Whats annoying me is that we have a youth side that, in the last 5 years, has been kicking ass at that level. 4 of the last 6 FA Youth cups. Yet not ONE player, not a single ****ing player, is deemed good enough for a regular starting place in our senior squad? I'm sorry but I have to call major bullshit on that.
It's simple Bod, they just aren't good enough. Chelsea aspire to become one of the greats in modern football and patience isn't a virtue in this instance. If our manager fails to win trophies he will be sacked so is it any wonder why he is reluctant? These great kids we have fcucked up on - where are they exactly? They surely must be plying their trade at Bayern Munich perhaps? Barcelona? Real Madrid? United? City? Arsenal? Of course they won't be playing for those clubs because they just don't cut the mustard. KDB is the only big question mark but was said to have attitude so off he goes. Even if City clinch a deal for him I still won't be convinced as I've just seen them blow £49 million on a no more than average prospect in Sterling. If we had a Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Terry or such like coming through our ranks then they'd be in because that is the quality we're after. Chelsea have made mistakes and will continue to do so. Our fans who creamed themselves when we signed Torres from Liverpool soon became experts on transfers when it failed ....... same with Sheva, Veron, Kezman to name a few. Any flawed signing is met with a clever bollox play the kids outcry whilst the successes are met with total silence. When I see one of these 'special players' turning it on for one of Europe's elite I may have to reconsider but until then I have to trust the best manager this club has ever known. After all, he knows a little about what it takes to succeed and watches these kids closely. Incidentally, when it comes to purchasing players why is it that Liverpool sign Benteke, United sign Depay, City sign Sterling yet Abramovich sticks his hand in his rear ar5e pocket for Chelsea signings. Do we still put our club income in that big hole near the corner flag?
Most of the "special players" as you call them, are still at Chelsea, in the Youth side, loaned out, or on the fringes of the senior squad, unable to get a game. Loftus-Cheek, Ake, Bamford, The ones who left, Lukaku didnt do great last year, but anyone who knows about Everton can see why that was, bad tactics. Bertrand was great at Southampton (Think he will be picked up by someone like Spurs or possibly Arsenal in a year or two). Hazard Junior, hasnt played for his club yet, so not sure what will happen to him. So no, none of them are tearing it up at Barca or Real etc, because its too early in their careers. KDB has done very well though and will be at a big club soon. I suspect the same will happen to Thorgan Hazard.
I think this is an unwinnable arguement. There are good arguements for both opinions, but before I dips my lid to Jose I would remind some that Ranieri is a much better judge of talent. Fortunately for players like Neymar, De Bruyen, Kane, and Sterling there were teams prepared to give them a go. At our gaff they'd all be on loan.
Brilliant summary CP, we are are not Spurs these days, nor Arsenal. I had my whole teens looking 'down' on these lot. Fcuk em all now, it's my turn. We're the only team in London with a European Cup.
Bod, you have actually answered your own question mate. They are not good enough. Simple. As CP says, it's an expansive debate. Not one we would have considered when Chelsea had proper fans in the 60's 70's & 80's. Now we become internet annalists. Where were we when we were 5hit? I know where I was.
Its a shame we have all these decent youngsters never getting a real chance. Just look at hazard last season he got 3 goals and 9 assists on loan. Sold off ithout getting a chance at all. Surely he cant be worse than cuadrado as a back up. De bruyne is another on, from the looks of it far better than oscar. Bertrand gone when he was a more than adequate solid lb.
Me too ! I was sharing a house in Chiswick which we called Toad Hall. It was the other Toads who took me to my first Chelsea game in 1968.
They don't have to be world beaters to get into the first team squad and make the occasional appearance. It's not like you've git 25 world class players. Chelsea fans don't seem to rate the likes of Cuadrado, Ramires and Mikel. Could none of the trophy winning youngsters replace them in the squad? Jose just doesn't seem to trust youth. In hindsight I would have preferred Wilson to have got more game time last season instead of watching Falcao desperately trying to rediscover some form and fitness. On the flip side it was good to see that McNair and Blackett have the potential to make the step up.
We look like we might just buy Stones. At 21, will he be immediatly sent out on loan to gain experience, or has he got enough because his team trusted in youth?
Its not an arguement we would have had in the 60's, 70's, 80's or 90's for the matter. Because we put youth in our team in all those decades, so we wouldn't have considered it, because the problem didn't exist then . They are not good enough? Simply bullshit. They aren't good enough to become first XI regulars of course, but they never will be if they don't get to play. Thats the whole purpose of loaning players out. Once they get experience they then come back and try their hand with us. But no, they get flogged. In cases where we have players in our squad who aren't great, we should be replacing them with youth. *cough* Mikel You telling me Bertrand wasn't good enough for our squad? Or De Bruyne? Don't talk bollocks. You trying to tell me that a Youth academy that has won 4 of the last 6 FA Youth cups hasn't churned out a single player good enough to play regular senior football for their club? please log in to view this image
Well Zouma at 19 got a fair amount of games last season, even played out of position in a cup final. That alone must suggest if you're good enough you'll get chances. Maybe the other youngsters aren't quite where they need to be???
Let's hope it all goes belly-up for Manchester United again and they have another, for them, miserable season and finish 4th or 5th, and are beaten by the likes of WBA, Stoke, Southampton, West Ham, Everton, Liverpool and London's Big Three Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
evil.. haahahaaahaa Guys, back to the topic. City or Manures? I think Goons might be more of a threat, especially if they lose the community shield.
Even with all the improvements in the other sides, we will need to see how much they have caught up to us when the season begins. If Chelsea are still the best team over next season, I reckon the top 4 will be exactly the same.
I think our biggest competition could be ourselves. Very hard to maintain the motivation of defending a title compared to trying to win one. Coupled with the fact that we've not really brought in anyone that will genuinely threaten the places of the 13-14 regulars in the first team and will the motivation be there? This is where Jose really earns his corn.
I dont know why. But last season I was so optmistic about our team. This season so far I am full of dread. Just have a really bad feeling about this season.
Seems to me the more we talk the more we agree apart from a basic principle! It's precisely because Zouma did well and Bertrand did well, that my point is more of them would do well if only they got the chances that Zouma got. Was Harry Kane better than Bamford at the same age? We'll Never know, mores the pity. But Spurs now have a far better and valuable player because they played him, than we will have in Bamford, even after another loan spell. Anyway, I think we've done this point to death, and all emerged without resorting to abuse. No doubt like you and Bodanki et al, I look forward to another great season, hopefully with more expansive football, hopefully with some new talent emerging, and hopefully running the PL and CL at the top of the tree.
