The Chelsea Supporters' Trust demand three things from owners in damning statement

Chelsea fans have made their feelings known following a turbulent end to the festive period, which dropped the curtain on Enzo Maresca's spell in the dugout

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) has demanded 'better clarity, accountability, and engagement' from higher-ups at Stamford Bridge following a worrying set of membership survey results.

The non-profit organisation, which provided fans the opportunity to have a say on the club's future, recently asked members a series of questions to gauge supporter views on the current ownership, governance, and wider structure. It received a 'strong response', which provides a 'clear snapshot' of how fans currently feel.

According to the CST, 52.5 per cent of members are 'very confident' that Chelsea is currently being run in a way that will deliver sustained on-pitch success over the next 3–5 years, and 30.2 per cent are 'somewhat unconfident'.

Meanwhile, 9.5 per cent are neither confident nor unconfident, and just 7.7 per cent are either very confident of somewhat confident. The CST also quizzed its members on ownership decision-making.

In May 2022, Clearlake Capital, owned by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, and Todd Boehly joined forces to buy the west London outfit from Roman Abramovich. The consortium bought Chelsea for £4.25bn, making the Blues the most expensive football club in the world.

A year or so later, BlueCo, the parent company formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover, acquired a majority stake in Strasbourg. Boehly is currently the chairman of Chelsea.

Behdad Eghbali, José E. Feliciano, Mark Walter, Hansjörg Wyss, Jonathan Goldstein, Barbara Charone, Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, James Pade, and David Barnard are directors.

The CST have revealed that 53.7 per cent of its members claimed that they have 'no confidence at all' in the ownership group’s football-related decision-making, and 36.9 per cent voted 'not very much confidence'.

Just 5.8 per cent of members said they were neutral, with only 4.48 per cent claiming they either have a 'fair amount of confidence' or 'great deal of confidence'. A pattern quickly emerged as the CST presented its members more questions.

An eye-watering 43.2 per cent of members claimed Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, the sporting directors, are 'not fit for purpose', with a further 42.69 per cent insisting there's 'significant weaknesses' in the Chelsea's current sporting structure.

Only one per cent of CST members believed the Blues' were 'well-structured and effective'. Fans were also asked whether the club 'currently demonstrates a clear and effective plan for its football leadership, including head coach appointments and succession'.

A staggering 88.67 per cent of members that voted either strongly disagreed or somewhat to disagreed with the statement. With regard to sporting leadership confidence, 46.3 per cent of CST members claimed they have 'no confidence at all' in the current team responsible for sporting decisions.

Meanwhile, 40.6 per cent said they don't have very much confidence at all. The CST also asked its members how satisfied they are with the level of meaningful engagement between the club's ownership and supporters.

53.7 per cent of members that voted said they were 'very dissatisfied', 27 per cent voted 'fairly dissatisfied', and 15.1 per cent were neutral on the matter. The remaining four per cent of members were satisfied.

The CST then quizzed its members on ticket pricing. They asked whether they agree or disagree that 'supporters should not be expected to pay higher ticket prices to cover the financial impact of the club’s commercial decisions and changes in football leadership'.

57.3 per cent 'strongly agreed, 12 per cent 'tended to agree', and 12.2 per cent were neutral on the matter. 18.2 per cent of members, however, disagreed with the statement, claiming would be happy to cover the cost of commercial decisions and changes in leadership.

The CST concluded the survey by asking members to rank in order of priority what they believe are areas for improvement. The result can be found in the table below:

In response to the results, a CST spokesperson said: "Supporter confidence is shaped by what fans see, experience, and understand. This survey has received one of the largest responses to a CST survey and provides a clear picture of current sentiment among CST members and highlights areas where better explanation and engagement could help rebuild trust.

"The CST will continue to press Chelsea FC for better clarity, accountability, and engagement for the supporters in our ongoing dialogue with Chelsea FC."