Now its time to be realistic

[Duppy Conqueror 1,557]

I seriously hope you are joking

think he meant in style of play rather than him being the equal of Xavi and Iniesta..that`s how i read it anyway.

[Duppy Conqueror 1,557]

for those worried about Man U`s start. they will slump as they always do at some point,we just gotta hang with them until they do ,then go for it.

realistic fan here too. not expecting anything but progress as a club.

[eldo 868]

AVB aims for the title. I think he will do anything to prepare our team for the challenge.

[Eluwande Yomi 15]

think he meant in style of play rather than him being the equal of Xavi and Iniesta..that`s how i read it anyway.

think he meant in style of play rather than him being the equal of Xavi and Iniesta..that`s how i read it anyway.

Thanks for understanding!

[Blue Armour 4,468]

Not bad.

But question is will Roman accept the transition period?

That was the excuse thrown around for Carlo and he got sack.....

That's what I was thinking as well.

I don't care if the team is through transition, I just don't AVB to get the sack when he's only laying the foundation.

That being said, I wouldn't mind too much if we don't top the league, but it's essential that we don't finish potless.

[Eluwande Yomi 15]

for those worried about Man U`s start. they will slump as they always do at some point,we just gotta hang with them until they do ,then go for it.

realistic fan here too. not expecting anything but progress as a club.

for those worried about Man U`s start. they will slump as they always do at some point,we just gotta hang with them until they do ,then go for it.

realistic fan here too. not expecting anything but progress as a club.

I'm worried tho, last season this was said: that they was gonna slump and we were gonna catch up, but we never did! Its going to be hard this season!

[Krypt 241]

Top 4 and I'm happy. This is going to be a tough season. The pl is extremly competitive.

[Duppy Conqueror 1,557]

I'm worried tho, last season this was said: that they was gonna slump and we were gonna catch up, but we never did! Its going to be hard this season!

the Prem is a marathon ..we slipped up but we are actively pursuing players that we were crying out for last year. that Man U team was the worst team to ever win the Prem in my opinion,they have bought in well for the future,but i don`t think they have strengthened that much for this season. De Gea will be good for them i`m sure but he`s not gonna be as good for them as Van der Saar was the last few years. not for a few seasons yet if atall.... they`ve got injuries too remember and lost players like Scholes through retirement. is only really Ashley Young who i can see making his mark at the club out of the new signings they`ve made in his debut year.

it could go anyway this year i think between us and the Mancs both red and blue.. but i know nobody wins the title before March at the earliest and the enemy will have a slump before it`s done,maybe more than one..

[manpe 10,861]

Josh is iniesta and xavi combined

Talking about getting ahead of time :huh: I think Josh is being heavily overestimated among Chelsea fans lol

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I am delighted with the signings we've made and should be even better if we get Modric or a different playmaker.

I would suggest we temper our excitement. The season ahead still won't be easy , I think we should still look

on the next two seasons as transition periods. Our squad was ageing badly and the changes needed are nt

going to be achieved simply. It is possible Mata will take time to adjust as might our other signings.

I remember the euphoria which greeted the signings of Sheva and Torres ,, Not wanting to be a wet blanket

merely warning of getting over excited. Third place ....any trophy and progress would make for an excellent season.

Short and succinct, but to-the-point and I absolutely agree. Manchester has become the dominant force in English football, but this can work to our advantage - people have written us off while we're still only in second gear. I do not predict another Double-winning season but I see no reason why we cannot make good progress in terms of player development and in competitions. A top three finish, a run to the Champions League semi-finals and a cup win would make for a solid foundation to the Villas-Boas revolution, anything beyond that is a bonus.

[EskWeston 696]

I am very confident about our future. Under Villas-Boas were are finally doing what we should have started doing a long time ago and that is looking to build for the future, not just for the now. Piazon, Coutois, Romeu, Lukaku are are group of very young players who can shine for us in the future and make a big contribution this season. Ramires, Luiz, Sturridge and Mata are top class players still very much on the young side who are improving our squad and will be key players in the future as well as now. Add to that our own youth ranks, mainly McEachran, Bertrand and Van Aanholt who can offer a lot to the first team now. We are building for a solid future and we need to integrate them into our team now.

Despite what the media say i do not believe the belief that if we are trophyless at the end of the season Villas-Boas will get sacked. Roman wants to see this squad develop, he wants to see us use our academy but most importantly is he wants to see the improvement in the squad. If we are competitive and there is obvious improvement and Villas-Boas is able to integrate these players into the squad and develop them further then he will be given more and more time to build the team we need. Because i do feel we are in a rebuilding era, we waited too long, you cannot wait until your players are into their 30's and on a decline to bring in the young future blood, there needs to be an overlap, there needs to be the time given to the youngsters to develop in the squad to take over from the established players.

We are definately in the market for a creative midfiedler before the window closes and i think that will be the final piece of our squad, as long as that player is in the 20 - 26 age bracket to carry on the future. Yes we have to be realisitc and realise we are surely in a transition period but we can also be optomistic because we are making the right moves and i firmly believe Villas-Boas is the man to take us in the right direction.

[Laylabelle 9,539]

.Kinda good we've been forgotten about and written off,less pressure.Every other time we've been forgotten about we've crept up the table.Look at last season,written off in January then come April Man U begun looking over their shoulders are we were right behind them...I dont think we'll win the league mind but reckon give it a good push...Carling Cup and FA Cup be happy with...or even just the one long as we can progress in the other comps and show that we're not some team whose falling apart..as for some reason thats what we've been labled as pretty much.

And the way we're doing it,mixing old with youth rather then doing an Arsenal and playing mostly youth for season after season and wondering why it aint working.Give them time to blend in cant always expect miracles....

Besides,Man U start their seasons shite and go on to win..never know ..see what happens just gotta for christ sake get behind the Manager and dont start slagging off soon as goes wrong cause we got rid of Carlo which is what people wanted...gotta be pleased at some point

[warnie_666 1,081]

I am delighted with the signings we've made and should be even better if we get Modric or a different playmaker.

I would suggest we temper our excitement. The season ahead still won't be easy , I think we should still look

on the next two seasons as transition periods. Our squad was ageing badly and the changes needed are nt

going to be achieved simply. It is possible Mata will take time to adjust as might our other signings.

I remember the euphoria which greeted the signings of Sheva and Torres ,, Not wanting to be a wet blanket

merely warning of getting over excited. Third place ....any trophy and progress would make for an excellent season.

Transition? Not sure alot of them here understand that word. Before long you will see AVB out threads.

You make far too sense to be posting here

[Laylabelle 9,539]

Transition? Not sure alot of them here understand that word. Before long you will see AVB out threads.

You make far too sense to be posting here

I give it a couple of weeks...or our first loss then hear the ole 'he aint got a clue' yada yada yada same boring shit as last season

[GodZola 630]

I am very confident about our future. Under Villas-Boas were are finally doing what we should have started doing a long time ago and that is looking to build for the future, not just for the now. Piazon, Coutois, Romeu, Lukaku are are group of very young players who can shine for us in the future and make a big contribution this season. Ramires, Luiz, Sturridge and Mata are top class players still very much on the young side who are improving our squad and will be key players in the future as well as now. Add to that our own youth ranks, mainly McEachran, Bertrand and Van Aanholt who can offer a lot to the first team now. We are building for a solid future and we need to integrate them into our team now.

Despite what the media say i do not believe the belief that if we are trophyless at the end of the season Villas-Boas will get sacked. Roman wants to see this squad develop, he wants to see us use our academy but most importantly is he wants to see the improvement in the squad. If we are competitive and there is obvious improvement and Villas-Boas is able to integrate these players into the squad and develop them further then he will be given more and more time to build the team we need. Because i do feel we are in a rebuilding era, we waited too long, you cannot wait until your players are into their 30's and on a decline to bring in the young future blood, there needs to be an overlap, there needs to be the time given to the youngsters to develop in the squad to take over from the established players.

We are definately in the market for a creative midfiedler before the window closes and i think that will be the final piece of our squad, as long as that player is in the 20 - 26 age bracket to carry on the future. Yes we have to be realisitc and realise we are surely in a transition period but we can also be optomistic because we are making the right moves and i firmly believe Villas-Boas is the man to take us in the right direction.

Top post again EW,

I've been stating similar points in some of my posts in recent weeks. Although I would agree that we are in a transitional period I don't think that AVB will entirely see it that way as his whole persona strikes me as someone that is highly motivated to be successful & I can still see us giving the favourites a run for their money in the Prem this season. I would like us to start using the Utd way of establishing our younger players by sending them out on loan for a season rather than bench warming they will get invaluable experience at another club that will bode well for their development.

[NoFear 23]

Totally agree with the Original post. A long overdue transition is finally being put in place. All AVB needs is time and hope Roman gives that. As long as we see improvement in our playing style and performances, I'm sure Roman will not wield axe even if we end the season trophy-less.

There is only one thing bothering me now. BBC reporting Arsenal closing in on Hazard A player I so badly wanted to see become a blue !! Oh well, I guess we cannot have them all...

[YankinBlue42 72]

Lots of great thoughts in this thread. Optimistic thoughts. That's nice to read because it's nothing like we hear or read anywhere outside Chelsea nation. What we hear about outside is all of the problems of Chelsea Football Club. AVB is in a precarious spot. We've got this incredible group of young players who will be the foundation of Chelsea football for years to come, but some of them are still not experienced enough and playing them would put our club at risk of another bad season (by our standards).

What I want to see is the blueprint for Chelsea's future on the field. If someone isn't in our long-term plans, I don't want to see them. We have a good enough club that we can start to introduce our younger generation without risking a trophy-less season. Hell, our younger guys could help give the older guys a little motivation and fire if things aren't going well.

McEachran doesn't appear to be ready, so we'll stay with Lamps and see if we can bring in Modric (or someone similar). We also need to make abundantly clear that Fernando Torres is our striker. The way we switch back and forth between him and Drogba isn't good for either of them. One is pissed he's on the bench, the other plays scared because he could get pulled at a moment's notice.

The problem with Chelsea is that we aren't a club that gets to have "transition years." We are required to have a sustained level of success because that's the only way we can keep attracting the best players, and it's the only way to keep the Chelsea brand marketable, a financial requirement of the club since ticket sales put us at a disadvantage. I hope that things can go our way this year. That we can begin to insert the future of CFC while also playing at a high level and bringing home a trophy to help alleviate the pressure AVB is under.

Apologies for the seemingly random thoughts.

[cujo101 75]

I just hope that Roman will give AVB time to develop the team over the next few years. When AVB was offered the job he must have explained his long term plans for the squad and what needed to happen. I will be happy with top 3 right now and a possible cup as I can see that the team is in transition. The introduction of Mata, Sturridge, McEachran, Romeu (and a creative central midfield playmaker) as important 1st team players over the next 18 months will refresh the squad in the long term.

[Laylabelle 9,539]

I just hope that Roman will give AVB time to develop the team over the next few years. When AVB was offered the job he must have explained his long term plans for the squad and what needed to happen. I will be happy with top 3 right now and a possible cup as I can see that the team is in transition. The introduction of Mata, Sturridge, McEachran, Romeu (and a creative central midfield playmaker) as important 1st team players over the next 18 months will refresh the squad in the long term.

Thats what Im worried about if we dont win anything..but play the youth over time that he'll stick get the flick.Hopfully the Board will realise that will do nothing for the club really but never know.The squad now need time!