Time

[chrismada9 1,948]

As far as the current situation with our club goes at the moment, we need this more than we need anything, and I'm sure everyone on here will agree with me.... but before everyone starts to squalour about something else, hear me out..

AVB has been at this club for what... 5 months? (okay so he had a backstaff stint beforehand when Mourinho was at the helm but that's kind of irrelevant because Mourinho was manager at the time!) ... however, the fact of the matter is this... Boas is only 34 years old... he probably has more coaching certificates and "trophies" than any other manager within his age group, and, more to the point, he does know a lot about the English game, a lot more than the likes of Scolari.

The point I'm trying to make here is, some fans on here annoy the shit out of me because after just 5 months in charge at Chelsea, they suddenly want AVB out and then they want us to bring back Guus Hiddink because the vast majority of domestic results haven't gone our way because of so called "lack of spirit"... okay there's no denying it, when Hiddink joined us for that brief spell in 2009, he turned us completely around, from possible domestic dimwits to FA Cup winners, but just because he did all that, does not mean that he is the answer to all our problems! He managed Turkey when they crashed out of the Euro 2012 playoffs to Croatia, and to my understanding, some of the Turkish fans blamed him alone for some of the dire changes he made during the game, resulting in their atrocious bow-out of the competition.

Some people seem to forget that AVB is still a young man with a big future! You don't just win a Europa League with a big club like Porto and not learn anything from it... he learns anything and everything wherever he goes, what type of formation to play against this team, which strikers to play against that team. But that's not all the moral here. Abramovich is partly to blame here for his dimwitted patience with these managers that have since come and gone from our club... it always seems to be "ahh you're not good enough, if you don't deliver us trophies, you get sacked!" My dad's an Arsenal fan and sometimes, when I get annoyed about Chelsea not winning games, he always seems to say to me, "You're in the top part of the Premier League, you've got nothing to worry about.... fans of the likes of Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan have something to worry about because they're rock bottom of the league!

We need time! We need as much of it as we possibly can for AVB to understand his philosophy and give some of these players like Sturridge, Mata, Romeu, McEachran and Torres the chances they deserve. I honestly believe that if we can hold on to AVB for a few more years, we would have cracked it because we would have kept the same mould, the same players, and the same spirit within those players to go on and win some silverware, I'm one of those members on this forum who recognises this rather than someone who foul mouths about how bad the manager is, or how bad Kalou or Malouda is (I'm not mentioning anyone here) ... every player is equal, and if they are good enough or do well enough in training, I say they are good enough to get on the field and show my beloved football club what it means to show some team spirit... to be honest with you, I'm fed up of slating these players and saying that they're not good enough to play for this club... each and every one of those players who puts on a blue shirt and walks on that pitch is a legend, and if you're a proper Chelsea supporter, rather than a plastic one (and I use the word "plastic" very loosely here), you would understand the meaning of that.

GIVE THIS CLUB THE TIME IT NEEDS, AND KEEP THE BLUE FLAG FLYING HIGH!

[HRiver 1,512]

Well said. It irritates me how some fans think that Hiddink is god just because he turned our season around in 2009. Well, credit to him, but he had an in-form Malouda, an in-form Lampard, Drogba, Essien, Terry, Anelka... the list goes on. I bet he would also fail with the current squad we have. I'm not saying Villas Boas doesn't make mistakes - he has made a few big ones this season but to put all the blame on him is unfair.

Just be patient, numerous fans of other elite clubs would love to have Villas Boas as the manager of their club, I know many who do. It's a shame that some of our fans are treating him this way.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Total co-sign my friend.

Sir Bobby Robson is no idiot. As he did with José Mourinho, he has recognised the talent of André Villas-Boas. Their comparisons are what lets André down, everyone is holding him to a candle that is Mourinho. It's fully understandable why this is the case.

André, unlike Carlo, is thinking about all the logistics of the club. From restructuring our scouting network, so different approaches to training, to even the seclusion of those who want to leave, he is revolutionising the way the club functions. This is what will set him apart from all our previous manager, and also draw away the ghost of Mourinho. He's shunning the players that Mourinho relied on. Where Carlo, Scolari, Hiddink & Grant reverted to Mou's team.. André is re-establishing his team.

Now we rely on Juan Mata & Daniel Sturridge. Not Didier Drogba & Frank Lampard. The former duo, outshining the latter is the epitome of what André is trying to achieve. He's also showed player-power is being reduced when he shunned Anelka & Alex from the rest of the team.

[chrismada9 1,948]

Sir Bobby Robson is no idiot. As he did with José Mourinho, he has recognised the talent of André Villas-Boas. Their comparisons are what lets André down, everyone is holding him to a candle that is Mourinho. It's fully understandable why this is the case.

Absolutely!! At the end of the day, you don't enter a different country and a different league to make enemies within the club because you're failing to win games, you go there to learn about the way the game is played. Sir Bobby may not have been able to win trophies at Newcastle, but he won so many supporters with the Newcastle faithful because he got the club to high grounds, without his philosophy, they wouldn't have been able to revive their Champions League status after losing the first three group stage matches... I believe that was during the 2002-03 season!

I'm so confident of AVB that I believe he can make this philosophy work... it might not be this season, but consider it as a learning curve for him, so that when next season comes around, he will have known the mould of the team, how the bigger teams play their game, and would be able to get us winning on a regular basis... thus winning big trust from the supporters!

You don't expect to squabble about the team playing badly and then suddenly, they play fantastic the next week... teams make mistakes, managers make mistakes, things are changed through trial and error... "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Absolutely!! At the end of the day, you don't enter a different country and a different league to make enemies within the club because you're failing to win games, you go there to learn about the way the game is played. Sir Bobby may not have been able to win trophies at Newcastle, but he won so many supporters with the Newcastle faithful because he got the club to high grounds, without his philosophy, they wouldn't have been able to revive their Champions League status after losing the first three group stage matches... I believe that was during the 2002-03 season!

I'm so confident of AVB that I believe he can make this philosophy work... it might not be this season, but consider it as a learning curve for him, so that when next season comes around, he will have known the mould of the team, how the bigger teams play their game, and would be able to get us winning on a regular basis... thus winning big trust from the supporters!

Indeed. While we can criticise him sometimes, it's important we retain faith in him. If we, as fans, give up, how can we even begin to expect the players to? The first step, with any coach, is for them to get the players to believe in the philosophy! Here's what Joe Cole said today about Mourinho..

He was a big, big influence on my career. I remember the first meeting, he got the lads together and said ‘listen guys, you haven’t won anything, you have done nothing in the game, if you stick with me we are going to win this league by April'. All the lads were like ‘who is this geezer'? Then we went out to train and the training was blinding, tackles flying in and it was so intense.

He was just great to play for; you knew where you stood. Looking back I played my best football under him. I won my most trophies under him. He used to get on my back so much but I can’t thank him enough for it.

Now to me, that sounds like the players have fully believed in Mourinho. We saw that for 3 consecutive seasons, be a success. We saw the players play for the manager, not for their pockets. This is why André's shipping out certain players and bringing in the ones he wants. While also maintaining belief in some other. I'm sure Sturridge is very grateful to André right now.

Edited December 29, 2011 by RZA

[Tomo 21,681]

Put it this way.

Sack AVB = well fed "superstars" getting yet another chance.

Well fed "superstars" fucking off = Free foreign spaces for AVB to fill with players that suit his style of play.

[Melanicus 5,208]

Bravo.

[chrismada9 1,948]

I'm sure Sturridge is very grateful to André right now.

With the way he's been playing, I would have to say he's more that getting the pure benefit of it... I wouldn't be surprised that top players like Mata at the club have inspired him as well!

[Liquidator 5,176]

where's Henrique?

[Laylabelle 9,292]

Bored of the whole thing to be honest...everythings fine when we win the Manager is amazing and everything is good.....soon as results go bad...people turn against the Manager 'get him out blahh blahhh'...but that is all forgotten when we start winning.People are way to fickle!

And yes he makes mistakes but he's only human and learns from them!!! People want Youth and change yet moan when Lampard etc are benched but yet are the ones calling them to be benched.

And agree about Hiddick...it worked once doesnt mean it will again...and soon as bad results come in the moaning will start and then he'll retire and be back looking for another Manager

It wasnt gana happen all at once and agree time is needed and for once I hope he gets it!!

[BlueLion. 21,491]

A wonderful post.

Even under Hiddink we totally underachieved, we should have beaten Barca and won the UCL in my opinion.

[chrismada9 1,948]

Even under Hiddink we totally underachieved, we should have beaten Barca and won the UCL in my opinion.

So near and yet so far, that's all I'll say to that! Barcelona's only shot in that whole game was Iniesta's last minute strike, and as for us and the referee... well we should all know that well enough!

[zolayes 14,489]

Jose inherited a side on the rise ,,players hungry for success and ready to be led.

AVB got a side on the decline ,,,players sated on success and with overgrown egos ...

lets hope he is given time because really there is no other way forward.

the cull must go ahead

[Madmax 9,219]

Post more, CJ.

[GodZola 630]

Firstly it doesn't matter one iota what we all think about AVB, the most important person in his future is Roman and thankfully he has given him his full backing - maybe at last he has learned his lesson and has got his fingers burnt before, i believe he knows that AVB needs time to build his own squad as the current one has past its sell by date.

However fans/members should not be criticized for having an opinion on AVB's managerial performance at our club, for me he is spot on with his decisions off the pitch - new signings, introduction of Sturridge, not afraid to drop the superstars etc, but we also have to be honest and say that recently on the pitch he has made some mistakes that are bizarre and fans have every right to question those decisions. I concur that those calling for his head already are being very premature and really need to be more patient and give AVB the time to prove them wrong before asking for his head.

I will judge him in his 3rd season when he has had the time to build his own squad and those players have had enough time to bed in, although i do hope he learns form his own mistakes - very quickly!

[Laylabelle 9,292]

So near and yet so far, that's all I'll say to that! Barcelona's only shot in that whole game was Iniesta's last minute strike, and as for us and the referee... well we should all know that well enough!

Blehhh was right next to the Barca fans when that went in...hard where to sodding look! That and trying spot the Barca fan who been told by a steward not to celebrate if Barcalona scored..god knows how he managed not to!

I hope he is given the time he needs there is no point spending half a summer transfer window looking for a Manager...

[chrismada9 1,948]

Blehhh was right next to the Barca fans when that went in...

Ouch! That must have been a real nightmare!

[Kojo 4,676]

I don't want him to go at all, not till he buys his players in January and see how things go on from there. I've just been dissapointed because for me he's shown little signs of being world class, e.g substitutes, wrong tactics, playing the highline at wrong times, and when it would've helped to play it, against Fulham, he didn't. But then again i wouldn't want him to play it anyway. Still though despite that i want him to have time. However if he only buys a centre back in January, then i'll be very dissapointed and he should get sacked.