OneMoSalah

Ange Postecoglu would be interesting. Another surprising link but it would be interesting 😂 Probably not cut out for this level but there is two things he would bring and that is high pressing, attacking football and standards. He hates his teams passing the ball backwards/needlessly so this makes Celtic a joy to watch under him. Also made Australia pretty fun to watch but yeah not sure it would work with him at the elite elite level although Celtic is a huge club.

Yep fully agree. Better fit than Enrique would be for me, 100%, particularly given the profile of the squad but a lack of trophies is concerning. Also Poch seems to be more a yes man (unfortunately) which makes him more attractive to the owners IMO. Hopefully he has enough about him to puts down some ground rules though ie no owners in the dressing room every week because that is a big no no as it undermines any manager regardless of who they are. Personally think Kompany links are an absolute joke though - Potter was more proven than him. So seems very very strange. Like when we were linked to Jokanovic after he got Fulham promoted (although he had the ex player connection).

Whilst Poch is a good coach, you’ve hit nail on the head. A yes man. Makes sense, even more when you consider why Enriques apparently been moved down this list of “managerial targets” we have.

Make captain? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 He basically admitted 6 months after coming here he regretted leaving Inter and joining us. Wow.

So you think finishing 10th-11th was more realistic than finishing top 4 this season because we have new owners? Fucking hell heard it all now. Clueless. And you’ve got the nerve to call me naive 🤣 pillock

Not exactly but I expected us to remain competitive in and around the top 4 as we had a competitive squad, Tuchel and what seemed like an owner willing to continue investing in good players but nobody really saw this coming in terms of how poorly the strategy and infrastructure rebuild has been. Or are you going to tell me that there is a genuine excusable and logical explanation as to why we have gone from a near 2 year period of finishing in the top 4 and making 6 or 7 finals under Tuchel (winning 3) to sitting 11/12th 7 or 8 months later that isn’t majorly down to the ownership & decision making? Whats changed in that time? And why has it changed? Boehly & Eghbali’s decision making has heavily influenced where we’ve ended up. Its as cut and dry as that. Yes players haven’t performed great but there is so much other shit wrong before even looking at the players. And that stems from the higher ups. I mean anybody who thought going from TT to GP was going to rescue top 4/6 needed their head checked on day 1, yet alone 4 months ago. I mean yeah, a top top manager with a couple of key additions and clearing out this bloated squad could turn the ship slightly but personally, I feel that a lot is going to depend a lot on how much of an influence these 2 clowns upstairs decide they want to have - they just cant help themselves. They are the biggest concern for me more than anything else. This supposed collection of expert footballing people they’ve installed have got a point to prove also. Other than Badiashile and Enzo, they’ve got a poor record so far. Mudryk, Nadueke, Felix seem like they were unnecessary additions - nothing different to what we had and they’ve not made a meaningful impact.

It wasnt speculation about his first choices. How long did we spend trying to sign de Ligt & Raphina this summer for example? Made numerous bids for de Ligt & agreed a fee for Raphina. Only for him only to want to go to Barca. Those 2, Sterling and Aubamayang were probably the only players Tuchel actually wanted properly out of what we got. Cucurella & Koulibaly definitely more club led I would say and after their past season or seasons, you can see why they could of been reasonable signings but the fees and wages were hugely inflated. I see your back to defending the indefensible. Boehly now after months of defending Potter. The owner is getting everything he deserves, finally, after a near year of hugely incompetent decisions which have piled up upon each other. From fans, from players (Thiago Silva) & ex players (Drogba). We went from a team who made what 6 or 7 cup finals in 2.5 seasons to a team that looks like it could probably get relegated next season. But sure the manager and players are only to blame (not saying they cant do more, far from it but the managers & certain players are only here because of poor choices by the owners) - particularly when the owner chose a incompetent manager to replace a more than competent one and splurged on players who aren’t worth what we paid. I mean if such an iconic ex player such as Didier is saying he doesn’t recognise the club anymore, with his status here, his comments carry weight. Just reinforces how so much of us have felt over the last 7 or 8 months. But sure its not directly the owners fault. Yep. Sure

Signings aren't/never were the major issue though. The major issue is 2 clueless owners with no footballing background making incorrect big decisions time and time again. Ripped out a pretty successful background team/infrastructure without having replacements ready to go and step in from day 1, sacked arguably a top 3/5 in the world manager after 7 weeks for Graham Potter then kept him for months when he was in over his head before appointing Frank to try and save face (unless your telling me the football people in place as well as Boehly & Eghbali actually believed Frank as a manager could win us the CL - which would indicate to me they are ill suited to their roles). Even the whole Tuchel and Boehly not being on the same page which is why he sacked him thing, why did he give TT the pre-season if it was clear he didn’t suit the clubs long term vision & way of working? Again, incompetent decision making at the highest order. Not to mention how many other staff changes - ground staff, medical staff. Then them being in the dressing room every game, I mean wtf? Ok to say the club is ruined is maybe a wee bit far fetched but if things continue at the rate they are, it will end up ruined. Completely. You just get the feeling the heart has been ripped right out of the club. And there are no standards from top to bottom. The fans really need to send a message to the owners.

At the same time he is one of those guys who would of never been happy being a squad player here though and you have to respect it. He’s started a lot of games for Milan & France - more than people thought he would.

Are you serious? 😂 He’s well within his rights to make these comments public. I am actually shocked it has taken a ex Chels player this long to say something about the current state of affairs that a lot of fans can agree with. I am assuming Thiago Silva shouldn't of made his comments either going off your logic? Because his comments basically criticised the club’s strategy. There is minimal faith in the ownership already (since Tuchel sacking I’ve been skeptical and this year has proven me right) but thats never going to be because of an ex players comments. If you look at how we’ve gotten here, people will say thats why there is minimal faith in the ownership. I am actually shocked that more ex Chels, particularly the ones who are in the media/pundit roles (Joe Cole being a big one, keeps banging on the sympathy drum for his pal Frank) haven’t said anything similar - it genuinely makes me wonder if they are just stupid or just afraid because they have friends in there still. Where as Gary Neville has been overly critical of Boehly in the media since day 1 basically, which he was criticised for but who is laughing now? The club needs to help itself and that starts with Boehly & Eghbali sorting themselves out. This year is going to be alarming for some looking in and maybe it will turn away some potential managers/coaches or players but thats been brought on again by incompetence. Not by Drogba’s comments. But because the club has a history of being successful under the previous ownership, and has a lure still, then maybe they’ll get away with it this year. But if its the same next year, then it will become more difficult. Lampard, like Potter, clearly too afraid to tell Boehly not to come into the dressing room every week so obviously he’s not going to agree with Didier’s comments when Boehly & co’s influence is what he’s hinting at, particularly when he’s in debt to him to be in a job.

Perhaps but I think at Dortmund this level we are seeing wasn’t anywhere near the level of performance Akanji was putting out. Why I don’t know but different team, system, manager, standard of team mates etc all to consider as well as the individual’s level also. How he gets on next season will be interesting. I don’t think he’s an elite level player and I’d imagine if City get a proper LB next season him and/or Ake will find their minutes reduced considerably.

Surprised how much Akanji has played. Him and Ake actually. I think their mobility for CBs (and Ake’s versatility) in wider areas has been key to this new system their using this 3-2-4-1 sort of shape when they build. When they lose the ball you tend to see Stones drop in and it goes to a back 4 with either Akanji or Stones playing more as a RB. Seems to have made them defensively pretty strong. They dont concede big chances and in particular on set plays it helps. I have no doubts though Ake and Akanji would of been train wrecks here.

Our team is different. Madrids also slightly different. No Casemiro, no Ramos, no Marcelo and then Alaba & Tchouameni new

Not sure why you kept banging on about beating them 2 years ago in the thread for the first & second legs just played. Totally different team now - no Jorginho, Rudiger, Werner etc. Totally different manager. Those games were never relevant at all.

Obviously his comments are aimed at the owners and the infrastructure. Boehly & Eghbali wont be happy but at least someone internally has the balls to speak out about their role in this season.

Reckon hes going to appoint himself at this rate.

But the desperation to get rid if Alonso clouded so many peoples minds for seasons - to the point where if he was having a steady enough game he was always at fault/not good enough/whatever. Funny now isnt it? And when Cucu was linked with us and City it was pages and pages of “Cucurella is a very good option” “he will displace Chilwell” “our depth at LB is best in the league” and whatever else OTT shit it would be. And now I see many of them same folk saying Cucurella is a dud signing…. shows how much they know. Alonso had his faults but at least you knew what you were getting most weeks. With Cucu its nearly impossible to expect anything reasonable. Barring that Dortmund game, he hasn’t done well but I think a proper coach will extract more out of him and a lot of others here (Sterling, Cucu, Chilwell, Kovacic, Mount if he stays, Felix if he stays, James etc). Whether he was ever going to be worth the moneys one thing but there is still a reasonable player in there with some coaching and development. ^ And was he really a Tuchel signing? As in one he pushed for specifically? I doubt it. He didn’t want to let Alonso go initially and the impression I am getting is Tuchel only let it happen when he knew he would be part of the deal for Aubamayang, who he specifically wanted.

Who cares, he never professed to be a Chelsea fan so don’t see why its upsetting. Its a short career, we were happy to sell at the end of the day for the £30m or whatever we got because it was a win to get £25-30m for a GK with 1 year left. He may be a cunt but he can be a cunt all he wants because he is that fucking good. Same with Ibra, Suarez, Ronaldo, whoever. His decision to leave here has been fully justified - we needed him much more than he needed us by the looks of it which you don’t say very often about players who leave here. I think that over the last 10 years he is the player we miss the most out of all the player’s we’ve had and sold on - noy including Salah & de Bruyne because they went on and achieved elsewhere where as Courtois was pretty good here too. I’d of rather kept Courtois over Hazard if I knew how the GK situation turned out since he left.

Agree with 90% of what you’ve said here. I mean the Boehly/Eghbali decision making processes this year has been abysmal - the links to every player on the go in the summer (not even going to go into actual signings), the whole technical director recruitment struggle and then Tuchel sacking was a bad start. You think hmm okay maybe just an uniucky start, a few things to fix but then going for Potter and watching us play even worse for months upon months before pulling the pin about 3 months too late. Surely couldn’t get any worse though? Oh wait, they sack Potter with some sort of idea in their head that Frank Lampard as a temp manger coming back here would win us the CL/save their reputations with the fans….. or media, or both. In January people were championing Eghbali and Boehly for getting Enzo Fernandez and Mudryk in but we have completely lost everything that made this club successful or at least what it was with Abramovich with these 2. I hope how they’ve conducted themselves and have been doing do over the last year doesn’t affect any managers looking to come here. I mean its at the point when people inside the club are saying that the situation is a fucking mess. And thats been quoted as coming from someone pretty close to the higher ups inside the club.

Has he sacked Frank yet?

Imagine if he actually played some attackers from minute 1, some of the chances could of been goals. Granted with the form of them, slim chance maybe but still a better chance than the likes or Kante or Cucurella going for them. Can’t wait to this season is finished fuck this

Frank has said he apparently told the players that he expects someone from the bench to be more likely to affect the game. Wow. Inspiring if your starting isnt it 🤣almost as good as Potters we played well after every loss post match.

Boehly wont be happy either. Seeing all these attackers on the bench, 3 that cost a total of near £150m in transfer & loan fees in total this year in Sterling, Mudryk and Felix. Sends a message.

Sell him for £30m if someone offers it. Donkey

Lets be honest fans are fickle. I mean if Newcastles owners came here, we wouldn’t of complained had their impact translated to what has happened on the pitch for them. Same with for City's owners. Just as how we’ve always said that people were jealous of us under Roman at the beginning. At least 75-80% of them wont care if it turns the club round and gets them winning and competing.