The Flag Stays Down

Roman is leaving, we barely pull out a win in the FA Cup, and it was a tale of two halves against Burnley.  A lot happened this week, so of course we have a lot to discuss!  We finally get Parker's take on Roman Abramovich announcing he will be selling the club.  How does this affect the club in the transfer market?  Getting in match action, the boys try to figure out why Chels...

It finally happened.  Roman Abramovich has confirmed that he is indeed selling the club.  He bought the club as an outsider, but leaves as one of us.  He leaves a Chelsea legend through and through.  Andy and Matt break down a very emotional day for Chelsea fans.  It's a raw reaction.  It's emotional, but we look back on Roman's legacy and what he has done for our clu...

A lot happened in the world this week, and a lot happened at Chelsea Football Club.  The boys almost forgot Chelsea played Lille in the Champions League in midweek.  After that Roman Abramovich stepped down as a hands on owner, and Chelsea played in a domestic cup final.  Most of the focus fell on the latter two.  For starters, why can't Chelsea finish?  Goals seem to be a...

In honor of the NBA's All-Star Weekend, the boys decided to blend it with the Premier League.  This week they figure out who would make an EPL all-star game by having a draft of the best of the best this season.  They then go on to figure out a skills competition and who would win.  Crossovers galore!

We won!  A late winner by Hakim Ziyech after 90 minutes of riding the struggle bus has Andy, Matt, and Parker confused on how to feel this week.  We wouldn't be a Chelsea pod if we didn't talk about Romelu Lukaku touching the ball SEVEN times in a 90 minute appearance.... so we did!  The mood did shift, though, as we transitioned to Hakim Ziyech.  Andy ponders on whether Tuchel...

Chelsea have done it.  They are now one of a handful of European clubs to win every trophy there is to win following a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in the FIFA Club World Cup.  Andy, Matt, and Parker break down the full match goal by goal, event by event.  For once the boys had positive words to say about VAR, but cannot be as praiseful of Thomas Tuchel's lineup selection for a major cup final.  The...

Following this week's podcast after the Plymouth Argyle match, the boys continue the discussion and look to the future.  Andy and Parker discuss players they genuinely hate, channeling their inner Matt.  Andy concedes that Jorginho has not been great, which leads to a future of the midfield discussion.  Do Billy Gilmour, Connor Gallagher, or both make next year's squad and how do yo...

We've got a full house tonight.  Matt and Parker are back for another all-Chelsea pod.  After an extra-time win over Plymouth Argyle, the boys answer the question: why is Romelu Lukaku still starting?  What are our other striking options?  Looking ahead to the Club World Cup, what formation is better, a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2?  Finally, who do you start, Kepa or Mendy?

With Matt on vacation and Parker not able to make it, Andy spends the evening with resident Liverpool fan, Joe.  The two talk about a terrible performance by the USMNT, losing 2-0 today in Hamilton against Canada.  Both are all aboard the #BerhalterOut train and have an airing of grievances about the United States head coach.  Andy wants to check in with Joe on how Liverpool's seaso...

The boys continue the conversation after last week's pod.  Andy continues to ride the #RomOut train and tries to lead the charge.  The boys discuss other possibilities at striker, whether internally via Armando Broja or via external transfers.  Parker discusses Oscar possibly making a return to Europe with a transfer to Barcelona.  So the question then becomes, in a dream world...

T his week the boys discuss a tired Chelsea side that dropped points to Brighton in mid-week and then dominated Tottenham.  What was the difference between the two matches?  Hakim Ziyech was a major point of discussion with his goal of the season.  The boys also heap more praise on Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.

In the aftermath of Episode 20, the boys had a few more drinks and a few more thoughts.  Andy, Matt, and Parker discuss bourbon as a hobby and pick out their favorite whiskeys.  Andy goes on a rant about the North London Derby being cancelled, blaming Arsenal and Premier League.  This gets the other two going on how inconsistent the Premier League and the FA are.  Arsenal becom...

Chelsea are officially out of the title race.  Following a 0-1 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League, the Blues now sit 13 points behind City with 16 matches to play.  Andy, Matt, and Parker discuss Romelu Lukaku's form and actions.  Malang Sarr gets a victorious shout out.  We look ahead to what possible signings we could go after and what will make a successful season...

The drinks were flowing post-pod this week and boys chatted about everything under the sun.  Bein Sports got a poor review for their (lack of available) AFCON coverage.  They spent some time ripping Arsenal for their all-white kits and went on to discuss some of the best specialty kits around the world.  They debated, what is the worth of the FA Cup?  There was some hate on Spu...

The boys are BACK!  For the first time in what seems like an eternity, we did not drop points in between pods.  Following a 2-0 victory against Tottenham and a 5-1 victory over Chesterfield, Andy, Matt and Parker sit down and discuss a wonderful showing this week by Chelsea's academy.  Cobham produced a great debut by Lewis Hall and goals from Hudson-Odoi and Christensen.  The...

Our longest Pod After Dark yet!  The boys had a few more drinks after this week's regular pod and ranted for another hour.  Andy introduces the Wheel of Topics which leads to some (interesting) conversations.  They discuss the transfer market, getting in trouble with the Chinese government, Christian Pulisic, 2022 Hot Takes, and Andy's Project Rebuild.

Why can't Chelsea Football Club have a normal week.  The boys had probably 6 hours worth of material to fit into a single episode for you this week.  The big topic, of course, was Romelu Lukaku and his interview with Sky Italia this week.  Let's just say the boys were not happy.  They did get some discussion about the Liverpool match in, as well.

Two wins in a week?  It's a Christmas miracle!  Andy, Matt and Parker are joined by resident Liverpool fan Joe to preview big New Year's matchup between Chelsea and Liverpool.  Before getting to that, the guys talk about the youth revolution that occurred against Brentford with Harvey Vale starring among other U-23 players.  They then transition to the Aston Villa match and dis...

The boys are buzzing, but not because of Chelsea.  They miss winning and it's starting to show.  Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso catch the ire of Andy, Parker and Matt.  Dave gets off a little easier, but Alonso is being sent to Mars.  The boys create a drinking game for Pod After Dark.  Matt does not like N'Golo Kante in attack, which triggers a debate with Andy. &nbs...

Another week, another set of points dropped for Chelsea.  Andy, Matt, and Parker dissect what when wrong for our Boys in Blue over the last week.  Christian Pulisic was a big topic of conversation amongst the fanbase this week, and the boys are ready to own up to it.  But while one player goes down, another goes up - Saul was impressive for the first time in a Chelsea shirt.  S...

Unedited, unfiltered, uneducated.  Welcome back to Pod After Dark.  Andy, Matt, and Parker debate whether Chelsea need a third striker and who that should be.  The conversation trails off into talk of Chiesa and where you fit him.  Maybe Erling Haaland would be a fit?  They then go on to bash Arsenal and Spurs for a bit, and Matt makes the case that Nuno Espirto Santo coul...

The boys play a lot of Matt's favorite game: Gun to Your Head.  Matt and Parker give their thoughts on the Zenit-Chelsea game.  Andy puts Andreas Christensen on blast for being a cancer to the club, while also placing some blame for this poor stretch on Tuchel.  Matt asks the question, do we push too many players up in attack?  Marcos Alonso's lack of quality makes another appe...

The boys chat after recording episode 14 - post Watford and Manchester United.  Matt has a lot to say about the state of officiating in English football, so the boys discuss how to solve it.  That somehow transitions into a discussion on who to keep, Antonio Rudiger or Andreas Christensen and what options we have if we do not resign either.  Andy has a couple of options that could w...

So.... that was a week of Chelsea football.  December is here, which can only mean bad things.  Luckily, Andy Matt and Parker are here to guide you through this historically terrible month for Chelsea Football Club.  The boys discuss what is wrong with Eduoard Mendy.  The midfield is a conundrum with Jorginho, Kovacic, and Kante all injured.  How do we manage that?  T...

We always thought our conversations after podding were better than our podcast conversations.  So we thought we would share them with you!  Listen in as the boys discuss whatever comes to mind - unfiltered, unedited, and uneducated.   Tonight we discuss the Ballon d'Or, Chelsea kit numbering, Jorginho, Twitter follows, and Parker finds a TikTok.