Don't blame the players & manager for the actions of those above them

Lets keep holding the RIGHT people to account

This whole situation at Chelsea with Enzo Maresca and Behdad Eghbali, the frustration at how the club is run, has been really bad for Chelsea and honestly, I’m tired of it. We’re all angry and frustrated, and that for me will not disappear with a new manager or even new signings.

However, I think its important that whoever the new manager is (at time of writing there’s no leading candidate), we get behind him and the squad fully. We’ve been in a bad run of form and as usual, people start saying our whole squad is average based on a bad run of form. I’ve seen this squad perform at their best, and at our best we can compete with most teams. This squad is well capable of achieving top 4 and winning a domestic cup, I have no doubts about that.

They’re a young squad and there’s no question the speculation and media frenzy around Maresca and the club was a distraction and a weight on their shoulders. You could see it in every performance since the Everton game.

The issues at the club are not the responsibility of the players, or indeed the new manager. They’ve all been caught in the crossfire of this battle between Behdad Eghbal, the Sporting Directors and Enzo Maresca, and the fans anger at the whole affair.

We should not fall for the trap of focussing our anger on the players or new manager. That’s exactly what Behdad and the SDs want. In my view, its important that we get loud and proud behind the players and manager, give them our full support - and then continue to call out Behdad and the Sporting Directors.

We have to keep holding them to account for their running of the club, their squad building, man management, treatment of players and staff, and lack of accountability. They are the people responsible for this mess, they are the people who should be held accountable and bear the brunt of fans’ anger and frustration.

Also, I think its important we don’t descend into personal attacks, abuse or threats. I admit my anger has boiled over a times and almost become personal, but thats not right. I have little respect for Behdad and the Sporting Directors in their current roles, and also in terms of their treatment of fans, players and managers.

But ultimately they are human beings with families, and the families often bear the brunt of threats and abuse. There’s no excuse for that level of behaviour in my mind and it usually ends up backfiring too.

We need to focus our anger on their work at Chelsea, and what they’ve done at the club. That’s what’s created this situation, that’s what’s harming the club, and that’s what needs resolving. They need to know fans aren’t going to forget what they’ve been doing and still are in running the club and disrespecting fans, players and managers.

One of Maresca’s most positive legacies may well be naming and making public the issues at the club.

No one can deny it now, its out in public consciousness, Clearlake shareholders won’t like that, and they want a return on their investment in terms of achieving Champions League, winning trophies and all the financial benefits of it. Behdad knows he has to deliver at Chelsea to satisfy them, or they might just decide to sell their shares to someone else, with Todd Boehly waiting in the wings.

There has to be accountability at the highest levels of Chelsea. In my view, we as fans need to keep pushing for that and focus on the people responsible, not the players or the manager caught in the crossfire.

The Score