Everton 2 Chelsea 0

[Blue Moon]

46 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Depends. If you're looking for something enjoyable to watch, then this isn't for you. If you want to watch to try and spot some areas of improvement, then this probably isn't for you either. If you're after something that may lower your spirits and overall mood, then this is for you!

Honestly, though, I wouldn't go out of your way to watch it as it was all highly predictable in the end. It went pretty much how I personally expected it to go. We dominated possession throughout, without creating any real chances. We lost some more players to injury. Everton didn't really do anything in the game, but just waited patiently for us to give them some half decent chances as we always do, which they took and won the game.

Thanks. Saved me a soul-destroying evening. I'll carry on binge-watching Vigil instead - quite good, that ... 

I've taken an unusual step (for me) - never done it before - sold my seat for the next 2-3 matches. Apparently, I'm like a bear with a sore head after a match these days, and I'd rather enjoy Christmas. And if I say I'm not renewing my season ticket just one more time, I'm likely to "get it shoved somewhere the sun doesn't shine". Missed MOTD for the first time in decades, too ... hope next summer's cricket is good, or I'm off to Provence to learn Pétanque.

[ROTG]

12 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

I expect if we played for an hour with a man advantage and drew that spell of the game 1-1 with a late headed goal from a corner, you'd be less than impressed. 

Absolutely not. 
I be impressed if the team could consistently win games 11vs11

or is that too much of an ask? 

[east lower]

10 hours ago, thevelourfog said:

He was right, though. Brighton outplayed us as were thoroughly the better team. Didn't watch yesterday, no idea if Pochettino is "right". Doesn't really matter when you’ve lost your 7th PL game and you've more than half your advent calendar left, mind.

Personally, thought we the better team when 11 v 11, maybe 10 mins at the start of the game where Brighton hung onto the ball? Could have been out of site by the time their first went in. He said (RDZ) that they were better for the entire match, that’s why I took it as a little bitter. There again and as the Vince Lombardi saying goes “show me a good looser and I’ll show you a loser”. 
 

Still think he’s a bit twisted though 😉

Edited December 11, 2023 by east lower

[thevelourfog]

3 hours ago, paulw66 said:

I expect if we played for an hour with a man advantage and drew that spell of the game 1-1 with a late headed goal from a corner, you'd be less than impressed. 

Well ... Duh. I'm less than impressed with a 3-2 win! Totally fails to engage with what I said, mind. I'm safe assuming I will never, ever see you posting anything about a better team not winning, right?

[Dwmh]

Just watched it and read this thread.  From the scoreline I was expecting a nightmare game and nightmare here.
Both forum and team have done alright IMO.

Everton seemed to get upset with the point deduction but have since been on a positive role, helped by emerging from the bottom 3 and therefore certainty they can stay up.  Tough opponents.
In a twist to how I usually describe us I have to say:
Everton:  Price of players < quality of players < player performance < team performance < chances created - chances conceded < GF-GA < points achieved (>> points in the table)

I hope the creamcakes learn from that because they have set up a squad that does exactly the reverse.

Still yesterday was a better performance away against a team of our standing, where we were close in many respects except finishing.  
(Mind I have already written us off as a top 10 team).

The worry is that we are now =11th, =12th, =13th and =14th, with Everton certain to overtake us at current rates.

On 10/12/2023 at 19:50, Mark Kelly said:

If Mudryk played in any other Premier League side under any other Premier league manager, except perhaps David Moyes, he'd look a better player than Pochettino has made him look. 

Mudryk is as green as they get but he's been ill served by the coward. 

Mudryk was easily our best and most threatening player yesterday.  Great game by him, I hope Poch has said so and he gains confidence from this.  Not really sure why, but the rest of the team used him a lot more than normal so here is speculating why.
I guess Ashley Young was seen as a weakness to target.
We usually play with 2 6's and an 8 which is normally Gallagher.  In this game (not for the first time) Gallagher played twin 6 (which is where I think he should always play).  I wonder if that helped with Fernandez further forward and Gallagher having a bit more time to look up and forward.
We trained for Mudryk starting (instead of not planning for when he comes on).
Cucurella as a LB who likes to go forward perhaps drew a little attention from him.

Anyway, if this was his first game we'd all be raving about him.
 

16 hours ago, Original 21 said:

 I’ve actually been pretty impressed by Sanchez. His distribution needs work on, but he’s pulled off some saves that Kepa simply wouldn’t have.

Same here.  If he were on the bench and Kepa starting (or even the other way around) people would be singing his praises loudly.
In recent games he has adopted an "if unsure just kick it out for a throw-in" approach.  Which is probably the smart call.  Especially since winning back possession is the one thing we are really good at.

13 hours ago, thevelourfog said:

QFT. What best helps temper my anger at these results is that I don't think they matter too much in the scheme of things, because these owners are an existential danger. I worry that we'll soon find the idea we worried about 3 years without CL football quite quaint.

I read this first as the owners are in existential danger (to themselves)  which I would agree with.
Then I read it as they are an existential danger to CFC which sadly I also agree with.

There is a lot of this type of behaviour about these days.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Dwmh

[xceleryx]

15 hours ago, ROTG said:

Umm a man with a degree from Boston University, FIFA’s pro licence is less qualified than the gang of 3?
FWIW Emenalo came to Chelsea and restructured the scouting department and thereafter found the likes of KDB, Lukaku etc. 

he then became technical director overseeing some of the clubs most successful periods of winning trophies and the recruitment loan system and support the academy when other wanted it to take a back seat. 

Remind me what do the 3 championship scouts have to brag about on their CV’s

Nothing of which has to do with being a technical director or recruitment. So, as I originally said, Emenalo was actually less equipped when hired than those we have on hand currently.

Now, hindsight goes on to show that he ended up having a big role in the restructure of our recruitment and he helped identify several talented players, it wasn't always rosy either with many occasions blame being left at this feet. The benefit Emenalo had was time, but also a much more established first team which helped buy that through success.

The current group haven't really had that. Maybe in a few years time some of these young talented players turn out to be really good moving forward and having pivotal roles to play, maybe some don't. That's kinda the larger point. It's still very early into the piece. 

They aren't comparable environments or situations. 

[chara]

@xceleryx.  "..maybe in a few years time..."

I'm beginning to get this sinking feeling that all the transfers in "for the future " are going to turn out to be ugly ducklings that grow up to be ugly. plain or unattractive ducks.

Palmer is the only one who looks like he may blossom into a swan but maybe elsewhere.

Depressing times when it's hard to relate to the team and hard to relate to most of the squad.

[xceleryx]

15 hours ago, thevelourfog said:

These kind of comments, where we pretend there is a majority position on something and that we are able to see it even when others cannot, are tedious. There was, here and in every Chelsea circle I move in, a variety of opinions on the players you mentioned both when they signed and as the season went on. If the tide did turn on them, it's uncharitable to say that's evidence of being "fickle" or "clueless" when another interpretation would be "I'm an optimist, but I've seen them now and it ain't good". I'd wager your average Chelsea supporter wasn't watching Brighton every weekend, let alone Napoli. People are often reactionary, but it makes complete sense to change your opinion when the evidence in front of you changes.

Imagine pretending there was anything like majority positivity on a Chelsea fan forum about Chelsea signing Raheem Sterling for £50m in 2022. Silly stuff.

Not saying opinions cannot change over time with greater information or sample size, but dismissing the idea as a whole that football fans aren't fickle is equally as blind. We are, and I include myself in this - particularly so in my younger days. It's the manner in which it's often done that creates the "fickleness". The ease in which opinions/views flip flop at the flip of a coin.

You only need to see how fans treat certain players or managers and then backflip once they start getting their own opinions, expectations, or even in some cases ego's satisfied. As originally said, there's endless history of this being the case within football as a whole. 

[Blue Orca]

On 10/12/2023 at 18:35, Mark Kelly said:

There's no way we are getting that much for James, I'd be amazed if we got £40m

If we receive an offer for £40m I'd snap there hand off. Use it to buy a keeper who can actually kick the ball out to teammate. 

[xceleryx]

Just now, chara said:

@xceleryx.  "..maybe in a few years time..."

I'm beginning to get this sinking feeling that all the transfers in "for the future " are going to turn out to be ugly ducklings that grow up to be ugly. plain or unattractive ducks.

Palmer is the only one who looks like he may blossom into a swan but maybe elsewhere.

Depressing times when it's hard to relate to the team and hard to relate to most of the squad.

That's the path we've chosen. I mean, it's unrealistic to expect an entire squad predominately built with young upcoming talent to perform immediately at a consistent level, much less to the standard required to place high within the Premier League table. We were always going to struggle this season, I knew this from the onset and therefore adjusted my expectations accordingly. 

That's not to say I'm satisfied with our performances, results, or aren't yelling things like "Jackson you tw*t, pass the f-ing ball" before he proceeds to lose possession. I'm not happy, far from it. I just acknowledge where we are. 

I've said this before, but I want to see what our next phase of action is in the market now that we've assembled a group. If we're still opting to sign 19, 20, 21 year olds to amend present  day issues then I'll be far from impressed and will make that known. However, if we actually now look to add a bit more established quality that can help lead and raise the teams floor, then it'll show that there is a bit more planning and awareness from ownership and those in the recruitment sectors. 

We're not going to hit on every transfer, and I think we have signed a couple duds/very rough diamonds that require a heck of a lot of polishing if they're to be what was maybe envisioned of them, but in fairness we've also made our share of solid additions that can certainly be built around and contribute moving forward. 

[xceleryx]

15 hours ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Listen. I really wanted Poch but even I can see there’s zero progress being made. We are statistically the worst team in the league. Our captain - my favourite player - is a cripple. We can’t do the basic things. No spine. No leadership. No strength. No organisation. And seemingly no coaching. 

This may be true to an extent, and I can certainly understand this sort of headspace around our plight, but I can also see that we're a couple of smarter established signings away in some key areas to help elevate us. Now, there's certainly question marks over whether or not these sort of moves can be made with the current recruitment team and ownership, but I'll at least wait to see what they deliver on this front before a final thought on it.

I don't think Poch has an easy job at present, and I think just about every manager out there in world football would similarly struggle. He's obviously not happy with the squad he has, that was kinda known in the summer when he pressed for more signings and got given more young players. It's a tough gig even if everyone was fit and firing. 

[xceleryx]

15 hours ago, Max Fowler said:

The biggest problem I have with your perspective @xceleryx is it never really evolves. You will argue you are being patient while others are being fickle, but it's plainly obvious why fans have changed about James. He has had 11 injuries and spells on the sidelines since we were linked with Hakimi, cementing his injury-prone status while we now desperately need a captain who actually plays. It was not obvious back then that this was such an intractable situation.

Similarly, it was unthinkable to any of us, even those staunchly behind the owners, that we would be doing worse under Poch than under Potter. That is a bloody good reason for changing your mind and frankly - it just sounds like you are paid to give PR for Clearlake at this point. We could do anything under the owners bar getting relegated and even then you would argue:

"Fans are fickle - they complained about the likes of Mudryk and Jackson and now we're in the Championship. We may have lowered our ceiling, but the ownership have set ourselves up for a bright future. With a lower wage bill and and a solid nucleus, the ownership have learned quickly on the job. Add a couple more floor raisers and we could see things turn pretty quickly at SW6".

Evolution takes time, Max. That's kinda the point. Why would my core belief of this project change after 6 months of a season? Has it gone to plan? Not at all. Am I shocked by our plight? Again, not in the slightest. Everything that's occurred thus far I kinda presumed would happen and therefore accounted for that in terms of my expectations. 

Us being worse now than last season has merit, but again also not a big shock when you consider we swapped out a group of inconstant established players with higher base levels, for a group of young talented players that have arguably higher potential talent but lower floors. All while the side has constantly chopped and changed because of injuries and suspensions. 

There was no continuity leading into all this, so to then expect the squad in the current environment to go and produce continuity was never likely. 

None of this means I agree with every decision ownership or manager have made, there's several things I'm not fond of, but I'm willing to see what unfolds with a bit more due course. Add a couple of established floor raisers to this group and there's every possibility the tide can be turned, so I'll be curious to see what the next couple of transfer windows look like. If it's still signing the sort of demographic we've done, then I'll be far more critical of this whole venture. 

[Dwmh]

24 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

That's the path we've chosen. I mean, it's unrealistic to expect an entire squad predominately built with young upcoming talent to perform immediately at a consistent level, much less to the standard required to place high within the Premier League table. We were always going to struggle this season, I knew this from the onset and therefore adjusted my expectations accordingly. 

So why the heck did we do it?  And pack off all the players who would have made a difference to City, United, Arsenal, Barca and RM?

7 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Evolution takes time, Max. That's kinda the point. Why would my core belief of this project change after 6 months of a season? Has it gone to plan? Not at all. Am I shocked by our plight? Again, not in the slightest. Everything that's occurred thus far I kinda presumed would happen and therefore accounted for that in terms of my expectations. 

18 months and you are still not questioning the plan?  
 

8 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

There was no continuity leading into all this, so to then expect the squad in the current environment to go and produce continuity was never likely. 

Looked pretty continuous to me.  70 points.  72 ponts, 66 points, 67 points, 74 points, with EL, CL, FAC, a super cup and a Club World Championship  spread pretty evenly over those 5 years.

All within a 7 point spread.  Then we dropped 30 points.
It isn't even as though we lost many players in Summer 2022.  Rudiger was the real loss, then Lukaku who the club wanted to move out, plus three who never played that much anyway: Werner, Christensen and Alonso.  Not a massive turnaround.

To take your point seriously one would have to ask why did we collapse in 22/23 BEFORE we started playing youth brought into the club.

[chara]

@xceleryx....well laid out response but I'm going by gut..not logic...... not in disagreement by any means but as I said.."a sinking feeling"....any booster signings will be in replacement of,,say...three ugly/unpolished signings..... when Conor is the best we can relate to we are in trouble...not so much he doesn't earn it, more in a good squad he would be a trusted sub or a lower ranking regular not our hope...Colwill ? still to be convinced..suspect another almost man and a good or even very journey man in the Ake mould...just gut observations not reasoned arguments.

[xceleryx]

59 minutes ago, Dwmh said:

So why the heck did we do it?  And pack off all the players who would have made a difference to City, United, Arsenal, Barca and RM?

And how many are making a difference? We've gone over this before when listing out all the players we moved on from there's maybe one or two that would've been worth keeping, the rest weren't wrong to sell for one reason or another. 

1 hour ago, Dwmh said:

18 months and you are still not questioning the plan?  

Not really, no. The first transfer window was a bit of a free hit because of when the sale was concluded and it was just a matter of trying to make the best of it given the time constraints and alike. Last January was the start of things changing more, then in this summers window the the full restructure of things begun properly. 

We've been in constant flux for 18 months with there still being change to take place ahead. 

1 hour ago, Dwmh said:

Looked pretty continuous to me.  70 points.  72 ponts, 66 points, 67 points, 74 points, with EL, CL, FAC, a super cup and a Club World Championship  spread pretty evenly over those 5 years.

All within a 7 point spread.  Then we dropped 30 points.
It isn't even as though we lost many players in Summer 2022.  Rudiger was the real loss, then Lukaku who the club wanted to move out, plus three who never played that much anyway: Werner, Christensen and Alonso.  Not a massive turnaround.

To take your point seriously one would have to ask why did we collapse in 22/23 BEFORE we started playing youth brought into the club.

Again, reads better on paper without actual context. Many of those seasons we scraped by, or required other teams to do us favours. While also having a stronger squad of players that had higher floor levels, but ultimately also lacked any room for true progression. We were tapped out and change was inevitably required.

Rudiger leaving hurt us the most, I agree. As explained before, it was a complex situation though that goes back to Lampard's first spell. Then somewhat poorly handled Marina before the unforeseen sanctions that hit. Lukaku didn't want to be here, not so much the club wanted to move out. His refusal to play for us again and wanting to go back to Italy was pretty damning - again a situation created prior to the change of ownership. 

We collapsed in 2022/23 because the squad was squeezed of everything it had. We lost a pivotal leader in defence and another solid proven option, Kante was done at the top level and unreliable with his fitness, Kova downed tools and looked disinterested, Jorginho was sold in January and removed the only shred of leadership we had in the middle of the pitch, RJ and Chilwell broke down with a passed it Azpi as backup, Mount's standard nose dived from where it was 12 months prior, we still had a gaping hole upfront, and then were left to rely upon consistently inconsistent players like Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, Ziyech, Havertz etc to move us forward. 

All topped off by a manager that shouldn't have been given the job initially replacing one that had started to see the wheels fall off around 6 months prior. 

Not to say what has transpired since has been right, but the rot had well and truly started years prior. 

 

[xceleryx]

1 hour ago, chara said:

@xceleryx....well laid out response but I'm going by gut..not logic...... not in disagreement by any means but as I said.."a sinking feeling"....any booster signings will be in replacement of,,say...three ugly/unpolished signings..... when Conor is the best we can relate to we are in trouble...not so much he doesn't earn it, more in a good squad he would be a trusted sub or a lower ranking regular not our hope...Colwill ? still to be convinced..suspect another almost man and a good or even very journey man in the Ake mould...just gut observations not reasoned arguments.

Of course, and while my gut feeling isn't that dissimilar to yours as a logical person it's difficult to just dismiss that side of things altogether. More so when we've seen in football that there can be method in the madness. 

I do still believe we've got some promising pieces on hand, they're just not enough right now to really propel us forward on their own.  That will hopefully come through the addition of couple established pieces, including a goalscorer upfront, and take some of that responsibility and pressure away from the younger lads having to kinda do it all right now. 

[kev61]

11 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Depends. If you're looking for something enjoyable to watch, then this isn't for you. If you want to watch to try and spot some areas of improvement, then this probably isn't for you either. If you're after something that may lower your spirits and overall mood, then this is for you!

Honestly, though, I wouldn't go out of your way to watch it as it was all highly predictable in the end. It went pretty much how I personally expected it to go. We dominated possession throughout, without creating any real chances. We lost some more players to injury. Everton didn't really do anything in the game, but just waited patiently for us to give them some half decent chances as we always do, which they took and won the game.

In a nutshell Sam.Taken into account what you said - who can really see things changing in the foreseeable future?.

The owners are primarily  to blame - but what we have now is a manager that has as much charisma as a block of wood and has about the same tactical nous.

Imagine bringing the players out for dinner after a disaster of a match!.

There are many problems with the club but Poch is the biggest one NOW.I  was in his corner when he was first appointed,but now i have changed my mind entirely.

I see Milan have brought back Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an advisor to the coach and management.A player that led by example.

Can we not have a think tank of ex players like JT,SFL and Ballack as advisors?

 

[kev61]

22 hours ago, ROTG said:

Those who have owned a rescued dog which had been badly treated as a puppy know the dog will always cower. Unfortunately these young players are getting a whipping week after week and eventually will break them. Absolutely insane recruitment policy. 

So the young players are "getting a whipping".Well you can whip me several times a day if I get their money.

I know it's a analogy  but a stupid one imo.

[kev61]

3 hours ago, chara said:

@xceleryx....well laid out response but I'm going by gut..not logic...... not in disagreement by any means but as I said.."a sinking feeling"....any booster signings will be in replacement of,,say...three ugly/unpolished signings..... when Conor is the best we can relate to we are in trouble...not so much he doesn't earn it, more in a good squad he would be a trusted sub or a lower ranking regular not our hope...Colwill ? still to be convinced..suspect another almost man and a good or even very journey man in the Ake mould...just gut observations not reasoned arguments.

You'r spot on.Conor is a warrior with not so much talent.The problem is we have young talented players with no warrior instinct.Just a bunch of overpaid youngsters that are thinking about their next haircut.

[xceleryx]

14 minutes ago, kev61 said:

You'r spot on.Conor is a warrior with not so much talent.The problem is we have young talented players with no warrior instinct.Just a bunch of overpaid youngsters that are thinking about their next haircut.

Look good, feel good. 

But on a more serious note, it's just the modern generation of players and a lot of what's left the game from the old school ways. Things like young players having to do boot cleaning duties, making tea, etc. It helps builds character, discipline, and alike that can be then used on the pitch throughout a career. Young players get far more far quicker in the modern game without having to necessarily put in the same sort of graft that the generations prior did. Just how it is. 

At the same time you hear horrid stories of literal workplace bulling from players like Ian Wright, so it's not as if all aspects of the older game were good. 

[kev61]

35 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Look good, feel good. 

But on a more serious note, it's just the modern generation of players and a lot of what's left the game from the old school ways. Things like young players having to do boot cleaning duties, making tea, etc. It helps builds character, discipline, and alike that can be then used on the pitch throughout a career. Young players get far more far quicker in the modern game without having to necessarily put in the same sort of graft that the generations prior did. Just how it is. 

At the same time you hear horrid stories of literal workplace bulling from players like Ian Wright, so it's not as if all aspects of the older game were good. 

I suppose the question is how does pep get the best out of players?.We saw him having a go at Haaland after a game.Every other manager in premiership wouldn't have the guts to question Haaland.

I'm not naive to think the money pep has at his disposal has nothing to do with their success,but he is making a good job of it.

When we were struggling just like liverpool I said it would be interesting to see how we would respond compared to them

We sacked Tuchel and then went into fairytale  mode by owners that are a noose around our neck.liverpool have went on  to challenge for the premiership again and we are languishing with no direction.

Edited December 12, 2023 by kev61

[chara]

25 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Look good, feel good. 

But on a more serious note, it's just the modern generation of players and a lot of what's left the game from the old school ways. Things like young players having to do boot cleaning duties, making tea, etc. It helps builds character, discipline, and alike that can be then used on the pitch throughout a career. Young players get far more far quicker in the modern game without having to necessarily put in the same sort of graft that the generations prior did. Just how it is. 

At the same time you hear horrid stories of literal workplace bulling from players like Ian Wright, so it's not as if all aspects of the older game were good. 

Just an aside ..way back I had a friend,,sort of mentor in some ways,,,great cricketer,,Yorkshire to the core...was at a lower league club as a lad...Halifax as I recall..good player but chucked it in because he wasn't going to clean older player's boots! Too hard headed for that sort of scut work.

Nearly 10.30pm here so lounging a bit...smile war story..visited him one time.."Bring your boots..might get a game with our second team"...got up there..."Got your boots?".."Yeah".."OK we're both playing for the First Team".."Uh Thanks mate"....typical local no hands barred game but did ok..as he grudgingly admitted..actually played well but no chance of that being acknowledged!...Those were the days for me 😁

[xceleryx]

6 minutes ago, kev61 said:

I suppose the question is how does pep get the best out of players?.We saw him having a go at Haaland after a game.Every other manager in premiership wouldn't have the guts to question Haaland.

I'm not naive to think the money pep has at his disposal has nothing to do with their success,but he is making a good job of it.

When we were struggling just like liverpool I said it would be interesting to see how we would respond compared to them

We sacked Tuchel and then went into fairytale  mode by owners that are a noose around our neck.

Pep is one of the more unique managers because he's virtually got a lot of underlying power that most other managers don't have. This has allowed him to assemble squads that fit not only how he plays, or wants to play, but also have the mentality to succeed in the environment he creates. Just take a look at how he handled the Cancelo situation, there'd be absolutely no chance a manager could do that here, they'd never have the backing. In ways it's very similar to the sort of power SAF had at United. 

Remember when we were linked with Pep several years ago after sacking Mourinho and it was reported he'd said he'd need 10 new players, he wasn't far off the mark if the ambition was to play his way. Instead we got Conte, squeezed a little shot term success out of what we had, then continued to fall away domestically. Obviously talent identification is huge, but being able to have control of what players come in and out is a big advantage with a manager like hime. It's also not the sort of power you can just give to anyone, Man City have the supporting structure and money to take that risk however. 

[ROTG]

1 hour ago, kev61 said:

I know it's an analogy  but a stupid one imo.

That’s your prerogative

 

[ROTG]

6 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Nothing of which has to do with being a technical director or recruitment. So, as I originally said, Emenalo was actually less equipped when hired than those we have on hand currently.

Now, hindsight goes on to show that he ended up having a big role in the restructure of our recruitment and he helped identify several talented players, it wasn't always rosy either with many occasions blame being left at this feet. The benefit Emenalo had was time, but also a much more established first team which helped buy that through success.

The current group haven't really had that. Maybe in a few years time some of these young talented players turn out to be really good moving forward and having pivotal roles to play, maybe some don't. That's kinda the larger point. It's still very early into the piece. 

They aren't comparable environments or situations. 

Of course they are comparable. 
Emenalo had several years under his belt working in technical capacities at clubs before he came to Chelsea. His primary job as to restructure the scouting and recruitment the rest is history on his ability of player scouting and recruitment. 
 

Let’s put it like this, Emenalo didn’t come to Chelsea with a list of players from his previous employer and hoodwink the owners they are doing real scouting and recruitment work. 
 

6 hours ago, xceleryx said:

The benefit Emenalo had was time, but also a much more established first team which helped buy that through success.

The club had a successful first team, until the gang of 3 decided to dismantle, so it for championship level players, therefore you stammer is more fiction than fact