Crawley and their dodgy Hong Kong backers made them the Chelsea of the conference a few years back. Now they're in League One...
it would appear that the signing of Benitez is seen as a joke to most. However, I think we should all be careful how carried away we get. He did a good job at Liverpool, winning 55% of games and winning 3 trophies, including the CL. He knows the premiership well and there's no doubt about it, he's got better players with Chelsea. Not to mention that he might have a bit of unfinished business. IMO, he's been treated a bit unfairly and had the piss taken out of him too much, for no real reason. unbelievably, against all odds and expectations, I wouldn't be surprised if this appointment proves to be better than we all think.
Did he really win the CL? I thought that Houllier and Gerrard were given most of the credit, or at least they tried to claim it. He was the start of Liverpool's downfall.
that's opinion though I guess inda. 350 games in charge, 194 wins 77 draws 79 defeats. 55% wins. Not too shabby at all IMO.
I don't really get why all the Chelsea fans are so desperate for Pep tbh. I don't think he's the sole answer to their problems. Yeah ok he did extremely well at Barcelona - but I'm pretty sure my cat could be the Barcelona manager and they'd still do pretty damn decent. Anyone could work with that squad and just say 'same as last week guys' and then sit back and enjoy.
Chelsea sack a manager for taking them from Champions League winners to the Europa league, then hire someone who did the exact same thing at Liverpool!
These Russians! Stalin fired (or shot?) his generals and Abrimovitch fired his managers...... How on earth did he get hold of those oilwells???????
I would agree Spurf but to be fair to City they weren't starting at the same level as most clubs. Why would the likes of Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva leave to join a club languishing in midtable? It had to start somewhere with players from clubs like Everton and Villa who were willing to take a small step down. The problem is to entice them they had to pay extortionate wages. The hatred for Abramovich and moreso Sheikh Mansour comes from the Xenophobic and right-wing nature of this country. Mansour in particular has invested money not just in City but in the wider local area. Since the Cold War there has long since been prejudice against Eastern Europeans and Russians. This country has always been anti-Arab and Islamophobic. Nobody ever questioned the Glazers or Hicks and Gilette partly because they are Caucasian owners from the West. I know that's a bit strong but there isn't a lighter way I could put it
Stop smiling. You think this is funny? Fleetwood as well Was on the cards when AVB was our manager. Typical of the BoD at the club though.
You're having a laugh DL, once we got onto what the pair of bastards were up to we questioned everything they did, also Your clubs owner along with City's have been beneficial to their clubs but why bring H & G into it?, they took over our wealthy club and almost bankrupted it.
When they first came in PMK, that's what I was talking about. When RA came in it was assumed he was going to bleed the club dry, practically change the club name and do a runner 12 months into his ownership. Shame with Sheikh Mansour. Both owners in particular Abramovich were scrutinised as if they were Al Qaeda members. There were some (but far less) suspicions of the Glazers and H&G. But of course when the truth emerged about them, the fans of the respective clubs wanted them out quicker than you can say jump.
I couldn't give a toss whether Chelsea or City got rich sugar daddy owners tbh, if we are totally honest we would have liked one instead of what we ended up with. We earned our wealth in the past through the turnstiles and matchday food and program sales, TV and of course winners money in various competitions but the modern game is totally win at all costs and more money driven than ever and if you want to compete you have to do whatever it takes. The FFP rule if implemented properly will make a fairer system but only the rich clubs will be successful as now.
