Chelsea 1 Leeds United 0

[FrankLampard8]

Just now, Max Fowler said:

I've heard this logic before and it just doesn't hold water.

Of course I want them to win the Champions League. It's not going to happen under Potter.

I am more worried about us not winning for a considerable length of time by sticking with him.

Not saying I would ever fully be happy with any loss, but if it meant the long-term health of our club was secured?

Of course I would. That doesn't make me not a Chelsea supporter.

I completely disagree. I fully believe that things will not turn around under Potter and we will never be successful to the level required with him in charge... however, outright hoping for him and the team to fail is the opposite of what a supporter should be doing by definition.

Look, realistically Potter isn't go to win us the Champions League but it is possible and frankly we shouldn't have won it on on probability the 2 times we did - so you have to hope. It's that which kills you but that's being a football fan. 

[RDCW]

9 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

I completely disagree. I fully believe that things will not turn around under Potter and we will never be successful to the level required with him in charge... however, outright hoping for him and the team to fail is the opposite of what a supporter should be doing by definition.

Look, realistically Potter isn't go to win us the Champions League but it is possible and frankly we shouldn't have won it on on probability the 2 times we did - so you have to hope. It's that which kills you but that's being a football fan. 

Well yes, that's true. There is no logic in attaching yourself so passionately to an institution which doesn't love you back ! It's an emotional, not an intellectual decision and I pity myself for feeling so much.......and others for not feeling it! 

[Max Fowler]

51 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

I completely disagree. I fully believe that things will not turn around under Potter and we will never be successful to the level required with him in charge... however, outright hoping for him and the team to fail is the opposite of what a supporter should be doing by definition.

Look, realistically Potter isn't go to win us the Champions League but it is possible and frankly we shouldn't have won it on on probability the 2 times we did - so you have to hope. It's that which kills you but that's being a football fan. 

I suppose you can play two games at the same time.

1 - hoping in the 1% chance that Potter can lead us to the promised land.

2 - thinking that if we lose it's probably better for the club as we're rid of him anyway.

Not sure if the cliché of "it's the hope that kills you" really overcomes this reality.

[Phoenix Blue]

18 hours ago, Max Fowler said:

So if we could lose the Dortmund game then sack Potter immediately afterwards?
Would you take a loss against Dortmund?

If you knew we would get in an elite manager - Luis Enrique etc., in the summer?

Max.

I think you need to understand what is happening right now, losing to Leeds would be devastating because whether you or anyone thinks, we are in relegation form and it is becoming a reality unless something happens very quickly.

Dortmund is secondary to me at this moment.

[Max Fowler]

2 minutes ago, Phoenix Blue said:

Max.

I think you need to understand what is happening right now, losing to Leeds would be devastating because whether you or anyone thinks, we are in relegation form and it is becoming a reality unless something happens very quickly.

Dortmund is secondary to me at this moment.

I do. Who do I think is most likely to relegate us? Graham Potter.

Get in any half-experienced interim manager and we won't do anywhere near this badly.

If we lose to Leeds and Potter goes we have a better chance of staying up than if we win and he stays.

Simple.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Max Fowler

[FrankLampard8]

1 hour ago, Max Fowler said:

I suppose you can play two games at the same time.

1 - hoping in the 1% chance that Potter can lead us to the promised land.

2 - thinking that if we lose it's probably better for the club as we're rid of him anyway.

Not sure if the cliché of "it's the hope that kills you" really overcomes this reality.

There is never any scenario where Chelsea Football Club losing a game is the best case scenario for the club, i'm sorry. 

I guess we are just have very different outlooks on football if you'd rather hope that we lose and the manager gets the sack than hope we win or that we could win the Champions League. I know which sounds more fun. 

[Mark Kelly]

8 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

There is never any scenario where Chelsea Football Club losing a game is the best case scenario for the club, i'm sorry. 

I guess we are just have very different outlooks on football if you'd rather hope that we lose and the manager gets the sack than hope we win or that we could win the Champions League. I know which sounds more fun. 

Personally as much as I believe Potter is the wrong man for the job , should he actually get us playing good , winning football and prove beyond doubt he knows what he's doing (long shot) he can have another crack next year .

I want us to win every game regardless , I don't even not want to win the coin toss.

[Max Fowler]

21 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

There is never any scenario where Chelsea Football Club losing a game is the best case scenario for the club, i'm sorry. 

I guess we are just have very different outlooks on football if you'd rather hope that we lose and the manager gets the sack than hope we win or that we could win the Champions League. I know which sounds more fun. 

I just think you are taking a very stereotypical view of football. Of course there are scenarios where us losing could be better. We could lose and finish 2nd in the group and avoid big teams in the Champions League one season, just like England can in international competitions.

That doesn't mean I don't want us to win every game - of course I do. If we won every game we would literally win everything. But the reality of football is there are different aspects at play which mean winning individual games might actually not be better in the long-run for our club.

That doesn't mean I'll be cheering if we lose against Leeds. But part of me would be hoping that it will make it easier for us to get rid of Potter and therefore be cautiously optimistic.

[FrankLampard8]

3 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I just think you are taking a very stereotypical view of football. Of course there are scenarios where us losing could be better. We could lose and finish 2nd in the group and avoid big teams in the Champions League one season, just like England can in international competitions.

That doesn't mean I don't want us to win every game - of course I do. If we won every game we would literally win everything. But the reality of football is there are different aspects at play which mean winning individual games might actually not be better in the long-run for our club.

That doesn't mean I'll be cheering if we lose against Leeds. But part of me would be hoping that it will make it easier for us to get rid of Potter and therefore be cautiously optimistic.

I'm not sure that "taking a stereotypical view of football" actually means anything. I also think that is one very niche and infrequent scenario where even then fans and pundits alike have debated in the past whether it's better to just  win and let the chips fall where they may.

So you want us to win every game and you won't be hoping for a loss at the weekend - so what are we even debating here?

[Max Fowler]

12 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

I'm not sure that "taking a stereotypical view of football" actually means anything. I also think that is one very niche and infrequent scenario where even then fans and pundits alike have debated in the past whether it's better to just  win and let the chips fall where they may.

So you want us to win every game and you won't be hoping for a loss at the weekend - so what are we even debating here?

If I was certain that Potter would be fired the day after losing to Leeds, then I hope we lose to Leeds. 

[chara]

All going round in a circular argument,,everyone is right..I don't for the minute think anyone finds it easy or acceptable when Chelsea lose and as far as I can read the word was really IF Chelsea lose to Dortmund,,not HOPE Chelsea lose.

As I recall Wigan beat Citeh at Wembley but got relegated,,,what would anyone's life or death football wise choice be?

[FrankLampard8]

53 minutes ago, chara said:

All going round in a circular argument,,everyone is right..I don't for the minute think anyone finds it easy or acceptable when Chelsea lose and as far as I can read the word was really IF Chelsea lose to Dortmund,,not HOPE Chelsea lose.

As I recall Wigan beat Citeh at Wembley but got relegated,,,what would anyone's life or death football wise choice be?

Are you asking if we would take relegation for an FA cup? Absolutely not. Would I take it for a Champions League? Still no but i'd be lying if I didn't think about it for a split second 🤣

[Mark Kelly]

9 minutes ago, FrankLampard8 said:

Are you asking if we would take relegation for an FA cup? Absolutely not. Would I take it for a Champions League? Still no but i'd be lying if I didn't think about it for a split second 🤣

If, as I fear, we do go down , Potter has no pedigree in the division to get us back up again having finished tenth in his season with Swansea ,  who'd been relegated from the Premier League the season before ,no immediate bounce-back-ability for them!

He actually achieved less than the much maligned Lampard did at Derby County. 

I believe his shtick is to get a club playing decent football and ensure they're safe in mid table . 

We're now in around the same area of the division as Brighton were last year with the same number of games played and have scored and conceded the same amount of goals as they did.

You can't say he isn't consistent.

[east lower]

So, on to this game.

Potter will send out a side with at least 4 or 5 changes from the starting line up at Rottenham.

We'll do OK but not really threaten the opposition goal for a 25 ish minute spell in the first half. Then Leeds superior workrate and pressing will overcome and they might sneak one. Then they go into super time-wasting mode and the referee will add a minute on for that.

Half-time comes and go's. We come out and look even worse then when we went in. Potter will make his 5 subs after the 60th minute and we'll chase the game, miss a sitter or two then Leeds score the winner or the second to kill the game.

Job done 

[JaneB]

Referee:  Michael Oliver

VAR:  Darren England

[McCreadie]

2 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

I believe his shtick is to get a club playing decent football and ensure they're safe in mid table . 

Then he needs to pull his finger out and deliver on that!

[Mark Kelly]

1 minute ago, McCreadie said:

Then he needs to pull his finger out and deliver on that!

One out of two ain't bad!

We're firmly mid table until it gets worse! 

[xceleryx]

8 hours ago, east lower said:

So, on to this game.

Potter will send out a side with at least 4 or 5 changes from the starting line up at Rottenham.

We'll do OK but not really threaten the opposition goal for a 25 ish minute spell in the first half. Then Leeds superior workrate and pressing will overcome and they might sneak one. Then they go into super time-wasting mode and the referee will add a minute on for that.

Half-time comes and go's. We come out and look even worse then when we went in. Potter will make his 5 subs after the 60th minute and we'll chase the game, miss a sitter or two then Leeds score the winner or the second to kill the game.

Job done 

Hey, I'm the one that does the predictions around here. 😂

[kev61]

36 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Hey, I'm the one that does the predictions around here. 😂

Indeed you do and more besides.

[east lower]

4 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Hey, I'm the one that does the predictions around here. 😂

Just my attempt to manage the almost inevitable future disappointment, never part of the plan to make you redundant 😉😂

[My Blood Is Blue]

With Silva out I’d go to a back 3, that should hopefully mean we get the best from James and Chilwell as well, rather than this horrible interpretation of them where they can’t pass the halfway line.

I’d then drop Havertz because, we’ll, he’s pointless at the moment. It means Felix has to play wider, but for me James and Chilwell are more productive in terms of output in the final third than him anyway. Sterling through the middle.

Mount back in and give him the armband and tell him we need him to make the difference, fire him up and hope we get a match winning performance from him. (In all likelihood Kova will be captain).

Kepa

Badiashile - Fofana - Koulibaly

James - Enzo - Kovacic - Chilwell

Mount - Felix - Sterling

 

Result? Absolutely no idea. I want to say win, but honestly, my expectations are so low that I just don’t see how we get a goal in order to get the win.

[xceleryx]

15 minutes ago, east lower said:

Just my attempt to manage the almost inevitable future disappointment, never part of the plan to make you redundant 😉😂

Appreciate that. I've got more predictions right in the last two games than the side has scored goals this month, looking for three on the bounce once I make my prediction for this one.  😂

Edited March 2, 2023 by xceleryx

[ROTG]

13 hours ago, east lower said:

Potter will send out a side with at least 4 or 5 changes from the starting line up at Rottenham.

If he does this then the club is doomed.

Only changes IMO: one forced "TS" and one in midfield that should be the only changes from last weeks starting 11.

Team GB have had 7 days to coach saturdays starting 11. Now is the time for an experienced squad to try and get us out of the current hole the club is in. "If memory serves me, last weeks starting 11 was the team which played Dortmund off the park?"

Edited March 2, 2023 by ROTG

[east lower]

31 minutes ago, ROTG said:

If he does this then the club is doomed.

Only changes IMO: one forced "TS" and one in midfield that should be the only changes from last weeks starting 11.

Team GB have had 7 days to coach saturdays starting 11. Now is the time for an experienced squad to try and get us out of the current hole the club is in. "If memory serves me, last weeks starting 11 was the team which played Dortmund off the park?"

I’d probably make 3 myself, but he’ll tinker - don’t think he can help himself.

Maybe that’s part of his problems - overthinking. Best teams are the stable teams, trying to appease everyone doesn’t work generally. That’s why the best managers/coaches are the silently ruthless ones.

[McCreadie]

2 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

 
                           Kepa

Badiashile - Fofana - Koulibaly

James - Enzo - Kovacic - Chilwell

Mount - Felix - Sterling

 

 

When you look at that lineup, it does make it difficult to understand how we are doing quite so badly, regardless of who the coach is. Find some space, pass to each other, shoot on target, tackle. It’s not bloody rocket science.