Would missing out on the top four be the worst thing in the world?

[The only place to be 11,313]

First response

Yes the CL has been the be all and end all of our Chelsea lives for the last 15 or so years. Yes it gave us the best night of most of our Chelsea lives in May of last year, and many others besides. But would missing out on the top four this year actually be the death knell that we have been conditioned to think it would be? Might I suggest that our relentless assault on 'big ears' has actually been to our detriment in some ways, that our method for acquiring success over Roman's reign has given little thought to what happens the moment the Champions League anthem stops playing and that we've been trying to do repairs on the run rather than having a long-term plan for sustainable success?

Bear in mind we were 6th in the league last year. We sing Champions of Europe but were we the best team in Europe? Were we the best team in London? Again, some of these things are considered off-limits by some people but were Liverpool the best team in Europe in 2005 or were they just a lucky 'cup team' with a witless buffoon in charge?

Now the first thing most people will say is 'the money, the money!!' and that's a fair point. I'm sure it's factored into our long-term financial planning but next year does see the Premier League tv money increase a fairly ridiculous amount and we do have a billionaire owner so one would expect us to keep the lights on. What may change are out transfer prospects, which brings me to my first major plus point.

No Falcao.

I think it would be safe to say that signing £50 million strikers would be off the table but doesn't that just remind us of some of the absurdly irresponsible things we did in pursuit of success? Yes he won us a corner in the final but really? Falcao is a luxury at best and another millstone around our necks at worst. He's a fantastic player but we have a young player in Lukaku who might be the real deal if given a chance, which brings me nicely to my next point.

The youth might finally get a shot.

Make no mistake, Chelsea operates in a cauldron where players have no room to learn and must be capable of winning a Champions League medal straight away. Without the CL we might finally look at the young players we're bringing through either in the academy or our scouting network and give them a shot. We might actually try and build a team rather than keep the one we built in 2005 together with gaffa tape and expensive ornaments. Talking about that night in May brings me to my next point, and regards our opposition that night....

In 2007 Bayern finished 4th in their league and missed out on the CL.

Missing out on one year doesn't mean you're out for life. Bayern turned a negative into a positive and re-examined what it was they were trying to do as a team. They had some of the same problems as us in regards ageing players and they went on to win the league the following year, and well I'm sure we're all aware of where they are now. Similarly Juventus were relegated after their scandal yet they have come back as strong as ever, in a new stadium no less.

Now I'm sure I've missed lots of points and I'm sure they'll be pointed out to me, but it is a Sunday morning and I didn't want this to be too long for all our sakes. I just wanted to ask a question that might become pertinent in time.

[Ollie 4,400]

Qualifying for the UCL is massive, no matter how anyone tries to say otherwise and if we don't qualify this year, we're in trouble. It's not about the money or the players we can buy, it's about the club, the fans and the players we already have. The Hazard's and Mata's, Luiz's, Oscar's of this world will get restless and might start making noises that they want to leave and that's the last thing we want because our future currently looks amazing if we can get the last couple of pieces in the jigsaw and qualify for the UCL for next season. We want to get better and bigger as a club and progress. Failing to qualify for Europe's elite competition will send us backwards. That's not good for our future, our fan base or our worldwide brand.

And what about us, the fans? The loyal fans who spend lots of money and time on this club to be the best. The fans love to have bragging rights, we want to be proud of our team and to be able to gloat and brag about what we've done and not have the piss taken out of us by yids n arse fans saying how much money we've spent in the last 10 years compared to them, yet they're in the Champions League and we're in the Europa fucking League. We can't have that. If we come 5th, i'll be gutted.

And also there are more games in a UEL campaign than a UCL campaign i think, no? It's better to come 6th if we're not gonna come 4th. If we don't make top 4, we need to just hope that our players stick with us. If this exciting Chelsea future never happens and never gets to the level it should, i'll be so devastated.

Oh and also we can all forget about Mr. Mourinho coming back if we fall outside the top 4. There is absolutely nothing good whatsoever in not qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

[bushman 2,043]

There are many reasons to support Chelsea to finish in top four PL places.

Perhaps, the main reason should be considered is the FFP regulations lurking by.

Chelsea is not & have not been a club that may miss the most prestigious club competition.

By missing CL is going backward & certainly that´s not desired, at least not by me.

All other competitions are secondary in my view.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Qualifying for the UCL is massive, no matter how anyone tries to say otherwise and if we don't qualify this year, we're in trouble. It's not about the money or the players we can buy, it's about the club, the fans and the players we already have. The Hazard's and Mata's, Luiz's, Oscar's of this world will get restless and might start making noises that they want to leave and that's the last thing we want because our future currently looks amazing if we can get the last couple of pieces in the jigsaw and qualify for the UCL for next season. We want to get better and bigger as a club and progress. Failing to qualify for Europe's elite competition will send us backwards. That's not good for our future, our fan base or our worldwide brand.

I think that's unlikely. They have contracts and one season out of the CL wouldn't see a massive rush for the door in my opinion.

And what about us, the fans? The loyal fans who spend lots of money and time on this club to be the best. The fans love to have bragging rights, we want to be proud of our team and to be able to gloat and brag about what we've done and not have the piss taken out of us by yids n arse fans saying how much money we've spent in the last 10 years compared to them, yet they're in the Champions League and we're in the Europa fucking League. We can't have that. If we come 5th, i'll be gutted.

Will you throw your season ticket renewal in the bin? I'm not going to say our fans have become spoilt little brats but you do realise that Spurs and Arsenal both finished above us last year don't you? Again, this doesn't diminish us as a club - I don't go to Chelsea matches so I can brag on Facebook that my team is better than someone else's. I do it because that's what I've always done. I love the club because it's part of me and looking at our long-term future I'm not sure that a big of a wake-up call is the worst thing for us.

And also there are more games in a UEL campaign than a UCL campaign i think, no? It's better to come 6th if we're not gonna come 4th. If we don't make top 4, we need to just hope that our players stick with us. If this exciting Chelsea future never happens and never gets to the level it should, i'll be so devastated.

Do you honestly think Lukaku is going to leave if we finish 5th? Chalobah? De Bruyne? Mata? Azpi? Courtois? The Europa League campaign might actually give us a chance to properly blood the youngsters too.

Oh and also we can all forget about Mr. Mourinho coming back if we fall outside the top 4. There is absolutely nothing good whatsoever in not qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

This is Mr Mourinho who loves us, Mr Mourinho who adores us and who would be coming home to his beloved Chelsea?

You're saying that his love for us extends is contingent upon us being in the CL? See this is the bizarre schizophrenia that has engulfed this club in so many ways. We don't want to be the best we can be for a decade if that means us having a bit of short-term pain. We don't want to have to suffer our friends laughing at us for the short-term even if it could be positive in the long-term.

Bayern showed that adversity can in fact lead to a new way of doing things, a better way. We haven't done things the right way for too long and people will be happy to keep on making the same mistakes so long as they get to hear the Champions League music in September.

Fuck it....let's just limp over the line, blame everything on Benitez and sign Falcao. We have to do whatever it takes to make sure some kid in Bolivia wants to buy a knock-off Chelsea t-shirt.

[edetarod 2,155]

what people think will happen if we miss out on CL: Bayern

what will really happen: Liverpool

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Mourinho.

[The only place to be 11,313]

what people think will happen if we miss out on CL: Bayern

what will really happen: Liverpool

If you ignore the reality of our situation then you might have a point.

Mourinho.

So we pretend he loves the club whilst also saying he wouldn't join us if we weren't in the CL?

This club is bigger than one man. It's bigger than one competition. People need to have a bit more faith in the club they profess to support.

[Ollie 4,400]

There's no point going backwards just to go forwards when we can qualify for the UCL this season and go forwards straight away earlier. I know Tottenham and Arsenal fans personally and i don't want to listen to their shit. I as a fan want what's best for me too and after being the first Champions League winners to be eliminated in the group phase, to then not qualify would be bad for the club. We'll then get another manager to sack after a year who nobody really knows or is sure about.

I understand all of the points, i really do but with the players we have and the money we have spent since 2003, we should never be coming 5th or lower.

Yes we'd like to recover like Bayern did but there's no guarantee of that.

[MAF 162]

The problem is our squad is too thin to compete in all competitions. If we make top 4 our A squad should only play PL and Cl matches imo. Our second team would get enough matches to allow youth to develop and wed have a genuine chance at the title and the CL, provided we get some quality players in the double pivot and defence, and KDB and Lukaku return...

I know FA cup is important but if anything this season has shown, its that beeing too greedy always backfires.

Specifically the game vs United in the Legue cup comes to mind... We fielded our A squad against Uniteds b squad, it went into overtime and from then on fatigue started to creep into the squad.

[The only place to be 11,313]

If we didn't qualify for the CL, I think we retain our current squad almost entirely.

I think it forces us to prune some of the dead wood in the current squad.

I think it forces us to use the players we already have rather than simply buy expensive ornaments. That in turn might lead to us building a team, something we haven't done for almost 3 years now.

I think Mourinho actually loves this club enough to want to build something even if we aren't in the CL in his first season.

I think we can mount a serious title challenge under these conditions.

[Mundaka 243]

No Falcao.

I think it would be safe to say that signing £50 million strikers would be off the table but doesn't that just remind us of some of the absurdly irresponsible things we did in pursuit of success? Yes he won us a corner in the final but really? Falcao is a luxury at best and another millstone around our necks at worst. He's a fantastic player but we have a young player in Lukaku who might be the real deal if given a chance, which brings me nicely to my next point.

The youth might finally get a shot.

Make no mistake, Chelsea operates in a cauldron where players have no room to learn and must be capable of winning a Champions League medal straight away. Without the CL we might finally look at the young players we're bringing through either in the academy or our scouting network and give them a shot. We might actually try and build a team rather than keep the one we built in 2005 together with gaffa tape and expensive ornaments. Talking about that night in May brings me to my next point, and regards our opposition that night....

Yeh that would probably be the only positive thing about not finishing in top 4, more chance for our players on loan/youth due to less big signings.

And perhaps more time to train and work on our positionplay and what not what most of our players could really use..

But with a proper board/manager that shouldn't even make a difference tho.

[YouNameIt 1,511]

Yes it is, and how can anyone think otherwise? Look at our manager issue. Do you honestly think we can appoint someone like Jose again without finishing top 4? Do you think any manager, that we could have long-term, would step in at that time? No. They would remain where they are, or take another job, and wait for us to qualify for CL.

Not only is it that, but we as a club simply dont play in the same league as clubs like Liverpool. We are better. It would be absolutley embarassing to not finish in the top 4.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Yes it is, and how can anyone think otherwise? Look at our manager issue. Do you honestly think we can appoint someone like Jose again without finishing top 4?

Doesn't he love this club? Love means never having to say I'm Sorry.....But We're Not In The Champions League This Season.

Doesn't it?

Do you think any manager, that we could have long-term, would step in at that time? No. They would remain where they are, or take another job, and wait for us to qualify for CL.

Chelsea is a big club. We pay lots of money.

Not only is it that, but we as a club simply dont play in the same league as clubs like Liverpool. We are better. It would be absolutley embarassing to not finish in the top 4.

I agree. It would be bad, but getting up from a knockdown is what winners do.

[yuvala 2,167]

We need it mostly so we can sign a good manager and good players ..

Also it really matters to the new players - Hazard, Oscar and the rest of the players.

top 4 is a must

[Melanicus 5,208]

Yes.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Yes. [2]

[Ollie 4,400]

If we do fail to make top 4, and tbh it is getting increasingly likely, then we must focus purely on the league next season. Play the kids in the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. Forget them cups for a season entirely. Focus purely and solely on a title challenge and make 10000% sure that we make the top 4 next season. We may be ok for one season but we can't make a habit of it.

[remains of the day 564]

Ollie pretty much took the words out of my mouth. I can understand the argument that losing out champions league football isn't the be all and end all, and to a certain extent I agree that it shouldn't but if we think that doing so will force some kind of organizational culture change in the club.....then we're kidding ourselves. My fear with not qualifying for CL is not so much the risk of not being able to keep our top players or bring in new ones, my fear is that the board, Abramovich & co will become even more desperate to ensure that we don't fail to qualify again. That desperation alone worries me. To me, a desperate Chelsea hierarchy translates to more panic decision making and more managerial turnovers.

Yes ideally we would use our 'hiatus' from the champions league to reform our practices, integrate our youth, allow the manager time to embed his philosophy and come back the next season a better and stronger force.....but we all know that's not gonna happen.