91% of Chelsea members unhappy with how club is run

A new survey carried out by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust shows that the overwhelming majority of club members are to some degree dissatisfied with the current leadership.

Since acquiring the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have taken a hands-on approach to running Chelsea and completely changed the Blues’ leadership structure.

While most clubs have one sporting director, Chelsea now have a total of five, who oversee different areas of recruitment and manage sporting affairs. The head coach, although he has a say in transfers, is expected to mainly train the players at his disposal.

This model and Chelsea’s ownership in general have come into focus in recent days following Enzo Maresca’s acrimonious departure from the club. The Italian felt boxed in by the leadership structure and had several disagreements with the medical staff, which acts independently of the coach.

Liam Rosenior has now replaced the 45-year-old, but this has sparked controversy as well, as he has been plucked from BlueCo sister club Strasbourg in the midst of a successful season. Fans of the Ligue 1 outfit feel “humiliated.”

Chelsea supporters lack confidence in leadership

In light of the latest upheaval at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust conducted an anonymous survey to gauge the mood in the fanbase. Results show that the overwhelming majority of the 4,000 members who took part hold a negative view of the current state of the club.

Only 7.7 per cent of fans are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” that Chelsea are “currently being run in a way that will deliver sustained on-pitch success over the next 3–5 years.” 82.7 per cent are “somewhat unconfident” or “very unconfident.”

A whopping 90.6 per cent responded negatively when quizzed about the level of confidence in “the ownership group’s football-related decision-making.” 0.78 per cent have “a great deal of confidence.”

43.2 per cent believe that Chelsea’s current sporting structure is “not fit for purpose,” while 42.69 per cent think that it shows “significant weaknesses.”

88.67 per cent disagreed with the statement that “Chelsea FC currently demonstrates a clear and effective plan for its football leadership, including head coach appointments and succession.”

Trust in the sporting leadership showed similar levels of pessimism, with 40.6 per cent responding with “not very much confidence” and 46.3 per cent with “no confidence at all.”

80.7 per cent are unhappy with the club ownership’s level of “meaningful supporter engagement.” 69.3 per cent agreed with the statement that fans should not have to shoulder the burden for the club’s lack of commercial success and poor decision-making by paying higher ticket prices.

The majority of fans want a “clearer football leadership” and more “accountability” from Chelsea. The CST adds: “While the strength of feeling reflected in the results may be uncomfortable, the themes identified are not new.

“They have been evident over a sustained period and have persisted even during times of on-pitch success, indicating that these concerns relate to confidence, clarity, and trust rather than short-term results or isolated events.”

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