Raheem Sterling

[chara]

@east lower...good points ... my nightmare (one of!) shudder is that down the line (or even sooner) Cobham becomes an income factor and is sold off as Todd and Co prepare to ride off into the sunset.

Why run an expensive Academy when it's easier to just buy young players for the future..keep those that pan out and recoup on sales of those that don't..that's a business plan,,isn't it ?

[east lower]

1 minute ago, thevelourfog said:

This is key. Abramovich got things wrong, but he picked up the bill and he got far, far more right. And acted quickly when he had been wrong. There was every reason, within just a year or two, to trust him.

I appreciate some people are able to operate on faith, and have some respect for that. I'm not one of those people.

Trust and respect are earned, not automatically assigned, and by God did Roman earn that trust and respect - of most Chelsea fans anyway. He became one of us, well as much as someone with his wealth and standing could.

Frankly, if I were trapped in a room with a cobra and Eghbali (as it appears to be he and Feliciano who call the shots now), I'd befriend the cobra. At least you know where the dangers coming from, with the cobra.

 

[east lower]

22 minutes ago, chara said:

@east lower...good points ... my nightmare (one of!) shudder is that down the line (or even sooner) Cobham becomes an income factor and is sold off as Todd and Co prepare to ride off into the sunset.

Why run an expensive Academy when it's easier to just buy young players for the future..keep those that pan out and recoup on sales of those that don't..that's a business plan,,isn't it ?

Living about 12 miles from Cobham and knowing the area really well - It's prime land for development and you're talking lots of acres and expensive homes. 

Droy and I were talking off-line once about the same thing. Say what people might about him, but he knew money, he didn't see it yielding enough revenue. But when you've a big fat financial hole you've dug yourself into, anything you can do to part fill it and keep the other investors even slightly appeased will do.

 

[Ham]

1 hour ago, thevelourfog said:

This is key. Abramovich got things wrong, but he picked up the bill and he got far, far more right. And acted quickly when he had been wrong. There was every reason, within just a year or two, to trust him.

I appreciate some people are able to operate on faith, and have some respect for that. I'm not one of those people.

One thing he failed to do consistently was to fail to build upon a position of strength, after a PL or CL win. 

We could never follow it up, apart from 04-06 when we had the jump on everyone. 

[My Blood Is Blue]

5 hours ago, chiswickblue said:

His team didn't release a statement shortly before the match. They provided one to the Daily Mail several days earlier when the player was informed he wasn't in the squad (as the Felix negotiations took off).

Ok, but still provided the statement which would have left a sour taste in many people’s mouths.

[My Blood Is Blue]

5 hours ago, east lower said:

That might be so, the difference perhaps being the level of trust supporters had in the previous owner and his trusted senior staff, that was built over 18 years.

This current lot have done nothing to earn anywhere near that level of trust and quite frankly in my view, have done a few things that have had quite the opposite effect.

They’ve put their hands into other people’s pockets to buy players and leveraged club assets also.

There’s also one other crucial factor - No matter what the circumstances (and Crisis/Circus FC was christened for us well before the new owners took over) we won things consistently. We have got to a semi-final and LC Final and struggled in the league under this lot and added to it, had to re-start the process 3 times in their two-and-a-bit years of ownership. No wonder that some are cautious and questioning.

 

Oh of course, and I’m not comparing (and never would) the ownership we have now to Roman, poles apart and completely agree Roman had earned our trust etc. my point was just more around the fact that I get the sense many fans are bashing the owners and sporting directors with every stick going, because they are so frustrated with them. This is also being encouraged by the media coverage and certain people on social media. I get it, I understand it, but it’s just makes it harder to be a bit more objective when some things are happening. So when you have an owner like Roman, after the many years of trust earned, you let a lot more slide and even side with the club on many occasions.

[east lower]

9 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Oh of course, and I’m not comparing (and never would) the ownership we have now to Roman, poles apart and completely agree Roman had earned our trust etc. my point was just more around the fact that I get the sense many fans are bashing the owners and sporting directors with every stick going, because they are so frustrated with them. This is also being encouraged by the media coverage and certain people on social media. I get it, I understand it, but it’s just makes it harder to be a bit more objective when some things are happening. So when you have an owner like Roman, after the many years of trust earned, you let a lot more slide and even side with the club on many occasions.

They reap what they sow.

It’s one small example but sums them up, and it’s a clear example of the statement I made of ‘knowing the cost of everything, but not understanding the value of anything’

Taking away the subsidised travel for away fans. I’ve no dog in that race as I make my own way to away games, 10 hrs in a coach for Manchester and Scouse based games has no attraction for me any more!

For many of the regular away support this was a massive benefit and meant a duly massive amount. A number of the older fans who couldn’t drive, afford the extortionate UK rail fares (even if there were trains available) or had mobility issues. With the scheduling of matches all over the place (TV) this was their only viable means of getting to the games. The people highlighted above spend a decent proportion of their income doing this and the subsidies really helped them. Now a good number of them are either not attending or give up stuff to pay full fares. Some fares being as high as £40.

The saving on that would have netted the club £200-£250k maximum and look at the effect it has had on people and the negative PR they receive.  

But that’s the mindset they have, soulless. Money is their god and those sorts of people are dangerous in terms of what they do to people and organisations.

Some see it, it’ll creep up on others. They’ve had plenty of time to build their foundations and messed it up with their we know best, break the mould approaches. The squad still looks as flaky as ****, lacking structure, physicality, leadership and gaping inadequacies.

They’ve had too much benefit of the doubt afforded already.

 

Edited August 24 by east lower

[boratsbrother]

4 hours ago, east lower said:

They reap what they sow.

It’s one small example but sums them up, and it’s a clear example of the statement I made of ‘knowing the cost of everything, but not understanding the value of anything’

Taking away the subsidised travel for away fans. I’ve no dog in that race as I make my own way to away games, 10 hrs in a coach for Manchester and Scouse based games has no attraction for me any more!

For many of the regular away support this was a massive benefit and meant a duly massive amount. A number of the older fans who couldn’t drive, afford the extortionate UK rail fares (even if there were trains available) or had mobility issues. With the scheduling of matches all over the place (TV) this was their only viable means of getting to the games. The people highlighted above spend a decent proportion of their income doing this and the subsidies really helped them. Now a good number of them are either not attending or give up stuff to pay full fares. Some fares being as high as £40.

The saving on that would have netted the club £200-£250k maximum and look at the effect it has had on people and the negative PR they receive.  

But that’s the mindset they have, soulless. Money is their god and those sorts of people are dangerous in terms of what they do to people and organisations.

Some see it, it’ll creep up on others. They’ve had plenty of time to build their foundations and messed it up with their we know best, break the mould approaches. The squad still looks as flaky as ****, lacking structure, physicality, leadership and gaping inadequacies.

They’ve had too much benefit of the doubt afforded already.

 

I agree with every word of your post!

I'm always prepared to forgive people for making mistakes but if they keep doing the wrong things over and over, then sooner or later I give up on them and that's the case with our owners. I want them out of here!

[My Blood Is Blue]

7 hours ago, east lower said:

They reap what they sow.

It’s one small example but sums them up, and it’s a clear example of the statement I made of ‘knowing the cost of everything, but not understanding the value of anything’

Taking away the subsidised travel for away fans. I’ve no dog in that race as I make my own way to away games, 10 hrs in a coach for Manchester and Scouse based games has no attraction for me any more!

For many of the regular away support this was a massive benefit and meant a duly massive amount. A number of the older fans who couldn’t drive, afford the extortionate UK rail fares (even if there were trains available) or had mobility issues. With the scheduling of matches all over the place (TV) this was their only viable means of getting to the games. The people highlighted above spend a decent proportion of their income doing this and the subsidies really helped them. Now a good number of them are either not attending or give up stuff to pay full fares. Some fares being as high as £40.

The saving on that would have netted the club £200-£250k maximum and look at the effect it has had on people and the negative PR they receive.  

But that’s the mindset they have, soulless. Money is their god and those sorts of people are dangerous in terms of what they do to people and organisations.

Some see it, it’ll creep up on others. They’ve had plenty of time to build their foundations and messed it up with their we know best, break the mould approaches. The squad still looks as flaky as ****, lacking structure, physicality, leadership and gaping inadequacies.

They’ve had too much benefit of the doubt afforded already.

 

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said at all. I’m far from a fan of the new owners and a lot of what they’ve done, I’m just trying to hold on to some positives and belief that the plan they are trying to follow will come good.

They’ve done a lot of crap things, made some bad decisions, but that doesn’t mean everything that they do is wrong or that everything that’s bad or deemed negative by the media is their fault etc.

[east lower]

53 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said at all. I’m far from a fan of the new owners and a lot of what they’ve done, I’m just trying to hold on to some positives and belief that the plan they are trying to follow will come good.

They’ve done a lot of crap things, made some bad decisions, but that doesn’t mean everything that they do is wrong or that everything that’s bad or deemed negative by the media is their fault etc.

There’s no argument at all. 👍

We all have different, what I call the  ‘f**k-it limit’ and they’ve done enough for my limit/level to be breached. Others are more tolerant. 

I struggle to see any significant positives from their entire time in charge. Even their spending has significant downside's.

[Chelsea_Matt]

1 hour ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said at all. I’m far from a fan of the new owners and a lot of what they’ve done, I’m just trying to hold on to some positives and belief that the plan they are trying to follow will come good.

They’ve done a lot of crap things, made some bad decisions, but that doesn’t mean everything that they do is wrong or that everything that’s bad or deemed negative by the media is their fault etc.

Apart from shifting a few players to Saudi, I can’t think of a single good thing they have done. 😔💀💯

[chara]

31 minutes ago, east lower said:

There’s no argument at all. 👍

We all have different, what I call the  ‘f**k-it limit’ and they’ve done enough for my limit/level to be breached. Others are more tolerant. 

I struggle to see any significant positives from their entire time in charge. Even their spending has significant downside's.

Agree..I'm less tolerant than prosaic...it's what it is and there is little I can do to change anything.

A plus ?,,well at least despite HMG and in my paranoid view maybe shadowy figures lurking in the back ground Chelsea still exists as a Club,,,as the Old Duke said,,"A close run thing."

Paranoia explosion but I sometimes wonder if there was some agenda that Todd and Co thankfully disrupted.🤑😰

[chara]

Just a thought 😄,,,poor old Raheem, can't even keep our interest in him on his "dedicated" topic page!

[east lower]

4 minutes ago, chara said:

Agree..I'm less tolerant than prosaic...it's what it is and there is little I can do to change anything.

A plus ?,,well at least despite HMG and in my paranoid view maybe shadowy figures lurking in the back ground Chelsea still exists as a Club,,,as the Old Duke said,,"A close run thing."

Paranoia explosion but I sometimes wonder if there was some agenda that Todd and Co thankfully disrupted.🤑😰

Thing is, and I’m mindful that stepping into the political zone is an absolute no, no - it wasn’t just HMG, the honourable opposition played their part too, particularly one notable Arsenal fan MP, who’d been extremely vocal with his anti-Abramvovic rants.

Clearlake ticked a box, unfortunately not the right one for Chelsea fans.

There were dealings that were above the levels that us normal folk will ever know or understand.

 

[chara]

5 minutes ago, east lower said:

Thing is, and I’m mindful that stepping into the political zone is an absolute no, no - it wasn’t just HMG, the honourable opposition played their part too, particularly one notable Arsenal fan MP, who’d been extremely vocal with his anti-Abramvovic rants.

Clearlake ticked a box, unfortunately not the right one for Chelsea fans.

There were dealings that were above the levels that us normal folk will ever know or understand.

 

I think the mods are aware of the difference between comments on non Chelsea/Football politics and reference to issues with Chelsea and the disgraceful behavior of all parties .political and otherwise, involved.

[chara]

Added...I think we would all understand but will never know!

[Mark Kelly]

29 minutes ago, Chelsea_Matt said:

Apart from shifting a few players to Saudi, I can’t think of a single good thing they have done. 😔💀💯

Signing Palmer, Gusto,  Caicedo, Neves, Madueke, Nkunku, Guiu Forfana. 

Bringing the wages down astronomically? 

Selling an entire team of players earning loads and playing like imbeciles? 

Finally ending the world's longest goodbye with RLC? 

Working out Poch wasn't a coach? 

Fucking Lukaku off? 

Surely they have to count? 

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

19 minutes ago, east lower said:

Thing is, and I’m mindful that stepping into the political zone is an absolute no, no - it wasn’t just HMG, the honourable opposition played their part too, particularly one notable Arsenal fan MP, who’d been extremely vocal with his anti-Abramvovic rants.

Clearlake ticked a box, unfortunately not the right one for Chelsea fans.

There were dealings that were above the levels that us normal folk will ever know or understand.

 

Yep, it was Westminster as a whole and it was absolutely appalling to watch and even more infuriating to look back and see what they were allowed to do to our club. I can guarantee they would not have been able to or have attempted to do that to Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal.

Was Roman perfect? No, some owners around at the time it happened and have since come in have indirectly and directly been involved in much worse.

Won’t say much more than that, not on here anyway!

[east lower]

12 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

Signing Palmer, Gusto,  Caicedo, Neves, Madueke, Nkunku, Guiu Forfana. 

Bringing the wages down astronomically? 

Selling an entire team of players earning loads and playing like imbeciles? 

Finally ending the world's longest goodbye with RLC? 

Working out Poch wasn't a coach? 

Fucking Lukaku off? 

Surely they have to count? 

 

1. I’ll give you one and a half of those. As a percentage of signings = poor

2. And how’s that worked out?

3. Massive losses on all of them, easy to do

4. Clutching at straws

5. They f***ing appointed him!

6. I could have done that, years ago and still saved money

Not a very aspirational list 😉

And if that’s as good as it gets, I rest my case your honour 👨‍⚖️.

Edited August 24 by east lower

[east lower]

10 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Was Roman perfect? No, some owners around at the time it happened and have since come in have indirectly and directly been involved in much worse.

Won’t say much more than that, not on here anyway!

Most know who and some know why.

[Chelsea_Matt]

On 25/08/2024 at 03:46, east lower said:

1. I’ll give you one and a half of those. As a percentage of signings = poor

2. And how’s that worked out?

3. Massive losses on all of them, easy to do

4. Clutching at straws

5. They f***ing appointed him!

6. I could have done that, years ago and still saved money

Not a very aspirational list

And if that’s as good as it gets, I rest my case your honour .

@Mark Kelly See above for the answer, I guess. Tenuous at best, and don’t even come close to the clownery that’s gone on. I wish it wasn’t so because that would mean we were a successful, well-run powerhouse once again.