Time for a Change

I think it's too soon, any dressing room needs experience and leaders, faze them out over time... Without them, I don't see a leader amongst the new crop.

Of course we don't want to get into a situation where by we are like arsenal, as one older player leave another becomes more experienced.

I am sorry but the author has it all wrong here..players can gripe all they want..and those who know me will acknowledge that i am one of the most vocal about the fact that our players spend way too much time with the media and in media circles but the coaching merry go round that poses as normal at Chelsea FC is not due to the players..it is solely and squarely down to Roman and his self appointed board. In fact what has happened over the last decade or so is that with the constant sack today sack tomorrow carousel of managers, the senior players have oft had to manage themselves and have thus become the clubs closest thing to consistency and stability which has resulted in the vaunted player power cartel at Chelsea FC. No matter how powerful a players character if the ownership stand with the manager the player is eventually put in his place..we saw Andreas Strammachioni at Inter do this to Wes Sneidjer and recently to Antonio Cassano as a recent example. He is a young man with no coaching pedigree but because Massimo Moratti has his back the players dare not mess with him..The manager carousel we have at Chelsea is not down to the players..it is down to Roman and what it has done is spawn the player power cartel as a defense mechanism..the solution to this problem also lies with Roman..he needs to find a coach he trusts and likes, hand him the reigns, get out of the way, allow the guy do his job without interference and Trojan gifts and then exercise a modicum of patience..meaning give the guy a reasonable amount of time to achieve results and back him stoutly by providing him the players he asks for as much as is within reason and also backing him publicly and behind closed doors when conflicts arise even if it involves the big name players on the squad..this is how clubs like Bayern, Real and Barca are run.

Where u got ur idea*

@Gabeu great read, there are only 2 managers who I think Roman will leave alone to get on with it and that's Guus and Jose! One of those and were set, but the only downfall will be as we know Guus is not getting any younger so I'd like to see Poyet come with him and with Jose there is always the potential for him to up sticks after 3 years or so, so it all depends on how the club wants to move forward, that's why I've been saying this is the most important summer for the last 10 years, it could be the difference between whether we dominate again for the next 10 years or whether we become an Arsenal and slowly decline

Hahahah.....Lol. God help our fans,some Chelsea fans are indirectly responsible for the predicament the club find itself. We dictate who we want with 'fan power'...Lol. Jeez. I credit ur opinion and totally understand your point Mr Author,Ill comment better tomorrow,but I had a good laugh. Cheers!

@ken4cfc, of course we'll not cease to exist if we dont get guus or jose in the summer. I just mentioned two "strong personalities" among the few, there are around. But these two are tried and tested managers, who enjoyed success here with us. We may bring simeone, poyet, conte, etc, and prove to be excellent managers. But they are unproven and unfamiliar with the conditions here.The situation with Chelsea is not the ideal for a manager. We want success every season. That's the way it is. That's why Carlo was (wrongly) sacked.

I understand where the author's coming from but Cech, imo, is lesser or a problem than Terry and Lamps. Could be because Cech knows he's virtually guaranteed to start all our games, I don't know, but he seems less of a problem that the aforementioned 2. We rid ourselves of those 2 we'll have a better overall "Manager-authoritative" atmosphere at the club. I'll even hasten to say the "sources" who leak information to the media will reduce substantially once those 2 have left ;)

It musnt be a mass exodus,the current format is good but we should a replacement as soon as 1 or 2 leaves unlike when DD left we brought no replacement in and ofcos we suffered for that

Just to shame a few.... Chief Executive Ron Gourlay today confirmed that the club are in talks with Frank Lampard over a new contract. Gourlay: "Discussions with Frank Lampard are ongoing. But they must be kept confidential at this stage." Haha! Great news! Now the club is thinking right. Lol

Well now atleast we know negotiations are being held so...Whatever the outcome the club recognizes his effort and took a step forward. Hopefully things pan out well and he gets a new contract.

And expect the next manager to get sacked

The day Mikel says his relationship with the manager is "less than ideal" he should go.

Amazing how the media have managed to cajole a few fans into this worrisome ideology about 'Player power'. I've been watching football for 4 decades and as far as I can remember,'player power' has always been present in football,its basically up to the manager of the Club or Country,the FA(of the country) or the Board/Owner of the club to manage the situation strategically. So according to the author 'player power' is the whole shenanigans that goes on in the dressing room? I beg to differ...Bcos player power is far deeper than that,and it has nothing whatsoever to do with age. Player power differs depending on the situation,sometimes its down to a players personality (e.g Balotteli,Rooney),or just down to a players long standing service with the club (e.g Lamps,Cassilas). Wayne Rooney recently used his immense power as a fan favorite to get himself a bumper pay of about 200,000 squids a week,by threatening to leave the club as they didn't meet his demands. Manchester United and Fergusson could obviously have rejected to bulge to such demands by a player and let him go and get a younger and better replacement,but they didn't,they offered him the contract with terms of longetivity as well,and played smart knowing what Wayne offers the club. Wenger's found himself in such a situation in the past,and the club and board decided to let the players go and replace them with younger players who have nothing close to the character those long serving players offered...well we know where that has left them. Then you have a situation where the club changes managers every now and then,which obviously leads to the older serving players stepping up to create some sense of harmony in the dressing room. The board continuous sacking of managers is a continuous transfer of power to the players which obviously gives them more say,over managers who no less or nothing about a club they have served for years(its natural). A good example will be the AVB and Lamps situation and Cassilas and Jose's situation. The difference between those two examples I sighted is that,Jose is a stronger personality,and was able to stamp his ground even while the fans where against him,he managed to bring a divided dressing room back into harmony and its obvious in their result. He then showed his experience by sending Casillas to run the after match press after the win against Barcelona in the copa del rey (making him feel among the group),and just recently the Madrid fans cheered 'Jose Mourinho' in their most recent win in the La liga against Barcelona. If we release the older and more experienced players bcos of the so called player power,thinking it would solve anything,then I'm sorry its wishful thinking. This same players are needed to give the group a sense of direction and an identity in the club. The top characters like Luiz,Cahill,Mikel,Iva...Who might turn out to be the longer serving players will ultimately grow in player power in the near future and we will be in revolving circle. If you believe reports about player power,then Torres was obviously responsible for the sacking of RDM...The club sacking of RDM transfered a certain amount of power to Torres,so i guess we should release Torres as well? The truth is,the fault lies solemnly on the board/owner for its handling of the situation.

How does Gourlay say one thing and Chelsea FC says another...Absolutely disgraceful management of the club. Everything is in tatters including our PR.

Real quotes Gourlay: "Obviously conversations must remain confidential between the club and the players at all times so that is as much as I can say.'

Nelyvanile..excellent post above..it is nice to read comments from someone who has a long history of watching football, truly understands the dynamics and history of the game and understands the genesis of player power..you have articulated my views on this so very well. As you said if we ship out all our vets trying to rid chelsea of so called "player power" while Roman continues to play dancing chairs with the manager position i fully expect us to end up in the mess Arsenal are in now. I do understand that Chelsea fans are in fact often part of the problem of the club. We have been so spoilt in the Roman era with success that the very same people crying to high heavens about player power and asking for all the vets to be shown the door yesterday will be the first ones calling for the next managers head when he goes through a spell of bad results with a youth alone squad not to mention that they will literally be calling for his head on a platter should a season go without a trophy. The characteristic lack of patience that is the hallmark of Roman i have noticed is a pretty common trait among many Chelsea fans, particularly those whose only frame of reference regarding Chelsea FC has been the Roman era.

Roman will never allow his club to become like Arsenal. He would never sanction transfers like Gervinho, Squillaci, Chamak, Park, Santos etc. Only the best join Chelsea, excluding Torres of course.

Avb has now proved himself so obviously the players were rebelling like it or not we need a young hungry manager a mr chelsea to biuld a future

Also very well said Kaku...A long run of bad results obviously leads to questions being asked and moans from fans,players,and the media which intensifies the pressure(its normal in football)...Now its up to the management,board/owner to manage the situation properly,but what do they usually do...they take the quick fix approach...Sack! Sack!! Sack!!!

Buying 1 TORRES or 1 Shevchenko whenever the owner feels like he has scouted a GEM and wants to blow millions of pounds one 1 player is the equivalent of buying Gervinho, Squillaci, Chamak, Park, and Santos. It is actually worse because it creates 3 problems - 1.) Disharmony within the dressing 2.) Poor results and 3.) Sacking of the coach. It is not a coincidence whenever Roman decides to blow untold millions on one player after owner plays football manager, it prevents us from bolstering the squad with proper players that COACH NEEDS and WANTS which prevents us from winning games and eventually the sack. It happened with Mourinho. It happened with Carlo, AVB, and RDM.....Benitez is lucky he has Demba Ba.

What was wrong with releasing Raul????? Higuain was a already a more prolofic scorer than him.....

What's wrong with releasing Lampard?

@kaku,i did..roman's actions are responsible for the power drunk players @cfc and now he wants to clean up the mess.whats wrong with that??

Well said ohans,they just make it look like we hate lampard!HELL NO,we dont.we LOVE LAMPARD as much as everyone here but its time to move on,he cant play on with us forever except he fits into the plans for the future(clearly he doesnt)...

You're critical of the self-importance people convey in their posts and then follow that comment with a cursory history of your own loyalty to the club? You admit that none of us know what's going on, and then follow this statement with a speculative rant about "player power"? Well, let me just say that your post, stephenlove948, is a bit baffling. Not trying to be rude; I just don't follow you at all.

pro #8 "maggots"? Good lord, what's happening to this site? Worse than that is the assertion those who support Lampard's contract extension would stop visiting VC (or stop their support altogether) if he left the club. Appalling stuff.

As for Mou and Casilas situation,it is more of a personality battle between to apparent big heads. Mou handled that quite well. That is different from a coach who is connived against by such players in question,due to the fact that the coach's 'club given programmes' does not totally favour them. We dont need to go into details as regards that in Cfc experience,do we. @Radio,in as much as i think the fellow went overboard by some standards,it can be seen as injustice not to note the statement that prompted the response. Although its a case of simile and metaphor...likening some1 to a ROACH is as good as calling him same. Nuff said.

I made the picture even more euphemized,Someone here referred to other people who have,and are well entitled to,other opinions as 'cockroaches'... I agree that people are messing things up in here.

Kaku,by clearin out the rebels who hinder the longterm plans of the club

@Ohan and @KenCFC, it is not a pro-Lampard Brigae. It is a lesson that has been clear as day and night for the past 2 seasons and something we as fans and as a club has not learn in the last 2 seasons!!!! which is do not release PLAYERS until you have a player that has demonstrated OVER at least 1 Season that he is better than the player that you are replacing. So I will ask 3 sincere questions - 1.) Which Central Midfielder IN CHELSEA's CURRENT SQUAD will fill the role that Frank Lampard fills in the double pivot or 4-3-3? 2.) Didn't we say the same about Ballack and co? Has Ballack till date been replaced. Ramires is still not reached 3 quarters of Ballack's level at Bayer Leverkusen. 3.) Weren't people saying the same about Drogba when Torres came and what has happened till date? @FV, Mourinho released Raul or rather Real Madrid released Raul because Higuain had demonstrated he could score more goals than Raul in addition to adding Benzema as well as having Cristiano in the squad who could alternate in the CF position if need be. Barcelona hasn't let go of Puyol regardless of his age because they still do not have a CB capable of replacing him in the squad. Before we use the usual line about going out there to buy a player who is capable of replacing him or youth, I will use Real Madrid and Man U. Real has bought Nuri Sahin and Luka Modric to replace Xabi Alonso and till today, none of them have demonstrated the ability to lace his boots. Cleverly was supposed to have replaced Scholes. Remember Man U was playing so well in the league at the beginning of last season and after a while, Cleverly and co proved not capable of replacing Grandpa Scholes and Fergie had to call him back. My view on the whole situation is we haven't got anyone yet to replace what he does in the Pivot nor if we do, we don't have a decent backup which is a role he can fill till now. Until you've got 2 players who can replace him in the starting and the sub role then you can leave the coach to make a decision to retain him or not.

First and foremost my comments were directed at the notion of the author about (more experienced & older players)the so called 'player power' being responsible for our demise and the sacking of previous managers. It was never a pro Lampard comment it was sighted as an example. So just to address your question @Ohans.ill like to ask a few question of my own...Did the owner show a sense of commitment or trust towards the managers? Was the owner/ board ready to stick it out with the manager even when the usual seasonal slumps occurs? You can talk about 'player power' but the sacking of managers rest solemnly on the owner...He either backs the manager or takes the side of the players. I hear a lot of people talk about cabals and groups and a lot of crap,they are all assumptions,there's obviously no guarantees whatsoever that exist in the club. Its normal there are certain group of players who are closer to each other in the dressing room( nationality,former team mates,same language e.t.c) its normal at every football club. To say there's a group or a cabal is just a blatant assumption. Clearing 'player power' is not a viable reason to guarantee managerial stability,showing faith,trust,and commitment towards a manager is.

Exactly Kaku...We could have made this same mistake with Ashley by letting him go,and hoping Bertrand filled his shoes,instead of letting the lad grow into Ashley's shoes gradually. Its not just Ballack's ability on the pitch we have missed,his leadership input and experience was lost in the process of clearing older players for the younger one. Like I've said several times,there has to be a balance btw youth and experience in the team.

It's ironic that the player with the most 'power' is Torres by virtue of his price tag and ongoing weekly cost. The player that this current team was designed (by the Board) to get him firing again. How ironic!

@KenCFC, Modric was the best Central Midfielder in Premier League. Nuri Sahin was at a time better than Schweinsteiger and was named Bundesliga Player of the year. Why has Modric been the flop of La Liga including being crap in RM games and why did Nuri Sahin flop? When KDB does a better job than our legendary #8 in the double pivot AND the CM position, then you let the legend depart. Until then........................

Does Lampard pass like Pirlo? No. Does he run like Ramires? No. Does he defend like Mikel? No. What does he do?

@foreign_viewer What Lampard does and continues to do is win and use possession effectively, switches play well, brings his team mates into challenging positions, sets a tremendous example about what being a pro is. Oh, and about to become Chelsea's record goalscorer. Anymore what have the Romans done for us questions?

Lampard lurks in midfield, passes sideways, runs forward and waits for the ball to drop nicely for him. He scores and he's praised. He like a second striker who helps out in midfield.

I wonder how this points you're raising making sense to you. Talk about baseless argument,replete with inappropriate points. I mean,when Pep in Barca let Ronaldinho go,he only showed faith in a young Messi,hoping to see him surpass Ronaldinho's efforts for the club...the result of that is there for all to see. You dont need to be an immediate hit to be to replace the faded stars...we've got the talents with enough potentials to do much more than Lamps did,and until we let go of the past,kill off that nostalgia,and we will get them in a much higher position than Lamps. Look at Ac Milan..they re getting better,just after a massive exodus of players,aged players.

chelsea will offer a 1yr rolling contract of 50k to lampard...question is whether he will accept it???? Talk of legends....

@Ken4CFC, there is no doubt that KDB is a quality player, but until he proves so in this squad, then you let go of the player. You said "the form of ever present khedira/alonso/ozil played a huge role in relegatin them"......Isn't that the point of strong depth in the squad? Imagine if Mourinho had sold Alonso because he bought Modric.....Where would Madrid be?????

Kaku,why would jose sell alonso??he is just 30(lampard is 34),alonso is the best in his position(lampard is not),alonso is still waxin stronger(lampard is wanin),so i dont see any sense in the alonso/lampard comparison,whoever taught modric was gona walk straight into the madrid 11 needs to think twice,he will have to bid his time and grab his few opportunities like last night..as for KDB provin himself,thats what preseasons are there for,test your squad if they are not good enough u dip into the market.we are chelsea,we should have the best and not manage declinin players

Lampard replaced goal scoring midfielder Poyet. Oscar seems to have that ability as well.

Injury wrecked marin's season,torres won the euro golden boot yes but there was no improvement on his form..personally i dont have a problem with lamps stayin but if he is goin to be a disruptive figure then its better he leaves now,lampard has been replaced in his natural role(AM) by mata,KDB(and a benat & co) would not do a worse job than what the legend serves us in the CM role,he is simply not good enough for that role.lampard is stil struglin to adapt adjust so how is he gona bridge the period when better CMs would be struglin??

This is not hard to understand Ken. What Kaku is simply trying to say is,it should be a gradual transition for the young lads. You only become a better player by training and learning from the best. Lamps might not be the same player he was a few years back,but Oscar,Josh,De bruyne,can still learn tons of things from Lamps to build their game tactically. The teams that win titles are a blend of youth and experience, but the best players are always at their peak at 26, 27 and 28. Before then, you have so much to learn about the game before you peak,and our younger lads are still in the learning process. In your late 20s and beyond, experience becomes invaluable,and you as a player become a tutor to the younger lads. Its for our own benefit Lamps stays for a few seasons more,not just for on the pitch influence. A lot of people complain about this current lads not having the same character as the previous players...That's what happens when you replace experience for youth without gradual and well timed transition. Its no coincidence this three players (Josh,Oscar,De Bruyne) have revealed their admiration for Lamps and how they would love to play alongside him. We know how Josh and De bruyne worship lamps both being Chelsea fans. Like I've said before,we have to be sure its the right time to let certain players leave....

@nely,i understand perfectly well,thats why i said i dont have a problem with him stayin as long as he wont be a disruptive figure...

I have a problem with Lamps staying...if he does I'll quickly learn swearing and carry banners to the stadium and hurl insensitive vitriol until he leaves :)

Gian,Belleti was not a makeshift RB,Ballack was not a makeshift CM,Drogba was not a makeshift ST,they all played their natural positions,but lamps is played out of position just to accomodate him at what expense??we are Chelsea,we should have the best in any position and not makeshifts who continously utter the shape of the team in search of personal glory.