A bit of a double edged but connected article this one, and it also carries over from my other article on the home page today titled ‘of course you could come good, eventually…’
So please do go check that one out first in this mini-series of articles about the importance of experience and balance when building a squad.
Before we get to Frank Lampard’s words, let’s hear from Nick Verlaney of The London is Blue Podcast because like most Chelsea fans right now, he is unhappy with the owners/SDs.
My colleague at Chelsea News Will Faulks wrote:
‘There were a lot more “outs” than “ins”. While it’s useful to get rid of some of these underused squad players – you don’t get credit for clearing up a mess you made. And the problem issues – depth in midfield, reliable striker backup, a world class goalkeeper – remain unsolved.
‘The London is Blue podcast said pretty much the exact same thing in their show today covering the window. Presenter Nick Verlaney put it very well by asking the simple question – are Chelsea a better team now than they were in January? His answer was pretty clear.
‘“Our sporting structure has a lot of egg on their face right now. It’s bad business across the board here. I mean, you bought players only to loan them immediately,” Verlaney said.
‘“You’re bringing back players who should have been with the squad all along. It looks like a lot of mismanagement all around. And if you ask me right now if Chelsea have a better squad for the second half of the season than they had for the first half – I think the answer is unequivocally: ‘no’.”
He’s absolutely spot on with this.
I mean, as you will also see from the home page today on SPTC with our mini series of articles on these subjects, even the most measured Rob Pratley has joined The Score and many other measured minds in venting on the operations at the club right now.
And the poll results speak for themselves also on the home page right now – fans have well and truly turned and want to see BIG changes.
Fans aren’t experts though, are they? So who cares what they think? They aren’t the full time qualified pros, are they?
OK, so I bring up my next witness, someone who IS a professional, someone who IS qualified, and someone who was one of the best midfielders to ever play the game and someone who knows Chelsea FC like the back of his hand – Super Frank Lampard.
In 2020, Lampard said this:
“If you’re talking about being successful in the longer term, you do need some experienced voices in the dressing room.”
Lampard is speaking from his experience as a young player and then his experience as a coach. Did Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, and Behdad Eghbali ever play football? Were they ever a young players in the dressing room leaning on the shoulders of some older heads? Nope, they were not. So I know who’s opinion I am backing here.
Lampard is spot on of course, and anyone with half a brain and some football knowledge knows this, and it’s basically what I said in my first article of this mini series on the home page today.
People might think I am going on about all of this but I’m sorry, I love my club, and I will not rest until something changes, and if I am fighting a losing battle then so be it, I will not go down without a fight, and neither should you.
I’ve said all along I don’t think we are a million miles off getting there with the squad we have, once the gaping holes are addressed with the right calibre of players and some leaders. But we are so close. Don’t let it drag until the players all mature into the experienced players you should have just signed in the first place!! Nobody is going to be hearing your ‘told you so’s’ then, believe me.
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