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    [Matt Law] Neil Bath has decided to leave Chelsea. He is leaving of his own accord and amicably. Confirmation likely to come from him and the club in the coming days. Brings to an end a long and successful association with Chelsea and will go with best wishes.


    [Matt Law] Neil Bath has decided to leave Chelsea. He is leaving of his own accord and amicably. Confirmation likely to come from him and the club in the coming days. Brings to an end a long and successful association with Chelsea and will go with best wishes.

    by dragon8811

    View 22 Comments

    22 Comments

    2. dan_doe_91 on

      This sucks. No matter the reasons, he’s a big part of why Cobham has become so succesful. He created a legacy and I’m sure fans will forever be grateful for his achievements here.

      But Cobham will live on and will continue to produce some of the best talents in England.

    3. JinxLB on

      Was anyone who was crying about the owners in the previous even sure that he’s leaving on bad terms?

    5. Baisabeast on

      I mean he might have just decided he wants a change or a break from football

      I’m hoping it’s this and nothing more sinister

      He is 58. An early retirement could be attractive

    7. SenorConstipation on

      He’s been at the club for more than 20 years. I don’t think this is anyone’s “fault”, but with all the changes in the club and football as a whole, he probably felt it was just time.

    11. DonRoman03_22 on

      Dealt with 20 years of Roman, couldn’t deal with more than 2 years of Clearlake…

    12. IloveGuanciale on

      Bath played a huge part in our past successes but if Law is to be trusted (he was critical of the ownership before so I don’t believe he’s a PR merchant) and Bath left on his own accord & amicably, then so be it. Clubs change, personnel change, legends go but Chelsea remains. It’s not the end of the world.

      City’s academy has caught up in the last couple of years which should be a good sign that success is not dependent on one person but rather on the whole structure. Only years will be tell if Bath leaving has positive or negative consequences.

    13. Stochasticc on

      I didn’t know him, thought [his official profile page](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/teams/profile/neil-bath) may be interesting for others:

      **POSITION: Director of football development and operations**

      Neil Bath joined the Chelsea Schoolboys coaching staff part-time in 1993 and has worked his way up to a role **overseeing our Under-21s and first development loans** as well as an operational remit across our Cobham training ground.

      In 2002 he was appointed assistant Academy director with a responsibility for the Under 8-16 age groups and in the summer of 2004, he became Academy manager. In 2011 his role was further extended to oversee the Reserves/Under-21 set-up as head of youth development.

      **A Chelsea supporter, he helped to restructure our youth development programme in 2004** as a greater emphasis was placed on the recruitment and development of local youngsters in London and the south-east. Over a decade later, the rewards can be seen in the fact that the majority of our new scholars each year have been at the club since the Under-9 age group.

      **Bath has also overseen the most successful period for the Academy in terms of tournament achievements.** Following the FA Youth Cup triumph in 2010, our first success in the tournament since 1961, we have lifted the trophy in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The feat of winning five years in a row has only ever been accomplished once before in the history of the competition, by the Manchester United Busby Babes side of the 1950s.

      Our youngsters were also crowned Under-21 Premier League champions in 2013/14 and secured back-to-back triumphs in the UEFA Youth League, the Under-19 Champions League equivalent, in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

      In July 2020 he was **the recipient of the Eamonn Dolan Award in recognition for excellent work in youth development** at Chelsea FC.

      Bath was appointed director of football development and operations in November 2022, continuing to oversee the Under-21s programme and first development loans as part of his new position, which increased his remit across the Cobham site. He works closely with the head coaches of our development squad and youth team, alongside an expanded operational remit at our Surrey training base.

    14. InsideForward10 on

      Clearlake lovers are about to tell us that Fraser and Bath both left on their own accord at the same time and it has nothing to do with how the club is being run 🤣

    16. BadCogs on

      Sure we belive the own accord shit

      And people are eating this shit up too. Wow.

    17. AncientSkys on

      Let’s hope they aren’t leaving because the two clowns(Winstanley and Stewart) started telling them how to produce top talents.

    18. slicedsolidrock on

      “mate this is bollocks I put my heart and soul on this project but I have no final say on what I do without some unqualified wanker called Winstanley giving the green light.”

      – Neil bath right now, probably.

    20. NotClayMerritt on

      Sure is a mighty coincidence all these people deciding they can’t work with this regime after devoting years of their life to the club. We had a good, successful and proven youth culture and the penny dropped the minute the Development head coach left. Btw, Emma Hayes was not offered a contract extension by anyone at the club. Last year of her deal and nobody held talks with her. So she also decided to leave. If you care any amount about Chelsea Football Club, you better hope and pray they get Champions League qualification next season. Lets not think about the wide ranging implications if they don’t.

      Short term, this might mark the end of Chelsea being a destination for elite scholar development. Yet I fully expect the people who have been brainwashed by BlueCo’s empty promises to try and rationalize it as a good thing.

    22. Plastic_Primary_4279 on

      Comments in this post are a lot different from the one earlier today…

      This sub is so goddamn reactionary

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