that Poch had more injuries to deal with. For example, look at last season when we played Spurs and beat them 2-0. We had James and Gusto both injured. Colwill injured. Badiashile and Chalobah were our CB for that game. Gilchrist was at RB who is now on loan at Sheffield United. In fact, there was not a senior outfield player on the bench.

Look at the difference when we played Villa away last season with a decimated squad. We were 2-2 down and salvaged a draw against a team who had virtually a fully fit team and a whole week's rest, whilst we had a midweek game and less recovery time. Again, look at the bench last season against Villa and realise how unfortunate Poch was with the injuries. Again, there was no senior player on the bench. This time around, we played Villa who had a game in the midweek against Liverpool. We had a whole week to prepare and looked once again completely clueless in the second half. Really worrying. I think it is showing that whilst Maresca had a good start to the season, he looked better due to our superior depth in the squad, however now the squad has been cut short due to suspensions/injuries and the board trimming the squad, he looks a bit out of his depth now.

He has got 2 PL games now at home against teams that will be relegated. Must win. It is not just the losses, it is the boring, abject performances which is concerning.

so good i wish this was genuine

22 hours ago, Andy North said:

I don't get this political angle at all. You can spin politics anyway you want. The fact is Abramovich put the club up for sale before the government stepped in so he was selling anyway.

Roman had spent years trying to regain his VISA.

Within hours of Russia invading Ukraine the leaches in the house of commons were accusing Roman of having links to the invasion, now proved to have absolutely no truth. Roman tried to keep the club by reorganising the ownership structure and relinquish control of the club to the charitable foundation trustees. He also publicly tried to broker peace talks.

Do you think he would have ever even considered getting rid of the club he'd invested billions in to and spent decades building? It was all based on lies by the bellends in government from both sides. They've hated him since the start and they used this as an excuse to get rid of him, while allowing the murderous Saudi regimes free access.

The funniest thing about this current run is that there's not even any good teams, we're lucky we haven't come up against Forest, Liverpool or Arsenal.

Everton- fighting relegation at the time.

Fulham - mid table squad.

Ipswich - awful team, to be relegated.

Crystal Palace - see Fulham.

Bournemouth - having a good season, but showed time and again they're beatable.

Wolves - Relegation fodder outside of Cunha.

Man City - probably the weakest they've been since their take over and made us look like children.

West Ham - Good result, mid table team. needed on OG to win.

Brighton - Poch ran rings around them every time, completely dominated us again this season.

Villa - played mid week, had 8 days to prepare.

This is as bad as it was under Potter tbh.

1 hour ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Roman had spent years trying to regain his VISA.

Within hours of Russia invading Ukraine the leaches in the house of commons were accusing Roman of having links to the invasion, now proved to have absolutely no truth. Roman tried to keep the club by reorganising the ownership structure and relinquish control of the club to the charitable foundation trustees. He also publicly tried to broker peace talks.

Do you think he would have ever even considered getting rid of the club he'd invested billions in to and spent decades building? It was all based on lies by the bellends in government from both sides. They've hated him since the start and they used this as an excuse to get rid of him, while allowing the murderous Saudi regimes free access.

I take it you don't accept that Roman had created his Billions by cozying up to the world's most tyrannical dictator.

1 minute ago, Andy North said:

I take it you don't accept that Roman had created his Billions by cozying up to the world's most tyrannical dictator.

Of course, no one becomes a Billionaire without a dodgy history somewhere down the line. Doesn't change the fact he had absolutely nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, has Ukrainian grandparents and tried to broker peace talks. The government saw an easy chance to grab a few billion and took it, thank god they've not been able to get their fingers on any of the money though.

I have no recollection of him ever being accused of having anything to do with the invasion. There have been accusations of a murder occurring during his takeover of one of the companies.

His close links to Putin and the alleged transfer of vast sums of money back to Putin are seen as unethical in the least.

I think this subject hasn't really been discussed in any detail amongst the Chelsea base as a whole and could be quite divisive. I have been a Chelsea fan for over 50 years and do find the chanting of Romans name around the stadium a little embarrassing. Perhaps it's time for that discussion and perhaps it would help us all move on.

33 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Doesn't change the fact he had absolutely nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, has Ukrainian grandparents and tried to broker peace talks.

https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/despite-denials-abramovich-companies-have-supplied-materials-for-russian-military

It's also fair to say that many of the Oligarchs would use lawfare to tie up investigations into their affairs. This has subsequently stopped since many have been sanctioned and no longer have access to UK courts.

I dont doubt Roman tried to talk to Russia, negotiate for both Ukr/ Russia, but anyone with ties to Putin has sadly been implicated in a much wider net. None of the looking back will help the club under the current ownership.

6 minutes ago, bluetrooper said:

https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/despite-denials-abramovich-companies-have-supplied-materials-for-russian-military

It's also fair to say that many of the Oligarchs would use lawfare to tie up investigations into their affairs. This has subsequently stopped since many have been sanctioned and no longer have access to UK courts.

I dont doubt Roman tried to talk to Russia, negotiate for both Ukr/ Russia, but anyone with ties to Putin has sadly been implicated in a much wider net. None of the looking back will help the club under the current ownership.

Steel company sells steel, not really a groundbreaking revelation.

34 minutes ago, Andy North said:

I have no recollection of him ever being accused of having anything to do with the invasion. There have been accusations of a murder occurring during his takeover of one of the companies.

His close links to Putin and the alleged transfer of vast sums of money back to Putin are seen as unethical in the least.

I think this subject hasn't really been discussed in any detail amongst the Chelsea base as a whole and could be quite divisive. I have been a Chelsea fan for over 50 years and do find the chanting of Romans name around the stadium a little embarrassing. Perhaps it's time for that discussion and perhaps it would help us all move on.

So he was forced to sell based on rumours from decades before?

12 minutes ago, bluetrooper said:

https://www.occrp.org/en/feature/despite-denials-abramovich-companies-have-supplied-materials-for-russian-military

It's also fair to say that many of the Oligarchs would use lawfare to tie up investigations into their affairs. This has subsequently stopped since many have been sanctioned and no longer have access to UK courts.

I dont doubt Roman tried to talk to Russia, negotiate for both Ukr/ Russia, but anyone with ties to Putin has sadly been implicated in a much wider net. None of the looking back will help the club under the current ownership.

I'm not so sure that looking back wont help.

Are the fans divided on this subject? I think so.

Does the chanting of Romans name around the stadium create a bad image for the club or even influence potential sponsers?

19 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

So he was forced to sell based on rumours from decades before?

He was becoming disconnected from the club by the Government not renewing his business visa. They felt they had good reason to withold renewal. He chose not to rebuild the stadium and saw the writing on the wall when Putin invaded. It was more Roman`s fault that he had to leave than the governments.

The fact is that although his billions took Chelsea to unprecedented heights his money was dirty and maybe the fans need to start accepting that the club is better off in the long run without him.

33 minutes ago, Andy North said:

I'm not so sure that looking back wont help.

Are the fans divided on this subject? I think so.

Does the chanting of Romans name around the stadium create a bad image for the club or even influence potential sponsers?

I dont actually have a problem with fans chanting Romans name tbh.... the guy, regardless of his associations, is a legend to the club and was a really good owner.

I doubt there'll be another owner like him anywhere in football who will come and buy us out.

I just look back at the Roman era with fondness, I got to see the Premier League trophy lifted at the bridge a number of times. Good times and we're now well past them.

45 minutes ago, Ukraine Bolt said:

Steel company sells steel, not really a groundbreaking revelation.

But sadly it is part of a wider war effort and its not the only company that's been sanctioned in Russia for its efforts since it invaded Ukraine.

5 minutes ago, Andy North said:

He was becoming disconnected from the club by the Government not renewing his business visa. They felt they had good reason to withold renewal. He chose not to rebuild the stadium and saw the writing on the wall when Putin invaded. It was more Roman`s fault that he had to leave than the governments.

The fact is that although his billions took Chelsea to unprecedented heights his money was dirty and maybe the fans need to start accepting that the club is better off in the long run without him.

What good reason did they have to withhold renewal other than his nationality? I don't agree at all that it was Roman's fault as the government had no issue for the two decades before. Its not like the government aren't constantly getting called out for their hypocrisy and doing as they want.

i also think its blatantly obvious that we won't be better off without Roman. I honestly don't think there has been a better individual football owner in the history of the PL.

1 hour ago, Andy North said:

He was becoming disconnected from the club by the Government not renewing his business visa. They felt they had good reason to withold renewal. He chose not to rebuild the stadium and saw the writing on the wall when Putin invaded. It was more Roman`s fault that he had to leave than the governments.

The fact is that although his billions took Chelsea to unprecedented heights his money was dirty and maybe the fans need to start accepting that the club is better off in the long run without him.

I’m sorry but this is an insulting opinion.

Roman put this club first and foremost at all times, never himself. The Billions he sunk into it without taking a penny back out. We wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for him now. Every great memory I have (I’m 30) of Chelsea is down to the investment of Roman.

He was more than happy to rebuild the stadium and invest heavily in the surrounding area as requested, it was once again local councils and the government getting greedy and wanting more and more that prevented this.

The club is on no way better off without Roman as seen by the results on and off the pitch since his departure. There will never be another owner of a club at this level that does it just for the love of the club like Roman did. I’d have him back in a heartbeat.

In reference to his money, calling it dirty just seems a bit of a Western viewpoint, we’ve developed this horrible attitude of labelling anything we don’t agree with as evil or dirty. It’s the ex Soviet state it’s nothing to do with us how any of the money came about.

3 hours ago, Andy North said:

I take it you don't accept that Roman had created his Billions by cozying up to the world's most tyrannical dictator.

If by the world's most tyrannical dictator you mean Putin (and it's ridiculous exagerration, btw), you're completely wrong. Abramovich made his fortune in the 90s under Yeltsyn administration. He managed to stay on good terms with the new regime when Putin came to power and it helped him keep his assets and continue to make money , but he owes his fortune to Yeltsyn, just like many other Russian oligarchs.

44 minutes ago, abramovich said:

If by the world's most tyrannical dictator you mean Putin (and it's ridiculous exagerration, btw), you're completely wrong. Abramovich made his fortune in the 90s under Yeltsyn administration. He managed to stay on good terms with the new regime when Putin came to power and it helped him keep his assets and continue to make money , but he owes his fortune to Yeltsyn, just like many other Russian oligarchs.

Sorry, I thought it was Putin who had invaded Ukraine and murdered all his political oponents over the last 20 years or so.

Just now, Andy North said:

Sorry, I thought it was Putin who had invaded Ukraine and murdered all his political oponents over the last 20 years or so.

US and its allies invaded more countries than all the world's dictators put together. As for murdering all his political opponents, one (Navalny) died in prison, the rest are alive and well. I'm not Putin apologist, I just hate when people keep spouting western mainstream propaganda. If Putin went along with globalist agenda and sold his country's interests to the West (like Ukrainian elites did, for example) they'd be licking his ass 24/7 like they did with Zelensky for the last three years.

Edited February 24, 20251 yr by abramovich

13 minutes ago, abramovich said:

US and its allies invaded more countries than all the world's dictators put together. As for murdering all his political opponents, one (Navalny) died in prison, the rest are alive and well. I'm not Putin apologist, I just hate when people keep spouting western mainstream propaganda. If Putin went along with globalist agenda and sold his country's interests to the West (like Ukrainian elites did, for example) they'd be licking his ass 24/7 like they did with Zelensky for the last three years.

It seems you have been sports washed.

I'm a Chelsea fan first and foremost but don't tell me Abramovich wasn't paying Putin off and that Putins a good bloke.

2nd in both errors leading to shots and errors leading to goals.

Just unacceptable.

2 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

2nd in both errors leading to shots and errors leading to goals.

Just unacceptable.

Yikes, I fear we'll go looking next for Mr. First!

(I'm quite shocked we aren't 1st tbh, is it Southampton?)

22 minutes ago, Brigadeiro Mk II said:

Yikes, I fear we'll go looking next for Mr. First!

(I'm quite shocked we aren't 1st tbh, is it Southampton?)

Has to be. They're the only other club that I see constantly giving the ball away in their own half.

I was going mental against Villa. The amount of times we gave the ball away in our own half was infuriating, and Maresca had the gall to come out and say we played well? It's no wonder why these mistakes keep happening, Maresca doesn't even see them.

We're one of the worst for possession based football. It's not an exaggeration or anything, we're genuinely woeful at it. There has been no progression in that area since the Sarri days.

1 hour ago, abramovich said:

US and its allies invaded more countries than all the world's dictators put together. As for murdering all his political opponents, one (Navalny) died in prison, the rest are alive and well. I'm not Putin apologist, I just hate when people keep spouting western mainstream propaganda. If Putin went along with globalist agenda and sold his country's interests to the West (like Ukrainian elites did, for example) they'd be licking his ass 24/7 like they did with Zelensky for the last three years.

Boris Nemtsov? He was shot 4 times outside the Kremlin.

Navalny was poisoned with Novichoc.

You most definitely are a Putin apologist.

Next you'll be saying Zelensky is a dictator and his approval rating is only 4 %.

Just now, Andy North said:

Boris Nemtsov? He was shot 4 times outside the Kremlin.

Navalny was poisoned with Novichoc.

You most definitely are a Putin apologist.

Next you'll be saying Zelensky is a dictator and his approval rating is only 4 %.

I don't want to turn this into a political discussion, but for your information Nemtsov was a nobody, he had no influence and no means to compete with Putin for political power by the time he was killed. He was Putin's critic and a pro-western politician who was known as one of Boris Yeltsyn's protege back in the 90s but his political career was long over by the time he died. He was obviously supported/propped up by the western media/politicians because he was openly opposed to Putin's regme but inside Russia very few people even remembered him until his death became news.

Navalny had a much bigger following, but again, nowhere near enough to be a real threat to Putin.

I don't give a f**k about Zelensky because I'm not from Ukraine, but you clearly know f**k all about Russia because you've never lived there, so save your expert opinion for those who don't know any better.

Edited February 24, 20251 yr by abramovich

Don’t think this is the time to be making an argument for Putin or Russia but that’s just me.

===================================

2 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

2nd in both errors leading to shots and errors leading to goals.

Just unacceptable.

Back to the football, this is shocking but not surprising at all. It’s now crystal clear he doesn’t know how to setup a defence or attack as we speak now.