Ossie the King

Very good player, but in bad form and suffering because the striker isn't making the right moves, his midfield partner shirks his duties and his defence isn't as good as it needs to be. He's been bad but he's stranded half the time and asked to cover everyone else's flaws. Let's not write him off or rewrite history just yet.

Fantastic post. I could pick up on the minor points I disagree with but it's a well balanced argument. We did go through a phase of buying a certain type of player then hired a manager who wanted something different and just told him to win the league.... And he did. Then when he did that we just downed tools. It shouldn't have been as bad as it was but it was always going to be a step back. Every club sensed the blood in the water and games we'd win last season we'd either draw or lose. And now we looked prime to make another change in what we want. Pure speculation of course!

The guy did get a shot here but he wanted more. That's fair enough and José accommodated that wish by allowing him to leave. Yes it would be lovely to have kept him and hindsight is 20/20 for those wishing to rake over past mistakes but the interesting discussion is surely on how we learn from this going forward.

John Stones then? Marina managed to fuck that so hard it almost offered her the role of chief executive of a major European club.

Yup. And that's the reason I think the Emenalo avatars are pathetic. Chelsea supporters know this and they despise that man because he's an over-promoted moron who is working against the clubs best interests. But the lols you get from winding up fellow Chelsea supporters are worth praising him apparently. Never seen such fractures between certain elements of the fan base. One set of fans looking to wind up another is a new one for me. Thanks twitter

It probably is if you're the type of person who uses phrases like 'non-football'to describe Mourinho's teams. In that case it ticks all the boxes for a great post. For me it rewrites a lot of history and I'm not so she that selling players like Luiz and Bertrand was the worst thing in the world. We won the league last season. Were we perfect the whole way through? No. But no team is. What happened is that after we won the league, we did nothing to improve the team. We stood still. We didn't get Jose's targets, who were young, 'footballing'players. He saw the problems in the team like everyone else did yet instead on John Stones, he got Papy. Whilst it's fun for some to indulge in this narrative that it was all Jose's fault,and he's by no means perfect, the problems at this club go way beyond him. But I think some are a little too scared to criticise the sugar daddy in the slightest. If we did, maybe he'd put us back in the toybox and play with his boats instead.

Think that highlights that Guus has exactly the same limitations as José. The fact that in 2015 the introduction of Mikel to shake things up odds getting people excited is hilarious. Decent player but hardly Paul Pogba is it and that's who José wanted. Same goes for John Stones in for JT at the back. The lack of Emenalo's men picking Papy Djoyouwanna is sad at this time of year.

Easier said than done mate. In the summer someone identied the need for a defender. We fucked up the bid and bought Papy Djoyouthinksimsexy. We need someone competent enough to identify the targets and someone able to complete the deal.... In January! Low expectations mate.

Why not? Grant was apparently qualified for both roles. Why not Mike? Maybe the fan club can get a campaign going. Use a hashtag or something.

They also buy players based on the style of football they want to play... Who is dictating that style of play for us? Real Madrid is a slightly different situation because of the whole Galactico thing which we can't replicate. It would be much easier if your mate Emenalo just made himself manager and dictated exactly what he wants the club to be. Instead we'll employ a temporary coach and go through all this in 18-24 months.

Saw him get some stick for coming on but he's usually a very solid presence. Did what he was asked to and added a bit of steel to the side. Fact is Guus doesn't have a vat amount of options at the moment.

We're in just a big a problem as United, the only difference is that in week's time, they'll have a manager they'll be backing in the market to build for next season and beyond. We'll spend January buying by committee with no clue who will be in charge come June. That's not what big clubs do.

Cheer up mate. There's no Hiddink Out drive going yet. Enjoy that for a few weeks.

Can't blame Guus. He's dealing with the same players José. Defensively we're poor and we lack something in midfield. Been the same story since last season, the club fucked up trying to address it in the summer. Now we need players who have a bit of bottle about them and hopefully Guus can motivate them because they aren't a self-motivating bunch. Those who want to blame Jose will continue to do so and none of the bigger issues at the club will be addressed. I pray the CPO don't do the same.

Yeah but he'd destroy their future apparently. Although I suspect he might build united back to what they once were and the two Manchester clubs will dominate the league for a decade.

I haven't read the thread but do you have a choice of manager? You wanted José out and you don't want Simeone so who are you hoping we appoint?

That's pretty much where I am mate. We grind from game to game, we hope for the best but we're not building towards anything. I don't think the club has a clue where they go from here. We go through the season looking to win each game, but we're going to watch a lot of poor football I think. If we survive we're in the same position as if we'd kept José come the summer. Have no expectations and you might not be disappointed.

Haven't read the whole thing but that image is spot on. Apparently Jose destroyed our side whilst winning the league. Didn't have any plan for the future despite wanting specific YOUNG players to strengthen the squad in the summer. The club's in trouble. There's no plan. Whether you like what José wanted or you think we should've built a team with David Luiz and Ryan Bertrand in it, you have to acknowledge he was the only guy in the club with a plan of how he wanted to strengthen the team and mount a defence. The club didn't back him and those who wanted him sacked have got their wish. The hilarious thing to me in this rather shitty time is that neither of these groups have a plan of what we do to move forward. Honestly those fans deserve Emenalo and his chums. It's just a shame the rest of us have to be taken along for the ride.

Drogba got stick because of his attitude and Hazard is getting the same. What you're seeing is genuine fans letting their frustrations get the better of them. The best thing to do is perhaps recognise that nobody is perfect and that occasionally we all say things we don't mean but that what forces us to that point might well have some truth to it. If someone wants to say that Eden exhibits the perfect attitude when preparing to wear the Chelsea shirt then he is absolutely beyond reproach. But we all know that isn't true and pointing it out is fair game. Some may go a bit far but that doesn't make them boo boys.

It was an unchallenging press conference handled professionally. I think there's a danger of going overboard about whether he's 'exactly what we need' before he's coached us in a single game. Whilst it was a standard press conference, the guy is under very little pressure. He's come into a role where the expectations are fairly low, he's not expected to be there for more than 6 months and he's in little danger of it affecting his legacy. It's much easier to be calm in that situation then it was for the last chap. The other issue for me goes back to the first point and is broadly speaking, so what? If there's a correlation between a calm, friendly, headmasterly demeanour and success then there's reason to be positive. I'm not aware of that being the case though. You acknowledge that you're possibly clutching at straws in the article in which you proclaim that Hiddink is exactly what we need, after a 30 minute presser. Not after his first team selection, not after his first match, after a chat with some journos. That's not a dig but a reflection on what is perhaps taking too much precedence nowadays. This is the sideshow, the preamble. It has very little to do with what happens on the pitch and until it does, the jury is very much out on Guus....although even if they return a guilty verdict, the guy knows he'll be on a beach in June no matter what and it will all be someone else's problem.

I think what we've seen is people who were in favour of Jose going also recognising failings in other areas of the club. Others seem to be pinning it all of Jose which may well be an honest opinion but smacks of something else. Saying its scapegoating is unfair though is it not? Just as those who wanted Jose to stay can understand the arguments of those wanting him to go, you can understand those who don't think Emenalo is qualified to be a technical director of one of the biggest clubs in the world can't you?

Absolutely this. I dismissed Douglas Costa because of his league and he's shown me how foolish that was. If we get this guy then I'll be cautiously optimistic.

Not necessarily. It's just that they're part of us, part of the fabric of the club who understands what it is but also contributes to it.

Strewth Harold, you could drive by and put that in every thread couldn't you. Doesn't seem like it would be conducive to discussion though.

Edited the post when I read it back. Was no need for that last bit.