Chelsea Banter 4

24 Apr 2026 21:42:10
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new player profile about, Andy Robertson

24 Apr 2026 18:43:14
I think we will beat dirty Leeds. I think the players will make a “strange” statement.

Anyway, Come on my mighty Blues.

24 Apr 2026 20:31:29
Tom

I'm not so optimistic. The players know we have an interim coach, the league is gone, as we continue to slide down, and the players know that even if we beat Leeds, we won't beat City in the final. Therefore, the World Cup and not getting injured will be on the players' minds.

24 Apr 2026 20:36:43
Bill, this is me, the cynical old git. I think they win because it will be them saying don't blame us, blame the manager.

24 Apr 2026 20:59:58
Bill, I'm not sure how long you have supported Chelsea or how old you are but we have won games in the past when no one expected us to, get to a final and anything can happen mate. In 2012 and 2021 in The Champions League Finals we were massive underdogs but came out on top. The same can happen this season. Part of following a football team is the hope, the feeling that just maybe, just with a little bit of luck, this will be our day.

Us older fans have that belief, that hope, that joy when the impossible happens. A lot of our newer fans and our tourist fans with the half and half scarves don't have that connection and I guess you fall into that catergory mate.

25 Apr 2026 09:29:23
Greenaway, unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember the infamous cup final, hence the dirty Leeds. God, I miss the state of the pitches.

I absolutely agree that we have done things in the past that surprised people, but I'm just factoring in the World Cup coming up.

25 Apr 2026 10:38:10
I think it's telling we've gone from underdogs against teams like Barcelona, Munich, PSG and City and hoping for the 'impossible to happen' to being up against Leeds and saying 'can we do the impossible'. It is, frankly, absurd.

25 Apr 2026 11:08:51
I'm not sure how "impossible" comes into the equation.

26 Apr 2026 10:02:52
It's not impossible, but unlikely.

They have taken 4 points off us this season, with us being 2-0 up at home.

26 Apr 2026 12:05:26
Bill, we battered them at home for about 75mins and then, if I remember correctly, Josh and Sanchez got in a tangle, and then we panicked.

I think the players, sadly, will want to lay the blame on the manager and put in a performance today.

24 Apr 2026 13:50:21
I was out last night with a CFC ST holder who went completely ballistic about all things Chelsea. Other than being a supporter he has no history in football coaching, business management or football finance.

Along with virtually every other fan I’ve spoken to recently, certain players, the SD’s and the owners should all be told “to do one.”

Nothing wrong in that, it’s perfectly reasonable for him to have those views.

Strangely he went very quiet for a while when asked if he could guarantee any new owner would be better? He then said those never to be forgotten words “well they couldn’t be worse.”

24 Apr 2026 14:31:23
Other than new owners who are openly and actively trying to destroy the club... I'm not sure it could get worse than we have rn, Tom.

24 Apr 2026 15:21:42
The owner issue is out of the equation at the moment, but we can certainly get rid of the SDs.

24 Apr 2026 16:00:08
Why on earth would they want to destroy their investment? By all means, believe they are not doing what you consider to be an adequate job, but they are definitely not trying to destroy Chelsea Football Club.

{Ed001's Note - didn't it happen recently in the NBA? I seem to remember one franchise owner got in a strop over something and literally trashed it. Traded away the best players for junk. I can't even think how I could look that up but I will see if I can find out what happened as now I think about it, that would make an interesting article.}

24 Apr 2026 16:09:04
Bill, virtually every team's page has a group of fans blaming the SDs for not signing the players "they" want. It seems like they are the people that clubs' supporters across the Premiership belly ache about.

Again, like owners, if we sack our SDs, is there a guarantee we will get better?

I have no idea if we truly need five, and I have no idea if one of the five has ultimate responsibility.

In my opinion, there should be an ultimate decision maker.

24 Apr 2026 16:11:35
Tom, we are stuck with the owners. All we can do is hope that they see the error of their ways. The new coach appointment will be interesting: I fear we will be disappointed.
As for the ST holder not having experience in coaching, etc, most independent football commentators have raised concerns about the club, both off and on the field, including finances.

"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

24 Apr 2026 17:16:31
yeh was a joke Tom, no one actively destroys their own investment. However, successful businessmen occasionally crash and burn when trying something new, thinking the fact theyve done well somewhere completely unrelated means they have the skills to do something else.

24 Apr 2026 17:35:01
Jimbo, most independent commentators have an agenda and have little experience of being an SD. When any football team is struggling, those same football commentators criticise the SDs of that club.
You don't have to be Einstein to have an agenda, as proved by most football commentators.
They are rarely constructive individuals.

24 Apr 2026 16:46:00
Yeah ed you're correct. I believe you're speaking of the mavericks. Massive downfall.

I understood tom and co defending the club last year and a couple years ago saying 'have some patience they're building something' but I truly cannot understand how people are still defending the project. Baffles me.

{Ed001's Note - yes that's it, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.}

24 Apr 2026 18:06:16
Standard, other new owners have taken over clubs, and it has taken years before some sort of success has been forthcoming.
I have never looked at the stats, but the likes of an RA becoming an owner and getting immediate success would seem to be the unusual occurrence.

24 Apr 2026 18:14:25
Tom, come on - don't need instant success, but what we've had has just been awful start to finish.

24 Apr 2026 18:27:24
I have already laid out my expectations when the new owners (not my choice) took over CFC. This will be the first season they have not met my expectations.

So, as far as I'm concerned, the club's achievements have not "been awful from start to finish."

I have no idea how many trophies the current Arsenal, Spuds or the Utd owners have put in their cabinet under their ownership, or even how long they have owned their respective clubs.



All fans can have their own expectations. I personally do not feel entitled to any success.

24 Apr 2026 18:53:47
I wouldn't sack the sporting directors. They've actually done a strong job of signing talented young players with high sell-on value, and the squad has been managed relatively effectively. In my view, Maresca was moving things in the right direction.
What's been missing is ownership with the right football structure around them. Firstly, they need smart advisors with two things: real football acumen and genuine football experience. Secondly, ownership needs to be willing to step in and make clear footballing decisions based on that advice.
If that structure is in place, you get the right balance - a squad built on young talent, supported by experienced players in key positions (goalkeeper, centre-back, midfield, and striker). Having 3-4 experienced leaders in that spine is essential if you want to compete for titles.


Experience develops over time, players leave legacies, and a clear football identity and culture begin to take hold. Success is usually the by-product of all of that.
We're not far off, but immediate action is needed. Right now, there are too many playing assets that could quickly lose value, which would put the club under serious pressure - especially with no new stadium on the horizon and no Champions League next season.
It's frustrating because the club doesn't seem to recognise this. The whole place feels politically charged, and there's a clear disconnect somewhere.
One thing I'm unsure about - I saw an interview with a Chelsea fan claiming that during Roman Abramovich's time, the club paid a living wage across staff, whereas now many roles are closer to minimum wage. Does anyone know if that's actually true?

24 Apr 2026 19:06:31
Dadubliner, I wouldn't have a clue about staff wages, but it wouldn't, sadly, surprise me.
I'm a bit like you, I do not think a massive change of direction is needed to change things.

24 Apr 2026 19:12:00
Tom, you are obsessed with agendas.I am not interested in other clubs or entitled about Chelsea. I am concerned about our decline : not winning trophies is okay but not being contenders is a different thing.

You said I have no idea if we need 5 SDs. None of us do: but you could have an opinion or put forward an argument as to why we need 5.You say you didn't want the owners: so who did you want?

24 Apr 2026 19:35:34
Jimbo, I have said many times that "I" believe we all have agendas and biased opinions. As always, I just say it as I see it.

I repeat, I have no idea if we need five SDs. I have no idea what their individual job descriptions are. At some stage, I assume the owners have decided it is a requirement. My big concern about there being five SDs isn't the headcount, it's whether there is one of them in charge who ultimately takes responsibility for them all as a group.
I am not sure how many times I have posted this, but here we go again.

I do not like "funds" as owners of football clubs. Out of all the interested buyers I wanted none of them, but as I also keep saying, we were caught between a rock and a hard place.
I am now not going to say, like some (CST), that I want Blue Co out, because the alternative could be a lot worse, and I don't know who else would be interested in buying CFC. I also repeat, yet again, I have no problems with state ownership.

24 Apr 2026 21:07:13
Tom, I have no problem with so-called state owners. As I said in a recent post, if a Saudi group had bought the club, they would have accepted their lack of knowledge and would have appointed a serious SD and a top coach as first steps. The writing was on the wall when TB appointed himself as interim SD. I still believe there would be interest from many sources to buy the club.

However, that will diminish if our decline continues.
Anyway, back to football, I'm really not confident about the semi-final; Leeds will be up for it, and our lack of mentality worries me. If we get to the final, who knows: a one-off game, anything can happen.

24 Apr 2026 21:26:48
As I said many years ago, mistakes were made and acknowledged. They did bring SDs onboard, four of whom I know nothing about.
The SDs and the owners have to take responsibility for a series of poor manager appointments.
It will be interesting to see if they have the nerve to put up the price of STs.

25 Apr 2026 07:59:54
Tom, I think ST prices will go up. They've run out of things to sell.

25 Apr 2026 08:47:38
That could activate my protest. My ticket went up by 15% last year.

25 Apr 2026 09:32:48
Tom,

I suggest you get your fingers ready on your keyboard.

25 Apr 2026 10:01:53
I could sort of understand last season, with so few price increases over the years, mostly RA years, but I can see no justification in "any" price increases this year.

26 Apr 2026 10:07:29
Tom,

How about no longer term FOS and a small attendance ceiling at the Bridge. They have to get money from somewhere.

Would you sooner they sell all of our top players to keep prices down?

26 Apr 2026 18:14:10
Obviously not, and I have no problems admitting my desire for a price freeze is more about my own finances.

24 Apr 2026 12:30:00
Surely at this point someone at the club realises we need a manager with experience at least. The squad is very immature and inexperienced and it shows. I was ripping into the squad the other day and someone on here corrected me and said 'our starting 10 is decent'.

1.8billion spent to have a 'decent' starting 10 and the bench of a top end championship side. There will be studies on how successfully we have wasted money. It's beyond comprehension.

We need to get rid of 4 of the SDs, have 1 man in place working with the manager in partnership and the manager has to have experience.

Sick to death of the massive lack of experience in the squad and backroom staff. And before Tom starts, our squad lacks experience in winning - the two players that have it, Enzo + Cucu, seem to have had enough. Good riddance to Enzo; horrible bloke and decent but overrated and overpriced player.

Have to fix the problem of inexperience that's throughout the whole club from our billionaire businessmen owners who seem to think they know what theyre doing cos they did well on hedge fund trades to our kinetic academy run junior set up- whole club is full of nepotism and mediocrity.

24 Apr 2026 13:41:19
I would sell Jorgensen, Gusto, Guiu, Tosin and Badiashile. I would loan out Delap and maybe Garnacho.

I think Enzo and Palmer will be sold.

That's my bit of football manager nonsense.

I have no idea if the owners will carry on with the current BP, although there have been hints of a slight change of direction.

24 Apr 2026 13:47:55
It was me Kaz.
Are you agreeing our starting ten is good or not? I have a hard time understanding some of your posts, as they always come across as rants. No disrespect meant by that.

24 Apr 2026 14:18:50
I agree our starting 10 is decent and could go on to be good. A couple of top level players in there, but we also have Sanchez as our number 1, and a couple of injury-prone players, and the drop off is enormous, which is my issue - 1.86 billion spent, we should have better options than:
Sanchez in net,
whatever on earth our CB situation is - could easily sell all of them other than Colwill
Garnacho or Gittens on the left
Delap as a back up striker.

24 Apr 2026 15:24:01
I would not get rid of Palmer, Tom.

EF might also stay, depending on who the new coach is.

Still leaves plenty to let go.

24 Apr 2026 15:57:16
Kaz thanks for the reply. Makes more sense to me now.
I am with you that Sanchez is garbage. Although his shot stopping at times is good. Beyond awful with the ball at his feet.

I would keep Colwill, Fofana, Trevor.
BB and Tosin can go but with Palmer and Tosin being best mates, would that cause Palmer to actually want to go.

Cucu, Reece, Hato, Josh keep, but Gusto can go.



Caicedo, Enzo, Lavia keep, unsure on Santos, sometimes looks very useful.

Palmer, Pedro, Estevao, Gittens, Mudryk keep (yes I know Mudryk! But for some reason I still have hope for him). Kick out Garnacho and Neto (if he actually crossed the ball first time instead of twisting and turning 50 times he might actually create more), Delap and Guiu.

The other young lads I would loan out.

24 Apr 2026 16:01:38
I didn't say "I" would sell Palmer, but I think the club will sell him and EF.

24 Apr 2026 16:31:40
Hopefully you are wrong, Tom.

23 Apr 2026 17:06:46.
Chelsea have not yet formally spoken to any candidates to replace Liam Rosenior. However, Andoni Iraola is expected to be one of the leading names approached.

Julian Nagelsmann formed part of the process that saw Mauricio Pochettino appointed. At the time, Chelsea sources said he wasn't viewed as a fit. Nagelsman side indicated he wasn't sold on the model as well.

Luis Enrique is set to extend at PSG and has interviewed with Clearlake-Boehly in the past. No expectation he is a candidate or available. PSG confident a new deal is agreed by summer.



Eddie Howe, Francesco Fariola, Filipe Luis and Edin Terzic (also a candidate for Athletic Club) all have admirers within the club and have come up in discussion for previous vacancies.

Cesc Fabregas is focused on trying to qualify Como for Europe but has long-term ambitions to manage in England.

Marco Silva is yet to extend at Fulham and Oliver Glasner is a free agent. Neither have formed part of previous Chelsea manager searches.

Talks with potential options will now take place as Chelsea put together a shortlist. The above is from Ben Jacobs.

23 Apr 2026 17:23:47
Thanks for the summary, RPD.

23 Apr 2026 18:04:02
Thanks, RPD. I hope Silva and Glasner remain off the list of Chelsea searches.

24 Apr 2026 08:21:01
Ireola is the only realistic one for me.

Enrique won't come. Luis and Fibreglass are inexperienced. Terzic is going to Athletic. Naglesmann was not considered last time, and Silva and Glasner are definitely not for me.

24 Apr 2026 08:30:41
I know the Ipswich manager was spoken to when we hired Maresca, and he had a lot of support from within Chelsea.

24 Apr 2026 10:07:02
Tom, Keiran McKenna, the Ipswich manager, would be a similar appointment to Maresca. I think we need someone with Premier League experience, playing or managing, and a history of success. Bill, Iraola's teams work incredibly hard, press with intensity, and are super fit, the total opposite of our players, so if he got the job we would need 3 or 4 sets of revolving doors! Alonso has that pragmatic style, which has historically been our set-up, bar the period under Carlo, and he would be a good fit unless he is waiting for the Liverpool job.

24 Apr 2026 12:14:02
McKenna shouldnt be considered for any job at the club. Forget manager - the way to fix this mess is not to drop standards further.

24 Apr 2026 13:30:55
He is not my choice, but I absolutely know the club talked to him and was very impressed. I would only be guessing, but I wouldn't be surprised if we had offered him the job before Maresca.

23 Apr 2026 16:03:21
Terzic going into the Bilbao job, which clears up the run for Iraola a bit, if that's the direction we take.

23 Apr 2026 14:53:58
And so it begins. Club insiders and sources releasing info on Liam and the club etc.

The thing I hate most about this useless ownership is their use of the press and specific client journalists to try and spin stories after each disaster they cause.

Embarrassing. Completely dismayed by the state of the club and the bleakness going forward. Someone wake me up when the SDs are all gone!

23 Apr 2026 15:34:02
I would think most clubs have favoured journalists or general media outlets.

23 Apr 2026 15:42:30
Not the way the jokers at Chelsea have... Tom, you don't need to defend the clowns running the show every time.

23 Apr 2026 16:11:05
Kazblue, and obviously the reverse is true. For the record, I'm just stating a "probable" fact. I'm "not" defending our owners or any other club's owners.

23 Apr 2026 17:22:56
Not reallt interetedbin other clubs, Tom.
Im interested in our s***show of a club atm and the focus on pushing narratives instead of focusing on actual performance top to bottom.

23 Apr 2026 17:30:52
It's entirely your prerogative to describe the club, the owners and the SD's, anyway you see fit. Crack on!!

23 Apr 2026 18:47:05
Most supporters, Chelsea pundits, sports journalists, ex-players and Gladys all agree that the problem with Chelsea is at the top, which is amply identified by an article in The Times today headlined: "When will five stooges carry the can for this mess". I hope the answer is soon.

23 Apr 2026 18:56:37
Well, if it's true that two are about to leave, that's 40% of some people's prayers answered.

If changes are to happen, I guess it will be after any so-called review, and probably after a new manager is appointed.

23 Apr 2026 19:08:58
Tom, if there is to be any changes in the structure regarding SDs, it should be made before we appoint a new coach.

23 Apr 2026 19:15:00
I agree it should, but in my opinion, it won’t, and even if we lose two of the current five SD’s, my guess is they will be replaced in number.

23 Apr 2026 12:44:07
Just talking to a very old friend who used to work as youth coach at Southampton.

We got talking about football and how things used to be in general and obviously we got around to Chelsea. He told me he had the misfortune of working (for a short time) with Joe Shields. To say he wasn't very complimentary would be putting it mildly.

23 Apr 2026 14:24:19
Tom, there are rumours that Spurs want 2 of our sporting directors, one of whom is Winstanley.

23 Apr 2026 14:33:46
Yep, I put that in a post earlier today.

23 Apr 2026 15:24:15
Can we not offer them a deal, buy 2 get another 3 free.

23 Apr 2026 07:39:16
{Ed's Note - Kloppo05 has posted a new article entitled, Why Slot Feels Wrong for Liverpool

22 Apr 2026 22:03:40
So pleased the ownership have gone in and binned Liam, the decision to go with an interim to close out the season is also a good call, a full review of all things good and bad and then move on. Blue. co and the people who run that company are multi billionaires and as sharp as a razor, they know mistakes have been made and will adjust and go again, that is what top level financiers and investment managers do, we are in good hands and anyone trying to put a downer on the project will ultimately be proved wrong (in my humble opinion), the club will be worth £10 billion plus over the next 5 to 10 years (as will most of the top Premier League clubs), we will get back to winning ways and we move on.

Football is cylical and our time will come again, no rights or wrongs here, no I'm right, you are wrong (that is for the bed wetters), let's celebrate after beating Leeds on Sunday and hopefully going on and winning another Cup (this time under Callum, who is a very shy but very likeable guy who actually knows his onions), love and peace to my Chelsea family and all the ED's who do such a great job on this site.

22 Apr 2026 22:30:31
Greenaway, I'm not sure what will happen with our current owners and I think this coming window will tell us a lot about our playing future and any potential success.

23 Apr 2026 08:14:56
Rather than the window, I think it will depend more on what happens in the SD department review, which will matter far more.

23 Apr 2026 08:54:01
I enjoy the sarcasm, Greenaway. Sad there are fans out there that believe it, tho.

Bill, the SD department review is simple...sack all 5 immediately, remove all of Joe Shields' little mates from the academy set up too and rebuild the club whilst they still can.

23 Apr 2026 09:43:13
Kazblue, I agree absolutely. Before any coach is appointed, get rid of the jumped up scouts and appoint an SD who knows what they are doing and who has a collaborative approach with coaches. If that mob remains, we will end up with another mediocre coach and will struggle again next season.

23 Apr 2026 09:49:38
If rumours are true, two of the SD's will be leaving anyway. I was told that the mighty Spuds and a German club have made polite inquiries.

I personally have no problems with the majority of players they have signed. Of course, they have made mistakes, but that's a common theme with SD's at most clubs.

It's different with their manager choices. I only wanted one, and he was a disaster. Whoever they choose as the next manager will not make all of us fans happy.

Strange, but if you go on most other clubs' pages, you will see SD's getting pelters. It seems like a common belly ache from fans.

23 Apr 2026 10:27:53
Tom, you are right, posters have different opinions about who should be and who should not be the next coach. However, I think nobody on this site wanted LR. The issue is which coaches would want to take the job. I really do hope that the owners seriously reflect on the direction of the club.

I think we have reached a crossroads, and if we don’t take the right direction, we will continue to decline. This summer is hugely important. I want to start next season with some hope.

23 Apr 2026 10:43:22
Some of the rumours about who our next manager is going to be.

A mate tells me Alonso has agreed in principle to join us as long as agreements can be made with some of his "staff" including coaches. I'm not sure what "staff" means in this instance!!

23 Apr 2026 10:54:22
Jimbo, I'm with you on the owners needing a period of reflection before making any adjustments to their vision moving forwards.
As I stated earlier, these are top level business people who want to fully maximise their investment, and that will only happen if we are successful on and off the pitch.

I expect some changes.
Tom, is this your normal mate who gives you all these snippets of info? Is he reliable? Alonso would be a perfect fit if true, but I thought he was bound for Liverpool?

23 Apr 2026 11:00:27
Yeah, I wish I could share your optimism. I see a pattern of the same mistakes made over and over again. From the choice of players they bring in, the failure to address major gaps in certain positions, to the choice of manager, they keep repeating the same mistakes.

23 Apr 2026 11:25:06
Greenaway, in years gone by I used to get some top info from a mate who worked at Cobham. Sadly, he got sacked for selling info to the press.
This guy sometimes gets things right and, to be fair, he does still work for some ex players (driver), but I personally think this is more a "wish" prediction as he told me last week Alonso was his No1 choice to takeover from LR.

23 Apr 2026 11:52:01
Interesting, Tom. Not sure what I think about Alonso as potential coach, but I agree with those who say that whoever is appointed is almost doomed to failure with the current SD structure and approach, where any manager too questioning of decisions is likely to be gone before any SD is.

Ok, he made a few mistakes, but I feel nostalgic now for days when Michael Emenalo was our (sole?) 'technical director' - effectively SD but with a more supportive-to-manager sounding title, as it should be. Rather than SD's boss with a relatively young, EPL-inexperienced coach (and EM fell into that bracket when first appointed) under RA. He then went on to some job at Monaco and is now director of the Saudi Football League.

His son, Landon, is now looked at as a v good prospect in our academy, of course.

Perhaps Michael is now out of the loop in terms of EPL transfer possibilities, plus too expensive today for owners' liking anyway, but someone like him, who is up and running with a good EPL track record as sole/major SD/Technical Director with scouts beneath him, and who really takes a good coach's advice very seriously - in terms of who is playing well, what positions need covering, what positions need a number one new choice, etc. - is presumably the person we'd be looking for?

23 Apr 2026 14:00:20
Perhaps we should all ask our barbers.

Regarding Alonso, no thank you.

23 Apr 2026 14:08:06
Alonso wasn't on my list, but I have done some research and I can see why we might go for him.
I remember watching his team play in the German league, and I would call the style pragmatic but effective. I hate to say it, very City-like.

23 Apr 2026 14:18:32
JBS, Emenalo would be a perfect fit for us.

23 Apr 2026 19:18:59
Tom, my head is in a spin. I don't know who I want as the next coach. Alonso wouldn't be the worst choice. Effective football won us Premier League titles.

24 Apr 2026 08:49:20
Jimbo, love the rumours, hate the facts.

24 Apr 2026 16:23:38
Bill, barbers are good sources of information. My barber is a gooner. He told me that Declan Rice is going to change international allegiance again. He has just found out that one of his grandmothers, Paella, was born in Spain.