New Chelsea Manager

[francozola 2,040]

Yes, RDM said after the game he wanted as much energy as possible, which is why he brought in fresh legs. The majority of players that started the game, didn't start against Spurs.

Anyway the main thing that ruined AVB's plan at Napoli was his 2 holding players. Meireles and Ramires can't keep the ball for shit, and playing both together (in that position) is just asking for trouble.

Ramires and Meireles would alwayshave more energy than lampard and essien, even if they had played against spurs (ramires did). So it was indeed a decision to play energetic players since we were away from home, but it was still a purely tactical decision. IMO he's just saying it to reduce media talk about him dropping those 2.

Definitely agree about the AVB point. He was completely right to drop Essien and lampard for Napoli away IMO, but Meireles and Ramires were given wrong roles and were dreadful. Not defending him on that at all. Unfortunately mikel was injured during that period, right?

It's just that RDM is handling these things much better than AVB. But i still fully believe that lampard and Essien were dropped and not rested on Tuesday.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Ramires and Meireles would alwayshave more energy than lampard and essien, even if they had played against spurs (ramires did). So it was indeed a decision to play energetic players since we were away from home, but it was still a purely tactical decision. IMO he's just saying it to reduce media talk about him dropping those 2.

Definitely agree about the AVB point. He was completely right to drop Essien and lampard for Napoli away IMO, but Meireles and Ramires were given wrong roles and were dreadful. Not defending him on that at all. Unfortunately mikel was injured during that period, right?

It's just that RDM is handling these things much better than AVB. But i still fully believe that lampard and Essien were dropped and not rested on Tuesday.

Yeah i think Mikel was out.

Whether they were dropped or rested - Lampard started 2 games in 6 days against City and Spurs (2 very difficult games, where he had to do a lot of running around) he couldn't simply have started again imo.

Essien on the other hand, came on against City and cost us the game, and was also below par against Spurs, so you could easily say he was dropped - you could also make a case for him being rested, given his whole knee situation

[Jase 43,479]

Let's not forget that the two different approaches that AVB and RDM took against Napoli and Benfica. The former was too keen in playing attacking football that he decided to plan an open expansive game against one of the most dangerous counter-attacking sides, if not the most, in Europe and it failed miserably. It was also compounded by the fact that he did not play any DM to protect the back 4 in Naples.

On the other hand, RDM adopted a more conservative and pragmatic approach against Benfica, which you would usually see when teams play away home first. He set us up to be discipline, sit back, soak up the pressure and hit them on the counter. It clearly worked because we defended well and came away with a 1-0 win. Had AVB been in charge of this game, I doubt we would have gotten that result.

[Kezza 1,965]

I think we've found our new manager..not only the 5-1-1 success rate, but the notable changes that has happened so rapidly within the team.

RDM brings out the best in all the players it seems. Torres scores, Ferreira has a really decent game after a scarce amount of appearances, Luiz and Cech are on fire, positive change in Kalous performance, and so on!

I hope he sticks around.

[francozola 2,040]

Haha seriously? Luiz has been good for quite a few months now. At least 6-7 games before AVB was sacked.

Cech's form has nothing to do with RDM. Torres yeah agreed because AVB was unable to give him any support due to the enormous pressures he was under and he was clearly losing it with regards to man-management.

Kalou always performs this way. He's still shit. The goal doesnt change much. He has always worked hard. Doesn't mean he's suddenly a superstar

Some of you need to calm down re: RDM. He's done well but I only credit him with the man-management so far which has been good. But thn again the players are so relieved that AVB is gone and hence are happy. Napoli game had nothing to do with him. Fair play Tuesday he got pretty much everything spot on

Again, I'm not trying to say he's shit or anything. But he has not in any way proved that he's ready for this job, IMO.

[communicate 2,703]

The success of RDM's team against Benfica and the failure of AVB's team against Napoli hinged on one difference - Mikel.

AVB didn't play a genuine holding player to protect the back 4, a decision made even more ludicrous given Napoli's abundance of attacking talent and the absence of our captain.

RDM's midfield worked well because Meireles does provide energy and Mikel holds his position in front of the back 4 and is calm when in possession.

For me it's not Mikel. It's Terry, Cahill is new in europe. He played terrible game back in Naples.

The biggest change that Di matteo made was ramires on the wing which helped us defensively, and I have to give RDM all the credit for our recent success but don't forget AVB was hired to bring long-term success for us, that's why he had problems with players such as anelka,kalou,alex,etc because they are not part of his plan. On the other hand, RDM plan is for this season only.

[Superblue 6,347]

Paper talk today suggest Roman is warming to the idea of giving Robbie the job full time.

Now I believe that if the club can't convince either Guardiola or Mourinho to join, which I don't think they will, then the job really is up for grabs.

To me it depends on what the club is trying to achieve. If they want to rebuild the club quickly with minimal fuss then I think they should go for an experienced manager who has done such jobs in their career, like Van Gaal or Capello. The only problem with this route is that a manager in the twilight of their career will mean only a certain element of long term planning can be made, knowing that this manager will likely retire or need replacing within 2-3 years.

I think the appointment of AVB actually works in Robbie's favour for the full time job. The club and Roman obviously made a decision to look at a long term project with a promising young manager to hopefully rebuild the club from top to bottom in mind. In hindsight AVB had certain failings, particularly man management skills, but I think the club have warmed to the idea of such a project if they can get the right young manager - and in that regard Robbie is in the driving seat.

He comes across very well in interviews, instantly likeable, and the media reports that players didn't like him are obviously rubbish because his man management skills seem to be excellent (that or the players are excellent actors!) And to top it off his tactical decisions have been by and large very impressive, particularly in the Napoli and Benfica games. I also like the change he's made playing Mata in the centre because 4-3-3 has become too predictable for us in the last year or so. With more help in the attacking third next season, a 4-2-3-1 formation could really flourish.

The other, in my opinion, big positives are that him and Eddie are loved at this club, which certainly would buy them time to try and rebuild things with us, the fans, who as a collective unit had obviously lost faith by the end with AVB.

And the other positive is that he has been involved at the club for the last season, which will give him a good indication of who the club needs to get rid of in the summer and what the club needs to move forward. Too many summers a new manager has come in and it has given another season for players at the club who should have been shown the door 2-3 seasons ago.

[communicate 2,703]

Haha seriously? Luiz has been good for quite a few months now. At least 6-7 games before AVB was sacked.

Cech's form has nothing to do with RDM. Torres yeah agreed because AVB was unable to give him any support due to the enormous pressures he was under and he was clearly losing it with regards to man-management.

Kalou always performs this way. He's still shit. The goal doesnt change much. He has always worked hard. Doesn't mean he's suddenly a superstar

Some of you need to calm down re: RDM. He's done well but I only credit him with the man-management so far which has been good. But thn again the players are so relieved that AVB is gone and hence are happy. Napoli game had nothing to do with him. Fair play Tuesday he got pretty much everything spot on

Again, I'm not trying to say he's shit or anything. But he has not in any way proved that he's ready for this job, IMO.

Good post, I think everbody jumped into RDM badwagon too fast. He has done very well for us but like I said in previous post, RDM job is to win now and to win now you need everybody to be happy. On the other hand, We hired AVB to rebuild our squad which mean he has to make decision not only for this season but also for next season and that's why he has problem with player like kalou,anelka,alex,malouda,etc.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Chelsea offer Laurent Blanc £9m a year to take hotseat

I still think the England v France game at Euro 2012 will be the audition for Blanc. Euro 2012 will see where he is in the pecking order in our list of managerial candidates. Sure, there are better managers out there (Hiddink, rafa benitez) but each of them have their own problems (Hiddink - Anzhi - costly, Rafa - u know ). Blanc is young and could lead us in to the future but at the same time, look at AVB

I would like for us to have a new manager in place before the Euros.

[communicate 2,703]

Paper talk today suggest Roman is warming to the idea of giving Robbie the job full time.

Now I believe that if the club can't convince either Guardiola or Mourinho to join, which I don't think they will, then the job really is up for grabs.

To me it depends on what the club is trying to achieve. If they want to rebuild the club quickly with minimal fuss then I think they should go for an experienced manager who has done such jobs in their career, like Van Gaal or Capello. The only problem with this route is that a manager in the twilight of their career will mean only a certain element of long term planning can be made, knowing that this manager will likely retire or need replacing within 2-3 years.

I think the appointment of AVB actually works in Robbie's favour for the full time job. The club and Roman obviously made a decision to look at a long term project with a promising young manager to hopefully rebuild the club from top to bottom in mind. In hindsight AVB had certain failings, particularly man management skills, but I think the club have warmed to the idea of such a project if they can get the right young manager - and in that regard Robbie is in the driving seat.

He comes across very well in interviews, instantly likeable, and the media reports that players didn't like him are obviously rubbish because his man management skills seem to be excellent (that or the players are excellent actors!) And to top it off his tactical decisions have been by and large very impressive, particularly in the Napoli and Benfica games. I also like the change he's made playing Mata in the centre because 4-3-3 has become too predictable for us in the last year or so. With more help in the attacking third next season, a 4-2-3-1 formation could really flourish.

The other, in my opinion, big positives are that him and Eddie are loved at this club, which certainly would buy them time to try and rebuild things with us, the fans, who as a collective unit had obviously lost faith by the end with AVB.

And the other positive is that he has been involved at the club for the last season, which will give him a good indication of who the club needs to get rid of in the summer and what the club needs to move forward. Too many summers a new manager has come in and it has given another season for players at the club who should have been shown the door 2-3 seasons ago.

The big question is do we trust RDM to rebuild our squad ?

Because building a new squad in not about man-management, it's about choosing the right players that can help us to win not only now but also in the future.

Liverpool is a prime example. I think Kenny Daglish is a very good manager but Liverpool transfer had been disaster and to recover from such mistake is very difficult

[Kieran. 6,317]

Agreed re:Blanc, I think he's a good candidate for the job, but we need a manager before Euros. There's no way he's leaving the French position after all the hard work preparing for it.

[Krypt 241]

The big question is do we trust RDM to rebuild our squad ?

Because building a new squad in not about man-management, it's about choosing the right players that can help us to win not only now but also in the future.

Liverpool is a prime example. I think Kenny Daglish is a very good manager but Liverpool transfer had been disaster and to recover from such mistake is very difficult

The other question is will Roman let anyone rebuild the squad ? or will we just do what we have done in the past and just try and get the top obvious targets before we even have a perm manager?

[Superblue 6,347]

The big question is do we trust RDM to rebuild our squad ?

Because building a new squad in not about man-management, it's about choosing the right players that can help us to win not only now but also in the future.

Liverpool is a prime example. I think Kenny Daglish is a very good manager but Liverpool transfer had been disaster and to recover from such mistake is very difficult

I don't think we operate in that way. It is not the manager's full decision in buying players. I believe he has a say in regards to we need a left winger or a right back and is part of the decision making process but there are others involved.

Taking into consideration the general success or long term planning with a number of our recent signings, it gives me optimism that whoever is new manager, the club will buy well this summer.

The manager is likely to have more say on who isn't regarded good enough at the club anymore and Robbie would be better placed than most to do this because he's worked with everyone for the last 12 months.

[communicate 2,703]

The other question is will Roman let anyone rebuild the squad ? or will we just do what we have done in the past and just try and get the top obvious targets before we even have a perm manager?

I don't think we operate in that way. It is not the manager's full decision in buying players. I believe he has a say in regards to we need a left winger or a right back and is part of the decision making process but there are others involved.

Taking into consideration the general success or long term planning with a number of our recent signings, it gives me optimism that whoever is new manager, the club will buy well this summer.

The manager is likely to have more say on who isn't regarded good enough at the club anymore and Robbie would be better placed than most to do this because he's worked with everyone for the last 12 months.

It's true that our manager does not have the full control but he still has big say in term of player that he want.

- Mourinho brought Carvalho,Ferreira,Drogba, etc to our squad. I believe Mourinho wanted them

- Scolari brought deco

- AVB brought mata, romeu and I think he wanted perreira but we could not get him

This summer is a very important summer for us and like I said before do we trust RDM to choose the right players ?

[communicate 2,703]

The other question is will Roman let anyone rebuild the squad ? or will we just do what we have done in the past and just try and get the top obvious targets before we even have a perm manager?

If I am not wrong, the only signing that was made by roman was sheva.

I read somewhere that Ancelotti wanted Torres. Again, I am not sure about this.

[Superblue 6,347]

It's true that our manager does not have the full control but he still has big say in term of player that he want. - Mourinho brought Carvalho,Ferreira,Drogba, etc to our squad. I believe Mourinho wanted them - Scolari brought deco - AVB brought mata, romeu and I think he wanted perreira but we could not get him This summer is a very important summer for us and like I said before do we trust RDM to choose the right players ?

I think Mourinho got the exact players he wanted, and I think one of the reasons he left was because he began to have less say on transfers. Even AVB basically admitted Cahill and De Bruyne were more the choice of the club and not him. I am optimistic the right players will be brought in the summer.

Where Dalglish has fallen down is his stubborness to buy British players, he's paid through the nose for players who are barely squad players within our national team. He could have signed better quality than Adam, Carroll, Downing and Henderson for a third of the outlay and everybody recognises that.

And as a footnote, Robbie brought Odemwingie for West Brom for about £1m so his eye for a player I don't think can be that bad.

[Superblue 6,347]

If I am not wrong, the only signing that was made by roman was sheva. I read somewhere that Ancelotti wanted Torres. Again, I am not sure about this.

I believe Carlo was open to having Torres but didn't want him in January, he wanted to wait until the summer but Roman didn't. Carlo has openly admitted if he stayed at Chelsea he would have sold Drogba and put full confidence in Torres. Half way through a season however it just disrupted the team.

As I said above, AVB openly admitted the Cahill and De Bruyne signings were not down to him, and was a 'collective decision' of the board and management (a diplomatic way of saying they were made by the powers above!)

And we started lodging bids for Modric and were strongly linked with Mata before AVB joined. I'm not saying the manager has no say on transfers, but I think they are only a part of the decision making process. Similar to clubs on the continent, the manager is there to coach - identifies areas of the squad which require strengthening and the board goes out and gets players to fit the requirements. Chelsea operate in a similar fashion.

[Krypt 241]

I believe Carlo was open to having Torres but didn't want him in January, he wanted to wait until the summer but Roman didn't. Carlo has openly admitted if he stayed at Chelsea he would have sold Drogba and put full confidence in Torres. Half way through a season however it just disrupted the team.

As I said above, AVB openly admitted the Cahill and De Bruyne signings were not down to him, and was a 'collective decision' of the board and management (a diplomatic way of saying they were made by the powers above!)

And we started lodging bids for Modric and were strongly linked with Mata before AVB joined. I'm not saying the manager has no say on transfers, but I think they are only a part of the decision making process. Similar to clubs on the continent, the manager is there to coach - identifies areas of the squad which require strengthening and the board goes out and gets players to fit the requirements. Chelsea operate in a similar fashion.

Which evidently does not seem to be working well and needs to be assessed with our new manager.