Chelsea start a full midweek of Premier League action in seventh place. It is the clubs’ lowest place in the table since matchday four, when things were still in a formative and highly volatile phase.
They were second until Boxing Day but have won just two games since. The wider run is six points from a possible 30. Since December 22 Enzo Maresca’s side have dropped like a stone.
Chelsea are also out of the FA Cup and have given up any advantage they had in the race to secure a top four place. Champions League qualification is likely to extend down to fifth but even that is far from certain on current form.
It is now three weeks since the last home match, a nervy 2-1 victory over West Ham. The visit of Southampton offers a chance to build some positivity during a time of darkness.
However, the pre-match mood is not going to be one of optimism despite welcoming the league’s worst side. Instead, it will be the scene for the first open protest at Stamford Bridge since April 2021 and the European Super League mess.
That was very much an off-the-cuff call to arms ahead of a home fixture against Brighton during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and it focused on issues away from the field. This time round supporters are set to voice their frustration at all levels of management.
After a message online spread in the wake of the second defeat to Brighton in six days – a match played on February 14, Valentine’s Day – momentum has gathered. A number of Chelsea fans gathered outside the Bovril Gate at 6pm on Tuesday, over two hours before kick-off.
The protest does not have official backing from either of Chelsea’s main fan-based organisations, the Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) and Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST). Neither have actively distanced themselves or spoken out against the protest, however.
But why are Chelsea supporters taking this opportunity to protest? The simple answer is that the club have become unrecognisable from its former image.
Since the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly ownership took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022 there has been total change across not only the playing squad but behind the scenes. The groundsmen, physios, media team, commercial department, and everything in between have been replaced in search of a more modern structure.
On the pitch and the money spent – north of £1.5billion committed to transfers – has not been rewarded. Chelsea’s Premier League finishes under Clearlake-Boehly are 12th and sixth, with anything from 10th to third still possible for this season.
The focus of recruitment has moved from signing elite talent to stars of the future. It has been funded, often, by the sale of academy graduates to balance the books. The revolution has been led by sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
They are the targets of much of the online anger due to their roles in buying and selling players, compiling the squad available to Maresca as well as appointing him in charge. As a young first-team manager with only one full season of experience in men’s football, his own position has been under criticism from many.
Outside of that and the public figures of the ownership – Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali and Boehly, the only member with a history of working within sports – are the ones who are disliked due to their position heading matters. The consortium have a new multi-club group called ‘BlueCo’ which also own Ligue 1 outfit RC Strasbourg.
Discontent has grown over a number of years but the recent run has seen deeper issues exposed. That has led to Abramovich’s name being chanted repeatedly at recent matches. The Russian-Israeli oligarch remains an adored figure for most of the matchgoing supporters.
At the protest, Chelsea supporters vented their frustration at Boehly, chanting for him to leave, as well as holding up banners calling for Clearlake’s own exit. Abramovich chants were once more heard, as were calls of ‘Jose Mourinho.’
Over 100 were in attendance with flares and a short march towards the main entrance to Stamford Bridge took place. One supporter threw money towards an image of Boehly with the words ‘wanted for crimes against Chelsea.’
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