COMMENT: He needs to listen, does Todd Boehly. He really needs to listen. Otherwise this spiral engulfing Chelsea will continue to run and run...
Another week. Another knock on Boehly and his running down of Chelsea FC. Elimination from the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage - which it must be said was reached thanks to a manager and staff the American had just sacked - brought with it genuine concern from current and former Blues. This wasn't the hyperbole of pundits and pressmen - this was the opinion from anxious Chelsea identities clearly worried about what they've been witnessing these past eight months.
And for Boehly to have any chance of righting this course, he needs to listen. It'll be tough for him to hear, but the American is nothing special. In terms of club owners - past, present and the future - he's just one more. This game, particularly the Premier League, has eaten up Prime Ministers, tech billionaires, gardening billionaires, betting tycoons... name the industry and there'll be a captain of it who fancied himself a club owner - and flopped miserably. As we've stated in past columns when examining this Boehly era, football is unlike anyother industry - and that's including rival sports. There's no comparison between the NFL or NBA and the Premier League. Indeed, there's no comparing Serie A and LaLiga with the Premier League. It may be international. It may be the de facto Super League. But this competition is built on a unique English football culture - something which Boehly has shown no willingness to embrace nor even understand.
For this column, a chairman visiting the dressing room shouldn't be a problem. Particularly post-match - or at least with the permission of the manager. But news that Boehly brought a newly signed Mykhaylo Mudryk, along with members of his entourage, into the locker room before kickoff against Crystal Palace is just ridiculous. And as we say, it smacks of someone showing no regard of what went on before him. That we're now also learning the American chose to sack Thomas Tuchel barely 48 hours after a request that he not visit the dressing room without the German's permission only further fuels the sense of insult the new owner has shown the English game since his arrival.
To which end, we had Didier Drogba speaking out this week over concern about his former club. The Ivorian great declared on Canal+, "I don't recognise my club", before echoing what many amongst the Blues support are now saying, "Of course, we try to compare it with what happened during the (Roman) Abramovich era where a lot of players were brought in, but the decisions were very intelligent".
It was stock standard stuff, sure. But it was from Didier Drogba. It carried weight. And while the comments made worthy headlines in midweek, for this column the real lede was that Drogba was speaking as an outsider. Why? Why haven't Boehly and Behdad Eghbali been in contact with Drog? One of the greats. A hero to so many. How can you take charge of Chelsea and not get Didier Drogba involved? Even if you were to take the Eghbali approach. That the Blues supporters are "customers", as he's referred to fans, or media "consumers". How can you blank the man who inspired a continent to become Chelsea fans? The growth of Chelsea's popularity across Africa can be charted to Drogba's time in a Blue shirt. Even if it was just to be a cynical marketing exercise, why pass up the opportunity?
Indeed, where is the former player input? Like Drogba, this week Joe Cole also weighed in, offering his services to simply help Boehly and Eghbali. It's crazy that this is having to be done through the press. But it is. This is the reality of Boehly's Chelsea. And it's not just past players who are expressing their concerns.
Thiago Silva, fresh from being given the runaround by Karim Benzema and Rodrygo Goes, broke ranks in the aftermath of defeat to Real Madrid. The Brazilian's comments, while portrayed as an attack on the club's American owners, was anything but that. The veteran giving us all confirmation of what we were being told by third parties. The players are floored. They don't see any direction from above. And it's hitting them hard.
"... a lot of indecision," stated Thiago, in almost pleading tones to Boehly via the BeIN Sports mic, "change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn't fit the size of the squad.
"...we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes."
This isn't about ego. This wasn't anything personal against the owners. At 38, Thiago Silva has won everything in game. He's seen. Done it. And has the t-shirt. Again, why is someone with such standing in the game having to communicate to Boehly and co via a third party?
As we say, there was a plea there. Just stop, Todd. Stop. Stop with the changes. The instability. And show us all the plan. Again, we've stated it in past columns, but for all the complaints about Roman Abramovich's lack of communication, no-one can claim Boehly and Eghbali are any better. And as new owners, they really should be walking the support through this project. Directly. Fans shouldn't be having to dig out the odd quotes from the latest bloody 'sports summit' they've addressed. It's actually a disgrace that they're happier offering their plans and opinion about the club at such forums than speaking directly to the support.
But this the theme. Whether it's the fans, the exes or even current players. The culture. The traditions. They've barreled through it all with scant regard. And Chelsea are much, much worse for it.
Boehly needs to listen. He needs to stop the insult. Or as Thiago Silva says, this spiral will just continue.
