FOR CLUB OWNERS TO BE REWARDED FOR RISK
CHELSEA v RB SALZBURG POTTER’S MANAGERIAL RECORD
GRAHAM POTTER is determined to write his own piece of Chelsea history after promising to compete for trophies.
Potter (47) will take charge of his first Chelsea game against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League tomorrow night after his “whirlwind” arrival at Stamford Bridge.
Birmingham-born Potter, who has signed a five-year deal worth about €60m, is Chelsea’s first full-time English boss since Glenn Hoddle in the 1990s and is a major departure from some of the big names like Jose Mourinho or Thomas Tuchel.
But Potter has no doubt that he can be successful in his own way and bring a new era of success to the club as he spoke ambitiously about the future.
History
“The history of the club speaks for itself, but it’s about trying to create that again, in our own way,” said Potter.
“It’s an amazing history, fantastic tradition, a historic football club.
“You only have to walk around the place here and you see the pictures, trophies, names. It’s incredible and it’s a huge honour for me to be part of that now.
“It’s about creating a team that competes, that has respect, for each other, that is honest, that works together, so a combination of football and human values that we try to work with.
“It’s nice to be able to take the next step and to be able to work with an exciting group of players that we have here and compete at the top, try and create a winning team and that’s a fantastic opportunity for me. (below)
P249 W127 D60 L62 Win% 51 P435 w190 D117 L128 Win% 43.7
“It’s the start of a really exciting period.
“I was really excited and impressed by (the new ownership), firstly as people and then the vision for the club and what they wanted to do.”
Strong
Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali went for Potter because they saw him as a risk taker, innovative and a strong leader.
But it must still be seen as something of a gamble because they have gone from a big name in Tuchel to a manager who even laughed at his own first name for not being very sexy.
Potter did spell out his approach to man-management and being able to handle big egos in the dressing room — but also called on Chelsea fans to keep getting behind the team to maintain Stamford Bridge’s strong atmosphere.
“I try to find some common ground, try to build relationships, to try to communicate effectively on a daily basis and build respect, trust and honesty, so my starting point would always be the person first,” added Potter. starting next week, Leeds will now have no game until hosting Aston Villa on October 2 — almost a month since their last outing at Brentford.
No new dates have been agreed for the postponed games and a Premier
League statement said: “Following extensive consultation with clubs, police, local Safety Advisory Groups and other relevant authorities, there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures.
Support
“The Premier League would like to thank the UK Football Policing Unit and other police forces across the country, as well as our broadcast partners, for their support during this process.”
Arsenal’s Europa League tie with PSV Eindhoven on Thursday has also been postponed due to “severe limitations on police resources”, although Chelsea’s Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg at Stamford Bridge tomorrow goes on.
All EFL fixtures have resumed this week, starting tonight, and tributes will be paid with a minute’s silence to be held before matches and the national anthem played.
“I think that you have to understand that they’re human beings first, and the key thing is to try to understand them, understand what motivates them and understand what they’re like as people.
“Chelsea is a really, really tough place to play.
“So I’m looking forward to being on the other end of that and getting that support with the team because it’s amazing, the atmosphere is fantastic and it’s something I’m really to.
Crowd
“It’s one of those places that fills you with incredible excitement when you come as an away team.
“The crowd are always very, very passionate, they are always getting behind the home side.”
Potter admits that he has taken risks in his career — such as moving to Ostersunds in Sweden — but it has improved him as a coach and a person.
“In order to get better you have to take a little step outside of what’s comfortable for you and our job as coaches is to provide the players that opportunity to do that,” he added.
“Everybody wants to improve, to compete, to be part of something.
“Life is about taking risks, it’s about doing something that’s a bit outside of what you’re comfortable with because then it allows you to grow and develop.”