Chelsea FC

^Palace cast offs I reckon

Chelsea statement:


Chelsea Football Club have today parted company with Head Coach Frank Lampard.

This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the Board have taken lightly.

We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club. However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.

There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season.

Roman Abramovich said,
“This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him’.

“He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.

“On behalf of everyone at the Club, the Board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as Head Coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

The Club will be making no further comment until such time as a new Head Coach is appointed.

Former Paris St Germain manager Thomas Tuchel is in the frame to take over.

I confess I don't follow football that closely (and have a jaundiced view of it often too) but are Chelsea really in that bad a position with approx half the season remaining?? And how - yet again - has a manager paid the price for the players inability to do their job?? Is it all down to coaching - can't be can it?? I happen to be watching a small segment on sky football news where they were discussing this (not overly maturely mind you given the presenter) and they showed one example of the problem with Chelsea - with 5/6 players gathering around one or two of the opposition players, and leaving a huge part of the area un defended. I thought to myself that it couldn't have happened because Lampard coached it that way - he clearly didn't. It surely happened because the players didn't do their job, both in terms of thinking for themselves, and communicating the problem to the team mates around them! How is that - yes just one example - the managers fault?? I don't normally watch this channel at all as a follower of other sports which being a sports news channel supposedly they no longer cover - but it was interesting to see the faults being highlighted and analysed.

I long for the day when it is these over paid/indulged employees on the field who are held accountable for not doing their job with wage cuts or the sack as in the real world.

This season is the 18th of the Roman Abromovich era and the new manager will be Chelsea's 15th in that time (counting Mourinho and Hiddink twice).

(25-01-2021 14:07 )William H Bonney Wrote:  This season is the 18th of the Roman Abromovich era and the new manager will be Chelsea's 15th in that time (counting Mourinho and Hiddink twice).

That might also be part of the problem! Abramovivh having no patience! I wonder how much these mega rich owners of these football clubs know about the sport itself?? Or is it all about building the business?? Without football success on the field, is there a business?? Imagine if a rugby DOR got the sack on the same basis (yes they too face the exit eventually if things do not turn around) they would each be seeking a new position every month!

(25-01-2021 14:06 )hornball Wrote:  how - yet again - has a manager paid the price for the players inability to do their job?? Is it all down to coaching - can't be can it?? I happen to be watching a small segment on sky football news where they were discussing this and they showed one example of the problem with Chelsea - with 5/6 players gathering around one or two of the opposition players, and leaving a huge part of the area un defended. I thought to myself that it couldn't have happened because Lampard coached it that way - he clearly didn't. It surely happened because the players didn't do their job

Your theory that it's not down to the manager will be put to the test when a new manager comes in. Defence has been a problem under Lampard all along and if Chelsea's defending is suddenly better under the new manager then the point will have been proven.

There is a general rule of thumb that I apply to all team sports:

If the player plays badly, it’s the player’s fault. If the team plays badly, it’s the manager’s fault.

There have definitely been times in the Abramovic era when I thought they sacked a manager prematurely (esp. Ancellotti) when they would have been better off selling on a couple of expensive, high profile, but underperforming players.

But in this case, I think they made the right decision. They have a talented group of players there and Lampard can’t seem to settle on a side, a system, or a style of play. And, yes, his defence has been a shambles from day one.

Hard for me to say as a Chelsea supporter, because Lampard was always such a loyal soldier and a mature professional in a sea of childish lads. But he just wasn’t up to it yet. Hopefully he’ll be back one day, with more experience and his own philosophy.

(26-01-2021 12:00 )shaun blue Wrote:  

(25-01-2021 14:06 )hornball Wrote:  how - yet again - has a manager paid the price for the players inability to do their job?? Is it all down to coaching - can't be can it?? I happen to be watching a small segment on sky football news where they were discussing this and they showed one example of the problem with Chelsea - with 5/6 players gathering around one or two of the opposition players, and leaving a huge part of the area un defended. I thought to myself that it couldn't have happened because Lampard coached it that way - he clearly didn't. It surely happened because the players didn't do their job

Your theory that it's not down to the manager will be put to the test when a new manager comes in. Defence has been a problem under Lampard all along and if Chelsea's defending is suddenly better under the new manager then the point will have been proven.

Not necessarily!! The new manager may just highlight the one example I gave, and ask why nobody was capable of working it out for themselves! If you can visualise the example I gave, it needs more explanation than ''it is the coach wot got it wrong!'' No way - and this is the limit of my football knowledge - was that part of the coaching instruction given to the players!

Gooodfella gives one rule of thumb - I have another 'self - management' I watched Ireland play an ODI cricket match against Afghanistan today. Ireland were in control chasing 270 odd, but blew it with bad decision/execution. That can not have been down to how they were prepared to play this match, should they find themselves chasing, by the coach - it was purely down to their inability to think for themselves, work out the state of the game, and tailor their innings management accordingly! Surely a manager/coach can only do so much, and has the right to expect players to manage themselves in certain parts of the game - in any team sport.