Craig Burley doesn’t miss a chance to criticise Chelsea even when we’re doing well, so you can be damn sure he’s making the most of the chaos in these last few weeks.
Unfortunately, in this case, he’s bang on. As the panel discussed the issues leaked this week that claim Graham Potter is struggling to control training with so many first team players, Burley said he wasn’t surprised, and criticised the “utterly stupid” squad building that has got us to this point.
You can see him make his point in the clip embedded here:
Burley is an obnoxious blow hard. If the owners hadn’t gone out so strong in the transfer market he (and supporters like SuperFrank) would be bellowing just as loudly about lack of quality in the squad, lol.
There comes a point where, if all you do is grouse about one thing and then another, people start to discount the next thing out of your mouth before it even passes your lips. I reached that point with Burley years ago because he always speaks with so much vehemence and certainty but never acknowledges (the many times) when he’s been wrong. I’m rapidly reaching the same point with SuperFrank. Just weeks ago he was breathless about the need for new signings and now he’s bemoaning the size of the squad and the challenge this poses for the manager. You can’t have it both ways, SuperFrank!
I, for one, am fully invested in this rebuild. It’s painful indeed to watch the results week after week, but overhauling the squad and committing to youth and a new manager can’t be accomplished without significant growing pains. Supporters who grew addicted to the instant gratification of the Abramovich era (which is directly responsible for creating the mess-of-mismatching-parts the new ownership inherited!) would do well to look at what clubs (like City, LFC, and now Arsenal and Utd) who committed to the long-term vision of a manager have accomplished. That’ll never be us if we keep sacking managers every 9-18 months (like we’ve done for a quarter century now).