Todd Boehly laid out some home truths to Chelsea's expensively-assembled squad after their defeat at home to Brighton on Saturday as he labelled their campaign 'embarrassing', according to reports.
The Blues were outplayed by Brighton at Stamford Bridge as they slipped to a 2-1 loss, their third defeat on the bounce since Frank Lampard was placed in caretaker charge until the end of the season.
A section of home fans made their feelings clear as they were seen shouting down to Boehly in the directors' box at the final whistle. Boehly was also unhappy, and decided to go down to the dressing room to address the players along with co-owner Behdad Eghbali and Hansjorg Wyss.
After waiting for Lampard to finish his post-match speech, Boehly took centre stage and told the team their performances had been 'embarrassing' while also reminding them that he had spent £600m to build a winning side and they had not lived up to expectations, as reported by The Telegraph.
In Boehly's first year at the club, Chelsea have spent big on the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Wesley Fofana but there has been little benefit with the team finding themselves 35 points behind leaders Arsenal.
The report claims Boehly also attempted to lift spirits by stressing that Chelsea have a huge match on Tuesday when they face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, and that they must do all they can to produce an unlikely comeback to get the fans back on board.
Chelsea lost the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu 2-0 last week and had Ben Chilwell sent off, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb in the reverse fixture.
Boehly was very optimistic in the build-up to that game, claiming Chelsea would win 3-0, but his prediction proved to be wide of the mark.
Fans hit out at the American owner in the aftermath of the Bernabeu defeat, claiming his prediction was just the latest example of him not knowing what he is doing.
But his dressing room pep talk ahead of the return leg suggests he is very much aware that the club's high standards have not been met this year, and is desperate to turn things around.
Chelsea's match with Madrid looks set to determine how the rest of their season plays out, with Lampard's men stuck in 11th place in the league.
A remarkable comeback win could spur them on to finish the season strongly, but a loss would leave them with little to play for as they are comfortably clear of the relegation zone, while a push for a European finish looks out of reach.