Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea by mutual consent

[xceleryx]

23 minutes ago, Sciatika said:

I am still waiting for the end of the season. We have had highs and lows this season, and knee-jerk reactions are dangerous whether we have just lost in an embarrassing way to Arsenal or Liverpool or tonked Spurs or West Ham. In the end, the table will reveal where we are and that's the time to consider what, if anything, should be done.. 

The thing is, and I've retained this notion from the beginning, but our season cannot be judged upon our league table position alone. We went into the season with an entirely new team and a new manager, things were always going to be stages to this whole process. We've then encountered and dealt with a myriad of injuries, along with the natural growing pains associated with young developing players till trying to not only find their feet within English football but also just as footballers as a whole at this level. 

The more these guys play together, the more cohesion will be built, that's when more significant tactical from a coaching perspective can be implemented. We'e starting to see signs of that over the last few games, with the side more or less having a full season under their belt together. 

While I don't think Poch is going to be the man that'll take us to the top and keep us there, I can't see why we'd rip it up yet again come seasons end. We need some continuity and stability at some point. With only a year left on his contract we can always pivot if required, for now though I think trying to build on what's already been established this season is a more sensible approach. 

[thevelourfog]

12 hours ago, Proud-Blue said:

I genuinely think the owners have not decided what to do yet. The next three games will be absolutely crucial. If we get Europa League, I'd be pretty certain he's safe.

My guess is that he's not going to be sacked and there's been no noise about that in the club, but that his agent's asked when contract negotiations start and been told ... they aren't. Would explain the slight sense of limbo. I don't see much point in sacking him now, but I also don't see any justification for extending his deal. I don't know how out of step I'd be with the club on that.

[ROTG]

7 minutes ago, thevelourfog said:

My guess is that he's not going to be sacked and there's been no noise about that in the club, but that his agent's asked when contract negotiations start and been told ... they aren't. Would explain the slight sense of limbo. I don't see much point in sacking him now, but I also don't see any justification for extending his deal. I don't know how out of step I'd be with the club on that.

The only ones who can answer the Poch conundrum for next season are the no so dynamic duo, who strangely been quite invisible for the whole of this season after giving it the full of why they had to get rid of the senior squad and the normal project Chelsea BS.

 

IMO he done enough to warrant next season, with a bit of luck he might even get a chance to input into any summer signings, if not we are back to square one of not have round pegs in round holes.

Edited May 7 by ROTG

[paulw66]

44 points last season. 

We should get circa 60 this.

36% improvement or so. 

The frustrating thing is Poch could have made some very simple changes that would have helped us immensely. Sticking Gallagher in his best position, for example, and he and the team have looked all the better for it. We could easily have been knocking on 4th place this season

[Mark Kelly]

1 hour ago, paulw66 said:

 

The frustrating thing is Poch could have made some very simple changes that would have helped us immensely. Sticking Gallagher in his best position, for example, and he and the team have looked all the better for it. We could easily have been knocking on 4th place this season

Exactly this which is why he's been driving me mad , we could have been doing so much better earlier with a few tweaks , the injury to Nkunku seemed to knock Pochettino for six and he's been playing catch up ever since 

[boratsbrother]

3 hours ago, xceleryx said:

The thing is, and I've retained this notion from the beginning, but our season cannot be judged upon our league table position alone. We went into the season with an entirely new team and a new manager, things were always going to be stages to this whole process. We've then encountered and dealt with a myriad of injuries, along with the natural growing pains associated with young developing players till trying to not only find their feet within English football but also just as footballers as a whole at this level. 

The more these guys play together, the more cohesion will be built, that's when more significant tactical from a coaching perspective can be implemented. We'e starting to see signs of that over the last few games, with the side more or less having a full season under their belt together. 

While I don't think Poch is going to be the man that'll take us to the top and keep us there, I can't see why we'd rip it up yet again come seasons end. We need some continuity and stability at some point. With only a year left on his contract we can always pivot if required, for now though I think trying to build on what's already been established this season is a more sensible approach. 

On  match of the day, the streams and radio, the common denominator with ex players and managers and pundits  is current  managers need time. And by time they do not mean one season.

I think that is all you, myself and a few others have been asking  for. No manager can build a quality team from scratch in one season. 

As for Poch not being the nan to take us back to winning or at least challenging for the title. I have agreed with that but I've been thinking I might be wrong.  He's far from being too old, so why can't he have really started to learn from his past shortcomings and improve on them?  We might just be lucky in finding a manager who is starting to put it all together and reach a new peak. Being given an almost completely  blank canvas  might be what can bring the very best out of him as a coach? Time will tell I guess.

[Thiago97]

4 minutes ago, boratsbrother said:

On  match of the day, the streams and radio, the common denominator with ex players and managers and pundits  is current  managers need time. And by time they do not mean one season.

I think that is all you, myself and a few others have been asking  for. No manager can build a quality team from scratch in one season. 

As for Poch not being the nan to take us back to winning or at least challenging for the title. I have agreed with that but I've been thinking I might be wrong.  He's far from being too old, so why can't he have really started to learn from his past shortcomings and improve on them?  We might just be lucky in finding a manager who is starting to put it all together and reach a new peak. Being given an almost completely  blank canvas  might be what can bring the very best out of him as a coach? Time will tell I guess.

With a doubt the other thing that has not helped Poch is envious fans looking elsewhere for comparisons. I referenced this months back, Ange at Spurs, De Zerbi at Brighton, Emery at Villa.......all had a great starts and we didnt.

What they were doing was constantly being referenced alongside what Poch wasn't doing. A few months later, well its kinda mostly gone quiet with 2 out of those 3 reference points, as their initial impact has plateaued at Spurs and Brighton. It will be the same next season, regardless of how things start.

[Bert19]

3 hours ago, paulw66 said:

44 points last season. 

We should get circa 60 this.

36% improvement or so. 

The frustrating thing is Poch could have made some very simple changes that would have helped us immensely. Sticking Gallagher in his best position, for example, and he and the team have looked all the better for it. We could easily have been knocking on 4th place this season

Agreed. 

Two of the biggest ones being to simplify what we do in defence and get us organised off the ball.  One of my biggest gripes with him is how long it is taking to reduce our defensive vulnerability. 

I'm a little bit worried that we stick with him through the summer and get 10 games into next season with the same defensive issues and then we're firing him anyway.  

[RDCW]

Well whatever your view of Pochettino is it would be madness to go into next season with him on an unextended contract. Either he needs to be sacked or have a year's extension, because we all know what happens when the manager is a dead man walking. 

[chara]

Across the Forum there is a definite "softening" of the feelings about The Poch...me included...but that does not mean an across the board acceptance that The Poch is the right coach to take Chelsea back to the top.

The Poch has a ceiling quite obvious to most from his past history...(as is the case with many coaches)an average coach...one to keep Chelsea (or any side) "in contention" but never going to break through to the top challenging group....accepting all the difficulties over the last two seasons don't forget quite how bad things were earlier in the season.... falling at the last hurdles in both cups was not so much bad luck as indicative of The Poch's history over a good few years.

Not to debate the rights and wrongs of the stumbles  but given his track record not a surprise if you stand back and look at things.

Unless there is a proven superior long term appointment (Chelsea long term!) out there it makes little sense to fire The Poch at this time.

Accept a reasonable table position..reasonable not excellent,,next season and a reprise of this seasons Cup exploits,,and with some luck a learning curve ..for the squad..Euro adventure and nerves will not be stretched..expecting anything more might cause some indigestion!

The "established" pool of coaches is well known and once past the Media "fairy dust" sprinkling on the chosen young Turks (apologies CarefreeM,,not an insult).most upcoming coaches are only "good" at best..not great.

The Poch will probably join many a coach to lead Chelsea into an early false dawn as one of the annual overachieving "surprise" teams that join the top groupings before falling away,

That my friends is the IMHO OG take on the immediate future,

ADDED....The player/coach need time myth.... not completely false but how long is "time"...CHO RLC needed time among a host of others........?......some eggs never hatch however long they are incubated.

Edited May 7 by chara

[Thiago97]

1 hour ago, chara said:

Across the Forum there is a definite "softening" of the feelings about The Poch...me included...but that does not mean an across the board acceptance that The Poch is the right coach to take Chelsea back to the top.

The Poch has a ceiling quite obvious to most from his past history...(as is the case with many coaches)an average coach...one to keep Chelsea (or any side) "in contention" but never going to break through to the top challenging group....accepting all the difficulties over the last two seasons don't forget quite how bad things were earlier in the season.... falling at the last hurdles in both cups was not so much bad luck as indicative of The Poch's history over a good few years.

Not to debate the rights and wrongs of the stumbles  but given his track record not a surprise if you stand back and look at things.

Unless there is a proven superior long term appointment (Chelsea long term!) out there it makes little sense to fire The Poch at this time.

Accept a reasonable table position..reasonable not excellent,,next season and a reprise of this seasons Cup exploits,,and with some luck a learning curve ..for the squad..Euro adventure and nerves will not be stretched..expecting anything more might cause some indigestion!

The "established" pool of coaches is well known and once past the Media "fairy dust" sprinkling on the chosen young Turks (apologies CarefreeM,,not an insult).most upcoming coaches are only "good" at best..not great.

The Poch will probably join many a coach to lead Chelsea into an early false dawn as one of the annual overachieving "surprise" teams that join the top groupings before falling away,

That my friends is the IMHO OG take on the immediate future,

ADDED....The player/coach need time myth.... not completely false but how long is "time"...CHO RLC needed time among a host of others........?......some eggs never hatch however long they are incubated.

I think this is a perfectly reasonable assessment. Whilst I have been supportive of his reign in this first season, I also harbour severe doubts he will be up to the task of challenging for a title here. I said a while back that I feel we will look back on his reign with a degree of appreciation, damned with faint praise if you like. Though I don’t think I this will become apparent until 18-24 months after he leaves the club.

He feels like our Ranieri MKII in the current times. A safe pair of hands who the players enjoy playing under for 2 years, before the next coach arrives and looks to take the club back to the top here in England.  Who knows what shape Pep and City will be in by then. The same goes for Arsenal , Liverpool and Utd. Cycles are starting and ending amongst our competitors right now,  with progress from the manager and players next season, we could be timing our run well for 2025/2026 onwards. Another season of stability can help achieve this. 

[Lump Of Celery]

49 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

The same goes for Arsenal , Liverpool and Utd. Cycles are starting and ending amongst our competitors right now,  with progress from the manager and players next season, we could be timing our run well for 2025/2026 onwards. Another season of stability can help achieve this. 

The table is starting to show we are a team on the up, whereas Man Utd and Spurs are on the down. Liverpool are probably going to have a downturn and who knows if Villa can keep this up.

We have done most of out transfer business, so I agree another year of stability would be a good shout. And, there may be better managerial candidates available in a years time. Vital that we can get our injury list down even half of this seasons next year and we should be a shoe in for 3rd or 4th with just a couple of ins and outs

[boratsbrother]

57 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

Cycles are starting and ending amongst our competitors right now,  with progress from the manager and players next season, we could be timing our run well for 2025/2026 onwards. Another season of stability can help achieve this. 

Ive been asking for time all season for Poch,  but I think we aren progressing at a faster than rate than I expected, so next season I'll be looking for more than just a season of stability.

Imo, we have a better first 11 than Villa, Spurs, Newcastle and Utd and a significantly stronger squad as well. I think we'll be ready for a title challenge in 25/26.

[Thiago97]

6 minutes ago, boratsbrother said:

Ive been asking for time all season for Poch,  but I think we aren progressing at a faster than rate than I expected, so next season I'll be looking for more than just a season of stability.

Imo, we have a better first 11 than Villa, Spurs, Newcastle and Utd and a significantly stronger squad as well. I think we'll be ready for a title challenge in 25/26.

Yes , I agree. I’m saying stability in terms of not ripping  things up and starting again. If Poch gets a quality spine of new experienced signings , then he needs to be getting top 4 . 

[Sleeping Dave]

22 hours ago, Sciatika said:

I am still waiting for the end of the season. We have had highs and lows this season, and knee-jerk reactions are dangerous whether we have just lost in an embarrassing way to Arsenal or Liverpool or tonked Spurs or West Ham. In the end, the table will reveal where we are and that's the time to consider what, if anything, should be done.. 

This season has panned out exactly as expected - volatile in terms of results and some issues that have popped up throughout the season. 

With such a young side it was inevitable. I’m predicting that to continue next season as well, especially now that Silva is leaving us. We lack experience and the experience we have haven’t had the best seasons either (James, Chilwell, Sterling). 

I don’t see any sense in sacking Poch. Let him continue to build for another year. 

[My Blood Is Blue]

I expected inconsistency this season, with such a young squad it felt inevitable, however, the manner in which we suffered some of the defeats was deeply disappointing and far from acceptable (IMO). I've mentioned it before, but I feel like Pochettino let himself down with certain team selections and his apparent struggle to influence outcomes or momentum during matches.

Looking back on this season, it's obviously important to acknowledge the extensive injury issues we faced. Losing players like Fofana and Lavia for an entire season, and key figures like Nkunku and James for prolonged periods, alongside other first-team members like Badiashile, Colwill, Chilwell, and Chukwuemeka who have missed large chunks of the season, created a daunting challenge. The fact that every single player in our first-team squad missed at least one game due to injury or illness is unprecedented, and I doubt any other club has encountered this before.

Assessing Pochettino's performance is difficult. Undoubtedly, he has been dealt a tough hand, but at times I'm not convinced he has made the best use of that hand he's been dealt. Depending on the outcome of the final three games, my inclination will probably lean towards giving him another season, considering the need for stability and the fact it does seem like we're seeing some progress. The potential addition of James, Nkunku, and Fofana to the squad for the next season should see further improvements before we even take into account any new signings. However, if he does depart, I believe there will be clear moments in the season that we can look at and agree would have contributed to that decision.

[Box of Tricks]

Agree with a lot of the above posts. In my case, it feels like I've been waiting for Pochettino to pass a certain threshold (which is more based on capability than points achieved, etc) and I now feel he's kind of there, whereas before I was doubtful to say the least. That's not to say we're not going to have further bumps in the road, but I can now look at him and think he actually does know what he's doing.

The players like him, we score goals, we've shown bouncebackability and somewhere amongst that, there's the makings of defensive solidity. If that can be improved on and we could add a couple of experienced reinforcements, then I think we can fare better next season than most clubs around us - and that might even mean top four (when I look at the mess United and Spurs are in, and how Liverpool may fall into decline post Klopp).

So I'd definitely stick rather than twist, especially when I see the options we're linked to. I would hate to give this team to a Mourinho or a Hansi Flick and watch them rip up the good parts and have us start again.

[east lower]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13132765/mauricio-pochettino-says-leaving-chelsea-this-summer-would-not-be-the-end-of-the-world
 

Don’t let the door hit you on the backside on the way out!

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

23 minutes ago, east lower said:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13132765/mauricio-pochettino-says-leaving-chelsea-this-summer-would-not-be-the-end-of-the-world
 

Don’t let the door hit you on the backside on the way out!

 

Pretty strange comments, but I do also think he struggled to get across what he means sometimes, so hopefully it isn’t as bad/extreme as it sounds. At first glance/listen it doesn’t sound great though!

[boratsbrother]

1 hour ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Pretty strange comments, but I do also think he struggled to get across what he means sometimes, so hopefully it isn’t as bad/extreme as it sounds. At first glance/listen it doesn’t sound great though!

 Poch just talking in his usual calm, honest  and matter of fact way.  

Football managers leaving clubs happens all the time, so there's nothing wrong with him saying it's not the end of the world because it simply isn't.

There is also the issue of him being happy to stay as well as the owners wanting him.  If he wants a couple of ecperienced players (something nearly every member on here is calling for) but the owners won't sign them, then that would be a perfectly reasonable issue on which to quit the club.  Same happened with TT. You either go with what the owners want or you leave. 

[My Blood Is Blue]

Just now, boratsbrother said:

 Poch just talking in his usual calm, honest  and matter of fact way.  

Football managers leaving clubs happens all the time, so there's nothing wrong with him saying it's not the end of the world because it simply isn't.

There is also the issue of him being happy to stay as well as the owners wanting him.  If he wants a couple of ecperienced players (something nearly every member on here is calling for) but the owners won't sign them, then that would be a perfectly reasonable issue on which to quit the club.  Same happened with TT. You either go with what the owners want or you leave. 

Absolutely agree, it's just an odd thing to come out and say at this stage of the season on the back of our best run of form. Or maybe it isn't and it's his way of sending a message to the board that if he doesn't get some of the things he wants, he'll be walking.

The thing is, in reality, he won't walk, very few managers will, because they want they pay day!

[Mark Kelly]

Quitting would be brave .

And Pochettino ?

Well , you know...

[Sciatika]

@My Blood Is Blue, I think he was speaking very much tongue in cheek, given the endless speculation about his future.

[martin1905]

I think a line was drawn in the sand today and I don't think the owners would have liked it. His demeanor was different,  he was confident, arrogant and aggressive with what and how he was saying it.

I watched the whole press conference,  didn't think it was tongue in cheek it actually came across, to me, like he was having quite a dig at them, almost like he knows he may not stay and was making out that its as much his choice as theirs.

However you interpret it, different to me or whatever, I actually had a lot of time for what he was saying. At a time when we are playing our best football in ages and winning games he's saying 'It's not just about them not being happy with me, if I'm not happy with them I'll walk'.

My views on him are and remain clear but if he is better than I give him credit for and his standing in the game is where he thinks it is with all the clubs looking for a new manager there is absolutely no doubt he would have been sounded out. United, Bayern, Barcelona. Much bigger jobs than ours will be available to him if he's as good as he thinks.

I suppose if you think we are playing the way we currently are because he has got them going, it just needed a bit of time, imagine how good we will be if we continue on this path then I'm sure there's people quietly saying I told you so. If, like me, you think this is what we are capable of, should have been playing like this all season and it reiterates how bad a job he has done then it just makes the decision to part ways even more obvious. The good will never outweigh the bad and unfortunately for him, that's the story of his career.

I was told months ago that he wouldn't be here next year  regardless of how the season ended, we will find out just how reliable my man is soon, no doubt.

Edited May 10 by martin1905

[ROTG]

59 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

Quitting would be brave .

And Pochettino ?

Well , you know...

Why would it be brave. 

his stock has probably risen, based on what he has achieved to date with the  bag of dolly mixtures which he had zero input to. His stock might go higher should he hit the 60pts mark. 

with all that said, he went on a similar vocal defiance before the last transfer window and overnight he became a company man allowing the first team coordinators to dictate their philosophy again. 

Edited May 10 by ROTG