Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

[chara]

20 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

When we went down in 1975, I never believed it would actually happen until we went on a losing run towards the end of the season. We were really c**p that year.

I've gone from bemusement to WTF to now real ANGER...this has all been so UNNECCESSARY..........And avoidable...HMG started it and no one seems to have been able to stop the slide.

[Blue Moon]

I think you have good company, @chara, although I'm past anger and more at the stage of acceptance and grieving, and wondering whether to renew my ST - much like I do every year, but this time seriously. Frankly, there is little left of the club I once loved: style, passion and team spirit have all gone out of the window.

[RDCW]

35 minutes ago, Blue Moon said:

I think you have good company, @chara, although I'm past anger and more at the stage of acceptance and grieving, and wondering whether to renew my ST - much like I do every year, but this time seriously. Frankly, there is little left of the club I once loved: style, passion and team spirit have all gone out of the window.

I think all season ticket holders have a decision to make on renewals. I've had 2 season tickets since 1997-98 and have never even contemplated not renewing until this year. Much of the joy of football has evaporated over the past 3 years and I now have to balance the prospects for the future and the potential pride of taking my little boy to The Bridge with the general misery of CFCs current plight and financial burden of two STs. Hard to justify to be honest.

 

 

[Holymoly]

12th after today's results

[paulw66]

6 hours ago, ROTG said:

Paulw66  - Honest Question - did you ever think in your wildest dreams over the past 25 - 30 years, you would be writing stats proving Chelsea are safe from relegation

30 years ago we came pretty close. 1993/94 our first year under Hoddle we were 2nd bottom at Christmas and it wasn't until Mark Stein started scoring, we moved up the league. 

But more recently, no. 

Either way, the point remains, we aren't going to. 

2 hours ago, Blue Moon said:

I think you have good company, @chara, although I'm past anger and more at the stage of acceptance and grieving, and wondering whether to renew my ST - much like I do every year, but this time seriously. Frankly, there is little left of the club I once loved: style, passion and team spirit have all gone out of the window.

 

1 hour ago, RDCW said:

I think all season ticket holders have a decision to make on renewals. I've had 2 season tickets since 1997-98 and have never even contemplated not renewing until this year. Much of the joy of football has evaporated over the past 3 years and I now have to balance the prospects for the future and the potential pride of taking my little boy to The Bridge with the general misery of CFCs current plight and financial burden of two STs. Hard to justify to be honest.

 

 

Give them up and they will be hard to get back. 

You can always sell the ones you don't want on the exchange. I have barely been to half this season for various reasons. It's nice to get paid 50 quid not to go at the moment 

[ROTG]

8 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

Give them up and they will be hard to get back. 

Gave mine up after the sacking of Ancelotti regretted it ever since.

[RDCW]

45 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

Give them up and they will be hard to get back.

Yep. That is what has kept me going really. 

[Mark Kelly]

I think we all just have to keep steadfast and hope that next season will be different, we have a top heavy squad where half a dozen players don't want to be here and some more that aren't good enough to be here, being coached by a clown and who then seemingly downed tools when he got the boot and Lampard to put the tin hat on it. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this year and it has destroyed everyone's confidence. 

Next season we'll have a proper coach, one who will hopefully add balance going forward. 

[Blue Moon]

Thanks Mark. The voice of reason. 

[Bones]

32 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think we all just have to keep steadfast and hope that next season will be different, we have a top heavy squad where half a dozen players don't want to be here and some more that aren't good enough to be here, being coached by a clown and who then seemingly downed tools when he got the boot and Lampard to put the tin hat on it. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this year and it has destroyed everyone's confidence. 

Next season we'll have a proper coach, one who will hopefully add balance going forward. 

Is there a heart emoji for this post? 💙

[paulw66]

3 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think we all just have to keep steadfast and hope that next season will be different, we have a top heavy squad where half a dozen players don't want to be here and some more that aren't good enough to be here, being coached by a clown and who then seemingly downed tools when he got the boot and Lampard to put the tin hat on it. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this year and it has destroyed everyone's confidence. 

Next season we'll have a proper coach, one who will hopefully add balance going forward. 

The core of a very good team / squad is there, plus will be interesting to see what Gusto and Santos are like. 

[kev61]

8 hours ago, Holymoly said:

12th after today's results

Depressing - and now we see Brighton and Newcastle forging ahead.

What has happened to us must be the most calamitous event in the history of the premier league.

I'm just glad and grateful I was around in the good times.

I've seen everything I wanted to see in my long years as a Chelsea supporter so i really can't complain.

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by kev61

[kev61]

7 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

 

Next season we'll have a proper coach, one who will hopefully add balance going forward. 

But will we Mark?.Poch hasn't signed on the dotted line yet - and even if he does who's to say he will succeed?

It's a very harsh truth,but we are a team in limbo after spending a ridiculous amount of money.

[Michael Tucker]

On 30/04/2023 at 12:19, kev61 said:

But will we Mark?.Poch hasn't signed on the dotted line yet - and even if he does who's to say he will succeed?

Nothing is guaranteed with any coach, is it?. All we can do is back the new guy, whoever he is.

On 30/04/2023 at 12:19, kev61 said:

It's a very harsh truth, but we are a team in limbo after spending a ridiculous amount of money.

Sure. But we can't go back and undo these things. They are what they are.

What's important  is what the club does next.

[Holymoly]

On my Facebook feed this morning...

[Blue Kratos]

On 30/04/2023 at 03:19, kev61 said:

But will we Mark?.Poch hasn't signed on the dotted line yet - and even if he does who's to say he will succeed?

It's a very harsh truth,but we are a team in limbo after spending a ridiculous amount of money.

I totally get what you are saying Kev but let put this to you.

We have been blessed with nearly 20 years of constant success and as long as the cabinet kept getting a new trophy every year not many of us complained.

However there was a great deal of short term fixes in regards to the managerial side of things. We barely had a guy who lasted 2 years under Roman but we kind of knew the next fellah would get our squad to bounce back.

What I'm saying is, our success was truly amazing but our foundation was built upon sand. Our players regardless of what season all suffered a slump at some point and who ever was in charge couldn't pull them out of it and so the cycle repeated itself.

Fast forward to now and a change in manager twice has failed to get anything out of the current squad, albeit both Potter and Lampard are not good enough in my opinion.

Potch fell at the final hurdle with spurs when they had peaked as a side but he did build something good following a series of disastrous appointments and poor transfers and since he left they have regressed back to type.

If you had told a spurs fan several years ago they would have Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte as their managers but would not only wind up trophy less but wouldn't get anywhere near winning anything they would have laughed in your face.

We on the other hand have created a winning atmosphere at the club but I'll grant you this season has been a case of anything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong.

We need a guy who is going to fine tune this squad. The age demographic is actually ideal for someone like Potch given his record with developing younger players.

I honestly couldn't see any of these guys surviving a tyrant like Conte or Jose at this stage but I'm hoping if it is Potch he can build that foundation we desperately need.

Again sorry for the long post.

You guys inspire me to get the words out.

[Bob Singleton]

From the press conference:

Injured and not available: Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly & Mason Mount

Returning from injury and in contention: Kai Havertz

All others not mentioned are available

[Holymoly]

1 hour ago, Blue Kratos said:

Potch fell at the final hurdle with spurs when they had peaked as a side but he did build something good following a series of disastrous appointments and poor transfers and since he left they have regressed back to type.

If I'm being benevolent I'd back Poch to turn the squad around but I think at some point we will have replace him with A N Other at the point we want to actually win something.

[jasonb]

1 hour ago, Holymoly said:

If I'm being benevolent I'd back Poch to turn the squad around but I think at some point we will have replace him with A N Other at the point we want to actually win something.

I think we might win a domestic cup yet the quest for bigger silverware will be further down the line. 

[Proud-Blue]

We're probably going to lose so might as well try something different.

I think we should do two things here. Firstly, play players who are likely to have some kind of future at the club. Not possible in every position, but we can put enough in. Maybe we'll see some semblance of fight in them.

Secondly, we should play a formation that Pochetino is likely to use. We can't play the exact roles because the players aren't fit enough, but it's a start.

If we sit back and defend, we'll get smashed and provide zero goal threat. If we attack and play with an actual striker, maybe we can score one. That would at least be progress.

We're probably going to lose anyway so whatever. Might as well do something a bit different.

[Backbiter]

17 minutes ago, Proud-Blue said:

 

We're probably going to lose anyway so whatever. Might as well do something a bit different.

 

Your optimism is admirable.

[Proud-Blue]

1 minute ago, Backbiter said:

Your optimism is admirable.

Yes that was far to optimistic. That said, in the spirit of optimism, let's all watch this again.

 

[Sciatika]

Just watched the 6-0 victory at the Bridge. The side was:

---------------Cech

Branna----Cahill----JT-----Azpi

-----------Luiz------Matic

---Schurrle----Oscar-----Hazard

------------------Eto'o

We brought on Torres & Salah and still had Ba & Lampard on the bench.

[Holymoly]

1 hour ago, Proud-Blue said:

We're probably going to lose so might as well try something different.

I think Frank's philosophy appears to be to keep doing the same thing over and over until eventually the outcome changes.

[thevelourfog]

Arsenal have conceded goals for fun (while still finding it pretty easy to score, in fairness) recently so I really fancy us to have a shot on target tomorrow.