Nowhere is safe for Graham Potter at the moment. Usually when a Chelsea manager is under pressure he can rely on certain clubs to bail him out and keep him on the payroll for a few more weeks at least.
But embattled Potter is taking a kicking at every turn as he tries to convince the world and the paying punters that he is up to the job.
In years gone by, Newcastle United, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham could be counted on to roll over and hand over a few points to any Chelsea boss fighting for his future under previous owner Roman Abramovich - granting him a stay of execution.
But it’s got to the point where the Chelsea fans, who gorged themselves on trophies year after year under the Russian billionaire, are on a starvation diet. Out of both domestic cups, devoid of confidence with even their place in the top half of the Premier League table under threat, there is precious little to look forward to. Crystal Palace will be licking their lips for Sunday’s next instalment of Potter’s slow death.
It has got to the point where those fans who travelled to Manchester City to see their once-formidable team pumped 4-0 in the FA Cup were chanting for Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel. A typical, understandable knee-jerk reaction from supporters who have parted with good money to witness a humiliation. We’ve all been there right?
It’s tough to stomach Chelsea in freefall after Abramovich treated every transfer window like it was his last and the club won on average a trophy every year under his unique regime.
Chelsea fans also never got too close to their managers, with the odd exception, because they knew that a run of bad results brought a pretty swift exit with a visit from chairman Bruce Buck to the training ground and a P45.
Well, everything has changed. And those fans who were singing for Tuchel are going to have to swallow it. It’s no good having a go at Potter, it’s no good calling for Tuchel. In uncertain times, people look for someone to blame and for a saviour. But neither Tuchel nor Abramovich are coming back.
The thing about super-rich American investors and their pals is that they rarely like to admit they are wrong.
READ MORE:
- Arsenal v Chelsea Headlines Bumper WSL Return For 2023
-
Willian Rolls Back The Years To Haunt Chelsea As Fulham Record Huge Victory
- Sportsman Exclusive Price Boost: Man Utd & Spurs Both To Win - 18/1
New Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and his right hand man Behdad Egbhali went for a manager with zero experience of managing at the very top in football. They like Potter for his pragmatic, grounded outlook on life. The very fact that he doesn’t rant and rave after a defeat and that he calmly assesses the way forward is what sold him to the guys from Clearlake Capital in the first place.
Boehly’s long-termist approach has resulted in them handing out whopping great contracts to anyone who even mentions they fancy a pay rise. Right-back Reece James had three years left on his existing contract and now has six, on four times his previous salary. Relatively unknown defender Benoit Badiashile arrived from Monaco and is guaranteed seven and a half years on the books.
Potter is not even six months into a five-year deal worth in excess of £10 million per annum.
When the owners of a football club are throwing money around like that and telling everyone they have a job for life, is it any wonder nobody is hitting the panic button?
Supporters of the old hire-and-fire philosophy under Abramovich will argue that the threat of a visit from the Russian’s henchmen after losing four games on the bounce kept everyone on their toes. It’s exactly the opposite under the new people in charge and there is no going back.
Potter is going to be around for a long time yet, come what may. At least the Chelsea fans at Craven Cottage can see the funny side of their team’s seismic cultural shift. After hopeless defender Kalidou Koulibaly poked home a scruffy equaliser on Thursday night they sang ‘we are staying up’.
Chelsea are going through a massive transition but it’s not about whether Potter is up to the job. Nobody turns down this job or the money that goes with it. The problem is whether Todd Boehly and his risky policy of making everyone feel safe and secure at what was once the Premier League’s killing zone pays off in two years’ time or backfires disastrously.
£20 max bet | Available for a limited time only | Online only | 18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly
