Thursday, February 28, 2013

Benitez and Chelsea

Let us firstly state the writer of this blog is a Chelsea fan and can't stand Benitez. But having said that, this blog can't disagree with anything he did last night. Like anyone should who is constantly attacked, he has simply stood up for himself.

There were callers on the radio last night saying he did nothing to ingratiate himself with the fans on his arrival, to try to make up for the past but the simple fact is those people booing him didn't care what he did or said, they wanted him out regardless (and so did this blog).

Benitez was yet another wrong choice for Chelsea but not because of issues from his Liverpool days, simply because he isn't very good. He slotted into a wonderful system at Valencia, finished once in - an ultimately distant - 2nd place in the Premiership and fluked a Champions League (a Gerrard wonder strike away from going out at the group stage and then a 2nd half in Istanbul he could replay a hundred times and not win).

He is mediocre at best and incredibly hard to like. Liverpool fans revere him but they went backwards under him even with the Americans added to the mix. Benitez said results were the important thing and they have not been good enough, Chelsea are dire right now.

Where this blog does agree with him however is that the booing at Chelsea matches has affected the team badly, their home form is pitiful. I was at the Man City game and have never heard anything like it in 30 odd years of going to football matches. He is also clearly patently aware he isn't going to get the job full time so why not call out the Chelsea hierarchy on their mistakes also? He has been left entirely isolated.

This blog will not be sorry to see him go but what Chelsea fans are not realising is that their ire and venting is so extreme because there is nowhere to channel it. 10 years under Roman have seen 3 league titles, a Champions League and most importantly the saving of the club from going under. How on earth do they complain about the current catastrophic management? What happens if Roman walks away? Best keep quiet and boo someone else then. Benitez didn't fire RDM or Ancelotti or Mourinho or anyone else for that matter.

The problem is that before financial fair play, money could wash over mismanagement, who cared? Now the club must be run properly if it is to flourish, the base is there but nothing else is. Why was AVB (who was Abramovich's first choice) given almost no money and then under RDM (who was far from his first choice) was Oscar, Hazard and co all bought? The managers are not buying the players and the club is a shambles. Did anyone outside of Chelsea remotely believe Guardiola would be interested? Again we must stress the writer is a Chelsea fan.

One must remember that Chelsea effectively fluked the CL last year (they could play that Barca tie over and over again and never win it not to mention Napoli and even the final) and that has yet again covered up the gross mismanagement. If we weren't paying for half a dozen sacked managers, how much else could we budget for in wages and transfer fees?

AVB doesn't look quite the fool now at a Spurs side currently above Chelsea in the table admittedly with a currently loony Gareth Bale. The difference is he has the full support of his (excellent) chairman.

This blog will be delighted when Benitez goes, but we'd be a heck of a lot more happy to see Chelsea qualify for the CL. The Chelsea hierarchy badly need to engage the support and explain what they are ultimately trying to do.

There is zero interface between the club and fans - otherwise why on earth would they have hired Benitez in the first place? Chelsea badly need the fans back on-side and the fans need to realise that their anger is misdirected and it is time for everyone to rally behind the club which hopefully will always remain - No Nonsense.