Every time you think things cannot possibly get worse for Chelsea, they go and play football again.
Unfortunately right now, that is the sad state of affairs at Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard has lost his first five matches as interim Chelsea head coach. Yes, five. If this isn't 'rock-bottom', it's hard to see what is, really.
Supporters booing – understandably – pretty much every game. It's become the norm at Chelsea. Nobody is excited to see their beloved team play football anymore. There have been big, big changes at the club over the past 12 months and this is undoubtedly a transitional period but something needs to change on the pitch. And fast.
READ MORE: Frank Lampard under sack pressure as Mauricio Pochettino finds out severity of Chelsea task
Chelsea supporters have seen their patience tested so much this season and given the circumstances, they have been absolutely incredible – the majority of them, anyway, as with every fan base. There were a number of empty seats for the 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Wednesday evening. It wasn't that surprising given what's happened recently but it was still strange to see Stamford Bridge not full up.
When Nottingham Forest come to SW6 on May 13 – Chelsea's next home match – do not expect to see the stadium busier than what we saw on Wednesday. Before that, they face Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and a Bournemouth side fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table, also away from home. The term 'rock-bottom' was mentioned earlier in the article but with the way things are going, Chelsea could find themselves in unchartered territory by the time Forest arrive in west London.
So, what's the plan now, Todd Boehly?
We know Mauricio Pochettino is close to being appointed as Chelsea's new permanent head coach but all the noises suggest the Argentine wouldn't take over until the summer, suggesting Lampard will remain in charge until the end of the season. Lampard is and will remain a club legend in spite of what happens in the remaining matches but it's got to a point now where this isn't good to anybody.
It's not good for Lampard. His slightly remarkable managerial record over recent games at Chelsea and Everton has been posted on social media thousands of times. We all know it doesn't make for great reading. If he continues to lead this Chelsea side, which is absolutely devoid of any form of confidence, things surely aren't going to get better.
It makes it 100 times more difficult for Lampard to get any job in football after what has been thus far a disastrous return to management. It was a brave decision for Lampard to take the job on an interim basis because he would have known the difficulties that were in front of him. Although, he can't have envisaged it would be this challenging.
It's also not good for Chelsea. What is it they are trying to do at the moment? It just screams, 'Let's get to the end of this abysmal season and regroup', but that isn't okay. Supporters pay ridiculous sums of money to get into the stadiums to watch their heroes play. We saw Tottenham's players give a refund to their travelling supporters for their defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend. With the way things are going, these supporters should be refunded for every game.
We all know there is plenty going on behind the scenes at the club in order to get the right man in. They believe that's Pochettino. The Argentine does look as if he would be a shrewd appointment, but the problems are so much more than the man who sits in the dugout. Graham Potter was a problem in his own way, granted, but he wasn't the problem. It's the same with Lampard – and that's almost besides the point of what you think of him as a coach.
Pochettino could come in between now and the end of the season, sure, but the fundamental issues are likely to remain the same. The term 'long-term project' has been thrown around loads since Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the club almost a year ago but that almost doesn't cut it. What's beyond a 'long-term project'? An 'extremely long-term project'? We need a better term.
A lot of Chelsea supporters are dying to see Lampard gone and Pochettino come in and almost have it as an extended pre-season, so to speak, but why would the Argentine want to even associate himself with any hint of this campaign? Also, it leaves Pochettino with similar problems to what Lampard has had to deal with.
This Chelsea squad are so low on confidence and Pochettino seems the right man to try and get that back somehow because of his man-management expertise but it's going to take time. It won't happen between now and the end of the season even if he is appointed in the coming days. It's one hell of a job he has on his hands and I, for one, am pleased it's not me who has to try and figure out how to get this football club back to where it belongs.
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