L.A. Yiddo
Not in L.A.
- Apr 12, 2007
- 5,640
- 8,053
Let's All Laugh At... Let's all laugh at Chelsea thread
- Thread starter ibbz
- Start date
Agent Poch as I fondly refer to him these days
rossdapep
Well-Known Member
- Aug 25, 2011
- 22,154
- 79,695
I am suspicious of anyone who has medals hanging on the wall that THEY DID NOT WIN!
Noncery!
GMI
G.
- Dec 13, 2006
- 3,112
- 12,195
Not genuinely angry, just making a buck on clicks.
ohtottenham!
Well-Known Member
- Aug 15, 2013
- 7,504
- 13,047
Let's hope FFP does exactly that.
tommo84
Proud to be loud
- Aug 15, 2005
- 6,199
- 11,234
I enjoyed that. I remember watching his vid at the end of last season which might even have been titled, ‘It’s Finally Over’, and it was clear that he thought the summer would be a reset and they’d be back to competing. The older fans I’ve heard talk about Chelsea seem to have been quite circumspect and accept that it’s unlikely they’ll return to the heights of the Abramovic era. Therefore it’s nice to see the younger fans wrestling with it and getting increasingly bitter and angry.
They’ve had it coming.
None of those youngsters are proven in the Premier League, although Palmer has done well.
Marty
Audere est farce
- Mar 10, 2005
- 40,173
- 63,900
But the squad is still horribly unbalanced. The youngsters are talented yes, but where are the leaders? Where are the experienced heads? 39 year old Thiago Silva and a theoretically prime age Sterling aside (who let's be honest peaked in ability at least five years ago), the whole squad is basically kids and those who aren't kids are injured most of the time (Chilwell, James, Nkunku).
That sort of age imbalance in a squad just doesn't work. I don't think any manager would get this Chelsea team to work overnight. Now I don't disagree that Poch probably should do better but I don't think they should be expected to be CL place contenders with that squad.
Cult of Ange High Priest
Well-Known Member
- Sep 16, 2020
- 47
- 361
Dembele was a total cheat code for Poch when he was at Spurs.
We're getting pressed really high in our own third? Just pass to Dembele and he'll dribble past the press and get us out of trouble.
Our attack is stagnating in the attacking third? Just pass to Dembele and he'll dribble past a couple defenders to suck them in and create space for Eriksen to create something.
We lose possession high up the pitch? Dembele will chase someone down, recover the ball, and hold on to it long enough for everyone else to get back to their positions.
We'd play almost entire games in the oppositions half of the pitch, because if we were ever in any trouble of losing possession, we'd just pass it in Dembele's general direction and he'd recover it, hold on to it, and pass it to someone else once there was space.
Finchyid
Well-Known Member
- Jun 27, 2017
- 3,787
- 11,987
He’s doing a great job … just continue as you are Poch
Finchyid
Well-Known Member
- Jun 27, 2017
- 3,787
- 11,987
Unlikely
KILLA_SIN
Well-Known Member
- May 24, 2008
- 7,921
- 14,644
To early to tell
Rocksuperstar
Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
- Jun 6, 2005
- 53,368
- 67,007
On this one topic, I feel a modicum of respect has to go to the new owners.
When they took charge they had the books examined, found problems, immediately referred themselves to the relevant body. Todd and Co have done this bit by the books, not immediately lawyered up and tried to fight it.
I'd hope they take that into consideration when compared to City and whatever punishment they receive.
If any.
Meercat
Well-Known Member
- Jul 4, 2008
- 1,121
- 6,301
I have a suspicion a certain amount of amnesty was promised in terms of past crimes but the actual 'hand-binding' that is going to get them in trouble is on the new guys with their 12 players on 8 year contracts, etc.
I had this conversation with my old man at the time - he's a Chelsea fan - and I said I could see what they were doing, and relate it to baseball, where they'd had success. You look at the top 100 talents, the youth prospects who are going to be the stars of tomorrow, and you tie them down so they can be your team for a decade to come, and that's brilliance assured because a generation of talent doesn't get to filter into opposition teams. The problem is when you transfer that to football youth players don't develop in the same way, and a lot of that top 100 talents don't ever realise their potential. At the time I looked 2001, which had Zlatan as 35th hottest and Jermain Pennant as 5th... Kaka as 95th... Berbatov as 82nd... and Leandro Bonfim 3rd, with Florent Sinama-Pongolle at 7th... and so on. Basically yeah, the top 100 had the names you'd expect, like Essien, Robben, Iniesta, Torres... they were the exceptions and the real stars were almost mid table, like Zlatan... with the #1 hot talent being.. Djibril Cisse... If you were to sweep up the top 10 prospects of that year you'd get the likes of Mourad Meghni, Anthony Le Tallec, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, Jermain Pennant... as well as Rafa VdV and Fernando Torres... so a couple of great players and a bunch of unfulfilled potential... and that's the thing, 2001 wasn't a fluke. That's what it's like with this sport for whatever reason...
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Dunc2610
Well-Known Member
- Aug 7, 2008
- 1,604
- 4,017
Re Boehly and his baseball antics, didn't he go over wage thresholds there too, but just paid fines with a shrug of his shoulders, all this says to me is that's what he thought he could do here.
robotsonic
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 2,389
- 11,247
I think it's just down to it being so much more of a complicated sport than baseball, with so much required of a player, and then needing to be at the absolute top of their ability in multiple attributes at the same time to really be a great success.
It's not as simple as can hit good, throw good, catch good. You can be the best striker of a ball in the world and be useless as a footballer. The fastest, and useless. The strongest and useless. Best passes and useless.
It really does seem like they're actually stupid having done what they've done. This isn't a sport of role players. It's great.
they still cheated and still should be punished
Rocksuperstar
Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
- Jun 6, 2005
- 53,368
- 67,007
Agreed, but they have in effect confessed the moment they discovered it which, imo, deserves some consideration when dishing out punishment.
robotsonic
Well-Known Member
- Aug 20, 2013
- 2,389
- 11,247
Pretty sure that they're only going to get battered for everything that they've done subsequently
