Other Games 2025-26

[Mister E]

I actually feel a bit sorry for Rosenior.  He’s been totally out of his depth for weeks and it’s very clear the players aren’t turning up.  It’s worked out well for us so far (comedy defeat to them aside).  But I find the piss taking of him a bit uncomfortable for some reason. 

Reminds me of the stint at Chelsea by André Villas-Boas - style over substance, and very quickly exposed as waaaay out of his depth.

[Mister E]

It was partly about tactics - Birghton had space everywhere and the 'Wing' Backs don't play in thoise positions usually.
Without James they are clueless in terms of on field organisation and Fernadez, Neto and one or 2 others don't seem to give a shit.

Well, yes, but it was also about commitment to a cause. Brighton weren't wonderful but they played as a team and never let Chelsea settle down. Neto was one of the few (Chaloboah, Delap, Lavia as well) who did give a shit - it was the senior players - Caicedo, Fernandez, Cuc - who let the team down most.
Shambolic - which is great!!

[Proposition Joe]

It was partly about tactics - Birghton had space everywhere and the 'Wing' Backs don't play in thoise positions usually.
Without James they are clueless in terms of on field organisation and Fernadez, Neto and one or 2 others don't seem to give a shit.

Well, yes, but it was also about commitment to a cause. Brighton weren't wonderful but they played as a team and never let Chelsea settle down. Neto was one of the few (Chaloboah, Delap, Lavia as well) who did give a shit - it was the senior players - Caicedo, Fernandez, Cuc - who let the team down most.
Shambolic - which is great!!

I was thinking this too. Enzo was emblematic of this, he looked like he didn't give a toss, or didn't believe in the tactics they were set up with. In stark contrast to the Enzo who in recent years has bossed our midfield and been a real thorn in our side. And that Guiu, whoever the hell he is, did not look like he wanted to be there at all.

[LeeB]

Caicedo, Fernandez and Lavia cost over £250m between them. All decent but pretty perfunctory midfielders.

I don't know what fucking model they built but thinking they're ever getting that back never mind making a profit on them is fucking madness.

[Dave]

Caicedo, Fernandez and Lavia cost over £250m between them. All decent but pretty perfunctory midfielders.

I don't know what fucking model they built but thinking they're ever getting that back never mind making a profit on them is fucking madness.

I don't think those three are part of "the model". I think the plan is that they have a brilliant team that wins trophies, and just being part of that hyper-successful ecosystem, combined with some clever loans means that they can flip cheaper players and continue to bring in hundreds of millions of pounds to keep the whole thing aloat.

They're the "success" that allows the profit on, I dunno, Gittens, Essugo and Delap.

The problem with the model comes along when the hyper-successful ecosystem turns out to be quite bad at winning football matches.

[PeterWithesShin]

Anyone that comes out with stuff like "respecting the ball" deserves to be mocked.

[Mister E]

Anyone that comes out with stuff like "respecting the ball" deserves to be mocked.

Mock the weak ...

[Smithy]

I actually feel a bit sorry for Rosenior.  He’s been totally out of his depth for weeks and it’s very clear the players aren’t turning up.  It’s worked out well for us so far (comedy defeat to them aside).  But I find the piss taking of him a bit uncomfortable for some reason. 

Reminds me of the stint at Chelsea by André Villas-Boas - style over substance, and very quickly exposed as waaaay out of his depth.

I mentioned this in another thread a couple of weeks ago, and though not specifically Chelsea related, I think it rings true here for Rosenior.   Gareth Bale was interviewed on the Overlap a short while ago - a good interview, comes across as a nice guy - but he said something interesting about the managers at Real Madrid, and how the most successful ones didn't do much "coaching".  It was more about getting the players motivated, than tactics, formation, specific player instructions and detailed coaching (except in the big games).  He speculated that this is why Alonso failed - because top players, who think of themselves as the best, don't like to be micromanaged, and it's possible they simply rejected the Alonso approach. 

I think similar might be happening with Rosenior at Chelsea.  I think of him as one of the new breed of young managers, tactically astute, very detailed, methodical, not one to let the players just 'go and play' - but also a charisma vacuum - and I suspect the Chelsea players simply aren't responding well to that style of coaching due to all the egos they've got in that changing room.

Whereas Unai IS very detailed and methodical, but he also brings the gravitas and track record that means players WILL listen and follow, and he also only brings in players who will buy into his methods.

If the Chelsea players have simply rejected the Rosenior methods, then great for us (not just this season, but potentially next, too).

[Somniloquism]

Caicedo, Fernandez and Lavia cost over £250m between them. All decent but pretty perfunctory midfielders.

I don't know what fucking model they built but thinking they're ever getting that back never mind making a profit on them is fucking madness.

I don't think those three are part of "the model". I think the plan is that they have a brilliant team that wins trophies, and just being part of that hyper-successful ecosystem, combined with some clever loans means that they can flip cheaper players and continue to bring in hundreds of millions of pounds to keep the whole thing aloat.

They're the "success" that allows the profit on, I dunno, Gittens, Essugo and Delap.

The problem with the model comes along when the hyper-successful ecosystem turns out to be quite bad at winning football matches.

Fernandez was talking openly about leaving in the summer, enough that the club "suspended" him for two games*. Caicedo was another stating similar although he wasn't punished. But I suspect those players being so open about going plus one being punished when the other wasn't has meant the team dynamic that they were trying to show with the "respecting the ball" nonsense is now blown out of the water.

* I don't think he said anything different to many on international duty when asked about maybe going to another club and definitely didn't seem to be any difference in what both players stated to justify one being suspended and one not.

[eye digress]

Rosenior's a good lad doing the bidding of his paymasters. It's not exactly his fault that the Chelsea board turned to him (who's advising them?), and you can't blame him for seizing the opportunity, both financial and sporting. He does genuinely sound like a tedious LinkedIn piece, but then who doesn't in that kind of up-and-coming late 30s/early 40s bracket?

Tellingly, however, the more he has put into the job, the worse the outcome. He was doing fine while he was more or less just picking Maresca's team.

Hard to say if he is out of his depth in footballing terms. But he is definitely lacking in swagger and cojones. Because to manage Chelsea, you need to have one hell of an ego. Bling, Bates, Kings Road, Russian money, illicit offshore finance, war in Ukraine and all that. They are thugs and spivs, perfectly suited to obscure characters like Mourinho and Conte, and to a lesser extent (the admittedly less thuggish but self-admiring) Pochettino. But the paradox of their model is that the manager must have no personality (Potter, Rosenior, even Maresca until he found his voice).

That's even before you get on to discussing the Chelsea "model", which in itself amounts to wild west style market shorting.

On a side note, it's a bit of a shame in the overall context of football that one of the first (or the first?) black British managers at this level looks like a walking, talking admonishment of positive discrimination.

[paul_e]

What has happened with Rosenior is nearly a perfect re-run of what they did with Lampard, over=promoted due to existing links to the club meaning he was in a job he was nowhere near ready for. I think it'll end the same way as well, with him being replaced, having an interim job to 'get back on the horse' and then go somewhere and do the job that he should've taken now.

[JUAN PABLO]

i thought the chant ' Are you tottenham in disguise'   was funny.

[rob_bridge]

He is the Kamala Harris of Premier League Managers.

[Somniloquism]

What has happened with Rosenior is nearly a perfect re-run of what they did with Lampard, over=promoted due to existing links to the club meaning he was in a job he was nowhere near ready for. I think it'll end the same way as well, with him being replaced, having an interim job to 'get back on the horse' and then go somewhere and do the job that he should've taken now.

Lampard was also chosen as they had a transfer ban so wanted someone in who knew the club from top to bottom and could probably get the most out of the kids at the time. He still got them fourth and an FA Cup final in that first season. It was the following season when they could spend again which probably did for him as suddenly new players were coming in who weren't really suited for the league but also had less "respect" for him.

[Toronto Villa]

Anyone that comes out with stuff like "respecting the ball" deserves to be mocked.

And starting off with bollocks describing managing as “aging men”. He’s taken a job beyond his ability, on a long contract with a lot of money. These are decisions he’s made while awake and conscious. So he must have a massive ego to say yes without the resume to back it up. No doubt the system, the ownership, and certainly the players have fucked him over too.