It is getting close bruh…2003 is 16(!) years ago already.
TBF they won Cup Winner’s Cup in the '90s and had Zola, Vialli, Gullit, Dimateo before Abrahomic came in but I think they were close to bankruptcy
They were a cup team essentially. Apart from an upward spike in the 1998/99 season where they finished 3rd, they never looked like they’d ever threaten to win the league. In fact, I’d have put 5 clubs in a better league-winning situation than Chelsea as recently as 2002- ourselves, Manchester United, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Liverpool
Leeds did seem slightly nearer before their financial collapse. Chelsea had been much smarter in their business than Leeds
Do you remember the Seth Johnson story? Johnson was hoping for 13k a week. Ridsdale walked in, ‘I’ll offer £30k and not a penny more’. The agent was that taken aback and stunned that he was silent, Ridsdale upped his offer to 37k. And eventually the agent negotiated him up to 45k. And that was back in the 00s
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Will leave after one season
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I dunno, I imagine this has come straight from Abramovich, in which case it’ll probably be harder for David Luiz to undermine the coach than it was last year.
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Nothing to lose for Frank and the club. Gets to manage the team for at least one year through a transfer embargo. No doubt a more high profile manager would have wanted a kitty to spend. Win win for both.
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I can see the logic behind this.
Chelsea are going to have to make do with their current squad whilst the transfer ban is in place. Lampard is a manager with potential who carries so much fan goodwill - they won’t get on his back if things don’t go well this season and will give him more time when the ban finishes.
Appointing another manager, say Allegri, and if things didn’t go well, I imagine there would be a pretty toxic atmosphere amongst the fans particularly after selling their best player. Lampard is a safety net.
I mean, I hope he fails spectacularly. Their CL spot is vulnerable this year. Still holding out we sign the LB, CB and winger (doesn’t feel like we are doing anything about a new CM which is disturbing), and we should be able to push on.
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Chelsea were shit last year anyway but Hazard pushed them forward. Without him and without a proper striker it’d be criminal if they pipped us to top 4. I’m more concerned with United about that race.
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That long?
Actually, I think he might be ok as a manager but I’m not sure if Chelsea will be the club for him.
As long as they keep Solskjaer for long enough, they aren’t going to be challenging for much more than a top six place, especially if things don’t go well for them.
We’ve seen in recent seasons that both Chelsea and Man U have had problems with player power taking over and I think Man U are going to have it again next season.
Having Solskjaer as manager is possibly one of the worst decisions that Man U have made, and they’ve made plenty.
Pogba might be out the door by the end of the transfer window and Solskjaer seems like the kind of character to appeal to players. I’m certain they will bring more players in and strengthen, something Chelsea cannot do, while their squad is waning day after day. I don’t particularly rate Solskjaer but on that basis, I’m far more concerned with United.
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Nice, next season it’s United’s turn to beat us to top 4 and beat us in the EL final!
Just got to pray for that Man City CL ban for 20/21
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Erm TMI?
So far still under transfer ban?
I can see them struggling a bit with style change and losing Hazard. Pulisic is the real deal imho but he will take a while to adjust and he is no Hazard.
They will give Frank time and if they don’t spend this summer he will probably re-load next year.
I’m not as bullish on Pulisic being a success at Chelsea. At times playing for the national team he’s looked like he’s carried too much weight on his shoulders (metaphorically, not literally) and I worry that walking into a transfer ban at Chelsea may be a lot of pressure.
It may also be less pressure in some ways because the fans may have lowered expectations.
I hope for the US he’s a success but I’m a little nervous about it.
Yeah it may not work out - a lot of things could go wrong, but I am a believer in his talent and abilities.
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Lol
Local lad that trialist b.