Chelsea banished to the darkness at the Stadium of Light.

When Chelsea hoisted the Club World Cup last summer as the first winners of that prestigious competition, history was made. Over the course of one season, almost the entirety of that legacy has been erased.

What had been apparent all season was only etched deeper in stone – Chelsea's two billion pound squad are medium–sized trash cans and gelatin–spined bottlers that were abundant in North London. The infuriating irony is that 90 good minutes could still have salvaged something from a dismal season. A Bruno Fernandes-inspired United had just put Brighton to the sword, and a win would have secured Europa League football at worst.

Instead, that ultimate chance at redemption became a blooper reel of the season's lowest moments – Malo Gusto hibernating at the far post, Wesley Fofana becoming the only Chelsea player to receive two red cards in a single PL season note, ensuring Chelsea finished with twice as many red cards as any other side. This was also the only time in two decades they managed fewer than 10 shots in four consecutive games across all competitions.

Everything is broken. The Chelsea shirt that once weighed down even the toughest of titans is carried by this crop like a fast–fashion accessory. There is next to no rapport with the fans, no attempt to repair bridges on the verge of collapse. From the terraces, there has been a restless state of flux – fluctuating between apathy and mindless rage.

Spare a thought for the geniuses at the helm of the most expensive disaster in English football history – awarding themselves contract extensions before overseeing the side's drop from 4th to 10th. A Club World Cup-winning squad was reinforced with Estevao, Liam Delap, and Jamie Gittens, with a combined total of zero Premier League appearances between them. Meanwhile, Liam Rosenior, Malang Sarr, and Aaron Anselmino were plucked from Strasbourg with promising trajectories, only to be sabotaged in ways that would impress professional saboteurs.

No front-of-shirt sponsor for another season. No stadium update for another season. If Chelsea were poorly run on the sporting side before, at least they could run.

With no European football next season and a squad full of players who wouldn't force their way into the Sunderland XI, the purge must start from the boardroom all the way down. The response to catastrophic humiliation must be ruthless – nothing less will do. It is the very least Xabi Alonso deserves as he steps into Clearlake's quicksand.