Furious Chelsea supporters have hit out at the club’s decision-making in the wake of Enzo Maresca‘s shock exit from Stamford Bridge.
Just hours after Liam Rosenior was appointed the new head coach of the Blues on Tuesday afternoon, members of The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust were sent a letter displaying the results of an anonymous survey which showed that fans have less than five per cent confidence in the ownership’s decision-making at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s hierarchy have been urged to provide a clearer and more detailed explanation of the club’s recent decision-making, after Maresca was sacked on New Year’s Day following an explosive fallout with the board.
Maresca, who was hired by Blues owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in June 2024, took Chelsea back to the Champions League and won the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States last summer.
A Chelsea Supporters’ Trust Spokesperson, said: ‘Supporter confidence is shaped by what fans see, experience, and understand. This survey has received one of the largest responses to a CST survey and provides a clear picture of current sentiment among CST members and highlights areas where better explanation and engagement could help rebuild trust.
‘The CST will continue to press Chelsea FC for better clarity, accountability, and engagement for the supporters in our ongoing dialogue with Chelsea FC.’
Furious Chelsea supporters have hit out at the club’s decision-making in the wake of Enzo Maresca’s shock exit (left) and Liam Rosenior’s appointment (right) at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea’s hierarchy (pictured: sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart with club owner Todd Boehly) have been urged to explain the club’s decision-making to fans
The survey saw eight questions answered anonymously by fans, with topics ranging from decision-making and supporter engagement to ticket pricing and sporting structure.
In answer to the question, ‘How much confidence do you have in the ownership group’s football-related decision-making?’, over half of fans (53.7%) admitted they have ‘no confidence at all’, while only 0.78% and 3.7% selected the ‘a great deal of confidence’ and ‘a fair amount of confidence’ options.
Meanwhile, supporters voted for ‘clearer football leadership and accountability’ as their main priority for improvement in the future, with 59.3% of fans ranking it first from a list of five options.
The other four selections included ‘greater managerial stability’ (25.4%), ‘better communication and transparency with supporters’ (10.2%), ‘improved commercial strategy and execution’ (3.1%) and ‘retaining current approach but improving results’ (2.1%)
Some angry Chelsea fans are also planning a protest against the club’s owners following Maresca’s abrupt departure.
‘Not a Project CFC’ are the Chelsea fan group orchestrating the upcoming demonstration, set to take place at the ground ahead of the game against Brentford on January 17.
In a post on X, they wrote that the Blues are ‘run less like an elite club and more like a player trading farm focused on churn, speculation, and long-term potential at the expense of present day competitiveness.’
They also accused the BlueCo ownership, who have spent more than £1bn since they took over in 2022, of ‘prioritising long-term potential while sacrificing the present.’
The Italian boss led Chelsea to Club World Cup success last summer in the United States
Fans voted for ‘clearer football leadership and accountability’ as a main priority for the future
Addressing the Chelsea fans following his exit at Stamford Bridge, Maresca – who was labelled ‘unprofessional’ by the club’s ownership in a shock statement explaining the move – omitted any mention of BlueCo from his social media message.
He said: ‘LEAVE THIS WORLD A LITTLE BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT. My journey with Chelsea began with the preliminary rounds of the Conference League.
‘I leave with the inner peace of leaving a prestigious club like Chelsea where it deserves to be. I want to thank all the Chelsea fans for their support over the last 18 months.
‘Support that was crucial to achieving Champions League qualification, winning the Conference League, and winning the Club World Cup.
‘Victories that I will always hold in my heart! A special thank you to all the players who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey.
‘I wish everyone who has shared every moment with me every success in this second half of the season and in the future. Thank you, CHELSEA 💙 from me and my family.’
Meanwhile, new manager Rosenior said in a statement released by Chelsea on Tuesday morning: ‘I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed Head Coach of Chelsea Football Club. This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies.
‘My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies. To be entrusted with this role means the world to me and I want to thank all involved for the opportunity and faith in undertaking this job. I will give everything to bring the success this club deserves.
The 41-year-old’s first game in charge of the Blues will come in the FA Cup on Saturday against Charlton Athletic, with caretaker manager Calum MacFarlane overseeing Wednesday evening’s West London derby against Fulham.
