Balanced Blues Brothers Podcast

Travis Flock is joined by long time friend of the show, Tyler Wickham, to discuss the 2024/2025 preseason to date. The hosts discuss the roles being used in the squad, the build up structure, the manager and personnel and how they will fit the roles in buildup, and their expectations for the 2024/2025 season.

As the first episode in this series, Ola breaks down his assessment of the club.

Score, Ola, and Travis review the last series of matches from Wolves to Man City and give a state of the club discussion. The trends from these matches give reasons for cautious optimism, but there are still concerning patterns that the hosts discuss for the club going forward. Key changes in personnel and tactics are highlighted and discussed as a large reason for the turnaround.

Ola, Score, and Travis breakdown a crushing and comprehensive defeat away to Liverpool. The lack of defense, overall system, and managerial selections are analyzed, plus the wider context regarding the entire season and duration of the new ownership. The hosts are left wondering if this project can truly turn the corner.

The Balanced Blues Brothers crew are back to review the 1-0 home win over Fulham. The positives and negatives are discussed, and the hosts collectively celebrate the win and improvements, but are cautious to get ahead of ourselves as fans and think the issues are solved.

The Balanced Blues Brothers are proud to bring on Stew Flaherty on to the show to discuss the Boro 1-0 Chelsea result from the first leg of the Carling Cup Semifinal. Stew has extensive experience in coaching at college and professional levels, and brings his perspective as a Boro supporter to breakdown the shocking first leg win. This match only raised more questions regarding the Chelsea squad, and Travis and Stew are here to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the match, how Carrick outclassed Pochettino, how Boro did not sit back as many are suggesting, and how Chelsea are in trouble for the second leg given how poorly they played from a comprehensive standpoint.

Travis F., Score, and Ola cover the thrilling 4-4 draw against City at the Bridge. The comeback nature of the win, standout performances, and larger implications of the win are discussed.

The full Balanced Blues crew is back to breakdown a tale of two halves and 4-1 victory for the Blues away to Burnley. The contrasting nature of the 2 halves, regression to the mean rest of season, continual underlying match data, and standout performances are discussed, with opinions having a noticeable variation between the hosts. A preview towards the next match against Arsenal is also provided to listeners.

Travis, the Score, Ola, and Jordan react to the Cole Palmer signing and what it means for Chelsea's setup this season. They also break down why Chelsea lost to Nottingham Forest, what it means for the remainder of the season, and what Chelsea will learn from this loss.

Jordan and the Score break down the Luton match. They each discuss three positive takeaways, the good vibes, and why the right side of Chelsea's buildup play has been so dominant.

The Balanced Blues Brothers break down the West Ham match, why Chelsea lost, the positives from the match, why Chelsea need more shooters, and how they think that Chelsea's season will go given what they learned from the West Ham match.

Jordan, Ola, Score, and Travis give their thoughts on the opening 1-1 draw to the season against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The Poch era had its ups and downs in the match and the hosts break those down, as well as the standout performers and tactical analysis. Finally, the massive transfers of Caicedo and Lavia to Chelsea being finalized are brought up and thoughts are given on how these two will change the squad.

Travis, Ola, the Score, and Jordan predict how Chelsea's 2023-24 season will look. They discuss their predictions, the positives, and the negatives for the upcoming season.

The Score continues a trip down memory lane with the 2nd part of our history series, this time covering the robust 1990s era of the club. The contrast between the two halves of the 90s are discussed, highlighting the midtable to winning nature of the club. The 90s also contained the highly significant signing of Ruud Gullit, player managers, Matthew Harding's and Ken Bates's battles for the direction of the club, the tragic death of Matthew Harding, the Italian Revolution, and the momentum of trophies the 90s brought to Chelsea, setting the stage for the 2000s.

The Balanced Blues Brothers are proud to present the first part of our Chelsea History Series being led by The Score. This part covers the chaotic and tumultuous 1980s, spanning all of the managerial eras and their relative success (or lack thereof). The significance of Paul Canoville, Neal's playing style, and key transfers are highlighted, as well as the foundations being laid for the entire club atmosphere improving before the close of the 80's. And, yes, the lowlights of the 80's are covered, discussing the unsafe match day experience, racial abuse, and organized crime.

The full crew of hosts discuss the myriad of outgoing transfers from Chelsea, the impact that has on the squad, and the future prospects for the players ending their tenures at Stamford Bridge.

The hosts continue their endeavor to complete keep, loan, or sell and finish it off with the stagnant attackers at the club. This part of the squad drew a lot of unanimous decisions across the board, and should leave plenty of room for recruitment!

The hosts continue their discussion of keep, loan, and sell for the squad, and work their way through the midfielders at the club.

The Score, Ola, and Travis Tyler, and Travis Flock give their verdict on keep, loan, or sell for 39 players in the Chelsea squad. Part 1 focuses on the defenders and goalkeepers at the club, and there will be some controversial answers for listeners to digest!

Travis, Ola, Jordan, and Score discuss the finality of the 2022/2023 season, where it all went wrong, the few positives we had, and everyone's POTY for Chelsea. The appointment of Pochettino as new manager is discussed and listener questions about Poch are answered.

Travis, Ola, and Jordan welcome the Score as a full-time member of the pod. They celebrate their 100th episode by discussing Chelsea's new manager - Mauricio Pochettino - and his fit with the club as well as how long it will take Chelsea to start winning titles again.

Travis and Travis break down the Arsenal and Bournemouth matches, and contrast the differences and similarities to the two. The pathetic nature of the Arsenal display and the up and down nature of the Bouremouth match are discussed. Jordan and Ola joined the hosts to discuss current and future prospects of the squad rest of season, and the prospects of Pochettino as manager for 2023/2024.

Travis F, Ola, and Nick Williams of That Chelsea Podcast break down the latest 2 defeats to Madrid midweek in the Champions League and to Brighton at the weekend in the Premier League. The incredibly poor and disappointing nature of the matches is discussed, and left the hosts wondering where the next win will be coming from. The nature of the squad and apathy of players is mentioned, and how tactically there does not seem to be much of a solution that would propel the players forward at this point. Potential players that could be leaving are discussed in detail, and the hosts outline how important this summer is for the next permanent manager. *Note: Nick joined last minute on phone hence the poorer audio quality

The Travis's, Jordan, and Ola discuss the matches against Liverpool and Wolves, what Lampard will do at Chelsea, and how the club will operate the rest of the season. After that, they answer listener questions!

The hosts return and welcome special guest, The Score, back onto the podcast to discuss the dismissal of Graham Potter from Chelsea FC. The firing is discussed on merit, how it was an untenable situation, lack of progress and improvement on long time lines. Much of the discussion centered around the new potential manager, with Nagelsmann, Carlo, Enrique, and Poch being the main managers brought up. The rest of season prospects and CL tie against Madrid are previewed through the lens of getting a new manager ASAP.

The Balanced Blues Brothers are proud to release the first installment of the Chelsea FC Culture Series! Tyler Wickham joins Travis Flock to discuss the past and present state of Chelsea's club culture from the top-down. The hosts examine the culture as Roman took over the club, the nature of his early reign and the pros and cons it created, and how that slowly evolved (or devolved) over the years. The key moments to define the culture are examined and analyzed, as well as how it affects the outlook and expectations many fans have for the club. Finally, where the club was going and the culture being latently instilled as managerial turnover and failed projects became the norm. The hosts close out the first installment by discussing where the club is heading with new ownership and their willingness to seemingly use managerial stability.

Travis Flock is joined by The Score to breakdown the draw against Everton at the Bridge, and use the match as a springboard for a wider discussion about the club, manager, and fanbase. They both focus on the positives and the disappointing nature of the draw, and highlight the negatives from some players in the match. The match is used to exemplify and harp upon the expectations within the fanbase, how those expectations fuel negativity towards Potter, what Potter can do to win fans over, if anything. The history of the club is also evoked to draw parallels between Potter and Hoddle's time as CFC manager, and ultimately ends in a discussion for where the club are where they are going.

Travis and Ola are joined by special guest Jam (@Carefree_Jam) to discuss the two massive victories against Dortmund in the Champions League and the win away to Leicester in the Premier League. The hosts discuss the nature of the two performances, the switch to the 3 at the back system, the key players improving with this system, and how the continuity of it is helping the squad in the short term. The hosts discuss how the Leicester match had its ups and downs, but ultimately could have been better in some ways. Key performances of Chilwell, Koulibaly, Enzo, and Mudryk are highlighted and the importance those players will have going forward with the 3 at the back in the absence of Thiago Silva. The expectations and predictions for the rest of the season are given for each host after 3 wins on the bounce.

Travis Flock, Ola, and Travis Tyler discuss the win against Leeds. The performance was not the greatest, and they highlight how the result was much more important than anything in the performance. The hosts provide their standout Chelsea players, discuss the injury situation, and if the new player management/rotation by Potter will be a constant in the future. The hosts preview the Dortmund match and give their expectations and predictions.

Travis Flock and Ola return to discuss the shortcomings to Spurs over the weekend, the poor nature of aspects of the performance, another bad result, and player performances (or lack of). The pressure mounting on Potter and the worsening situation that resulted in death threats to the manager and his children are discussed and the hosts offer their suggestions on how the situation can improve. Many listener questions are addressed and dissected in detail.

Travis, Travis, Ola, and Jordan review Chelsea's rough week. They then talk about their views on the “Potter Out” situation, angry players, and try to end with some positives despite the results.

Travis and Ola give thoughts on the draw away to West Ham, the situation with Graham Potter, realistic expectations, and the issues with a younger squad adapting to a new league. They also preview the upcoming match in the Champions League away to Dortmund.

Jordan and Ola review the 0-0 draw with Fulham. Both are unusually optimistic about the performance. They talk about Badiashile's positive impact on Chelsea's defensive structure, the existing midfield issues, and why they're excited to see a healthy and fit attack. They close out by previewing the West Ham match.

All of the hosts return to discuss a frenetic winter transfer window that ended with the deadline day signing of Enzo Fernandez. All of the transfer activities are summed up, and initial expectations and roles for players are discussed. Everyone gives their verdict on who will be the best signing, and what the team could look like next season.

Travis and Ola let a couple of days pass before discussing the match against Liverpool at Anfield. The controlled nature of the performance, individual players, and the impact of Mudryk are covered in detail. The hosts also analyze the current situation regarding fan hatred against players in the team, and despite it being commonplace today against Mount, is a symptom of a much larger and wider issue that dates back several years ago. The reasoning for this fan hatred, the divide that massive content creators are causing, and what fans should do if they are tired of listening to the abuse (hint: stop listening to the people that spread it!). Several listener questions are also answered, and many of the themes discussed are reinforced as the hosts come full circle to close out the episode.

Travis, Travis, and Ola discussed the recent results over the past week against Fulham and Palace. The impact of Felix was highlighted prior to his red card in the second half at Craven Cottage, and whether he could be a permanent fit for the Blues. The injury situation and how difficult the circumstances are for Potter are highlighted. The fairly pedestrian, yet welcome, win against Palace was also discussed, as well as the shocking news of Mudryk being unveiled in front of Stamford Bridge today.

Jordan and Travis sit down to discuss in-depth the signing of Felix. Initial thoughts, potential fit, and expectations are pondered.

The hosts all return to discuss 2 consecutive losses against Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, with particular emphasis questioning the nature of the performances from key players in the 2 matches in the Premier League and FA Cup. The hosts each voice their thoughts on Potter and his tenure at the club, what he needs to do to improve, and ultimately whether fans need to accept if this is going to be a long rebuild or not.

Travis Flock, Travis Tyler, Tyler Wickham, Ola, and Jordan discuss the Chelse draw against Nottingham Forest. They discuss why the team lost, what it says about the future, and how Chelsea should approach squad building going forward.

The Balanced Blues hosts return to break down the 2-0 win against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge after the World Cup break. The encouraging attacking performance, build up play, and personnel were discussed and questioned if this could be the right starters for the attack. Previewing the upcoming matches and transfer prospects are also discussed.

Travis, Ola, and Jordan talk about where Chelsea FC stand as the World Cup ends. They discuss what problems Graham Potter is facing as the season resumes, issues in Chelsea's transfer policy, and analytics on transfer fees.

Travis, Travis, and Ola discuss yet another loss, this time to Newcastle away 1-0. Many of the same old issues were on display, with a futile attack and non-existent midfield. The manager's problems are discussed, and the difficult set of circumstances he and the club are in. Potter's deficiencies are highlighted and the hosts theorize how this could improve. The age old Frankenstein squad issue is discussed more, and how, if at all, Potter can navigate the issue. The hosts discuss the current state of the players and who needs to be apart of the overhaul.

All of the hosts are joined to discuss the uninspiring loss to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. The cautious approach from the squad at Potter's direction is dissected in detail, and the overall trends for the season under Tuchel and Potter are analyzed. Additionally, the hosts offer up their summations of the current and future situation Chelsea and Potter are faced with, and the realistic prospects that the Blues miss out on the Top 4 and the implications that would have for next season.

Travis, Ola, and Jordan are joined by special guest Helgi to discuss the heavy 4-1 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League. The woeful first half, defensive structure, lack of control in midfield, and out of form attackers are each analyzed. Concerns for how this type of loss could happen again are also theorized. The competition heating up for the Top 4 race is conversed, and the hosts offer up their immediate impressions at what the future could look like deeper into the Potter era.

Jordan and Ola discuss the Salzburg game, Potter's tenure so far and whether anything in the Salzburg game was indicative of progress. They also discuss Kepa and the strange calls for him to be dropped in the wake of the game. Finally they discuss the need to plan for the replacement or extension of key players like Jorginho and Kante.

Travis and Travis sit down to discuss and break down the home draw against Manchester United where Chelsea conceded late to grasp a draw from the jaws of victory. The hosts discuss the tactical changes made, being over-run in the first half, the old habits that continually show themselves within the squad, and problems of the more proactive, possession-based system against good squads. The hosts also discuss Potter's outlook for the rest of this season, and what to expect in the next 2 matches against Salzburg and Brighton.

Travis, Jordan, and Ola talk about Chelsea's early success under Potter and review the 3-0 win over Wolves. They breakdown the excellent performances by Cucurella, Reece, and Mount as well as why they believe players like Pulisic and Gallagher are performing better under Potter than they were under Tuchel. They end by quickly recapping the AC Milan match and why finding world class center backs is really difficult.

The hosts return to breakdown the firing of Thomas Tuchel as Todd Boehly started an explosive beginning to his ownership regime. The reasons for the sacking are discussed, as well as the replacement, Graham Potter. Fan questions are also answered to summarize such a tumultuous time for the club. Thank you, Thomas Tuchel.

Travis, Jordan, and Travis discussed the dismal defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road where the Blues imploded from individual mistakes and collectively showed little competitiveness. The collective failure, faltering offense, lack of midfield cover, and what to do next are discussed. Finally, the next match against Leicester City is previewed.

The Balanced Blues Brothers discuss Chelsea's first two matches of the season. They discuss their positive and negative takeaways from the match. The hosts talk about their views of Chelsea's attacking and defensive play and why they are excited for the rest of the season. They then give their takes on the referring performance from the Tottenham match. They conclude by giving their thoughts on the remainder of the transfer window. Topics: -Matches against Everton and Tottenham -Areas of positivity and areas of concern -Premier league refs -Transfer window

After the end of Chelsea's preseason which raised many questions, The Balanced Blues Brothers dissect the positives, negatives, and main areas of the squad to watch out for in the regular season. The hosts give their less than robust expectations for the season and give predictions on where the club will finish in the table.