The arrival of Todd Boehly at the Chelsea helm has been nothing short of extraordinary. The American businessman acquired Chelsea amidst a lot of political ruckus and since then, he has invested maniacally in the club. But that has not always fetched him the love of the fans. Instead it is something much simpler that has made the fans sing his praise.
Late last week, a Chelsea fan spotted the owner in a restaurant in New Canaan, Connecticut and his drip grabbed the highlight. He was seen wearing a Chelsea hoodie.
According to the fan, he was seen dining at an Italian restaurant named ‘Sole’. This action proved how easy it is to please the fans. Something as simple as wearing the shirt of the team they love can send the fans into a frenzy of praise.
It is only recently that a Chelsea fan organisation wrote a scathing letter to the club management about the low morale of the fans. Chelsea Supporters Trust wrote, following their disheartening 2-2 draw against Brentford, “The current feeling amongst Chelsea supporters in our opinion is at its lowest since the early 1980s.”
The organisation went on to claim that the club has become a “laughing stock” under the current management. Since then, the club has won three and drawn two, scoring 15 goals in the process.
Why the Love-Hate Relation?
It is not the easiest time to be a Chelsea fan. While Manchester United fans are cribbing for the lack of investment in the club, Chelsea fans have a much more complicated problem.
Since their arrival, Clearlake Capitals and Todd Boehly have broken all the banks to invest in the club. They have single handedly broken more transfer records in one season than anyone can keep track of. Even Mauricio Pochettino, who has a proven record of bringing the best out of players, was brought in.
Yet, they are still languishing near the bottom half of the table, 27 points away from Liverpool and Arsenal. This is the peculiarity of football that has eluded the stat hunters. Despite billions (literally) of dollars in player acquisition, management revisions, it lies with the players on a particular day to dictate the score of the match.
The score of the match, in turn, dictates the mood of the fans. When a team performs the way the fans want them to perform, they are happy with everything but the opposite is also true.
What is going wrong at Chelsea
Chelsea have been one of the most successful clubs in England in the past 20 years. Strangely, they have also gone through dismal phases in the same timeframe. The club has spent more than a billion dollars in the past three transfer windows and after all that, they have improved a whopping three places in the PL. Are the players really that bad at something they earn millions for doing?
The stats say otherwise. The Blues have already scored 17 more goals this season than they managed in the entire campaign last season. However, they have also conceded more frequently this season, hence, the ranking.
While they have lost only thrice against the big six, it is their performance against the traditional bottom-dwellers that they are rueing. Along with these, the young age and perceived inexperience of players, the continuous change in system, and injury to crucial players have contributed heavily to the current situation.
With the meteoric rise of Cole Palmer and the steady stewardship of Pochettino, the fans can expect Chelsea’s return to the top of the charts in the coming seasons.