Who to blame for the worst season in the Roman era ?

[1chelsea 864]

Roman, are you sure you talking about the owne

yeah have idea of what is going on with board but could not give better action but sack n sack

[bushman 2,043]

yeah have idea of what is going on with board but could not give better action but sack n sack

Well, most of us do not like to see managers being sacked but no results = no job, that´s the way she wrote at Chelsea.

[The only place to be 11,313]

A re-hash of the board should be as important as buying the right players in the summer. The decision making at times beggars belief when players like Lukaku are sent out on loan when our striker line up is as bare as Kim Kardashian's muff.

But didn't Lukaku need that loan? Weren't people calling him a flop last summer?

[Weckerz 3,781]

Talkchelsea, home of knee-jerk reactions.. If we'd won yesterday, which we could have, this thread wouldn't exist and you'd all be saying that this team is actually doing well in a transitional season.

Besides, no team would win the Prem with our midfield. It's so bad it's laughable. Spend your money on that department coming summer, Roman, instead of splashing silly cash on a striker we don't need.

[Special Juan 28,141]

But didn't Lukaku need that loan? Weren't people calling him a flop last summer?

Now whilst a loan was good for him, was it good for us just having a season start with Sturridge and Torres? Knowing we had a shed load of games this season. This club has been massively fortunate that Torres has not had a bad injury, if he had we would of seen how bad the choice to have only to forwards really was.

I can't speak for other people but I wanted Lukaku here, not on loan.....here playing for Chelsea.

But that would of meant giving a young lad a go wouldn't it? Don't want that now do we.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Now whilst a loan was good for him, was it good for us just having a season start with Sturridge and Torres? Knowing we had a shed load of games this season. This club has been massively fortunate that Torres has not had a bad injury, if he had we would of seen how bad the choice to have only to forwards really was.

I can't speak for other people but I wanted Lukaku here, not on loan.....here playing for Chelsea.

But that would of meant giving a young lad a go wouldn't it? Don't want that now do we.

But these are problems years in the making. Torres cost us around £100 million in total, so he needed every chance to prove himself before we wrote him off. This meant Lukaku wouldn't have got that many games, so he went on loan and now we have one of the hottest young strikers in European football ready to come into the squad next season (fingers crossed).

It's just another of the results of a lack of long-term planning. Now there seems to be some direction in the club in terms of recruiting and developing young players which simply wasn't there (and if it was, it wasn't good enough) even 12 months ago. Look at the Josh situation - he could've been loaned out at the start of the season and tried to win a place in a team, but AVB kept him around because he said he'd use him and by the time he went to Swansea their team was settled.

Now we have 23-24 players out on loan and some will come back next season, whilst others will spend another season on loan probably joined by the likes of Lewis Baker, Nathan Ake and possibly Islam Feruz.

We talk about this conveyor belt of talent, but we've had to repurpose the machine that is Chelsea Football Club in a very short period of time and that's obviously going to be uncomfortable and have a number of mishaps along the way. But I'd rather a short, sharp pain than a long drawn out death (hello Liverpool).

[Jase 43,479]

Can't disagree with Azpi here. It's been a problem everytime we reached the penultimate games in the cup competitions this season and we have bottled it every single time. Feels as if we're like Arsenal right now...

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-chelsea-fc/2013/04/15/chelsea-defender-admits-worry-over-big-game-bottling-82029-33176502/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

CHELSEA'S poor run of form in top games is out of character, and needs to be addressed, says Cesar Azpilicueta.

The Blues' season has been characterised by a series of top games in which the team has seemed to choke: the FA Community Shield, the Uefa Super Cup, the World Club Cup final, the League Cup semi-final.

Against Manchester City on Sunday at Wembley, a similar pattern emerged, with Chelsea failing to turn up for much of the first hour of their FA Cup semi-final, and going out despite a valiant late flourish.

Azpilicueta says it is a concern, and that the club needs to look at what has happened once the season ends

“Yes - it is not normal for Chelsea,” he said. “But it is the reality now that we really need to refocus on the future. We have the semi-final of the Europa League that we can win at the moment, and the fight for a Champions League place.

“After, at the end of the season, we will look to the balance of the season. But now is one month of competition, and we will be focused.”

Asked if losing so many big games was a worry, the Spanish full-back said: “It is a little bit, because I think that in the first minutes we didn't play our game: because we were defending, we didn't create chances, we shoot one time in the first half.

“It is true that we need to play different. But they [City] are a strong team and they started really well. We did our best, but it is true that in the second half we did better.”

[Special Juan 28,141]

Watching the last twenty minutes yesterday makes you say to yourself "Why did we not start like this"

Much the better side for the second half, players with quick movement, some nice interchange of play and slow and sloppy start set the tone.

Still fuming.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Anyone else fucking noticed it all happened when Oscar was moved centrally?

[Tomo 21,751]

Who remembers our last game away at Everton in 2011?

We finished 2nd but on 71 points, most season's that will get us 4th at best, (and also factor in the title rebound games at the start which boosted our points and gd no end) we had an ageing team. Anelka and Malouda were both horrifically past it yet still dominating our wings. Essien was not as good, Lampard dipped in form as well. The football we were playing was so static, lethargic and devoid off anything good. The Liverpool home match especially almost had me in tears.

Compared to that, this season has been a dream, remember how we were on here pretty much begging Carlo/Roman to get some width and creativity? well now we have Mata, Hazard and Oscar. Lets not forget just how badly we needed players like that and now we have got them.

We have had to bite the bullet in terms of trophies this season but our future is as good as any one's in England if we get the balance in the team right this summer. Compare that to two years ago when we only looked like heading in one direction and that was down.

[ZOS 580]

Watching the last twenty minutes yesterday makes you say to yourself "Why did we not start like this"

Much the better side for the second half, players with quick movement, some nice interchange of play and slow and sloppy start set the tone.

Still fuming.

why? well that's because we're reactive, we've been for couple of seasons now... we never take the initiative to attack and press big oppositions thanks to our rubbish midfield

[bushman 2,043]

But didn't Lukaku need that loan? Weren't people calling him a flop last summer?

Lukaku could have returned home in January, easily.

[Bosnian Blue 2,471]

Talkchelsea, home of knee-jerk reactions.. If we'd won yesterday, which we could have, this thread wouldn't exist and you'd all be saying that this team is actually doing well in a transitional season.

Besides, no team would win the Prem with our midfield. It's so bad it's laughable. Spend your money on that department coming summer, Roman, instead of splashing silly cash on a striker we don't need.

No, you're wrong. 5 pages prove it, otherwise nobody would be posting. Even the players themselves know something is wrong.

To my mind, this team is a lot better than this season suggests. Ergo, they're underperforming. There is actually an incredible difference between some performances that came from the same group of players, even in just one game like yesterday. Last year we had a squad who was definitely worse than both Arsenal and Tottenham, aswell as Newcastle. We finished 25 points behind the winner. Now we've spent almost 100 million pounds on players and I challenge somebody here to say we don't have a better team than our rivals. Even Everton is very close to us. We will probably finish with the same points distance.

To say 2010/11 was worse because of the not so bright future means you didn't get the point. We were one single game away from defending the title, this year we lost it in December. We played quarter-finals of the CL and were robbed by the ref.

[bushman 2,043]

Certainly, the team is better than last year. However, still not good enough for my liking.

Why ? Because of idiotic loans, I feel.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

See in the poll, why isn't there an option where we can all blame Mikel or Kalou?

[Hutcho 8,443]

Certainly, the team is better than last year. However, still not good enough for my liking.

Why ? Because of idiotic loans, I feel.

I wouldn't say idiotic loans.... Lukaku and to some extent KDB have beneifed from the loan, though KDB especially should have been recalled. Especially when we are so lacking in the pivot. He may not be an out and out CM but he has the attributes and got to be more suited to it than lampard or rambo. And even for depth purposes we really needed him, as we all know how much creativity we lack without Mata and Hazard in the team.

[bushman 2,043]

I wouldn't say idiotic loans.... Lukaku and to some extent KDB have beneifed from the loan, though KDB especially should have been recalled. Especially when we are so lacking in the pivot. He may not be an out and out CM but he has the attributes and got to be more suited to it than lampard or rambo. And even for depth purposes we really needed him, as we all know how much creativity we lack without Mata and Hazard in the team.

I wouldn't say idiotic loans.... Lukaku and to some extent KDB have beneifed from the loan, though KDB especially should have been recalled. Especially when we are so lacking in the pivot. He may not be an out and out CM but he has the attributes and got to be more suited to it than lampard or rambo. And even for depth purposes we really needed him, as we all know how much creativity we lack without Mata and Hazard in the team.

I said back home in January. Both of them, I feel.

The above two Mata & Hazard are tired players & if KDB is good enough as I read frequently, then he could have played with Chelsea, let´s say 20-30 minutes easily. Lukaku could be just as good as BA soon, I feel. Even though BA scored two beauties recently but somehow he hides around the defense, I feel. Lukaku is just like a tank, knocks everyone down on his way to score, I like that.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Still, those mentioned above is not the answer.

Tough, rugged, strong players are needed for the midfield.

I remember Essien in his younger days, that´s what is need for Chelsea, I feel.

This is a good point. I mean watching Yaya Toure yesterday, I just couldn't help thinking that Essien, in his prime, would've had Yaya in his back pocket. We did very well in acquiring Essien to be Maka's successor, even buying Essien when the latter was around. Unfortunately, we didn't do the same with Essien (albeit, his injuries couldn't have been predicted). There's still room for Mikel alongside a big, strong, centre-mid.

[Weckerz 3,781]

No, you're wrong. 5 pages prove it, otherwise nobody would be posting. Even the players themselves know something is wrong.

To my mind, this team is a lot better than this season suggests. Ergo, they're underperforming. There is actually an incredible difference between some performances that came from the same group of players, even in just one game like yesterday. Last year we had a squad who was definitely worse than both Arsenal and Tottenham, aswell as Newcastle. We finished 25 points behind the winner. Now we've spent almost 100 million pounds on players and I challenge somebody here to say we don't have a better team than our rivals. Even Everton is very close to us. We will probably finish with the same points distance.

To say 2010/11 was worse because of the not so bright future means you didn't get the point. We were one single game away from defending the title, this year we lost it in December. We played quarter-finals of the CL and were robbed by the ref.

To me it's obvious, we lack quality in our spine. Imagine having Kompany at CB and Yaya in front of him.

Instead we have Mikel who's slower than my grannie and workhorse Ramires who isn't exactly a great passer of the ball. Lamps doesn't cut it anymore either.

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

Anyone else fucking noticed it all happened when Oscar was moved centrally?

Although i'm a fan of playing Ocar in centre midfield i don't think that was why we looked better.

We have a crappy midfield. We got dominated in midfield and couldn't reach our attackers because of that.

Our answer to this was hoofing the ball and bypassing our midfield completely but with only 1 striker it wasn't working.

With Torres and Ba up front we were causing the central defenders problems this made Mancini use a more defensive tactic

and have his team sit deeper which allowed our midfield to finally get on the ball without getting pressed like crazy.