The Conte Thread

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

It is one step forward, two steps back. Can't understand what is wrong with this board. 14/15 we win the title, then go few steps back. 16/17 we win the title then go few steps back again. Every football fan in this world could see that the club needed to build on those title winning seasons and have some solid transfer windows, except for a bunch of people at the top of the club.

Really feel for Conte and indeed he looks done at this club. You look at Arsenal - dire football, 6th in the league, slim chances to a Champions League place next season, a dinosaur of a manager and about to lose their two best players. You would wonder why the hell anybody in their right mind would want to join them? They are fucking Arsenal the perennial losers. Still as we speak they are linked to players worth over 80M in Aubameyang and Malcom.

We'll soon be linked to Brendan Rodgers mark my words.  

[zekinjo 449]

Blah blah blah and people are still keeps saying it’s the board its the board. Sure thing. It’s must be the board. 

[Laylabelle 9,381]

Surely if he goes they'll have to find someone desperate to take over.. It's not like issues are just a one off its every year.. 

[OneMoSalah 8,783]

7 hours ago, Laylabelle said:

Surely if he goes they'll have to find someone desperate to take over.. It's not like issues are just a one off its every year.. 

In all honesty talking about very good coaches, who out of the limited amount of them around, is going to be desperate to take over here?

Where the previous guy won the league, had the club sell a key player to a direct rival and didn’t get any sort of major say in transfers? Or when he did the club failed and didn’t have plan a B or C? 

People say likes of Sarri or Alegri.. imo if they decided to come here, they'd have to be complete idiots, Conte is not only a better coach than them, he is a better coach than 90% of coachss out there and he’s been given minimal backing in 2 summer windows (much easier to do business in) and 2 January windows. So imagine being stupid enough to leave a Napoli where your in complete control, making real progress or Juventus where your defending your title, getting support from background and  moulding a team to how you want it to be... to come to Chelsea where it always seems to be after winning the league every year, our board, our incredibly incapable idiotic and moronic board, seem to throw any chance of doing so again the next season before we’ve even kicked a ball by signing Bakayokos (not even going to be surprised when he leaves for Vitesse on loan, probably be the best thing for him) and being absolutely idle/useless when it comes to competing for players (Kyle Walker, Fernando Llorente, Alex Sandro).

We will end up with a Brendan Rodgers or a Claud Puel or somebody absolutely daft next.

If Conte stays for a third season its a miracle, it will also mean he will have demanded his way or he’s out (or I’d hope) but again what is it with Chelsea giving power to these fucking imbeciles like Maria and Emenalo? Emenalo may have been involved in identification and signing young players - even then I doubt it scouts probably played major roles in that and he’s got credit - but in terms of everything else, man, he was fucking useless, the club has lost its real competitive edge because we’ve been persistent with signing average players. How he has a job at Monaco I don’t know, unless they are looking to just make a profit off shit players... 

In like 7 years we’ve had like two very successful summers in terms of recruitment or so I would say; the season after winning the CL (Hazard, Azpilicueta, Oscar - sure he was average eventually but I thought he had very good potential after watching him for Brazil at Olympics) and the season Costa, Luis and Cesc arrived. The rest, meh.

[bluephoenix 1,126]

Conte needs to be given more power at this club. The problem has always been that players dictate too much.

As fans we are also constantly questioning the manager when they drop key players. And the same is happening at the board level.

I feel if we have to get back to the top then manager needs more power that they currently have at this club. It should be manager way or the highway. The power is displaced at our club.

Yes currently he seems to be making some really questionable subs during the games but I feel we should trust him. He knows the team better than any one else.

I just hope we don't sack him *prays to God* because the thought who will be his successor is even more scary! I feel that since last season Conte seems to have a drop in his authority, but then what do I know.

KTBFFH! Please Conte prove me right in supporting you!

GO CHELSEA!

[Leif 6,006]

20 hours ago, Special Juan said:

Well after watching the press conference against my better judgement it is now fully clearly to me that Conte is done with the club. He looked ill, he looked broken and he sounded completely disillusioned.

The board have single handedly drained every ounce of charisma and zest the bloke had, and other fans, the media and people you speak to have no idea why we are so fucked off and why our manager is too. It's actually got to the point where I actually feel more for Conte than the club itself based on the whole way he's been treated and the way they have handled the transfer business in the last few years.

People can tell you there isn't anything wrong, their fooling themselves. There is a lot wrong right now at this football club, a lot. I don't know what direction we are going in, the spine has gone from the team, something we were noted for over the years and we do not have leaders in the dressing room anymore. It's been allowed to get to this because of a short term outlook, the quick fixes and the penny pinching.

City are now paying the asking prices, the big wages and probably going to be very dominant for the next few years, we cant afford to follow the copyright set by Arsenal, were we allow ourselves to fall into the background, just saunter along and win fuck all. And believe me this is very realistic and possible, and quite close to happening than people actually think. Every window we are missing out on more and more and more targets, this then has the knock on effect it has with Conte we are seeing now. We are also seeing something now that we haven't seen for a while, teams like Liverpool are starting to up their game in terms of big signings...Van Dijk is in, Naby Keita is about to join they are really pulling up their socks. Other teams are starting to do big business, big players for big money.

My fear is we are starting to drowned, the tide of other teams is starting to come in. We aren't identifying targets and we aren't nailing them, other teams are. This club needs to be very careful, we are walking a fine line because other clubs around us are spending and moving forward, and right now we are stagnating and not dining at the top table, in fact, and I have said this before we are not a big pull anymore. The Andy Carroll thing isn't made up media shite, we are actually chasing him, I mean what the fuck is this all about, even Arsenal are chasing Aubameyang and Sanchez looks like he's about to join United.

It's embarrassing what's happening right now, and I actually think the board are so focused on this new stadium everything else around them is being shoved away. We need to be very careful.

fucking negative nancy /s

[Laylabelle 9,381]

From daily mail comment.. Sums it up

Arsenal on the verge of Aubameyang/Malcolm, United securing Sanchez. The PL champions? Andy Carroll. With Chelsea, winning the league always gives us a false sense of security, to the point where we fail to adequately back the manager; not in terms of money spent, but in terms of transfer targets met. We make underwhelming signings, eventually leading said manager to either produce poor results and get sacked, or get frustrated and leave. Just waiting for the day we actually kick on following a title win. Andy Carroll up top vs Barcelona. Unbelievable.

[Leif 6,006]

All this talk of how unfair the treatment is on Conte, how the board shouldn't be so involved, how he deserves public backing from the club when paper rumours are around, etc. 

Yet no talk at all really about Roman. Will he forever be this godly-legend-saviour that can't be taken down?
I want him down, out, very far away from the club.

Story time: One day, you get adopted by a rich Russian man, who spoils you with a mansion to live in, local notoriety, the best of the best of whatever materialistic desire you have.
You're 10 years old - you aren't questioning being given gold, you just take it regardless of conditions.

Fast forward - You're 20 or-so now; you're coming to the age where it's normal to learn the art of reflection. So you reflect.
What do you learn? - Something about your Russian dad.
Firstly, yes, he showered you in all things expensive and shiny; (leading to your local rivals & friends displaying jealousy, creating the illusion that what you were going through was something to admire.)
But, now too you realise, he was never really there for you, which was the trade for the glitz. He'd maybe talk you up and show you off if company was around, but he doesn't care about your personal development (youth academy), your social life (legends being reintegrated, creating community at the club), your desires (fans want consistency); he has the emotional capacity of a potato. 

So you decide, while grateful for the roof over your head that was provided, you're never going to become the best person you can be, by continuing to be overseen by a parent who thinks that by just pumping money into you that they're doing enough.

 

I hope people will too realise that Roman only brings brought money, & is here for himself first, with us as an afterthought. He's the parent so many childhood friends admired because they dreamed of riches. They'll never know the truth of what comes with those riches, though. A profound absence from the person giving the money; an absence from the person at the top of the ladder which can lead to consistent shambles below, stress & ill-health. 

Roman is old news. We could've had better, and we can still have better.

[Unionjack 7,531]

12 minutes ago, Leif said:

Something about your Russian dad.

I agree with what you wrote

And I understand he owns us but I'm sure he is imposing his ideas about the players,team,transfers. Looking to re find this 'English' core.

And a problem is it seems the board is a bunch of merchant banker yes men (and woman)

But do they have a section on Evilbay for Billionair tycoons with a love of football willing to just sign cheques and stay away from the team..

[Henrique 9,133]

Really interesting that people keep acting like Conte is a poor bloke because the board is not buying the players he deserves.

I think a lot of people still underestimate the impact Consta had on the overall quality of this squad, and underestimate how stupid Conte was to kick Costa's ass when the best replacements available were Lukaku and Morata. Its crazy that some people believe that someone who do such a thing deserves more control on the transfer market.

[Tomo 21,733]

17 hours ago, bluephoenix said:

Conte needs to be given more power at this club. The problem has always been that players dictate too much.

You could maybe make a case for that 2012 and before, but players dictating now? Not even close.

[Vybzkartel 284]

He has to go 

[OneMoSalah 8,783]

42 minutes ago, Henrique said:

Really interesting that people keep acting like Conte is a poor bloke because the board is not buying the players he deserves.

I think a lot of people still underestimate the impact Consta had on the overall quality of this squad, and underestimate how stupid Conte was to kick Costa's ass when the best replacements available were Lukaku and Morata. Its crazy that some people believe that someone who do such a thing deserves more control on the transfer market.

I sort of agree regarding Costa. He’s a top player, different style to Morata and he’s probably hugely missed in dressing room too but he made his bed in January when that China offer came around, same way Oscar had done, which is why Conte wasn’t bothered about keeping him or Oscar.

Board/Emenalo probably identify 75% of players we sign and have done for a while now, club decided to sell Matic against Contes wishes (he wanted to go but still could have put foot down instead of thinking $$$), failed to make headway with many first choice targets etc.  

I’ve said before I’d of liked Costa to stay and have him and Morata both play together, think it could of been a decent option but big problem in the summer was lack of high quality players brought in and right now based on interviews where Conte says he doesn’t know about clubs pursuit of Sanchez, about only giving his opinion to club when they come to him about a player etc. It’s fair to say he’s got his hands tied behind his back so to speak.

[The Chels 2,502]

It's pretty simple. Who cares what dross Conte wants, he'll be gone soon enough. Just buy top players.

[robsblubot 3,529]

I've always wanted a manager who would be given at least a couple of season to build a squad, more than a good starting XI. Not being a fan of the 3-cb formation - because it (overtime) always ends up like what we see today (super defensive) - Don't think Conte is the guy who could do that job for us, so he's not, and never was, my personal pref as a manager.

However, he was hired and I honestly don't know how much leverage he has, when selecting players and considering which of our players go on loan, so diff to say anything there.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Think it is quite simply to explain the current state of Chelsea Football Club - there are FOUR major factors IMHO that have put their print on this season.

1) No ambition at the top of the club.

2) Negative stories in the media.

3) City running away with the title.

4) Getting drawn against Barcelona.

 

1) and 2) go hand in hand - The board seems to be scrapping the barrel these days and we're getting linked to shite players, whereas ours get linked to big moves to the likes of Madrid. Also we're constantly bombarded with negative stories in the media about Conte leaving at the end of the season and our poor transfer policy these days. Say what you want but these things do affect the players and also the match going fans as I feel the atmosphere at the Bridge is kind of toxic to say the least.

City's season has also gotten into our players minds and it happened very soon in the season. Think they've lost motivation early in the season when they knew all Chelsea could fight for is a top 4 place.

Barcelona in Champions League last 16 was the nail in the coffin. We the fans know and the players know as well there is no chance we knock them out. 

I see people slating the players on a constant basis but have a look back at the 15/16 season and you will find a lot of similarities - Willian, Hazard, Pedro, Fabregas, Matic, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Courtois were losing against the likes of Stoke, West Ham, Southampton, Bournemouth during a toxic period and next season they went on to a wonderful campaign and won the title. We were also saying this squad was bang average and there is no future going forward, but 16/17 season proved that motivation is a HUGE factor in football. 

Don't think a lot has changed and Morata and Bakayoko to name a few names that are on fans' lips every week are not bad, they are just simply playing for a team that has a very poor season. 

With Conte in our out, I'm sure we'll look different next season, but the main question is - can we sustain two, three solid seasons in a row? 

The board keep doing the same mistakes over and over again. Instead of building on a successful season, they go on and have a poor transfer window in the summer, negative stories pop up the next minute, season starts, there is a lot of tension both on the pitch and in the stands, we start the season on the wrong foot and hell breaks lose. 

 

[11Drogba 2,000]

5th factor: New Chelsea stadium bill rises to £1bn

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-chelsea-stadium-bill-rises-to-1bn-vl7bfrgfx

[the wes 7,212]

Conte frustration remains a concern for fans

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/club/chelsea/363/blog/post/3352536/chelsea-edge-norwich-but-conte-frustration-remains-a-concern-for-fans