Roman Abramovich Thread

[zolayes 14,489]

And yet they're primed to win the league this season, look well positioned in Europe and have a great idea of who they want to take over next summer. Plus they have a fantastic infrastructure in place, a great academy and a growing stadium and fan base.

You quite within your rights to talk about short term thinking but I can honestly say I wouldn't follow such thinking in either my personal or professional life. Short-term aims are key, but you have to have long-term aims as well as measurable goals along the way.

They know exactly what they want to achieve this season and they went about doing it ruthlessly in the summer whilst we bodged every deal. You can dismiss them all you wish but let's see if you can do that next May.

agree there is so much to admire in the way they deal with the community and their academy . There is I think fundamental differences between their aims and ours .

Roman is a football fan (atic) , he wants successful and exciting football . City are part of a giant PR exercise , image is important . Trophies are less important .

I have no envy towards City fans they have suffered for years . Good luck to them . I do hope more English clubs look at what City are doing for the community and within

their limited budgets follow the lead.

[Ossie the King 634]

Jose Mourinho grew hugely frustrated with the transfer structure at the club, and felt it was impossible to succeed at #Chelsea. [ESPN]

That's believable. This summer he was let down badly by the board, and simply wasn't backed. The club showed no ambition to regain the league, had no ambition to progress in Europe and were inept along the way.

But we're a 'big club' apparently.

Roman just needs to write big cheques and he needs to employ a director of football or a technical director who will tell him to butt out....but instead he has Michael Emenalo and his old secretary advising him. The dream team indeed.

Man City instead have hired the guys who helped build the Barcelona dynasty. Qualified men, not a women's coach and tea maker.

[Muzchap 8,966]

And yet they're primed to win the league this season, look well positioned in Europe and have a great idea of who they want to take over next summer. Plus they have a fantastic infrastructure in place, a great academy and a growing stadium and fan base.

You quite within your rights to talk about short term thinking but I can honestly say I wouldn't follow such thinking in either my personal or professional life. Short-term aims are key, but you have to have long-term aims as well as measurable goals along the way.

They know exactly what they want to achieve this season and they went about doing it ruthlessly in the summer whilst we bodged every deal. You can dismiss them all you wish but let's see if you can do that next May.

Hmmm they are currently trailing to a squad that cost less than their toilet block

I do get what you are saying, I agree, they have put a fantastic infrastructure together, the problem is, there is no guaranteed recipe for success, that's what makes football so appealing. You can literally have everything and still lose out to an underdog.

But yes, broad strokes - their philosophy is years ahead of ours, we've had more u-turns than the Labour & Conservative governments combined.

The problem is, I think Roman likes to get involved, whereas Mansoor is slightly more passive.

I get the critiscm of Emenalo, but who should we get to replace him as Director of Football?

I feel at least with the new stadium plans we are moving in the right direction, pending CPO approval, our Academy is pretty decent, so we have all of the ingredients, just missing (some may argue the most important element) that definition of footballing ethos.

Our random approach has worked to a certain extent and I think it could possibly work for the future, but I'm happy to be swayed.

The smart money is on Pep to City, but football is full of twists and turns, so don't be surprised if he doesn't end up there.

I think it's always easier to look at other clubs and think they are doing it better, but then they are looking over here at our trophy cabinet thinking fucking hell, why don't we go a bit crazy like Chelsea... Almost akin to the grass is always greener idiom.

I used to plan everything, but sometimes it's impossible to plan for every eventuality and who was it who said, life is what happens whilst you're busy making plans...

Let's just hope come Kick Off we put on a fight and deliver a much needed victory.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Michael Emenalo is Roman Abramovich's go-to guy... the Chelsea technical director is one of the Russian owner's closest allies who appeared to seal Jose Mourinho's fate

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3366251/Michael-Emenalo-Roman-Abramovich-s-guy-Chelsea-technical-director-one-Russian-owner-s-closest-allies-appeared-seal-Jose-Mourinho-s-fate.html

[El P. 1,354]

Brotha from anotha motha. It all makes sense now.

[Ossie the King 634]

Hmmm they are currently trailing to a squad that cost less than their toilet block

I do get what you are saying, I agree, they have put a fantastic infrastructure together, the problem is, there is no guaranteed recipe for success, that's what makes football so appealing. You can literally have everything and still lose out to an underdog.

But yes, broad strokes - their philosophy is years ahead of ours, we've had more u-turns than the Labour & Conservative governments combined.

The problem is, I think Roman likes to get involved, whereas Mansoor is slightly more passive.

Agree totally. Mansoor wanted success but knew he had to hire the right people. They got the blokes who were the architects of Barcelona's dynasty.

Roman has hired people like Avram Grant and Michael Emenalo. The amazing thing is that Emenalo knew he couldn't work with Jose and offered his resignation, which was declined. Maybe Roman is too soft when it comes to his friends, much like he was with allowing Cech to go to Arsenal.

I get the critiscm of Emenalo, but who should we get to replace him as Director of Football?

Someone with a proven track record? Someone who is respected throughout the game for his football knowledge?

I feel at least with the new stadium plans we are moving in the right direction, pending CPO approval, our Academy is pretty decent, so we have all of the ingredients, just missing (some may argue the most important element) that definition of footballing ethos.

Let's take the stadium as a perfect analogy. When we were looking to rebuild, we went to the best architects in the world didn't we? That's what City did with their football plans, whereas we went with Roman's mates from down the pub who had a set of colouring pencils and a clapped out easel.

Also the CPO is probably not something you want to think about right now. They tend to be the types of fans who are most pissed off and whom some on here are happy to deride for booing on Saturday.

Our random approach has worked to a certain extent and I think it could possibly work for the future, but I'm happy to be swayed.

The smart money is on Pep to City, but football is full of twists and turns, so don't be surprised if he doesn't end up there.

I think it's always easier to look at other clubs and think they are doing it better, but then they are looking over here at our trophy cabinet thinking fucking hell, why don't we go a bit crazy like Chelsea... Almost akin to the grass is always greener idiom.

I used to plan everything, but sometimes it's impossible to plan for every eventuality and who was it who said, life is what happens whilst you're busy making plans...

Let's just hope come Kick Off we put on a fight and deliver a much needed victory.

If you throw enough money at something and get a bit of luck then you can always fall into success, but top clubs should have a bigger plan that that. Everyone in the club should be working towards the same long-term goal with measurable short-term aims along the way.

We won the title in May and everyone seemed to down tools. That's why we're where we are now and instead of taking a step back and examining the whole structure, we're trying to paper over the cracks.

Through our inept actions this summer, we strengthened Arsenal with a top-class goalkeeper, we've given United the chance to hire a manager who will make them title contenders and we've proven to Pep that we're simply not a well-run enough club for him to join.

[Parky 739]

"Michael I can't bear to watch our crap football. Where is the beautiful attacking football I wanted?"

[El P. 1,354]

Sacking Mourinho could prove to be a good thing, even to some hardcore Mou admirers who didn't want him gone. To me too, as I was skeptical about his sacking. What's done is done, no need to analyze rights or wrongs anymore. Future is coming.

Appointing Hiddink as interim is IMO great first step. Giving him freedom and instructions to make changes, play some youth and neglected players as rumored. Maybe even giving some money to buy in January. He'll make things a lot easier to a new manager when he's gone.

We will see what second step will bring us or in other words, what will happen in summer.

It was really heartbreaking last couple of weeks, but things could stabilize now. So far so good.

[GodZola 630]

Or he's won trophies IN SPITE of changing managers many times?

Maybe Roman just has the level of success you'd expect of anyone spending the amount of money he did regardless of their footballing acumen.

After 13 seasons he's got a club who have no idea what they want to be on the pitch and he's surrounded himself with yes-men who will keep it that way whilst alienating the hardcore support on two separate occasions.

And in Manchester you have another team in blue who know exactly what they want to be, exactly who they want in charge, have two great footballing people actually running the club and an owner who spent THREE TIMES AS MUCH AS US NET in the summer.

We're a husk of a club at the moment.

Roman hasn't done halved bad though has he? 15 trophies in 12 seasons - the most successful club in England during that period tells you he must be doing something right! This in an era when ole bacon face was around for a decade, City won't have a manager of that calibre to deal with....

Think you're forgetting the club decided to go down a different route financially a few seasons back with the abject FFP frightening the shit out of the hierachy, hence the reason why we have so many players on loan to eventually sell to make a profit, I also think the success we enjoyed last season whilst making a profit in the transfer market (the first team in 10 seasons to do so) goes very much under the radar, Jose & the club should get more credit for that achievement.

However having said all that I concur with most of the message you are trying to get across, before you returned I've quoted a few members outlining where it started to go wrong this season - not kin Evagate but the lack of ambition the board showed in investing in the squad! Jose gave them a list in kin April, yes kin April & they ignored him, he then made it clear that if anybody wanted Cech he would take one of theirs to weaken their squad, he was pointing the finger at Oxlade-Chamberlain I do believe. So in the space of less than couple of months the board undermined him & left him with scraps that incidently some of the gutbucket players threw at him after feasting all summer!

City have got one thing over us & that I very much agree with you in that they have knowledgeable experienced people in their set up.

My friends & I have been discussing this experienced football link for a while, it was patently obvious the squad needed investment, someone with half of a football brain in a position of TD would be explaining this to Roman & I'm pretty sure Cech would not of gone to a rival either!

Yes the club have been very successful in the Roman era but my biggest worry now is that a whole generation of talented young players (arguably the best in Europe) could be lost if we don't appoint someone as manager that puts his faith in those young players, think this is partly why it is imperative that someone with bollocks who can tell Roman how it is who can also be that link & shoulder for the manager & provide a platform for our youth to make that next step.

[El P. 1,354]

Bunch of comedians is what we have!

[Ossie the King 634]

This whole period of trouble has made me realise just how distant Roman actually is. He's insulated from any scrutiny or questioning by his cadre of confidantes, a group who have increasingly looked inept and out of their depth.

As fans, we have no lines of dialogue with the man,no way of holding him to account or even expressing our displeasure beyond what we chant at matches. We're absolutely beholden to a dictatorial owner. Don't know if this is a question or a topic starter, just an expression of my fear and sense of utter ineffectiveness as a supporter of this club.

I think there's a good chance we get relegated and I'm starting to think that might be the only thing that forces him to change his ways.

We're a joke of a club right now.

[Vybz Kartel 1,613]

He really fucked it up this season didn't he??

[MrExcalibur100 7,124]

He also almost fucked up that 1st Chelsea team as well with the irrational and irresponsible sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.

Carlo gave him the entertaining Chelsea he wanted. He made us well liked. Instead of simply just backing the man in the window to breath life to an ageing squad.

He should thank god Didier , Petr and the other lads saved his ass and won him the Champions league.

The decision making process at this club is so elementary and backwards. It's sad, really. And what makes it sad is that it be so much better.

But, hey, it's not my money. Though it's my fucking club, and that's what pisses me right off!

I love the guy, but seriously, something has to change at boardroom level. Those who voted for Mourinho to come back and manage this "new Chelsea" , all of them need to be fired, and I mean that. Including that Russian woman he got from god knows fuck where.

[Ossie the King 634]

On 12/28/2015 at 7:50 PM, MrExcalibur100 said:

 

I love the guy, but seriously, something has to change at boardroom level. Those who voted for Mourinho to come back and manage this "new Chelsea" , all of them need to be fired, and I mean that. Including that Russian woman he got from god knows fuck where.

I very much agree and I do wonder what's actually going on at the club now. Football economics are by no means simple but both United and City have spent more money (NET) in just one season (City last summer and United the summer before) than we've spent over the last three seasons put together. This last summer we spent just £8 million (NET) more than Crystal Palace did.

I honestly don't know what to think of the guy anymore. Yes there's the great work with the new stadium and maybe he's been distracted but there's still a sour taste from when he tried to rig the CPO vote last time. I don't know if I trust the man or his vision going forward.

[MefiX19 1,092]

39 minutes ago, Ossie the King said:

I very much agree and I do wonder what's actually going on at the club now. Football economics are by no means simple but both United and City have spent more money (NET) in just one season (City last summer and United the summer before) than we've spent over the last three seasons put together. This last summer we spent just £8 million (NET) more than Crystal Palace did.

I honestly don't know what to think of the guy anymore. Yes there's the great work with the new stadium and maybe he's been distracted but there's still a sour taste from when he tried to rig the CPO vote last time. I don't know if I trust the man or his vision going forward.

We spend 8 mill less that CP because we sold allot, but we spend like 450 millions in 5 years time, only city spend more. We get money from loans and tons of players sold, thats why we have good +--/. Comparing net and money spend is bad idea, because some clubs spens alot (MU, City) but doesn't sell.

Roman got his vision which is Chelsea playing some attacking football, and youth comming through. He destroyed everything when he hired Mourinho, he did because he failed with Pep who is his manager. Roman always wanted Chelsea to play some attacking football, club brought sooooooo many youn, attacking player wich few of them are Lukaku, KDB, Hazard, Oscar, Bertrand and so on.But when he hired Mou he destroyed every Roman dream, we just payed for title with our future.

I hope that our new manager gonna be Pep, he always plays some crazy looking football, plays tons of youth, and is every football player dream to play for him. Just look at Douglas Costa who went to Bayern only to play for Pep.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

[ChelseaFanUK 1,014]

Pep says he has several offers from England and no decision has been made. Us utd and City itll be.

[Fernando 6,453]

United, he will go to United if they want him. Which more then likely it will be with van Gaal leaving at the end of the season or so.