Mauricio Pochettino leaves Chelsea by mutual consent

[chara]

Got to thinking about the coach v player "control" on the field.

The influence of a top coach who can read the changes needed and pass on the instructions to players WHO CAN UNDERSTAND what he is directing is inestimable, by the same token the same coach can make disastrous mistakes and because the players trust him and follow his guidance and get beaten,

The example that came to mind was Sir Alf in Mexico "70...Bonetti took the public blame but the underlaying mistake leading to the breakdown was withdrawing Charlton and allowing Beckenbour the freedom to direct things.

The Poch seems well able to make the mistakes but rarely gets game management right or rather makes no meaningful changes,,,

[xceleryx]

3 hours ago, east lower said:

Which is what was said in the Grant era and that I mentioned.

The owners have ridden the club of experience, what would make them do a 180  and go back and buy it in. Other than an admission that they completely got it wrong and pity taken two seasons to understand that. They don’t have that contrition in them in my view. 

It’s a royal mess, from the top through to the coach and probably a number of recruits. The level of incompetence displayed in any other sector would get a vote of no confidence in the board and they’d have to go. But they won’t sack themselves, best we can hope for is an ownership change and there are clauses that permit this and we get competent owners.

Don't really buy into the narrative that the owners have ridden the club of experience per se. I see the experienced heads that left as part of a more organic process where their time at the club had similarly come to its conclusion. You look at those that left and it's hard to really turn around and claim any of them were bad decisions. Keeping in mind we also had these experienced  players last season and none of them stood up when we needed it either. 

Experience doesn't necessarily equal leadership. I think that's an important note to make and be mindful of. 

The direction of our recruitment can certainly be debated, and while I've no huge issue with a youth focused approach I do think there still has to be senior figures to help nurture and lead. That's where we've missed a trick. 

[kev61]

On 26/02/2024 at 14:01, martin1905 said:

Petrovic not getting a look in until Sanchez was injured.

Chilwell starting the season LW.

Colwill playing 16 games at LB.

Caicedo becoming a shadow of the monster he was last season, being left completely isolated as a DM when that's not his position.

Enzo, was without doubt our best player from January onwards last season, levels above everyone. Absolutely useless under Pochettino 

Mudryk being destroyed.

Gallagher becoming our number 10 when our midfield 2 don't work and we have Madueke so Plamer could play there or.......

Nkunku who is probably our best attacker, by some distance, who has been back for 10 weeks yet sits on the bench only to come on and be played out of position.

That's before you even get into the tactics, substitutions,  results and most importantly performaces.

He's ruined every single player. Not one has improved from where they were before he came. They have all gotten much worse.

Nailed it Martin - everything you need to know without getting too forensic - that's why I can't wait to see the back of him.

 

[kev61]

I reckon most of our support want him gone now.He is a dead man walking - so why not get rid of him now? - we will  do as well with jt and lampard until the end of the season.

[east lower]

6 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Don't really buy into the narrative that the owners have ridden the club of experience per se. I see the experienced heads that left as part of a more organic process where their time at the club had similarly come to its conclusion. You look at those that left and it's hard to really turn around and claim any of them were bad decisions. Keeping in mind we also had these experienced  players last season and none of them stood up when we needed it either. 

Experience doesn't necessarily equal leadership. I think that's an important note to make and be mindful of. 

The direction of our recruitment can certainly be debated, and while I've no huge issue with a youth focused approach I do think there still has to be senior figures to help nurture and lead. That's where we've missed a trick. 

Well, somebody did and it wasn’t me 😇 or probably you, although I do have my suspicions as you do seem to row against the tide of evidence in front of you Todd/Eggy 😉.

But, of course they have ridden the club of experience and as importantly, identity. They oversee and direct the whole show and have done for two years. 

They might understand numbers, they might rely on a statistical approach but crucially they didn’t and still don’t understand culture and the impact that a lack of identity and experience brings. 

If people can’t see the value that a Jorginho might bring us now, then I’m afraid to say their understanding of a ‘team’ is lacking in depth. Kante, who is now not missing games, Kovacic. I’d suggest we would have more points on the table with those than without. To rid the team of those was crass mismanagement that the owners at the very least oversaw and at the worst directed and probably to fund the quite frankly ludicrous idea that young men with little or no PL experience would ultimately lead to success.

A leadership lacking knowledge, not understanding the values of identity and culture - no wonder we are in the state we are. Put a hapless/hopeless coach into the mix and voila - we are where we are! 

Culture - An example, Roman got to know that the media in general despise us. A cultural thing, based on the media’s own bias’s and the hatred of the success and rapid equalisation that the then owner’s funds brought. This lot then naively attempt to ingratiate themselves, going full-on open book with the spiteful b*****ds. Firing Tuchel, another example and hiring the dud exasperated it.

They are, in their own spectrum of operations as hopelessly out of their depth/zone as is the coach. What a wonderful place to be! Add in to the mix the absolute commercialism employed to date, and thus far it’s the small things that are giving it away (culture) and it’s no wonder that most engaged people I speak with believe them not to be owners that bring success.

Edited March 6 by east lower

[Thiago97]

46 minutes ago, east lower said:

Well, somebody did and it wasn’t me 😇 or probably you, although I do have my suspicions as you do seem to row against the tide of evidence in front of you Todd/Eggy 😉.

But, of course they have ridden the club of experience and as importantly, identity. They oversee and direct the whole show and have done for two years. 

They might understand numbers, they might rely on a statistical approach but crucially they didn’t and still don’t understand culture and the impact that a lack of identity and experience brings. 

If people can’t see the value that a Jorginho might bring us now, then I’m afraid to say their understanding of a ‘team’ is lacking in depth. Kante, who is now not missing games, Kovacic. I’d suggest we would have more points on the table with those than without. To rid the team of those was crass mismanagement that the owners at the very least oversaw and at the worst directed and probably to fund the quite frankly ludicrous idea that young men with little or no PL experience would ultimately lead to success.

A leadership lacking knowledge, not understanding the values of identity and culture - no wonder we are in the state we are. Put a hapless/hopeless coach into the mix and voila - we are where we are! 

Culture - An example, Roman got to know that the media in general despise us. A cultural thing, based on the media’s own bias’s and the hatred of the success and rapid equalisation that the then owner’s funds brought. This lot then naively attempt to ingratiate themselves, going full-on open book with the spiteful b*****ds. Firing Tuchel, another example and hiring the dud exasperated it.

They are, in their own spectrum of operations as hopelessly out of their depth/zone as is the coach. What a wonderful place to be! Add in to the mix the absolute commercialism employed to date, and thus far it’s the small things that are giving it away (culture) and it’s no wonder that most engaged people I speak with believe them not to be owners that bring success.

You make some very valid points. The bit I cannot get my head around, after reading everything you have said here. Why you are so critical of the current coach, when he has been brought into this environment and situation at the club? Surely you would create some slack for him, taking into account the situation he has inherited. Yet you were one of the small minority on here who wanted him gone after 5-6 games! 
There is a misalignment somewhere in here. 

[Ham]

3 hours ago, kev61 said:

I reckon most of our support want him gone now.He is a dead man walking - so why not get rid of him now? - we will  do as well with jt and lampard until the end of the season.

Have you forgotten how we did with Lampard last time?

The only reason he wasn't run out of town by the fans during his short disastrous stint was because he was Lampard. 

[east lower]

1 hour ago, Thiago97 said:

You make some very valid points. The bit I cannot get my head around, after reading everything you have said here. Why you are so critical of the current coach, when he has been brought into this environment and situation at the club? Surely you would create some slack for him, taking into account the situation he has inherited. Yet you were one of the small minority on here who wanted him gone after 5-6 games! 
There is a misalignment somewhere in here. 

The logical side of my brain said he achieved next to nothing at Tottenham and then regressed whilst having some really good footballers. Arguably he improved Southampton from a low base position. 

He won a league title in France, where quite frankly not winning it is abject and total dereliction of duty/failure - that was his last managerial position before joining us and he had some of the world's best players with him there. 

So to be fair, I was sceptical from the moment he was appointed. Pre-season went well snd I had genuine hope that I was wrong and we'd be better under him. As soon as after the second league game, he went full coward, chasing not losing as opposed to winning games. Plus as @kev61 has posted elsewhere there's hardly a player he has improved. 

Add in to the mix that we have no discernable way of playing,  the snail-like way we move the ball, the lack of intensity in games such as Saturdays, the cataclysmic way that we react after half-time in games snd his inability to deal with opposition coaches tactics and I think there's more than enough logical reasons for my feelings towards him.

Now, I would not be being honest if I didn't also say the non-tangible things. I played enough, coached enough and have watched enough football to sense a dud from a good one and he's a dud. He's also ex-Tottenham and that stuck in my craw, so just for me he had an uphill start to convince me. You remember the 2-2 game against them, he's in charge of that. They went on a rampage of despicable actions in that match, which he defended vehemently.  That last bit is OK, he's their coach. We surrender under him, at the very least get amongst the opposition,  disrupt, win the 50/50's - bottom line is we don't.

We need a motivational tactician - he's not that. 

I could see it 2-3 months in and am in the camp of not letting things fester. Gangrene is an a analagy - get to it early enough and you might get lucky and cure it or just lose a toe. Let it continue and you lose the leg, let it run it's course and you're dead. And I think we're already at the nearly losing the leg stage.

[asvaberg]

4 hours ago, kev61 said:

I reckon most of our support want him gone now.He is a dead man walking - so why not get rid of him now? - we will  do as well with jt and lampard until the end of the season.

Better call Hiddink 🙂

[Holymoly]

5 minutes ago, east lower said:

Pre-season went well snd I had genuine hope that I was wrong and we'd be better under him. As soon as after the second league game, he went full coward, chasing not losing as opposed to winning games. Plus as @kev61 has posted elsewhere there's hardly a player he has improved. 

The bottom line is that he is not a born winner, neither is he an innovator, two things I believe the club both needs and deserves. Maybe the board just decided that he was the man to see us through the redevelopment of the stadium project in the manner he did at Spuds. A manager that got on with what he was given without complaining too much.

While I am exasperated with his approach I don't see what is to be gained by getting rid of him now nor do I see anyone presently waiting in the wings to take over and turn the ship around. It's just a shame that there isn't a cadre of experienced players in the squad capable of sorting this out internally.

We were told two years ago that we should brace ourselves for a period of rebuilding and I guess that is what we are living through, it's just frustrating that we can't see a clear path ahead notwithstanding we have seen four managers of varying outlooks come and go without appearing to move foward in any meaningful way.

[ROTG]

26 minutes ago, east lower said:

We need a motivational tactician -

Bring in Bielsa and let's see if he can get a tune out of the squad. 

[Thiago97]

8 minutes ago, east lower said:

 

So to be fair, I was sceptical from the moment he was appointed. Pre-season went well snd I had genuine hope that I was wrong and we'd be better under him. As soon as after the second league game, he went full coward, chasing not losing as opposed to winning games. Plus as @kev61 has posted elsewhere there's hardly a player he has improved. 

Add in to the mix that we have no discernable way of playing,  the snail-like way we move the ball, the lack of intensity in games such as Saturdays, the cataclysmic way that we react after half-time in games snd his inability to deal with opposition coaches tactics and I think there's more than enough logical reasons for my feelings towards him.

Now, I would not be being honest if I didn't also say the non-tangible things. I played enough, coached enough and have watched enough football to sense a dud from a good one and he's a dud. He's also ex-Tottenham and that stuck in my craw, so just for me he had an uphill start to convince me. You remember the 2-2 game against them, he's in charge of that. They went on a rampage of despicable actions in that match, which he defended vehemently.  That last bit is OK, he's their coach. We surrender under him, at the very least get amongst the opposition,  disrupt, win the 50/50's - bottom line is we don't.

 

 

Appreciate the total honesty and transparency of your post. Personally, regardless of any subjective opinion on the coach being the right man, there still has to be some slack in there for him , when you take into your view of what he has inherited with the club situation.

I would just add some comments on the parts where quoted above. This whole full coward persona that Mark Kelly has created.  Is it not just a case of he knows what he is working with ? Inexperienced players with questionable mental strengths, lacking physical size and lacking leadership on the pitch . He is being asked to try and produce gold out of what is currently base metal.  Again, I really want to reiterate the point that Poch has clearly got things wrong, just like all managers do. It's about rectifying those issues and learning from those mistakes over time, this will take longer to resolve working with younger players who are all still in the early stages of working together in the club.

The lack on intensity/slow moving of the ball point - Surely you don't think that is Poch's desired tactic here? In many ways, this is just a modern football thing. Majority of managers seem to want to play out from the back these days, their appears to be very few pragmatic managers out there. So if we accept this is highly likely to be the style of play route we are going down, one of the next key things is are the players up to producing it. Currently they are not capable of producing this to the required level, which is why so many mistakes happen, which leads to the ball being moved slower to try and prevent those mistakes, and the whole cycle of pain is continuous. Now I get people could say well Poch is manager he needs to stop them doing this, but I suspect this is all part of the structure/playing style the club are trying to install. If the plan is to develop these players over the next 3-4 years, then abandoning that philosophy 18 months in, has potential to  create even bigger issues moving forward. The players and manager need to show they are capable of implementing this tactic better, but also capable of performing it on the pitch. Question marks over both players and manager here.

Finally, I didn't want this post to be thing long, so apologies there. The bit about the 2-2 games when Poch was at spurs......well we need this kind of fight, nastiness, cynicism here now. The only players who seem to show any of this is Caicedo, Palmer and Gallagher. The overriding point is that Poch has created this previously, when he had the players who were able to deliver it. So the manager has a track record of creating it, the manager has a track record of creating good results across his last 3 clubs too. What do our young players have a track record of ? a world cup with Argentina, some very nice play at Brighton, a few exciting games for Shaktar and PSV, some promising games for Monaco, raw  promise for Villareal, a good season at Crystal Palace. 

 

 

[Mark Kelly]

42 minutes ago, Thiago97 said:

Appreciate the total honesty and transparency of your post. Personally, regardless of any subjective opinion on the coach being the right man, there still has to be some slack in there for him , when you take into your view of what he has inherited with the club situation.

I would just add some comments on the parts where quoted above. This whole full coward persona that Mark Kelly has created.  Is it not just a case of he knows what he is working with ? Inexperienced players with questionable mental strengths, lacking physical size and lacking leadership on the pitch . He is being asked to try and produce gold out of what is currently base metal.  Again, I really want to reiterate the point that Poch has clearly got things wrong, just like all managers do. It's about rectifying those issues and learning from those mistakes over time, this will take longer to resolve working with younger players who are all still in the early stages of working together in the club.

The lack on intensity/slow moving of the ball point - Surely you don't think that is Poch's desired tactic here? In many ways, this is just a modern football thing. Majority of managers seem to want to play out from the back these days, their appears to be very few pragmatic managers out there. So if we accept this is highly likely to be the style of play route we are going down, one of the next key things is are the players up to producing it. Currently they are not capable of producing this to the required level, which is why so many mistakes happen, which leads to the ball being moved slower to try and prevent those mistakes, and the whole cycle of pain is continuous. Now I get people could say well Poch is manager he needs to stop them doing this, but I suspect this is all part of the structure/playing style the club are trying to install. If the plan is to develop these players over the next 3-4 years, then abandoning that philosophy 18 months in, has potential to  create even bigger issues moving forward. The players and manager need to show they are capable of implementing this tactic better, but also capable of performing it on the pitch. Question marks over both players and manager here.

Finally, I didn't want this post to be thing long, so apologies there. The bit about the 2-2 games when Poch was at spurs......well we need this kind of fight, nastiness, cynicism here now. The only players who seem to show any of this is Caicedo, Palmer and Gallagher. The overriding point is that Poch has created this previously, when he had the players who were able to deliver it. So the manager has a track record of creating it, the manager has a track record of creating good results across his last 3 clubs too. What do our young players have a track record of ? a world cup with Argentina, some very nice play at Brighton, a few exciting games for Shaktar and PSV, some promising games for Monaco, raw  promise for Villareal, a good season at Crystal Palace. 

 

 

I think Pochettino created the coward persona for himself through his perpetually cowardly actions whilst telling his media mates how brave he and we are .

 

[flllerywhereru2]

Im not going to bang the drum for Pochettino but also not push for getting rid at this point. We are two thirds of the way through a season where in my oinion we have made some steps forward (a cup final and some wins/draws against better teams). There have also been dissppointing results and performances but for me there is more substance than under Potter. I would say should we make another final/ go out in the semi to Liverpool or City and finish 7th or 8th then the coach deserves to continue as i do not see anyone coming in and making a huge difference with this squad. I think there is an element of taking frustrations of where we are as a club/team out on the coach because he is ex spurs.

[east lower]

3 hours ago, Thiago97 said:

Appreciate the total honesty and transparency of your post. Personally, regardless of any subjective opinion on the coach being the right man, there still has to be some slack in there for him , when you take into your view of what he has inherited with the club situation.

I would just add some comments on the parts where quoted above. This whole full coward persona that Mark Kelly has created.  Is it not just a case of he knows what he is working with ? Inexperienced players with questionable mental strengths, lacking physical size and lacking leadership on the pitch . He is being asked to try and produce gold out of what is currently base metal.  Again, I really want to reiterate the point that Poch has clearly got things wrong, just like all managers do. It's about rectifying those issues and learning from those mistakes over time, this will take longer to resolve working with younger players who are all still in the early stages of working together in the club.

The lack on intensity/slow moving of the ball point - Surely you don't think that is Poch's desired tactic here? In many ways, this is just a modern football thing. Majority of managers seem to want to play out from the back these days, their appears to be very few pragmatic managers out there. So if we accept this is highly likely to be the style of play route we are going down, one of the next key things is are the players up to producing it. Currently they are not capable of producing this to the required level, which is why so many mistakes happen, which leads to the ball being moved slower to try and prevent those mistakes, and the whole cycle of pain is continuous. Now I get people could say well Poch is manager he needs to stop them doing this, but I suspect this is all part of the structure/playing style the club are trying to install. If the plan is to develop these players over the next 3-4 years, then abandoning that philosophy 18 months in, has potential to  create even bigger issues moving forward. The players and manager need to show they are capable of implementing this tactic better, but also capable of performing it on the pitch. Question marks over both players and manager here.

Finally, I didn't want this post to be thing long, so apologies there. The bit about the 2-2 games when Poch was at spurs......well we need this kind of fight, nastiness, cynicism here now. The only players who seem to show any of this is Caicedo, Palmer and Gallagher. The overriding point is that Poch has created this previously, when he had the players who were able to deliver it. So the manager has a track record of creating it, the manager has a track record of creating good results across his last 3 clubs too. What do our young players have a track record of ? a world cup with Argentina, some very nice play at Brighton, a few exciting games for Shaktar and PSV, some promising games for Monaco, raw  promise for Villareal, a good season at Crystal Palace. 

 

 

In order:

He signed on the dotted line, he knew what he was getting - If it's different, then walk away. He's improving no-one or nothing on the pitch. Potter achieved more by getting us to the knock-out stages of the CL. Two 3rd round exits to Man City in the cups was no disgrace. 

TBF to @Mark Kelly - I think it might have been me that went down that route initially but what he does with the team and how he sets us up shows that cowardly/backward nature.

Yes, I do think that the style of play is entirely down to the coach, if it isn't then he's weak - which is actually worse!

No problem with re-building, but you don't want a carpenter putting your foundations in. So get  the right people in, not a pretender - More harm than good will come of it.

We're no better off than with Potter, I do genuinely feel that. Potter got more from Enzo that our current coach has.

We can't even kick people, the way his Spuds team did. He's not engaged and is pocketing the dough, whilst waiting for the inevitable.

 

[ROTG]

24 minutes ago, east lower said:

In order:

He signed on the dotted line, he knew what he was getting - If it's different, then walk away. He's improving no-one or nothing on the pitch. Potter achieved more by getting us to the knock-out stages of the CL. Two 3rd round exits to Man City in the cups was no disgrace. 

TBF to @Mark Kelly - I think it might have been me that went down that route initially but what he does with the team and how he sets us up shows that cowardly/backward nature.

Yes, I do think that the style of play is entirely down to the coach, if it isn't then he's weak - which is actually worse!

No problem with re-building, but you don't want a carpenter putting your foundations in. So get  the right people in, not a pretender - More harm than good will come of it.

We're no better off than with Potter, I do genuinely feel that. Potter got more from Enzo that our current coach has.

We can't even kick people, the way his Spuds team did. He's not engaged and is pocketing the dough, whilst waiting for the inevitable.

 

The problem is Poch is a winstanley/Stewart hire probably because he was the only one out there with an alleged reputable CV was interested, as proven with the likes if Enrique and Naglesmann walking away after an initial meeting / interview last summer when the saw the content of project Chelsea. 

If Poch goes then surely the dynamic sporting directors duo positions need to be reviewed. Because imo any decent coach will not touch the setup and squad with a barge pole. 

The club could do no worst than having Bielsa coach the squad for a season. One thing guaranteed is entertainment on the field and he will identity the coachable and duds, for his successor. 

 

[chara]

1 minute ago, ROTG said:

The problem is Poch is a winstanley/Stewart hire probably because he was the only one out there with an alleged reputable CV was interested, as proven with the likes if Enrique and Naglesmann walking away after an initial meeting / interview last summer when the saw the content of project Chelsea. 

If Poch goes then surely the dynamic sporting directors duo positions need to be reviewed. Because imo any decent coach will not touch the setup and squad with a barge pole. 

The club could do no worst than having Bielsa coach the squad for a season. One thing guaranteed is entertainment on the field and he will identity the coachable and duds, for his successor. 

 

Agree mostly but you seem to have Bielsa top of the list to replace The Poch..... imho another average coach probably slightly better than The Poch but still mid table "settler".

Choose any one of a large group of "middling" coaches on show,,,make a good fist of an average side and voila..the next media "coming coach".

How many Potter + mistakes do we need?

[ROTG]

2 hours ago, chara said:

Agree mostly but you seem to have Bielsa top of the list to replace The Poch..... imho another average coach probably slightly better than The Poch but still mid table "settler".

Choose any one of a large group of "middling" coaches on show,,,make a good fist of an average side and voila..the next media "coming coach".

How many Potter + mistakes do we need?

Unfortunately the club has positioned itself in only being able now in the position of only attracting middling level coaches whilst the current upper management stays in place. 

Bielsa might only be of a certain level, however he make a majority of his squads coachable. 

As mentioned on this forum recently, the club is now last in the pecking order and worth 2 minutes of highlights with MOTD. How times have changed. 

[Chelsea_Matt]

18 minutes ago, ROTG said:

Unfortunately the club has positioned itself in only being able now in the position of only attracting middling level coaches whilst the current upper management stays in place. 

Bielsa might only be of a certain level, however he make a majority of his squads coachable. 

As mentioned on this forum recently, the club is now last in the pecking order and worth 2 minutes of highlights with MOTD. How times have changed. 

Who gives a fuck what Match of the Day (with that vile virtue-signaling, arrogant twat Lineker) thinks of us?

[chara]

1 minute ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Who gives a fuck what Match of the Day (with that vile virtue-signaling, arrogant twat Lineker) thinks of us?

Matt..you have to stop being "middle of the road" nice with your posts.😁

🥷👼☮️🏴‍☠️

[east lower]

14 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Who gives a fuck what Match of the Day (with that vile virtue-signaling, arrogant twat Lineker) thinks of us?

I’m getting on now and struggle to stay awake, so I’d like an earlier slot please 🥱💤🛌

[east lower]

3 hours ago, ROTG said:

The problem is Poch is a winstanley/Stewart hire probably because he was the only one out there with an alleged reputable CV was interested, as proven with the likes if Enrique and Naglesmann walking away after an initial meeting / interview last summer when the saw the content of project Chelsea. 

If Poch goes then surely the dynamic sporting directors duo positions need to be reviewed. Because imo any decent coach will not touch the setup and squad with a barge pole. 

The club could do no worst than having Bielsa coach the squad for a season. One thing guaranteed is entertainment on the field and he will identity the coachable and duds, for his successor. 

 

Agree generally, but Bielsa not so sure. He didn’t do it for me. 

Ancelotti is now having criminal charges brought on him by the Spanish authorities for tax fraud. He might be open to an exit?

[Chelsea_Matt]

35 minutes ago, chara said:

Matt..you have to stop being "middle of the road" nice with your posts.😁

🥷👼☮️🏴‍☠️

You’re right. I tell you who really is on the fence about Poch though - a certain Mr K. Talk about Mr Flip Flop! @Mark Kelly 👀🤣😉💜🩶

[Ham]

30 minutes ago, east lower said:

Agree generally, but Bielsa not so sure. He didn’t do it for me. 

Ancelotti is now having criminal charges brought on him by the Spanish authorities for tax fraud. He might be open to an exit?

He might need a prison break as opposed to an exit.  They don't mess around on tax.

[east lower]

Just now, Ham said:

He might need a prison break as opposed to an exit.  They don't mess around on tax.

They’re asking for a 5 year sentence, probably do a deal on the money and maybe get out of the country.