Ahead of the Chelsea match against Liverpool at Kingmeadow, 2,000 members of the supporters' club had organised a protest over the treatment of Paul Green.
This was the first fixture since the announcement of his immediate departure from the club after 13 years of service.
While heavy rain prevented the protest from taking place, the demonstration was aimed specifically at the club’s sporting directors and the hierarchy,b not at the players or coaching staff.
This comes after frustration and anger among supporters over the club's governance, especially with the roles of the men's sides' sporting directors becoming more involved in decisions affecting the women's team.
Despite the rain, the disharmony was felt on the stand. Chants in support of Green were heard in the 13th minute to reflect the length of time he worked at the club. This signalled that the dissatisfaction remained visible and audible.
It has been rumoured that Green's role has been significantly reduced as head of women's football, with agents saying contract negotiations have become more difficult because he no longer has any autonomy and higher-ups have to be involved.
This comes after the new owners, Clear Blue, took over the club, and the responsibility for football operations at Chelsea now sits with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence, covering both teams. The real issue is that neither has any experience in women's football, whose operations differ from those of the men's. Their expanding authority has raised concerns that they will attempt to change the strategic decisions for Chelsea women. Which, up until now, has been working well, trophies coming in. “If it ain't broken, why fix it?” Their decision for the women's teams to be through structures and assumptions designed for a men's game rather than by a special approach embedded in the women’s football landscape. You would not get a neurosurgeon completing open-heart surgery, would you?
The manner of Green’s departure, communicated with minimal public explanation and reportedly catching players and staff off guard, intensified scrutiny of the club’s leadership. The absence of a visible transition plan or successor reinforced fears that specialist oversight of the women’s team had been deprioritised.
It is uncertain whether the club will be hiring another head of women's football in the future as its structure becomes more centralised in a multi-team model.
Observers have suggested this move has already led to questionable outcomes, especially given the lack of signings in January, which was planned ahead of the window, according to comments from the manager, Sonia Bompastor.
These chants were more powerfully directed, as representatives of Clearlake Capital, which owns the clubs, and board member Barbara Charone and women's team CEO Aki Mandhar were present in the stands.
They watched a side largely assembled under Green’s leadership deliver another win, with contributions from players he recruited. The contrast between on-pitch success and off-field unrest underlined why supporter focus has shifted toward those now charged with overseeing the women’s programme.
One wonders whether their decision will come back to haunt them and whether a protest will occur ahead of the Blues' FA Cup fixture against Manchester United, their next game at Kingsmeadow.
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