16 hours ago, Remodez said:

Who says the fans can't see what we are doing? You can see it and still be frustrated/vent about it.

There's a very small minority who actually expect us to be title contenders, majority just want to see better attacking football. You could argue we could potentially get less points as a result of this type of football but that's another debate entirely.

I can count on 1 hand the amount of times Maresca has genuinely looked like a genius so your bolded comment is quite a reach and is actually part of the complaints against him, even if I agree with the overall point of better/experienced players > kids.

Count one hand? Just go back when we were killing everyone at the start of last season.

2 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Count one hand? Just go back when we were killing everyone at the start of last season.

You mean when we were still playing Pochball?

As soon as we committed 100% to Marescas system the results and performances nosedived

Edited September 30, 2025Sep 30 by The Boehly Babes

3 hours ago, Bob stark said:

Count one hand? Just go back when we were killing everyone at the start of last season.

How can I give credit to him for that when he himself said it’s not how he wanted to play?

He basically admitted to just sticking to what was working before but changed it afterwards as it became too many transitions not enough control.

4 hours ago, Bob stark said:

How we play?

Poch played very loose football. We struggle. He can't coach, no tactic, dinosaur. We need manager who understand tactic and who can teach this player tactic.

Maresca played structure ball. We struggle. Maresca problem is his tactic. He shackle his player.

Dont believe everything you hear. Go and watch Poch games. Start with the win against Nottingham Forest away from home. Yes we won - but we were absolutely awful. Slow stagnant, sidways and backwards. We played the same way with Poch - but with a bad defense.

The club have brought in loads of players that are not good enough.

They have also brought in a manager without experience.

The manager has not improved the players enough.

Very simply that's part of why we are where we are.

Poor performances coupled with inconsistent performances, lightly sprinkled with very good performances.

He should never have been in therefore he must go out.

Edited September 30, 2025Sep 30 by OTL

We scored goals under poch and that carried into last season up to December.

This suggest we get more points under Maresca but that's again the hangover from Pochball... Will get to see where things stand at December.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/two-wins-in-six-games-how-good-is-enzo-marescas-chelsea-record-in-the-premier-league-/view/news/461032

We may have more points but atfer one full season the team has little to no character or playing style and the football is not worth watching.

2 hours ago, Remodez said:

How can I give credit to him for that when he himself said it’s not how he wanted to play?

He basically admitted to just sticking to what was working before but changed it afterwards as it became too many transitions not enough control.

3 hours ago, The Boehly Babes said:

You mean when we were still playing Pochball?

As soon as we committed 100% to Marescas system the results and performances nosedived

It is not poch ball. Basically team has found a way to nullify Maresca central build up advantage.

I was already worried after Everton game last December because dyche ran a very nice rotation to block Maresca build up. I said that team will copy what dyche did.

This is a very interesting idea, it is better than 442/541 that team has used against us because against those system if we recycle the ball we can get a free man in the middle but with winger tuck in to create 4 in midifeld, it is very difficult. I can see smaller team copying Dyche idea against us.

This is what I posted after Everton game

28 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

It is not poch ball. Basically team has found a way to nullify Maresca central build up advantage.

I was already worried after Everton game last December because dyche ran a very nice rotation to block Maresca build up. I said that team will copy what dyche did.

I am simply repeating to the best of my recollection what the manager himself said, go tell him he was wrong and it wasn't remnants of poch ball.

Yes, teams adapted that's what happens in PL. I remember Fulham and I think Ipswich going 5atb and shutting us down. I don't see how this is relevant to the original point though? He came across small adversity, in a period we historically always struggle in anyway, and decided to pack it in and play the way he actually wanted to from the get go.

So no I can't credit him for being a genius in the first part of the season, I can only credit him for having the common sense (maybe not so common these days with Amorim, etc) not to change too much and simply doing small tweaks here and there.

Let's say we can get a better manager, play better, then what?

That manager has no control who will stay, who will leave, who will we sign.

Maresca doesn't think Jp is a st, the board think he is one. Maresca wanted his winger to play one v one, we sold Madueke n Sterling.

7 minutes ago, Bob stark said:

Let's say we can get a better manager, play better, then what?

That manager has no control who will stay, who will leave, who will we sign.

Maresca doesn't think Jp is a st, the board think he is one. Maresca wanted his winger to play one v one, we sold Madueke n Sterling.

The playing better is the end goal.

It's a depressing fact we can't do anything about the board signing kids or selling players we want to keep, so at the very least if we have to go through all that we should be compensated with football that is enjoyable to watch.

I've said before, I don't think Maresca is actually a bad manager. I think he could easily do well like Kompany at another Bayern level team where he's given full support by board. The issue his him, his tactics and this board all make a very bad combination.

Everyone is over complicating this. Pointing fingers at board, players, formations, astronomy…. It’s all a load of nonsense.

The only thing that matters is that Maresca continually sends his team out, to play in a slow, unprogressive, low risk manner. He sends them out to play sideways and backwards- risk averse football.

THIS NEEDS TO END

It doesn’t matter which players, owners, sporting directors, cheerleaders we have - we will not be constantly good playing in this slow predictable style.

Maresca is either unable or unwilling to change it - and therefore he has to go.

33 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Everyone is over complicating this. Pointing fingers at board, players, formations, astronomy…. It’s all a load of nonsense.

The only thing that matters is that Maresca continually sends his team out, to play in a slow, unprogressive, low risk manner. He sends them out to play sideways and backwards- risk averse football.

THIS NEEDS TO END

It doesn’t matter which players, owners, sporting directors, cheerleaders we have - we will not be constantly good playing in this slow predictable style.

Maresca is either unable or unwilling to change it - and therefore he has to go.

And regardless of the team or the players concerned, nobody can play football totally error free. Therefore playing such a slow and precise style, with little or no momentum or enthusiasm will never work. It will never work because the days of getting the opposition in a headlock that they can't get out of, Jose shaking hands with 3 mins still on the clock, those days are gone. All of these teams, including those coming up can give you a bloody nose, especially of there is no pace or venom in your play to sow seeds of doubt in their minds.

The problem that a lot of these classroom managers seem to have is recognizing that the opposition managers have all read the same textbooks as well.

Except our bloke when playing with 10 men. Clearly his wife must have been ill that day so he had to look after the kids, missing that day's lesson in Pep School.

Edited September 30, 2025Sep 30 by WhiteWall

35 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Everyone is over complicating this. Pointing fingers at board, players, formations, astronomy…. It’s all a load of nonsense.

The only thing that matters is that Maresca continually sends his team out, to play in a slow, unprogressive, low risk manner. He sends them out to play sideways and backwards- risk averse football.

THIS NEEDS TO END

It doesn’t matter which players, owners, sporting directors, cheerleaders we have - we will not be constantly good playing in this slow predictable style.

Maresca is either unable or unwilling to change it - and therefore he has to go.

Totally agree Jim. Also I would again go back to the point about Maresca's lack of player development. He has been here a good while now, is there even one player he has improved? I don't think so. Whereas a good man manager like Eddie Howe has greatly improved the likes of Gordon, Joelinton and Livramento. He builds a bond with his players and they all look like they would run through a brick wall for him.

10 minutes ago, WhiteWall said:

Jose shaking hands with 3 mins still on the clock

I wish you hadnt said that as it could easily happen tonight☹️

oh and by the way "we are the middle of the shed"🙂

4 minutes ago, just said:

Totally agree Jim. Also I would again go back to the point about Maresca's lack of player development. He has been here a good while now, is there even one player he has improved? I don't think so. Whereas a good man manager like Eddie Howe has greatly improved the likes of Gordon, Joelinton and Livramento. He builds a bond with his players and they all look like they would run through a brick wall for him.

Totally agree Just, but I raise your Eddie Howe with Oliver Glasner. He has improved pretty much every Palace player, has them winning trophies and up to a position in the PL table where they have no right to be looking at their squad.

On 30/09/2025 at 08:29, nonotnowjim said:

Everyone is over complicating this. Pointing fingers at board, players, formations, astronomy…. It’s all a load of nonsense.

The only thing that matters is that Maresca continually sends his team out, to play in a slow, unprogressive, low risk manner. He sends them out to play sideways and backwards- risk averse football.

THIS NEEDS TO END

It doesn’t matter which players, owners, sporting directors, cheerleaders we have - we will not be constantly good playing in this slow predictable style.

Maresca is either unable or unwilling to change it - and therefore he has to go.

Dunno, I feel like me and @Mod were on the verge of a breakthrough there... pro sports are evolving after all

We should have never allowed him to be manager of this prestigious club in the first place.

A manager that failed woefully in Italy and was sacked after a dozen games.

A manager that took the best squad the Championship has seen and only won the league by one point on the final week and their own fans were happy for the manager to go after a league win.

Arrogant. Stubborn. Tactically naive. Liar. Bald.

No redeeming qualities. Shouldn't have been signed and should have been sacked in summer.

54 minutes ago, GarnachoCheese said:

We should have never allowed him to be manager of this prestigious club in the first place.

A manager that failed woefully in Italy and was sacked after a dozen games.

A manager that took the best squad the Championship has seen and only won the league by one point on the final week and their own fans were happy for the manager to go after a league win.

Arrogant. Stubborn. Tactically naive. Liar. Bald.

No redeeming qualities. Shouldn't have been signed and should have been sacked in summer.

Welcome back....

53 minutes ago, nonotnowjim said:

Welcome back....

I don't know what you mean... I am a new poster here, i am very pro blue co, they can do no wrong and will always have my full and unconditional support.

Great owners, great manager, perfect squad and most importantly a healthy balance sheet.

Up the Chels!

On 30/09/2025 at 20:12, just said:

Totally agree Jim. Also I would again go back to the point about Maresca's lack of player development. He has been here a good while now, is there even one player he has improved? I don't think so. Whereas a good man manager like Eddie Howe has greatly improved the likes of Gordon, Joelinton and Livramento. He builds a bond with his players and they all look like they would run through a brick wall for him.

I don't think Maresca can build strong bond with player in this squad.

When Maresca was appointed he said sterling will be important part of the squad, Sterling didn't even get shirt number.

Maresca praised Jackson all the time last season and Jackson is a goner. Maresca openly said that he can use Madueke yet he is a gooner.

How many matches into December before this topic becomes red hot again?

How did it ever go cold?

Can I please vote out again?

@Mod can the next poll we have include the option for "Out - and bring back Nico" please? :)