We weren't 'the first' as you so wrongly say. - there's no way Crofts and Dicker could be regarded as first team players. They weren't even signed for the first team! They were used as an innovative way of coaching (and certainly didn't improve the U23 team with their on-field performances) not...
Have we? Sarmiento has played a couple of times in the first team, Ferguson and Roberts and one or two others have been on the bench - but who else? Cerainly very rarely, and never three at a time.
Hear hear! It may be within the rules, but they're still pulling a stunt - as others have pointed...
Perhaps they need to change the rules for next season if Chelsea are pulling stunts like this, while we put out a team which would qualify for an U21 competition, with the odd U18 thrown in for luck.