₦airaland Forum

Nihilist:
Hahaha...

I'm coming to this. Just chill.

Hehehe. I'll be back in a bit, make I go pick some groceries. Just take your time homie

Nihilist:
Myth Number 3....slightly related to number, but suitably different to be it's own thing.

Emenalo's refusal to buy players is what led to our downfall last season.

Let's here Jose on this:


https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/20/jose-mourinho-chelsea-board-new-players-transfer-window

If I remember correctly, this was the statement that pissed airmark off greatly.

This particular statement is very instructive.

At this point, Jose is fairly certain that with the players he has, he should be able to do better than 16th place which was where we were, alliteratively speaking

Here you have a manager that didnt believe that the solution was to buy his way out of trouble. Matic was one of the worst offenders at the time....is it coincindental that Jose is reportedly coming back for him anyway?

This is nothing new and wouldn't be the first time Emenalo would be putting the manager in the picture. He did it with Rafa Benitez. Check this out:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2237633/Frank-Lampard-Ashley-Cole-leave-says-Rafa-Benitez.html#ixzz2D8vTphPs

Lampard and Cole can leave, says Rafa leaving Chelsea old guard in tatters

Chelsea legends Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are to leave at the end of the season after Rafa Benitez confirmed the break-up of the Champions League-winning team.

Both players are out of contract next summer and Chelsea’s new coach admitted they are unlikely to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the season.

Asked directly if it was the end of a glorious era for the pair at Chelsea, Benitez said:

‘I think so, that is the case at the moment.

‘I am only here for seven months. If it is for two or three years then maybe I would have an influence.

‘Sometimes you are in a difficult position as manager because there’s too much to decide on, so it’s better to have a technical director sometimes.’


A manager under duress. Oga fear Emenalo

Nihilist:
Myth Number 2. Emenalo never heeded the manager and always bought rubbish.

Transfers at Chelsea are a collaborative effort. Lets hear key people tell it.

Ray Wilkins:

http://www.chelseadaft.org/2013/01/chelsea-legend-talks-guardiola.html

Thats the testimony of Carlo's erstwhile Number 2. Ancelotti not Emenalo was responsible for signing Torres.

Mike Forde

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/forde-leaves-blues-for-a-new-field-of-dreams-279267.html

This is the big one.
Roman Abramovic:


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/76821/Roman-Im-cutting-back.html

Thats three key people in Chelsea rcruitment stating exactly how it works...The manager is ALWAYS involved.

I bumped into the article last month.

http://www.espnfc.com/club/chelsea/363/blog/post/2845538/michael-emenalo-chelsea-influence-not-boding-well-for-conte

In theory, working with the bottomless pit of money that Abramovich is able to provide should make life easy, but the sheer volume of players being bought and sold and churned through Chelsea's Academy and loan system suggests a culpable lack of strategic thinking. Emenalo got away with it for a while, which was not difficult given the scenario at Stamford Bridge. But last summer's failure to strengthen the squad, coupled with scandalous misuse of available player resources, created a perfect storm for failure which an increasingly flustered Mourinho was unable to get to grips with.

When the Special One was sacked, Emenalo spoke out on TV about a "palpable discord between players and manager," indicating there was no alternative other than to sack Mourinho. The comments infuriated Chelsea supporters and the groundswell of opinion that it was in fact the technical director and not the manager who was at the root of the club's problems gained momentum. "Emenalo Out" placards were in evidence at Chelsea games, and social media was awash with demands clamouring that the Nigerian should be fired.

Such scapegoating may seem unfair, but the unholy mess Chelsea are in hasn't happened overnight; it's happened over a period of time -- Emenalo's time -- and there is no panacea in sight. Replacing Mourinho with Antonio Conte via interim management specialist Guus Hiddink is just glossing over deep-seated problems that the Italian will have little control over.

As stories of Conte's impending appointment gathered momentum, there was talk of Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini joining his countryman at Stamford Bridge, a move which clearly would threaten Emenalo's position. But these rumours have since dissipated.

The fact that Conte has been named first team head coach and not manager suggests that Emenalo's sphere of influence won't be shrinking any time soon with reports already suggesting that he is working on summer transfer targets including an audacious bid to re-sign former striker Romelu Lukaku, who has been plundering goals for Everton since he left Chelsea in a £28 million move to Goodison Park less than two years ago.

Conte deserves a fair crack of the whip at getting Chelsea back challenging for silverware, but he may find life difficult with one arm tied behind his back as long as Abramovich persists with Emenalo. Bringing Lukaku back to the Bridge would go a long way to calming supporter ire, but there are no guarantees the deal will be done. The Blues cannot afford another shambolic transfer window, and yet it may take such an eventuality, coupled with another mediocre season, for Abramovich to realise the continued error of his ways. Of course, by that time, it will probably be too late for Conte.

This stuff was written by Mark Worrall who has penned several books on the history and success of Chelsea Football Club. You can follow him on Twitter @gate17marco.

Nihilist:
Griffon my nigga...This one is for you.

Myth Number 1. Emenalo is/was in charge of more than just scouting at Chelsea.

Emanalo was appointed as TD in 2011
As posted earlier, the Chelsea website lists his job description as:

http://www.chelseafc.com/the-club/about-chelsea-football-club/club-personnel/michael-emenalo.html

However at the time Mike Forde was the Director of Football operations....a role he had held from 2007 and till July 2013

His Job description at the time was:

https://www.speakersacademy.com/en/speaker/mike-forde/

Notice that Emenalo is listed in a support Role at this time, while Forde is responsible for ALL areas of team operations related to the first team.

This means that between July 2011 and July 2013....Emenalo had a line manager.

To quote Andre 3000, go on and marinade on that for a minute...

Between August 2007 and June 2013 Forde was Director of Football Operations and Executive Club Director at Chelsea - FACT!

1n 2011, Micheal Emenalo was appointed the technical director - FACT!

I don't see how this changes anything. Emenalo started the damage upon being appointed the TD in 2011. His job as the technical director was to produce a team that will win trophies from 2011 whilst also looking to the future (vision). But he was incompetent to handle the task. He is just a phucking scout for pete's sake. He has no business planning a squad, his only job is to recommend good players. A technical director should help strengthen weak areas but Emenalo failed in that regard.

He built a squad which was slanted toward playing high up to get the best out of MaZaCar with no regard given to the dearth of steel in the CM area. I've said this over and over again. That underlines his inane tactical knowledge of the game brah.

He never bothered to sign a good CM, his major concern was to stockpile the team with tiki-taka kinda players. The only time we bothered about having a good CM was last two seasons when Jose arrived and demanded for Matic, you of all people should know better.

So I'm right with the assertion that Emenalo did more than scouting back then, he was in charge of creating a major imbalance in the team.

Treat this as fact!

Nihilist:
Griffon, theres more to come...but let me pause here and give you an opportunity to counter.

You can see my examples of 'facts'. I'm not posting hearsay, or speculation. I'm not using the ramblings of a multiply disgraced and discounted journalist.

I post FACTS.

I'm going to make a cup of tea.

I'll be right back like Gary Neville to quote modenine

Brah I guess u'll have to drink and merry tonight 'cos tomorrow we war. I have a visitor tonite who needs my undivided attention.

I'm only limited to reading comments this night.

Nihilist:
IM going to decisively counter your argument in a minute. I'm just going to rush my dinner

Can you please just confirm that you believe that Emenalo started fvcking us up from 2012?

Sure sure!

Rush your dinner mudaphucker

Nihilist:
You've posted your own opinion. If you are not a member of the board, or cannot post a factual source of your information, then I cannot accept anything you say as fact.

It's instructive that you want us to dismiss Emenalo's job description as stated by the Club...in favour of an unsubstantiated theory.

You keep mentioning this so called vision, but who decides the first team tactics? Who choses the first 11?

The only way you can blame Emenalo for the 'failures' of the 1st team, is if you make him the manager.

Emenalo has provided great players. Jose refused to play Lukaku. Costa arrived in 2014. Lukaku has consistently outscored Costa in all competitions since his Diego landed in England.

Was it Emenalo's decision to not play Lukaku?

DeBruyne was sold in favour of Oscar. DeBruyne almost immediately went on to win the Bundesliga player of the year.

Was it Emenalos decision not to play DeBruyne.

Felipe Luis was provided, but not played.Now we're blaming Emenalo for Baba, while Luis is gearing up for yet another Consecutive UCL final.

Zouma was purchased, and slotted seamlessly into the back four behind Courtouis....another Emenalo signing.

These are verifiable facts and not conjecture.

The club clearly states that it's Emenalo's job to scout players. It's not his job to make them work. That is the job of the Manager!

Pochettino does not buy players at Spurs. He was given Eric Dier, a fullback from the Portuguese league with only 30 senior appearances in his career, and turned him into England's 1st choice DM in less than a season. Died cost only 3m pounds.

Dele Alli was brought straight from league 1 to England's first team in 1 season by Pochettino, who didn't buy him either.

Ranieri didn't sign a single one of those players that won the league. He took them from relegation to champions in 1 season.

Yet we're here blaming a technical director for the managers failings to get the best out of his players.

Na wa o.

Contradictory philosophies brought us here.

It's glaring clear even to the blind that Roman craves the tiki-taka side of footie. It is equally damn obvious to everyone that he had ordered Emenalo the TD to actualize that vision.

This is where it all started and that was in 2012 after our UCL triumph.

- Emenalo failed to lay the foundation for that vision to thrive.
- He failed to address the dearth of quality in our central midfield area.
- He felt the only way to actualize a sexy style of play was by stockpiling the team with technically adept players.
- He failed to understand the basics; that a strong midfield is required to cover the arses of a team's attacking band.
- He inadvertently pushed the chelsea-destruct button.

Jose on his return to the bridge saw these anomalies and requested for Matic's recall. On many occassions he was seen favouring a pivot of Matic - Luiz. That was him sending a message.

We won the league on his [Jose's] second season, a title that had eluded us since Carlo's departure. Mourinho wanted to stregthen. I'm pretty sure there are links out there that supports that claim. He wanted one or two additions and I do remember mentioning the need for squad depth on this thread last year but those requests fell on the deaf ears of the Emenalo led board.

What happens next? Months of close-season transfer mis-steps culminated in failure.

It's easy to blame the manager when things go south in a club but believe me brother, that isn't usually the case at Chelsea. Our Emenalo led board has the blueprint of our downfall.

Nihilist:
Define Failure.

Between July 2011 and right now - Chelsea have brought in Hazard, Cahill, Cortouis, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Costa, amongst others under his watch. Are these all the wrong personnel?

Between July 2011 and right now - Chelase have won virtually everything there is to win at club level -FA Cup? Check. League Cup? Check. League? Check. UCL? Check. Europa? Check.

So what IS failure?

Failure is this:

We have been trying to implement his vision of possession based Barcelona-esque attack for the past 5years yet we're nowhere close to it. As part of that vision, he has brought in technically adept but physically and mentally weak players to the team. As part of that vision, he has succeeded in stockpiling Chelsea with too many attacking midfielders whilst ignoring the need to strengthen the CM area which has been our team's long standing ''structural defect''.

We didn't win these titles you're reeling out playing to Emenalo's philosophy. The only time we've won in this period is when we outright abandoned his vision and played ultra defensively. So what is Emenalo really good at?

Nihilist:
At youth level we've won the FA Cup 3 years in a row. We've won the UEFA youth league twice in a row.

Now look at his Job description from the Chelsea Website direct.
"He has been an important part of the first team management structure since his arrival in October 2007, and now supports the work of the first team manager, leading the club's international and domestic scouting network, and assists in driving the technical programmes of our Academy and international youth network."

You can see that his job is clearly split. For the first team, he is mainly the chief scout.
It is only at youth level that he drives the technical programmes.

This is the ridiculous description one can always expect on an official webpage. Emenalo isn't just the first team's chief scout. We often here when a manager is appointed by Roman Abramovich that they have spoken to Emenalo who has pointed out what is expected from them. We hear about meetings with Roman AND Emenalo. and yeah you still think he's there to scout?

Nihilist:
Now based on this Job description, can you say he has failed to 'implement his vison'? How can the Technical director 'implement a vison for the first team'? What then is the job of the actual manager?

That job description is very wrong. Emenalo wields far more influence than the manager, which is a reason why he is in his job and overseeing his 5th different manager. He's the one dictating our philosophy or better still Roman's lapdog

Nihilist:
I need actual proof of this statement. Not speculation or guess work. I need undeniable proof that Emenalo failed to provide a solid feasible vision.

I've overstated this, check my first rebuttal.

Nihilist:
It's extremely important to note that this 'destroyed team won the league only last season. Not two or three seasons ago o. LAST SEASON.

We are a team that went from 1st to 16th! And you want to blame the TD for ruining the team? What was the manager doing?

Everyone should take the blame for our disastrous season BUT Emenalo IMO should have the biggest blame for creating a huge imbalance in the team.

He failed to provide suitable targets to fix the problems Mourinho addressed in the summer, always talking about youth integration and some damn sickening beautiful football philosophy. He contributed immensely to our woes last season.

Ibime:
Griffon, pass me that ace of spades in your profile pic.

Meanwhile wake me up when one single player nominates Mikel for the below. What he couldn't smell in 10 seasons, Matic did in his first full season.

I be small boy na, I never reach to buy ace of spades. Na me be the paparrazi for that shot

Nihilist:
I still don't get the hate for Emenalo here.

Like what are you actually blaming him for? Is Emenalo the reason why the same team that finished 1st ended up almost getting relegated?

I mean the guy even offered to resign before Jose came back...

This guy brought in KDB Lukaku Schurrle etc.and Jose chased them away for Eto fils, Willian, etc.

Jose publicly courted Stones, but as we saw this season, that one too is a waste of space, and so what does that say about Jose's judgment? I personally would havr been pissed if Everton had accepted our 40 million pound bid for that overhyped product.

Jose refused to play Filipe Luis who was a damn sight better than Baba Is today.

Chased away Mata and Kept Oscar. Like for reals....

The Matic that Jose supposedly bought regressed so badly that Mikel was keeping him out the team by the end of the season.

Can any of the Emenalo haters actually state what he has done wrong?

Bruh I refuse to treat these claims as facts 'cos they're in no way facts.

As a TD, the primary job of Emenalo is to articulate a coherent footballing vision for the club and use the recommendation of the scouts and budget provided to him by the board to bring in the right personnel to implement that vision. In that task he has been an unqualified failure.

We have been trying to implement his vision of possession based Barcelona-esque attack for the past 5years yet we're nowhere close to it. As part of that vision, he has brought in technically adept but physically and mentally weak players to the team. As part of that vision, he has succeded in stockpiling Chelsea with too many attacking midfielders whilst ignoring the need to stregthen the CM area which has been our team's long standing ''structural defect''.

To answer your question, Micheal phucking Emenalo has failed to present us with a solid feasible vision and has contributed largely in destroying our team.

Look Nihilist, I used to be one of the many people here who got tired of Ibime's Emenalo rant, well not until I took out time to do some research on the man.

What good do you expect from a man whose former job before joining us was to coach a youth girls team in Arizona? 14 caps for Nigeria, only to abandon football to study medicine? He knows nada about football.

He's should be studying the works of Sammer, Sabbatini et al.

Jose can have Mikel for free, we can give him Remy if he likes too, just let him stay off Matic.

Yeah the Serbian had a stinker of a season, but who didn't? On his day, the ninja is twice the player Mikel has ever been.

Make we try learn from the mistakes of the past.

Ibime:
Jose is faultless.

You interfere with a niggas job twice and eventually sack him twice, na your own wahala be that.

I trust Conte to be able to compete with JM and Pep eventually but only if he is given 100% free rein to mould the team in his image, not in Enenalis image. The first year may be spent learning the Prem and learning his players though.

Hiddink is not becoming TD, he is only going into an advisory role with the academy. Slimeball Emenalo seems to be sticking around.

It still doesn't look good with Emenalo around. Our recent acquisitions announces the man's incompetence. How we went from luring in top names to having the likes of Hector, Papy, Pato, Falcao, Miazga, Rahman et al on our payroll is quite strange.

It is a good move to have Hiddink around identifying the lads from the academy who are ready for the big stage, albeit I would have preferred him as our TD.

Sabbatini? What happened?

It's too early to say definitely that Jose Mourinho has perpetrated the ultimate treachery.

I cant help but think his desire to head up north is a way to get back to the CFC board. Of that there can be little doubt.

Do we have to blame the man? Hell N0.

Best we can do at the moment to avoid repeating the mistake of the past is to provide Conte with a maximum support. Surrounding a world class manager with overseers, second-guessers and spies reporting back to the owner is a practise that must be dropped.

I heard Hiddink would be replacing Emenalo as the director of football, speak of the best substitution ever.

Conte must be trusted to do his job unfettered. SIMPLE!

Nihilist:
Juan Mata is a Winger just like Christian Eriksen.

Di Maria is a central midfielder. Emre Can is a right back.

Ain't no longer news that Wayne Rooney is the best central midfielder United has got. Neither is it news that Andrea Pirlo and Scholesy were both once strikers.

Phuck this sh1t.

John Mikel Obi is a centre-back.

It's going to be a £60m a year Nike deal, the second biggest in Europe.

The good old days are here.

Ibime:
THE CHAMP IS HERE! THE CHAMP IS HERE!

Shout out to the serial losers - lalaboi, Chamotex, Griffon, A40, Nihilist, Mukina2, Maziomenuko, Dyabman etc.

Ibime replaces Raumdeuter as your FA Cup champion.

FPL Hall of Fame stands thus:

3. Azpekuliar with 1 league and 1 FA Cup
2. TBoogie with 1 league and 1 FA Cup


Let this be a matter of public record - Ibime is now the most successful FPL manager of all time with 1 League and 2 FA Cups.

Kneel and kiss the ring bytches!!!

Congrats niccur,

#Legendarystuff

Ronald4lyf you pushed me into creating this thread earlier this year. So i'm going to ask, can we do this once again?

What has this place become? A phucking ground for insipid discourse?

Congrats FBS!

Meanwhile. . .

The Blues' incoming manager was expected to deploy the 3-5-2 his Italy team play but it is now understood he feels a gung-ho 4-2-4 suits English football better

Antonio Conte has a tactical masterplan to rebuild the Chelsea squad for next season.

Italy boss Conte, renowned for being one of the best tacticians in Europe, wants to switch the Blues to a 4-2-4 formation when he gets to work in west London after this summer's Euros, and is drawing up a list of transfer targets to suit his ideas.

It means Chelsea fans could be set for an exciting, attacking brand of football next season as he tries to take the Premier League by storm.

Conte has used a 3-5-2 system with the Azzurri, and it was thought that the outgoing champions might adopt that formation — which would have meant a major defensive reshuffle.

But Mirror Sport understands the former Juventus boss has told scouts and agents he wants to play a different way which would be suited to English football.

The 46-year-old believes the open, attacking style of the game in England is tailor-made for his tactical masterplan - especially having seen Leicester do so well in a 4-4-2 under his fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri.

Conte, known for a strict defensive style, used 4-2-4 at another Italian club, Bari, earlier in his managerial career.

Chelsea have set their sights on Atletico Madrid's France international forward Antoine Griezmann as their big summer target and that would make a major statement.

Conte is also hopeful current star attackers Eden Hazard and Diego Costa will stay at Stamford Bridge as he is determined to strengthen rather than lose his biggest players.

Going all-out attack would suggest he will go for a new forward to complement Costa, and a huge money bid for Griezmann would also fit into a bold set-up.

Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Javier Pastore is another potential target, while Roma’s Radja Nainggolan tops the midfield hit-list.

Juventus and Italy central defender Leonardo Bonucci is another on the radar, while PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic fancies a move to London.

chrisley024:
Forget Toure, he did nothing much. Fernandinho and De Bryunce were the key players in that midfield.

Toure needed to do a simple job, which was to sit deep alongside Fernandinho and fend off danger. Their combination has always looked prone to direct attacks through the centre of the pitch, as neither is a natural holding midfielder but we rarely managed to counter-attack from our own half at great speed.

Spy360:
It's Mikel's fault that Chelsea didn't score a single goal

It's Mikel's fault that Hazard couldn't run

It's Mikel's fault that Roman couldn't get an e'rection

It's Mikel's fault that all Chelsea fans are hediots

It's Mikel's fault o!

It's Mikel's fault!

Verily verily I say unto you Mikel can't save you, ONLY JESUS CAN

Shut your gob fella if you have nothing meaningful to drop here.

Common sense should inform you that a team constantly attacked will be reduced to creating minimal chances. Common sense should also inform you that we didn't lose because we failed to score but because we couldn't contain what Citeh threw at us.

Common sense should inform you that you lack common sense.

Nihilist compare what Fernandinho and Toure were doing at the other end of the field to what Mikel and Cesc were doing on our half and you would see clearly that the difference is a gulf.

Games are won and lost in the midfield, you can't deny that FACT!

We lacked inventiveness on Citeh's half, our game lacked urgency and these are owing to the fact that the duo of Toure and Fernandinho were doing a good job in front of their back line. They were serving as the defensive aegis of City's back four, snuffing out dangers and ensuring we ran out of thoughts each time we attacked.

Now compare that to what Mikel and Cesc were doing on our half. The trio of Navas, Nasri and KDB were having a field day, creating havoc upon havoc. They were afforded enough space to exert enough damage; KDB breaking through to release Aguero for the first goal, Nasri releasing Aguero for the second and Fernandinho crashing through bodies of ninnies to beat Courtois. Every single goal we conceded underlined the importance of a real CM and how much we miss having one.

So when I say I need Naingollan, I clearly understand what I'm wishing for. No join forces with Dayo who unarguably lacks sound tactical knowledge of the game to dey question my choice of CM.