Direction of this club

[Melanicus 5,208]

I don't know... Call me glory hunter, whatever you want - but I'm falling out of love with this club. Not because of one bad season, no.

It's because of what our club is turning into. We're becoming like a business corporation (yes, I know that football is a business, but we're turning into a soulless club).

Buying bunch of young players and destroying some careers just so we can make some profit and meet FFP.

Treating our legends like shit. Cole, Cech, Lampard & now Terry. Leaving our best captain in the history in doubts until the last day, like "maybe we will give him mercy, maybe." He deserves better than that. I'm not saying club shout keep him (although I think they should), but if they don't want to have him next season he should've knew this months ago. And fans too. The club should organise the biggest fucking party on the last day, or testimonial game or something (I read somewhere that will need to pay 22k himself, if he wants to rent the Bridge - madness, no respect for the man). Instead, the board are bunch of cowards that are afraid of fans reaction and want to do everything quietly until the end of the season and then kick the Terry out of this club with some bullshit article on our shit website. Wow, big fucking thanks. They're afraid that if they did it earlier fans would literally come for their heads in the next game.

The way Terry was said his contract won't be extended. Over the fucking phone to his agent. If you make such decisions be a man, but they aren't. They have no balls to tell this to his face. Not, just Terry, even Pato, who I don't want to stay, but I respect and think he should know his future, is in the same situation right now.

The same goes for Frank Lampard, selling Cech to Arsenal (who in their fucking right mind would do that) & Ash Cole. Drogba was treated somewhat good, in my opinion.

The (young) players see this and want to milk every fucking penny out of this club, they also see it just as a business corporation. We have no players that genuinely love Chelsea.

I'm not saying to be emotional instead of logical, no. But I feel like this club is turning into solely business corporation - no respect for love, tradition, history, loyalty, spirit, fans. We're turning into fucking Real Madrid minus the results.

And that's not the club that I loved and cheered for even when we lost a game or were in a bed patch of form a few years ago.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Can't understand this club sometimes... what a shit way to say goodbye to all our legends...

[Blue_Fox_ 2,086]

19 minutes ago, Melanicus said:

I don't know... Call me glory hunter, whatever you want - but I'm falling out of love with this club. Not because of one bad season, no.

It's because of what our club is turning into. We're becoming like a business corporation (yes, I know that football is a business, but we're turning into a soulless club).

Buying bunch of young players and destroying some careers just so we can make some profit and meet FFP.

Amen to that brother, couldn't say it better myself.
This is not the club I fell in love 10 years ago. We're the closest we've ever been to teams like City and Real, but we don't even know how to do that properly.
Where is the fight and the willingness to be the best in the world? Where are the Lamps, Ballacks, Terry, Drogbas, Cechs? All gone down the drain.
I wonder where will be in 2 years from now.

[Weckerz 3,781]

This is sadly the direction football has taken, not just this club, although I understand your feelings

[Leif 6,006]

I'm also bored now of the lack of soul in the club. I've had my fun with the Champions League & PL titles. I'm ready for Roman to leave, and for us to become a real club, regardless of trophies. It's not easy to find the right owner who hires the right people around them though. Few clubs have it better than us.

[manpe 10,861]

Thought hiring Mourinho would be the saving grace and bring soul back, but it all went down to shit worse than anybody could imagine. I'm also becoming disillusioned.

[11Drogba 2,000]

1 hour ago, Leif said:

I'm ready for Roman to leave

When that day comes our fans should treat him the same way our board treated our legends when they were leaving.

[Spike 12,049]

I can't imagine how a lot of us would have felt in the 80s and under Bates. Have some damn perspective, Arsenal are simply inert under Wenger and have been for a decade, Tottenham are experiencing one of their first title runs in so many years, Liverpool have been zig-zagging since the 80s, Aston Villa just totally imploded after being a solid team for years, Manchester City just hired a manager halfway through the season which made half of their team go on holiday, and who knows what the fuck Bournemouth is doing with their finances. This isn't exclusive to Chelsea.

Every club has been a 'corporation' for years now. Especially all the 'more famous' clubs, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham are just global brands and have been for over a decade. This isn't a phenomena exclusive to England, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona are all the same however it is just worse in England because of the Premier League brand. The BPL is the only league you can watch in a backwater village in the Philippines, a metropolitan city in America and a city in the middle of Nigeria. Overexposed, overpaid and over hyped, this rings true for every single team in England. The state of English football revolves around money and nothing else.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

And still, other clubs know how to thank thier legends...

[Spike 12,049]

8 minutes ago, xPetrCechx said:

And still, other clubs know how to thank thier legends...

 

So the millions paid, all the matches played, leadership duties and all around faith and stock placed into players like Lampard, Drogba, Terry and Cole isn't thanks enough? What would you do? A testimonial? A statue?

Geez, the club thought so highly of Drogba they brought him back a second time. It's obvious the club respects it's players and it needn't prove it to the masses with a testimonial. Robbie di Matteo, Paulo Ferreira, Eddie Newton, and other former players have all had backroom jobs with the club.

[lucio 5,418]

not sure why Roman should go, he's legendary, its those beneath him that are lame

and imagine losing him whilst we got the likes of cahill and oscar...asking to be mediocre for years to come

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

Just now, Spike said:

 

So the millions paid, all the matches played, leadership duties and all around faith and stock placed into players like Lampard, Drogba, Terry and Cole isn't thanks enough? What would you do? A testimonial? A statue?

you want to say that the fans properly thanked Drogba/Lamaprd/Cech and Terry (in the future) for their service?

the fans even didn't know, till after the last game, if any of them could stay or go...

no testimonial game, nothing.

the millions are coming from the board, not the fans.

[Spike 12,049]

3 minutes ago, xPetrCechx said:

you want to say that the fans properly thanked Drogba/Lamaprd/Cech and Terry (in the future) for their service?

the fans even didn't know, till after the last game, if any of them could stay or go...

no testimonial game, nothing.

the millions are coming from the board, not the fans.

So you are upset about the fact people didn't get a chance to cheer during the last match? Why not cheer regardless if they mean so much to you. I'm sure those players are smart enough to realise over their decade long careers how much they mean to the Chelsea faithful. Everybody comes and goes but those players have signs, banners and chants that have been dedicated to them over the years.

[11Drogba 2,000]

25 minutes ago, Spike said:

Manchester City just hired a manager halfway through the season which made half of their team go on holiday

Making a mistake and having a direction are two different things imo. City made a mistake there but unlike us they clearly have a direction.

[Spike 12,049]

9 minutes ago, 11Drogba said:

Making a mistake and having a direction are two different things imo. City made a mistake there but unlike us they clearly have a direction.

What is their direction then? Spend millions and millions of pounds to have a team that passes between the midfield and defence for 70 mins per game?

The new season with a new coach hasn't even started and it's been written off as direction less? That is premature. Hell the club had a very obvious transfer and philosophy before Mourinho was brought back for whatever inane reason. Hey! We've spent the last several years scouting and buying technical and young players like Kevin de Bruyne, Juan Mata, Oriol Romeu, Andre Schurrle, Eden Hazard, Oscar among dozens of other players sent on loan. I know let's get a coach that is known for his pragmatic football, short term thinking and reluctance to play non-established players.

From my perspective that is still the direction. With players like Pato, Pedro, Fabregas, and Wilian being bought. The club just needs a correct coach.

[kmk108 1,186]

There's no two teams I hate more than Spurs and Liverpool, but look at them lately. Since Klopp has come to Liverpool, there's a soul back at that club. There's optimism for the future and a buzz around the city that hasn't been felt since the Rafa days. Spurs have put a good manager in place with a view of the future, backed by some great young players.

[11Drogba 2,000]

11 minutes ago, Spike said:

What is their direction then? Spend millions and millions of pounds to have a team that passes between the midfield and defence for 70 mins per game?

The new season with a new coach hasn't even started and it's been written off as direction less? That is premature. Hell the club had a very obvious transfer and philosophy before Mourinho was brought back for whatever inane reason. Hey! We've spent the last several years scouting and buying technical and young players like Kevin de Bruyne, Juan Mata, Oriol Romeu, Andre Schurrle, Eden Hazard, Oscar among dozens of other players sent on loan. I know let's get a coach that is known for his pragmatic football, short term thinking and reluctance to play non-established players.

First they hired Barcelona's director of football, then hired a manager who plays his team possession based football and now they hired Guardiola. Not just transfers they also spent a lot to improve their youth facilities.

I am not sure if we are talking only about next season. This club has been doing contradicting things for years, having that transfer policy you mentioned and hiring Mourinho is just one of them.

 

[Spike 12,049]

9 minutes ago, 11Drogba said:

First they hired Barcelona's director of football, then hired a manager who plays his team possession based football and now they now hired Guardiola. Not just transfers they also spent a lot to improve their youth facilities.

I am not sure if we are talking only about next season. This club has been doing contradicting things for years, having that transfer policy you mentioned and hiring Mourinho is just one of them.

 

Young unproven players are getting minutes, Kenedy, Traore, Loftus-Cheek and others are on the horizon.  The club has gotten a coach that has a history of using youngesters and a mix of robust physicality and technicality. I feel this is the most optimistic the club has looked going forward in a long time. Nothing is smooth sailing and nothing will always go the club's way but this is very promising from my outlook. The club has to juggle the future with the now, it cannot forsake too much of the present for the sake of the future and vice versa. It's a very difficult position and I hope Conte can handle it. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. There must be a sacrifice.