You have to go back as far as 1993 to find the last time Chelsea's season was over before Easter.

Then, with another changing of the guard in the managerial office mid-season, Stamford Bridge saw an 11th place finish in the inaugural Premier League, League Cup quarter final exit at Selhurst Park, and an FA Cup third round defeat away at Middlesbrough.

Ian Porterfield was fired in mid-February, and the season chuntered to a finish, powered by interim David Webb.

After defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and Everton, in the space of three days, Chelsea now have a similar fate.

It will be unusual, to say the least, to see this side play mostly-meaningless games: there have possibly been fewer in the 13 years since the club was transformed by Roman Abramovich, than we will see in the next nine weeks.

But now there are arguably nine: home to West Ham, Manchester City, Tottenham and Leicester; away to Aston Villa, Swansea, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Liverpool.

Those games, of course, will not be entirely meaningless for both sides involved: most are likely to have some vitality attached, either at the top or bottom ends of the table, for the opposition.

And that will surely be used as an argument against the wish of a sizeable portion of fans, to dump under-performing stars, and blood the youth in wholesale quantities.

It does little for the integrity of the competition to see games chucked; and nor does it benefit the confidence and development of young payers to send them over the top to fight unwinnable battles.

It is arguable that the season is not entirely a write-off yet, with the fruits of more than a decade of Chelsea bolstering the English coefficient still potentially up for grabs.

Fourth place, and the only way in to the Champions League, is long gone.

Dimitri Payet scores directly from a free kick

Sixth, and a route into the Europa, looks unlikely: with a deficit of seven points to make-up over the last nine games, and four teams better placed to get there.

Chelsea then, for the prize of a European qualifying campaign starting in July alongside the Croatian cup winners, and third placed side in Romania, are left hoping for someone else to win the FA Cup.

Should Manchester United or West Ham, yet to complete their sixth round replay, be jubilant in that Wembley final, there is every likelihood Europa League qualification will fall to the seventh placed team.

At the moment, that is Southampton – who, with 44 points from 30 games, are four ahead of the Blues after 29.

Liverpool, with the same points in eighth, have a further game in hand over Chelsea.

60 points overall may net seventh: it did last season for Southampton, and has done in most recent Premier League campaigns.

Even that would require Guus Hiddink's side to manage six wins, two draws and one defeat from the remaining calendar.

Counterparts: Chelsea's Guus Hiddink greets Roberto Martinez on the touchline

And it would come with the caveat of hoping to see an open top bus parade around either Stretford or Stratford - a pretty bitter pill.

Essentially, but for some pretty unlikely and unpalatable outcomes, Chelsea will not see competitive football beyond these shores for at least 18 months hence.

In the remaining two months of this campaign, the club will need to find ways of enlivening what has the potential to become a dull trudge around the regions for fans.

This is Chelsea, and there is no anticipation that away ends will not be full and bouncing, but some reward will be needed for those who have been long-suffering in this, the club's worst season in a generation.

Subsidised tickets and travel are a good start, but to those for whom Chelsea is more than just a stop-off on a CV, good news is needed early: about the managerial situation, player signings, and the ground redevelopment.

This will not be a new feeling for the many who were there at the time, but, for a whole new generation: welcome to mid-table drudgery.

Both young and old will hope this is an experience not endured again, for at least another 23 years.