A bit of realism

[wisey11zola25 142]

I think the main positive is AVB isn't hiding that it's not good enough, Carlo would have covered it up along with most managers, but AVB has said theres negatives and that he knows there needs to be improvement but sees that things hes doing in training are beginning to work.

Also, i think the reason theres we're mostly pessimistic is that we look the same as last year, no signings, no real tactical changes and no major gameplay differences. Like we say though only 2 games and pre-season isnt a realistic reflection, That said, WE NEED SIGNINGS! whether its big like Modric or young talent (Lukaku, De Bruyne) need to freshen it up a bit.

I think we'll get our first realistic view of what to epect when we face Villa/Blackburn in the Asia Trophy.

Lastly, anyone who watched the coverage of yesterdays game...10/10 Tommy Langley for speaking the truth on ChelseaTV rather than making out everything is so promising like Gigi Salmon!

[GodZola 630]

All who saying that new coach is here and they need to adopt, ... :ballack:

Silly me, I didn't realize that MacEachran, Bertrand, Clifford, Chalobeh were regulars? Then you have the fringe players getting a run. Some players will adapt quicker than others but you cannot expect them all to gel straight away, I know I am critical of our quality but atleast I'm prepared to give them time to change - cut them some slack please!

[zolayes 14,489]

normally i am very optimistic but this close season I have found it impossible to view the forthcoming season with anything but fear.

It started with the delay in appointing the new manager, We all thought it would be Hiddink and his transfer targets had been set in advance.

I am not against Andre but the lack of urgency in bringing in what the squad patently needs is worrying. Signing expensive young players

then sending them out on long loans will not do anything for this season. As each day passes our rivals are strenghtening their squads. We

are playing wait and see and HOPE for the best.

this is the least optimistic Ive been at the start of a season for over 10 years

[Bacika 188]

Can we take the batteries out with all the pessimism from the 2 pre season games?

Yes they were not ideal performances and yes if we play like that in the premier league we are in serious shit but lets be realistic its not as simple as that, we will dip into the market at some point with what Andre's saying i personally think he has a couple of hidden gems lined up, and pre season can never be a true reflection on how our season will go (especially not 2 games).

Does any one remember's Jose's first pre season match? a 1-1 draw at Oxford and at times Oxford has us on the ropes, if we played like that all season we would have gone down but we didn't we improved and won the league at a canter. We get slated for only scoring one against these but i would be more worried if we let in 3 and won 5-3 or something.

Things will improve KTF

If we had played our best formationl yesterday, the score would be 6-0.... so there is no need to panic, or pessimism....

[lionsden 4,689]

It's amazing how some people try to defend the "indefendible" Man Utd, Real Madrid, Borrusia Dortmund et al too played pre-season under similar conditions to Chelsea. . . humid conditions, playing combination of fringe and youth players with some regulars and still managed to dominate their more competitive opponents and won convincingly. if Chelsea are struggling because it's pre-season, why are other/most top teams not catching the pre-season bug as well? like I already said, the pre-season argument is just a lame attempt at defending the indefensible" period

[zolayes 14,489]

If we had played our best formationl yesterday, the score would be 6-0.... so there is no need to panic, or pessimism....

I beieve if we had played our RESERVE team from last year including Bertrand ,, Tore and Borini they would have have beaten yesterdays opposition.

Perhaps even our Youth team might have.

[EskWeston 696]

You cannot read much into pre season games, thats for sure. Especially when you are only giving 45 mins to players and chucking in quite a few youngsters into each side. However the old problems are still there, AVB has time to work on those but i most certainly would not wnat to go into the new season without making any additions to the current squad....

We badly need wingers with pace and skill....

[Peace. 4,352]

The pessimism is not about this 2 pre season games.

The fact is that right now there is no one fucking single new player here.

The board already said that 2 or 3 names will arrive, and I dont think thats enough. I mean, the only youngster that can really play a good football in next season is Sturridge. Josh is far from being a player ready to play big games.

Malouda is still here, Bosingwa, Ferreira and Kalou. This is the worst part, because it means that the board still believe this guys can do something great.

You said we will go to market at some point. What we are waiting for ? Roman has the fucking money, and our squad need some changes.

The problem is: Boas arrived saying the team need only few changes. Do you think he really believes that? Probably the board said what they expect and what they think about the squad. In fact I believe we start the next season with the same old squad, and with Malouda still a starting XI.

Agree with everything you've said. The worrying thing is not the performances which have been delivered in those 2 friendly games, it is the fact that our board seems to be happy with the current squad, and doesn't seem in a hurry to get players which are more than needed.

I also fear some of the player who should have already be gone will be in the starting eleven (like Malouda, as you said). And I don't know if I am the only one to have noticed that, but Malouda, Anelka and co doesn't seem worried in the slightest about their futur at Chelsea...

Does anyonelese find it extremely worrisome that we have started pre-season in identical fashion to how we played for majority of last season, performance wise. Nothing has changed bar a new manager- same players, same pattern of play and no plans to overhaul the squad. As Justin said, I will become optimistic when I find a genuine reason to be. I don't allow my love for the club to cloud my judgment or distort reality and the reality is that we are still as shit as last season.

Agree with the bolded part. Though, I do not find worrying the fact we started our pre-season in the same fashion... When we still have some players (do not need to mention names), no wonder we play the same way as the last season...

Honestly, if you're being 'real' right now, you'd have to admit that this is not what we expected or even imagined when AvB came in. Again, it's not about the score, it's about the performance. The players are treating these games as a glorified training session and don't look particularly bothered about convincing the new manager that they should be a part of his plans for the season.

You've stated a very interesting point here.

I can't understand how some players aren't bothered at all. The likes of Malouda, Anelka, Bosingwa, Kalou and Lampard (who is a different case, because he only risks to be benched whereas the other risks to be offloaded) should be worried and move their ass to impress the new manager and convince him that they are more than worth to be in his starting eleven, or at least to be part of his plan(s). At least, if I was in their position I would be scared for my job - because let's be honest, if some players have to go it is them, no doubt (bar Lampard) - and I would try my best to persuade André Villas-Boas that I worth to be entrusted. But no, when I see Anelka and Malouda play, I don't feel any fear coming from them, they are zen. Which I find quite strange, since their job should be on the line. They seem to be guaranted to be part of our upcoming adventure... That makes me wonder, why they don't try to prove they are good enough to stay ? I well fear it is somehow a hint about our board's thought on the squad (ie they don't judge some players need to move on).

----------

Well, what bothers me is not the performances we have seen in those two friendly games. As I've said in another thread, I didn't expect any better from our current squad. What alarms me is that our board does seem to believe the current squad is good enough to be competitive and only needs some adjustment... If that so, their awakening will be painful for them... I know, I know, the Villas-Boas' idea to first look at the team to see what he needs, is good, I am even agree with this. But, for me, that was a no brainer that some players had to go and some players had to be bought the sooner possible...

For instance, the whole world knows we atrociously lacked of creativity last year. Now, we only have 3 players in the squad who can be labeled as creative players :

• Benayoun : he is a quite good player, but let's be realiste, he is just a good squad player.
• Kakuta : he will never be played in the axis, since our board seems to believe he is a winger. And even if he is played in a central position he is not yet enough good.
• McEachran : too young to hold the team...

That leaves us with only one potential offensive player out of them three.

For me, it was logical to buy, at least, one creative midfielder before flying to our pre-season games, on purpose to see whether one new midfielder was enough or not.

Finally, I believe that an assessment was not needed to know that some players had to leave.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

2 nd pre season game and everyone is in a meltdown. The guys have played 2 halves ONLY after 2 months off. Which is like 1 game in two months and you expect them to fire on all cylinders? Add to that the 12 hour flight from UK to Malaysia which means players are Jet Lagged and add to that the Heat and Humidity which you will never experience in UK, and add to that a below par pitch.

For Fuck sake, Cut the Slack. You people are no different than those idiot jouranlists who have already started writing on how Torres flopped again in a fucking 2nd game of the pre season.

This, warnie, is why you should be a forum legend. From out of the depths of despair following two pre-season performances, you emerge with a pragmatic point of view. I could not agree more. Well said.

[lionsden 4,689]

Agree with everything you've said. The worrying thing is not the performances which have been delivered in those 2 friendly games, it is the fact that our board seems to be happy with the current squad, and doesn't seem in a hurry to get players which are more than needed.

I also fear some of the player who should have already be gone will be in the starting eleven (like Malouda, as you said). And I don't know if I am the only one to have noticed that, but Malouda, Anelka and co doesn't seem worried in the slightest about their futur at Chelsea...

That's because the board and AVB haven't given them the indication that their future at Chelsea hangs in the balance. . .when a first team player hears or reads assertions like "we don't need to overhaul" "The core of the team will be more or less the same" "we have great squad already" that doesn't particularly send a strong message to under performing senior players, does it? . . .they have been offered no incentive to buckle up and give 100% commitment. So you are right, the problem lies with the board not willing to overhaul the squad.

If the core of the squad remains the same next season, The Chelsea board, AVB and the optimistic fans are in for a rude awakening and reality check but unfortunately the realistic fans such as yourself,henrique and myself would be forced to endure the same humiliation and frustration of last season again this upcoming season.

[GodZola 630]

You cannot read much into pre season games, thats for sure. Especially when you are only giving 45 mins to players and chucking in quite a few youngsters into each side. However the old problems are still there, AVB has time to work on those but i most certainly would not wnat to go into the new season without making any additions to the current squad....

We badly need wingers with pace and skill....

Exactly, add Sniejder to those wingers & then things will change for sure. AVB is under no illusion that the performances must improve but he also has to look at the bigger picture too.

[eldo 868]

None of us really know if our board are happy with current squad.

[Kostas 1,468]

Quite a few very good points have been raised but I'm afraid I won't join any side.

Some understandably preach faith but as I myself had trouble with zolayers when he first told me something along those lines in 09/10 I'd rather preach patience. I'm sure the pessimists now how early we are into pre-season but the general consensus that as soon as Ancelotti was sacked we were going to go on a buying spree has distorted the perspective of even the most reasonable of fans.

I won't presume to know what Andre or the Board think or do at the moment so I can't really slate them for anything yet. For all we know we maybe working in the background for a couple of players, it's not like we don't have enough evidence to be absolutely sure that the media (our main/only source) know fuck all about what the people that are running the club think.

If we haven't improved our squad or our play tremendously by the 20th of August when the serious squad and prediction threads should pop up I know I will go on full-scale rants in every single one of them. For the moment I just enjoy thinking that, as GodZola said, AVB is experimenting with the established players and picking the young players that will be in his plans.

[lionsden 4,689]

None of us really know if our board are happy with current squad.

Yes they are. . .Ron Gourlay for one hasn't made his satisfaction with the current squad a secret hence his public statement "The core of the squad will more or less be the same"

[TomCFC 356]

2 nd pre season game and everyone is in a meltdown. The guys have played 2 halves ONLY after 2 months off. Which is like 1 game in two months and you expect them to fire on all cylinders? Add to that the 12 hour flight from UK to Malaysia which means players are Jet Lagged and add to that the Heat and Humidity which you will never experience in UK, and add to that a below par pitch.

For Fuck sake, Cut the Slack. You people are no different than those idiot jouranlists who have already started writing on how Torres flopped again in a fucking 2nd game of the pre season.

Well said.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I won't presume to know what Andre or the Board think or do at the moment so I can't really slate them for anything yet. For all we know we maybe working in the background for a couple of players, it's not like we don't have enough evidence to be absolutely sure that the media (our main/only source) know fuck all about what the people that are running the club think.

For them to even hire Villas-Boas showed a change of direction for them. Not that it covers for their mistakes last season, but still some wisdom did prevail in that boardroom

[warnie_666 1,081]

how about madrid ? their player have some a month off for holiday too right ? buat now they already can show good form

okay, if you think this because chelsea player have a long trip and different weather in asia, HOW ABOUT ARSENAL & LIVERPOOL ?? not just about score but are they playing shit like this againts malaysia ?

Firstly, Madrid, pool, Arsenal and Man U don't have new managers. News Managers need to assess their players and try different formations. That is why the players have played only 90 mins in 2 months and add to that the conditions i mentioned above.

[warnie_666 1,081]

I beieve if we had played our RESERVE team from last year including Bertrand ,, Tore and Borini they would have have beaten yesterdays opposition.

Perhaps even our Youth team might have.

You mean after a two month layoff playing their second game? In energy sapping conditions and on below par pitch? That's a bold statement