Chelsea need to keep faith in Graham Potter despite the "massive pressure" on their head coach, according to Gary Neville.
The Todd Boehly-led ownership group backed Potter significantly in the January transfer window, spending close to £300million to bring in a host of major signings.
Joao Felix arrived on a short-term loan from Atletico Madrid, while Chelsea beat Arsenal to Mykhaylo Mudryk and splashed a Premier League record £106.8million (€121m) on Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
That has not eased Chelsea's woes, though, after the Blues went down 1-0 to top-flight strugglers Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday – leaving Potter with just one win in his last 10 games.
But former Manchester United captain Neville cannot see Boehly dismissing Potter just yet.
He said on his Gary Neville Podcast: "Potter is under massive pressure. You can see it in his face. The chances they missed in the second half and the boos at the end of the game, felt a little ominous.
"I think they'll want to do the right thing, the Chelsea owners.
"They've sacked a manager very early in the season in Thomas Tuchel, they've owned their new manager, they've brought recruitment assistants in alongside him, so they've invested heavily in Graham and his team… but they have to hold their nerve if they want to see it through.
"But I suspect that nerve is being tested, as any owner's would be when you've spent that level of money and you're losing games at home to the [side] bottom of the league."
Chelsea are languishing 10th in the Premier League, already 23 points behind leaders Arsenal and 11 from the top four, and their struggles in front of goal persist.
The Blues have scored just four goals in 10 matches in all competitions and failed to score in six of those games, drawing a blank in more outings in 2023 than any other Premier League club.
Neville believes a bloated squad is causing issues for Potter, who is yet to replicate his impressive work with Brighton and Hove Albion in his new job in west London.
"He's a fantastic coach," Neville said. "You get the idea he'd like to build a pattern of play with a group of players on a consistent basis and he's got 33 of them staring at him down the barrel saying 'play me'.
"And these aren't junior players, they're senior internationals and I can't imagine what it must be like to have 33 players.
"He's got 22 players who are not going to play. If they're all fit – how do you even get them all into a training session?
"They needed to unload players off Graham Potter to take the pressure of handling all those players that are expecting to play every single week."
Neville suggested Potter is suffering from contrasting interests at Chelsea, with Boehly keen to make statement signings.
"I've used the word chaotic and I think it has been chaotic in the first six months of the Boehly ownership," Neville said. "I won't change my mind on that.
"They've invested heavily, they're putting their money where their mouth is and are saying all the right things.
"But at this moment in time, it won't be a successful project when you have 33 players all looking at the manager and a manager who wants to build a measured project.
"It feels a little bit conflicted with what Potter would ordinarily be really strong at and what the ownership seem to want in respect of filling a squad and accumulating players of that sort of volume."
Steve Cotterill leaves role as Shrewsbury manager
Steve Cotterill has left his role as manager of Shrewsbury.
The 58-year-old had already said his position at the club was uncertain and the Shrews have now confirmed his departure.
A statement read: “The club would like to place on record their thanks to Steve for all his hard work and commitment during the last two and a half years, taking us from a relegation place in League One to 12th in the table and also for working from his hospital bed during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Cotterill guided the club to 12th in League One last season and spent 49 days at the Bristol Royal Infirmary after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia in 2021.
Cotterill, who joined the club in November 2020, released a statement though the League Managers’ Association.
“I’m proud of the work that has been done by everyone in the past two and a half years at the club,” he said. “From fighting relegation to a top-half finish. I am confident this team will continue its progression next season.
“Working through Covid was tough and I have to thank my incredible staff for their help throughout.
“I would also like to thank the players. It is a fantastic group that gave me absolutely everything, right up to the last game of the season. The relationship I had with them was very special.”
Scottish Gas agrees five-year deal to sponsor Scottish Cup
Scottish Gas has filled the void for Scottish Cup sponsorship in a deal understood to be worth about £5million a year.
A five-year contract has been agreed with the Scottish Football Association which will see the energy firm become the title sponsor of both the men’s and women’s competitions. The deal will also provide a major boost to grassroots football projects.
The deal was announced just before the SFA annual general meeting, which saw Alloa owner Mike Mulraney confirmed as president following the end of Rod Petrie’s four-year term. Hamilton’s Les Gray replaces Mulraney as vice-president.
Scottish Gas will become the first title sponsor of the Scottish Cup since William Hill’s nine-year partnership ended in 2020.
The men’s competition will be known as the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup from next season, its 150th anniversary, and the funding will also benefit the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup, the final of which was staged at Hampden this year for the first time.
The deal will help fund 120 new week-long holiday camps which will provide 6,000 opportunities for children to play football and receive free lunches.
The investment will also help Scottish Para-Football’s disability community initiatives by working with six clubs each year to set up the required infrastructure and playing conditions.
Scottish Gas will also work with the SFA to explore ways of making Hampden more sustainable and design a programme for clubs to help “reduce their carbon footprint and create more sustainable communities”.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Scottish Gas on board as a committed multi-level partner and supporter of the Power of Football.
“As part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, they will help us activate the oldest and youngest cup trophies in world football, bringing new and existing fans on that famous road to Hampden.
“Through this agreement, Scottish Gas will also help reinforce the impact our national game has at grassroots level, especially among those whose need is greatest. We look forward to bringing the partnership to life and highlighting the ways in which, together, we can inspire the nation and transform lives.”
Chris O’Shea, chief executive of Centrica, the owner of Scottish Gas said: “We’re delighted to be investing in our customers’ communities and I’m particularly excited about the work we will be doing to support holiday camps, Para-Football and the women’s game across Scotland.”
Mulraney welcomed the deal and promised “100 per cent commitment and focus” on his new role.
“The Scottish FA is committed to inspiring the nation and transforming lives,” the Alloa chairman added.
“We made an impassioned plea at Holyrood only last week urging government and politicians to see us as allies in improving the health and wellbeing of the country and that is something I am determined to facilitate in a practical sense.
“The national association is primarily responsible for the development of the game, the grassroots and it is imperative we work with governments both national and local, philanthropists, commercial and charitable partners, to improve the fundamental infrastructure of our game – facilities.
“We have already agreed a £20m fund with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and need more investment.
“We need to retain and upgrade the pitches we currently have, attain new funding for new facilities, especially to meet the growth of girls’ and women’s football, and ensure we contribute to sustainable clubs and communities, both from a financial and an environmental perspective.
“This will be a key priority for me as president and I look forward to working with partners to improve our infrastructure.”
SFA agree five-year Scottish Gas deal to sponsor men’s and women’s Scottish Cup
Scottish Gas has been announced as the title sponsor of both the men’s and women’s Scottish Cup.
A five-year contract has been agreed with the Scottish Football Association which will benefit grassroots football.
The men’s competition will be known as the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup from next season, its 150th anniversary, and the funding will also benefit the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup, the final of which was staged at Hampden this year for the first time.
The deal will help fund 120 new week-long holiday camps which will provide 6,000 opportunities for children to play football and receive free lunches.
The investment will also help Scottish Para-Football’s disability community initiatives by working with six clubs each year to set up the required infrastructure and playing conditions.
Scottish Gas will also work with the SFA to explore ways of making Hampden more sustainable and design a programme for clubs to help “reduce their carbon footprint and create more sustainable communities”.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Scottish Gas on board as a committed multi-level partner and supporter of the Power of Football.
“As part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, they will help us activate the oldest and youngest cup trophies in world football, bringing new and existing fans on that famous road to Hampden.
“Through this agreement, Scottish Gas will also help reinforce the impact our national game has at grassroots level, especially among those whose need is greatest. We look forward to bringing the partnership to life and highlighting the ways in which, together, we can inspire the nation and transform lives.”
Chris O’Shea, chief executive of Centrica, the owner of Scottish Gas said: “Our partnership with the Scottish FA is the perfect match of energy and passion for Scottish Gas as we team up to support the nation.
“We’re delighted to be investing in our customers’ communities, and I’m particularly excited about the work we will be doing to support holiday camps, Para-Football and the women’s game across Scotland.”
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