Date: 23rd September 2016 at 1:34pm
Written by:

I don’t know if it was pre-match nerves or people a bit tired after a working week but the moaning started almost immediately. Was it just me or was the atmosphere on against Liverpool awful? Every misplaced pass (and there were many) every missed tackle every move by the opposition there was groaning. Chief boo boy Matic was getting it in the neck every time he did anything. Was he particularly poor, not really but that doesn’t fit the moaners agenda. Several players got abuse and Willian especially after spectacularly hitting the first defender two corners in a row.

4856135The first goal was a complete disaster but what should you do, cheer on the team or dig out the keeper? Do the latter because it’s an easy target and certainly easier than willing the team forward. So then the opposition score a worldy so it’s time to dig out the keeper, again and completely ignore the dreadful defensive header that teed up the strike and the fact most keepers would not have had a prayer.

Then came half time and the boos. What are people on? We had played poorly against a decent team who had harried and chased and not let us play. You know, the other team who wear a different coloured kit and try and stop us playing.

So our performance on the day was not good enough, it happens. I am not sure if the crowd were regulars or “tourists” due to the strange kick off time but the players got nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I have not forgiven the players for their attitude last season (Willian and Azpi excepted) but whilst they need to stimulate the crowd, so the crowd needs to lift them when they are obviously stuggling as opposed to bitching the whole game.

The clue is in the name, supporter, yes I know we all are entitled to do what we like after we have purchased our expensive ticket but when did digging out individual players for every single mistake become a thing. The players must hear the collective groan which will make them less inclined to do something the next time they are in possession. For me that attitude when RLC and Aina made mistakes against Bristol Rovers was inexcusable.

Anyone who’s watched us this season knew we were going to struggle against a decent team but had Costas’s shot just after he scored gone a metre either side of 4856028Mignolet rather than hit him, who knows what would have happened. From about 70 minutes on the moaning turned to the lack of substitutions and to be fair that left most baffled. Even with that there was a guy sitting behind me pleading with AC to change things but without actually stating what should be changed. The whole atmosphere was accusatory and not very pleasant. I found the whole thing completely depressing. This attitude of self-entitlement is delusional. Why should a team that finished 10th last season with only 2 new players be that much better?

My anger had just about subsided when on the following Tuesday a  “story” from a Madrid based newspaper said that Thibault loves Madrid and wants to go back there when his contract expires in 2018. The vitriol and abuse on social media was ridiculous. Well what he actually said was that in the last year of his contract he will have to evaluate if it’s best for him to renew or leave. Quite right, if we are not back in the Champions league why shouldn’t he consider going? I don’t expect Eden to hang around, do you?

4856052He went on to tell the Madrid based paper how much he loves Madrid and hopes to go back there one day as he feels half Spanish. People seem to conveniently forget that Chelsea parked him in Madrid for 3 years. Perhaps this is yet another consequence of our “interesting” loan policy which may affect players in that way. Let’s see what happens with Christiansen.

I haven’t read anywhere that he is unhappy at Chelsea and those sort of quotes probably would not have been relevant for readers of that paper. Does anyone think that players love the club and the badge anymore? His interview was misguided. He is not popular but mainly because he is not Petr Cech. His performances in the last 18 months have not been brilliant but how many Chelsea players have been?

I firmly believe if we drive him out of the club, as many want to do ( literally), in a couple of years’ time, we could be having the conversation we are having now about KDB. The thing is with keepers they get better with age, he is still relatively young. Whilst he doesn’t help himself who do the fans think is better and more importantly would come to us once he’s gone.

I think there are 3 keepers who are better than him in the Premier League in my opinion. The shots to goals ratio this season is shocking but, please tell me what goals have been his fault. The West Ham goal was a fluke which should have been cleared by the defence, the Watford goal an unstoppable shot after another defensive horror show. He had no chance with the two goals against Liverpool. Against Swansea maybe he could have done better with the first goal but that would be harsh with his defence nowhere to be seen.

It’s impossible to say one keeper would do better than another but what we need at the moment is a proper defence as well as a solid keeper with both being dependent on the other. So let’s lay off him until he’s gone, why is he less deserving of our support than the other players?

Rant over.

Clayton Beerman

@goalie59

Author of “Palpable Discord. A Year of drama and dissent at Chelsea” Published by Gate 17

 

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