Just In: Dailymail reports Potter finally to be sacked this week – Details
According to the English news outlet, the underfire, Chelsea coach Graham Potter is likely to be fired this week.
READ THE REPORT BELOW:
SAMI MOKBEL: Chelsea owners still back Graham Potter but is it blind faith? With Leeds and Dortmund to come in the next nine days, it’s a pivotal spell in his Stamford Bridge career that will really test how tolerant Todd Boehly and Co are.
Is it blind faith? It’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue to the contrary.
On Sunday night, just hours after Chelsea’s latest setback – a 2-0 loss to Tottenham – the sense that Potter retained the backing of Boehly and Clearlake supremo Behdad Eghbali continued to reign.
Yet, suddenly there appears to be the first signs of apprehension about their continued support for Potter given the body of evidence to suggest that doing the opposite would be more sensical.
If doubts are surfacing, and Sportsmail are led to believe that they are, then it would only be natural. It would be more surprising if questions weren’t being asked.
More negativity in their next two fixtures – against Leeds and Borussia Dortmund – then the current unease will become palpable.
The loss of faith can be a painful experience: for those who once believed and those who are no longer believed in. It perhaps explains why Potter still finds himself as Chelsea manager.
But the next nine days, certainly if Chelsea extend their winless run to eight matches, will be indicative of quite how robustly that faith is felt.
The owners have spent £600million on new talent in two transfer windows, it’s entirely fair for them to feel they should be getting better value for money.
The defeat by Spurs on Sunday was the latest chastening experience for Potter. For 25 minutes or so, they played quite well. But when they fell behind at the start of the second half, their response was feeble. That is a worry.
The fact Boehly was in attendance as supporters voiced their displeasure for the second week in a row is an interesting dynamic.
If they lose against Leeds at Stamford Bridge on Saturday the dissension will become tangible – and pertinently it won’t be drowned out by euphoric Tottenham supporters.
What happens then? More support? More faith? At what point do Chelsea’s owners become culpable? If they lose to Leeds? If they are eliminated from the Champions League next week? If they are relegated?
Of course, that final suggestion is poppycock, though Sunday’s London derby loss leaves Chelsea closer to the relegation zone (10 points) than the Champions League places (14 points).
But as refreshing as Chelsea’s backing of Potter has been, when does doing nothing become negligible?
Sections of a growingly disgruntled fan base have already made up their minds and the focus will turn to the owners if there isn’t a rapid improvement or a change of manager.
Indeed, even Potter himself couldn’t hide from the fact the walls are closing in following Sunday’s loss.
‘I haven’t done enough at this club to have too much good faith; I accept that,’ he said. ‘If results aren’t good enough you can’t rely on support for ever.’
It must be stressed that Potter has conducted himself with great dignity throughout what can only be described as an ordeal of a season so far.
Assertions that he isn’t ‘angry’ enough to succeed as Chelsea are misplaced. Yet dignity will only take you so far.
In reality, Potter would likely have been sacked by now under Roman Abramovich. So far Boehly and Egbali have shown more patience.
There is no precedent for any assumptions, however informed, to be made on when that patience may start to wear thin. More pain against Leeds on Saturday, however, then we may find out quite how tolerant they are.
