Chelsea sack Tuchel and hire Potter

Wow, Tuchel sacked.

Re Tuchel. Different owners. Same management style... amazed.

Tuchel just been sacked.

Hands off Frank, Chelsea!

Nice - now we can finally get Anthony Barry in!

Honestly, you can't take the Champions League win away from him, but starting last season I didn't think the job Tuchel did at Chelsea was any more impressive than what Lampard did for them.

Talk about trigger happy !

Must want Pochettino? Also, some are touting Graham Potter to make the next step up.

I can imagine Tuchel being too abrasive for the little darlings in the dressing room, that's probably got him the sack.

Maybe Gordon dodged a bullet there.

I am absolutely not surprised as he is an idiot.

I don't know the background yet, but I rated Tuchel.

Upset the egos in the dressing room so lost them? Possibly, but I'm not so sure.

Speaking of others' opinions following a conversation only yesterday, it is likely down to the new owners. They definitely seem a club that is unsettled by the global events and subsequent loss of Abramovich. Replaced by owners who as well as probably wanting their own train set, are seemingly playing Football Manager.

I doubt some of their signings in the summer were Tuchel ones. He may be good and have a few years in him yet, but £30M for Sterling was better business for Man City than for Chelsea in my opinion.

Reported that Tuchel was no longer on speaking terms with the owner and had no input into who was bought this summer. He was also against them signing Anthony Gordon.

Owner v manager, there will only ever be one winner –especially when results aren't great.

This is good news for us, and every other team hoping to one day break into the European places.

Chelsea could easily be going the way United have and drift well away from the top spots. With new owners, crazy transfer fees and clear unrest...maybe Chelsea will descend into Also-Ran territory?

Stranger things have happened.

Tuchel seems, like Brenda, to have been asking for the sack for months. Well into last season, he's been publicly saying the players are crap. Also, I presume his recent divorce may have affected his mood? He's just been Debbie Downer publicly for too long.

Danny. Disagree strongly on Sterling. Established international in his prime, good goal-scoring record, in this market he was a steal. Yes, Man City reinvested the fee wisely but Haaland's real cost is his insane wages.

Looks like Potter is in pretty soon.

I didn't mean to write Sterling off in terms of ability or age Kieran. Maybe a combination of a west London boy wanting home, the chance of a huge pay cheque and City seeing good money for someone they can replace.

Haarland is a machine. Someone posted at the weekend that on his current Premier League score rate, he's on course for 63 goals. I don't know and look into the maths by the way. Hopefully rotation will keep Dixie's record in tact, but if he breaks it, then it's deserved.

The Potter rumours, if they have legs, will be interesting. Just as with Everton when linked or wanted by some, how will he adapt from small town club to big club with expectation?

He could be the next Alex Ferguson or Howard Kendall.

He could be the next Mike Walker or David Moyes (United).

To coin the much used phrase: "imagine what he could do at a bigger club with money to spend". Only would he be choosing who it's spent on?

Tuchel will be walking away very well compensated no doubt.

Re Potter, very good or maybe he is just in a purple patch of results that is due to run out soon. Who knows, players have too much power now, especially at the top end of the table.

They seem to have adopted a Moshiri - Blue Bill type approach to recruitment. Like us, they went daft with all the new money coming in and don't seem to have recruited players within a careful strategy or a sense of value. Hopefully, we have now learned our lesson, but I hope they don't learn theirs.

Tuchel can always get a job playing the lead role if they ever do another remake of Nosferatu.

They spent more than £270 million quid on players in this window and then sack the manager.

I'll never understand the business plan of Premier League football clubs. It appears to be completely different to any other industry. It's just spend, sack manager, get new manager, spend more, sack manager ad infinitum.

We are only 6 games in. Chelsea are only 3 points off Top 4 and 5 points of top spot. Hardly cause for panic… yet they sack the manager. If Everton were in Chelsea's spot, we would be made up yet it apparently wasn't enough for Chelsea.

Unless Potter wants to make a lot more money, he would be advised to stay put. The Chelsea job is a poisoned chalice at least until next season when the real transfer window opens next summer.

Chelsea now have a squad of players who could not work for the previous manager, so, they will find it more difficult to work with the next.

I can honestly say, there are not a lot of good managers, who don't need the money, would take on the Chelsea job with owners ready to make the next sacking of someone who can't pull a rabbit out of a hat.

I am not sure about Potter going to Chelsea, he is happy at Brighton and going to a club who seem to be in disarray with a gun-happy owner, the transfer window closed, may be too soon to get your reputation ruined.

Potter is a team builder with players he likes to choose and trying to get instant success at a firing club is no place with new ownership demanding instant success.

They will go for another European coach with an experienced European cup and league record.

Seeing as we've naturally strayed onto Potter, here's an outside punt. Providing he wants to, he deserves a move to a bigger platform. But needs to choose his big move carefully.

Next Aston Villa manager?

My guess is sacking Tuchel had been pre-planned and signing Cucurella was a part of that with the full blessing of Potter, knowing he'd be soon appointed as Chelsea manager!

Be interesting to see if Chelsea returns to its pre-Abramovich status. You never know about new owners.

Abramovich

- 21 pieces of silverware in 18 years.

- Changed "managerial stability" definition from one manager over a lengthy period of time to only hire great managers (Plus Di Matteo); then rinse and repeat.

- Rendered the financial bottom line meaningless. Immediately. The Abu Dabi group buying ManCity might have set off financial alarm bells in English football. But they were simply following the Abramovich template.

So he's gone for good, but certainly made a lot of game-changing noise while he was in it.

Frank #18,

It's all relative, to expectations. If my memory is correct we were pretty high in the table when we sacked Colin Harvey.

At that time, Chelsea were a nothing club as were Man City.

£13 million compensation, nice sacking if you can get it.

The players will be saying 'What' Potter! What's he ever won?

Likewise Chelsea fans.

Benitez set for a return to his former club? We can only hope!

Very surprised by this.

Wow, stunned. Didn't see this coming at all, but on reflection it's probably not a surprise. The new Yank owner Boehly requires full buy-in from the people who work for him, and Tuchel obviously wasn't that guy.

From the Telegraph:

Only last Saturday, Tuchel made it clear that he had little interest in involving himself in the appointment of Chelsea's next permanent sporting director which again underlined his reluctance to operate more globally within the club.

The atmosphere at Chelsea's training ground has been described as tense and Tuchel's popularity nose-dived with a group of players who felt they had been treated unfairly, both in terms of team selections and the positions they were asked to play.

Agreed that Potter is a much more likely type for Boehly to sign than Zidane or Pochettino. Whoever Boehly finds, however, expect him to be around for a long time. Baseball managers have notoriously short life expectancy, less than 3 years, but Boehly's manager of the high-profile LA Dodgers has been in the job for 7 years and just signed a 3-year contract extension.

Tuchel has a history of falling out with people, so when he got the job at Chelsea, it was only going to be a matter of time.

Just 20 months, but winning the Champions League has not harmed his reputation, so expect him to slip into the big chair at one of the top European clubs soon.

If Chelsea tempt Potter away from Brighton, I think it'll be a big mistake for the club and the manager – I just can't see it working. Pochettino is the more obvious candidate.

Brighton have given Chelsea permission to speak to Potter.

Interesting appointment, if it comes off. No real experience of European football, or managing the egos of an international group of players who earn more than a small South American country's GDP.

Will the prima donnas at Chelsea buy into him as a manager? Probably will if they're in the team, and if the team is winning.

I don't see how Potter turns this down though. I mean, he could stay at Brighton for ever, and never win a thing, while watching his best players being sold, or he can do a year or two at Chelsea, possibly win a trophy, then get paid off and return to managing teams like Brighton.

Potter currently 2/5 on Betfair to be next manager.

Michael (31),

I agree, surely Potter will accept if he has the opportunity. There's rarely an ideal time to take over a club and even when the transition is chosen and smooth, eg, Man Utd tapping up Moyes in advance, the outcome is never certain. No guarantee another big opportunity will come along.

Best case: win trophies and eventually move on to another competitive club; worst case: win nothing or little, sacked, big pay-off and back to another mid-table Premier League club.

It's not really that high a risk. Unless he just loves the sea air.

Potter won't work at Chelsea, too many egos. It would take him a few years to turn it around anyway. But it would weaken Brighton if he left.

Chelsea looks a total mess now, buying players for the sake of it, and will end up the same as Man Utd and Arsenal for a few seasons (forever, I hope).

New owner, throw tons of cash at it and still have zero patience. Who goes to Brighton? Pretty savvy owners so they probably have some names already.

I think the owners looked at the super computer predictions on where every team will finish and thought "Sod that!"

How the hell can a super computer predict finishing places? Whoever came up with that pile of shite must be having a right good chuckle at the media swallowing it.

Ooh and someone cleaned up on the manager sack race, didn't see that coming.

I would like to personally take this opportunity to start the Potter hater campaign. That dude disrespected us in a rather brutal (classically English) way; claimed to have more ambition than to consider himself a candidate for Everton, I believe.

I hope he goes to Chelsea and slowly becomes infected with the leprous filth for which that club is a host. The beard is weird, fuck off.

Brian, sadly that pile of shite will be depressingly accurate not too far down the road. The game's already quite predictable in some areas.

Six games in, all the "Big Six" are in the Top 7. At least four of the Sky Darlings will finish in the Top 6. One of the six will win it. None of them will be relegated. No-one currently in the bottom half of the table will win it... nor probably make the Top 6 etc.

All this from my addled, simple brain, without computer.

Digi-World alas, will eventually rule virtually all.

Holy shit just read this. Wow!

Ridiculous in my opinion. Owner doesn't like Tuchel, I think they want someone a bit more attacking-minded.

Happiest people on the planet?

1. Christian Pulisic
2. Any American soccer fan

Tuchel did not like Pulisic, and we need him playing. That also alone identifies for me Tuchel can't see the forest through the trees. Coupling that with his boring footy, the American owners will look to move on.

What about Brendan? I think he'll be available shortly.

Remove me from item 2 please. Oh wait, you said soccer fan, I'm good. And forgot to drop a line on Yuchel, "We Boehly got to know ya!".

To clarify, I wanted Tuchel to stay on and frustrate that looooong bench. A lot of good talent to release into the league later and keep some prices reasonable for us.

Darryl, in this loony world that is modern football, that couldn't be discounted.

Sooner or later though, a team will prise Simeone away, I think.

You could see this coming. Chelsea getting turnoed over by no-mark teams like Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb.

Unlike us, you could see the spirit getting sucked out of the club.

I think Potter will do well wherever he goes as he gets the respect of all around him and has humility – unlike Tuchel. However, managing a squad of backbiting disgruntled egos will not be easy for anyone.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Jesse Marsch as Americans tend to have more confidence in their fellow countrymen especially in sport. (I hope Jamie and Mike don't get offended by that one!)

Interesting addendum from The Guardian today. The Fiver says one of the disputes with ownership that got Tuchel bounced was over Anthony Gordon. Boehly wanted him signed at our price. Tuchel did not.

Michael #31, Boehly may well see that as an advantage. Potter won't come in with a big ego or a long list of trophies to brag about, and no doubt his hiring will be conditional on his eagerness to sign on to Boehly's big plan, whatever it is.

Jamie #38, agreed, and a Yank owner certainly won't want to settle for Captain America sitting on the bench.

Ross got out just in time! :-)

I'll maintain my Colin Harvey the coach vice manager stance. But to contradict myself, let's put it into perspective.

He took over the twice in 3 years Champions of England. On the back of being denied the opportunity to compete in Europe's Premier competition for the second time and reasons beyond our control. They say you don't choose your family.

And regardless, at a time when only 1st place got you into the "Champions" competition.

So 4th and 6th placed finishes, put into context, looked much worse than now, which I think he achieved.

Ed #44, you're funny.

Incidentally, Nice manager Lucien Favre apparently wasn't consulted on Ross' signing. Wasn't sure what position he played.

Hi Danny [45],

I have no idea what the coaching situation was compared to that of today, but I imagine that Colin Harvey had assistance regarding the coaching responsibilities.

I find it a bit of a mystery that the managers receive praise or criticism, and the coaches are the ones who are responsible. You may be right in your opinion of Colin Harvey's man-management.

Alan Ball was an excellent player but a failure at captaincy, he expected everyone to be capable of his achievements. I don't think he appreciated the arm around the shoulder, or a kick up the backside.

I wasn't at the Elland Road game when he apparently humiliated Keith Newton, but I was told that it was some way short of diplomatic.

Better eyes than me, Jay, I thought the Champions' Cup would keep that drama going for a while.

Wow. Did Pulisic use his connections to stab Tuchel in the back?

How/why have they added Aubameyang into this explosive mix? Arteta must be creasing himself.

Above all, I hope Gordon is reflecting on how close he got to joining a chaotic mess which his young mind might have been unable to cope with and he'd be the next Ross Barkley or even Jack Rodwell. Let it be a lesson to all those who seek to leave us. All that glitters is not gold...

I think Harvey was an excellent coach, John Senior.

I did hear from some City friends and fans back in the day, so genuine lifelong supporters, that Alan Ball was a terrible man-manager. Allegedly he tried the shouty "Have you seen what I've won" approach, which apparently lost him the dressing room.

I don't know how true that was. I never had the pleasure of Ball the player that my dad idolised. But I was never endeared with Ball the manager.

Dale,

They were a shambles against a very average Zagreb side and weren't great against Southampton.

It looked like the players were drained of the will to live. Lol

Jay, did you think Petkovic was worth the print he was getting?

Jay,

Regarding Jesse Marsch, I think he will stay at Leeds for quite a while. Way too big a jump for him right now.

I know TW on the whole detests him, but I love the guy. I sincerely wish he was the USMNT Coach, and I'd bet a lot of money he'll follow Berhalter, whom I don't really like very much at all, to be honest.

Jesse Marsch is a good footy coach. He motivates, knows his tactics, and gets everyone playing for him. Berhalter always tried to "out-think the room" and he drives me mad.

Klopp could be looking for a job so there's a vacancy coming up. Seems team spirit and asthma inhalers are lacking at Mordor these days. The Mane man has left.

I see Richarlison is now a great player!!!

Danny.

Bally just loved the game but management wasn't his thing but he couldn't walk away from it all. Everything, and I mean everything, went through him in a blue shirt he was everywhere. A one-touch player the '85 team would've loved.

I guess when you're that good a player, Brian, and have that much passion for the game, as Alan Ball clearly did, you can't comprehend why others don't feel the same?

I'd've loved to have seen him in his prime. I only got to see Match of the Day highlights in his Southampton days because my dad insisted!

Jack @54 the shite are off-cycling lol. Same as a couple of years ago. Getting random injuries.

Bingo knows he can't run them into the ground, which is why bolstered the squad with carbon copies and they changed the rules for them again (again) with 5 subs.

I think they miss that dirty bastard Mane king-fu'ing keepers. They'll be back the horrors.

Chelsea's Board of Directors should be questioned by the FA over the Tuchel sacking, he did a good job last season but the owners demand instant success and think money is the be-all and end-all of football.

I would urge them to have a look at what Frank and his team are achieving here at Goodison Park, from the debris he inherited, to building a squad wanting to play for the shirt, giving youth a chance when applicable and building team spirit with very little money.

Now they want Potter who probably goes the same way in a short time - this is all bad for the game we love.

Mike 29,

But for your post, I would not know that I have some Chelsea-related memorabilia. It is a 2018 National League Champions tee-shirt that was given to me by a friend from Pasadena who is a rabid Dodgers fan. Sadly, I barely understand the American pastime.

Danny 50,
The Head Coach of the club I work at was coached by Colin Harvey, he said he was good and very tough on the players.

Thanks for the insight David.

I obviously have no insider knowledge and sorry to revert to my Army background, but the analogy I've used before about Kendall and Harvey is the impression I got.

Kendall was the officer that came around checking that the lads (and lasses) were okay. Morale good, boots fit, mail getting through etc, before going off to do officer things.

Harvey was the Sergeant Major, who nodded and smiled, but once the officer left the room, let them have it and whipped them into shape!!!

Potter has the job, all I would say is how long will he last.
Not long is my bet.

Let the Potter hater campaign begin. I need an insulting nickname for the bearded one.

Canny bugger has a five year contract, no way will he last even half of that.
I really don't give a rat's arse abouth Chelski Chavs and really not sure why we have a thread about this lot. Can we bin this please, just asking

"I see Richarlison is now a great player!!!"

Jack, several on here called it; how the perception and reporting of Richy would change once at a Sky Darling club - and how it has. A piece on BBC Sport website today being an example. The fakery is real.

I was training at Everton, when Harvey got the sack, and I always thought he was made for the daily rigours of the training ground, rather than the managers chair. I had not long left Forest, where there was very little coaching, except for Clough, telling everyone to get it and play it, until it comes out your ears, or to score a five a side goal, (get it wide, low cross, side foot finish, into a very small goal) because that’s all we used to play, two touch.

Everton was mainly possession based, and the few times we played five a side, the players never really got it, imo. I thought it was because they never played it enough, but when I used to watch Harvey’s Everton, on a Saturday, I thought how they trained, really showed. Great in possession, but not really that much end product. I liked Colin Harvey though, he joined in a few times, and although he was the Everton manager, he always acted just like any other player, when he did👏

I’ll also be surprised if Potter lasts long at Chelsea, Raymond.

Nick @57.
“Bingo”
Coffee all over the keyboard!
Brilliant!

I didn't realise your pedigree Tony, good for you.

James says Potter has a 5 year contract, nice for him but I don't get that from Chelsea's point of view.

Interesting to hear a Chelsea statement mention Potter's potential use more widely in club building and background operations - abilities previously acknowledged. They might be letting him loose on the culture a little.

James @ 64,

I think this is why the thread is in the General Forum area, for wider and outside issues. Not exactly over-featured or treading on the good stuff up top!

“Richarlison rapidly moving from pantomime villain to hero…”

Potter may need assistance from his kid at Hogwarts!

Is it a poisoned chalice, or a set-for-life lottery win?

Mark, still regret selling Richarlison and, if he wanted to go anyway, why did we let him go for less than Fofana and other very average players?

At least Richarlison did have talent and dare I say world-class touches.

The new American owner wants to bring the circus to the Prem ier League, eg, All-Star games, relegation playoffs, marching bands etc…

What next? Designated goalscorers? Emergency runners? Goalies with baseball mitts rather than gloves?

Hands off our game, Boehly.

I don't know about all of that, Colin, but I don't mind the idea of relegation and promotion playoffs.

We do it anyway in the Championship and, if I recall, we done it for at least one season around the time of the conception of the Premier League.

The Bundesliga does it. The team that finishes bottom 3rd plays the team who finish 3rd in Bundesliga 2.

I'd rather that than the current reward for finishing 6th in Tier 2 and benefiting from the lottery of the payoffs we presently have.

Colin,

I read the other day that Tuchel did not take to the new owner's ideas for Chelsea, and rumours also that he tried to give the impression he was knowledgeable about "soccer" players – no wonder Tuchel isn't there any more!

Don't think they have relegation in America. Boehly's idea of an All-Star game is just fucking meaningless and stupid – obviously he hasn't a clue.

By the way, what the fuck has getting the Chelsea job done to Potter's image – he looks like he's had a right going over with the make-up department. Personally, I think Potter won't be at Chelsea long.