Chelsea’s owners are about to embark on their third season since the takeover, and things are well and truly on the edge.
Many Chelsea fans have a real dislike for the ownership group already, perhaps some of it harshly, but a lot of the concern and discourse is fully justified.
They’re asking fans to buy into a long-term project, but they’re operating like they’re in a rush. They wanted Champions League qualification at least this season and again next season, and they have now gone through FIVE different managers since they arrived at the club. How do they expect anyone to back a project that looks like that?
And now this summer, they could really lose any of the fan base that they might have left onside and not just lose them, but lose them for good. They have created distance between themselves and the fan base. Why not come out and explain some things? We heard Todd Boehly speaking about patience and belief in the project, and then a couple of weeks later another manager is gone ahead of appointing their SIXTH manager under their tenure. But Todd doesn’t speak directly to Chelsea fans, he speaks via business summits around the globe. Speak through a Chelsea channel! Tell us you’ve made mistakes, tell us how you’re fixing them. Tell us why you apparently have so much belief in these sporting directors to literally have so much responsibility when they have no experience of squad building/building a team for a certain tactical setup? You preach data, so tell us what that data is saying and why you place so much sole reliance on it?
The gap between the ownership and the fan base can increase this summer, and that is all on who they hire to be the next head coach. The names linked have caused anger amongst the fan base once again. If they hire their next manager and said manager fails again, they will lose an entire fan base to the point of no return, and that is NOT a place they will want to be in.
I continue to back the project and the ambitions shown by our owners, I’m still at that point. But if this next manager appointment does fail, then I am afraid you have lost my support as well. It’s on a real knife-edge for me.
Many Chelsea fans had reversed their views on Pochettino and wanted him to stay (not me). Then he left – that caused outrage (not for me). So now you are about to make your biggest decision since you have arrived as custodians of this club, and it could be the decision that either gets fans back onside, or a decision that completely turns them against you for good.
It’s a crossroads for the ownership group, and one I urge them to get right and provide us with some direct reasoning. Stop employing kids left, right, and centre, and value EXPERIENCE more! Get that all important balance. Experience and leadership is VITAL. Sign all the kids you want, and heck I’m even excited for Estevao Willian, but the key is BALANCE, and that’s not just aimed at the players (experience in a manager is also SUPER important).
As I’ve said, I’m prepared to show patience if I see progress. I’ve started to see that on the pitch come the end of last season yet I’m still unconvinced on many of the signings and squad build. Now I need to see progress with a new manager. Make the right choice, inspire us, let us connect with a manager, because that will be the start of connecting with the owners too – something I fear that many of this fan base have never done yet.