Originally, I wasn't going to blog about Roman Abramovich's dismissal of his eight manager at Chelsea since he bought the club in 2003. However, the speculation regarding Andre Villas-Boas's replacement has become so hysterical and so devoid of any semblance of reality, it is almost an unavoidable topic.
Who in their right mind would want to take the Chelsea job???
Granted, they still have one of the strongest squads in the Premier League, despite their shortcomings thus far this season, and are one of the biggest clubs in the league, but stature is no substitute for the sound footing that any club needs to succeed. Roman Abramovich and his entourage of advisers have no strategy in place to ensure either Chelsea's short term or long term success. And this is sure to be a serious turn-off to any manager that takes his reputation seriously.
Villas-Boas arrived at the club with a growing reputation in European football. He had just completed a remarkable treble with Porto and had previously been highly regarded by both Sir Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho. On face value, he seemed like an ambitious appointment by a club that had previously turned to experienced campaigners with considerably long CVs. The plan, we were told, was for Villas-Boas to re-build the club over three years whilst maintaining their success in the short term, with the ultimate aim being for Chelsea to be able to compete with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in Europe. This obviously now looks ridiculous, so tumultuous was AVB's reign, but at the time it seemed to be at least slightly plausible.
Regardless of the mistakes made by Chelsea's now ex-manager, the fact that he has been dismissed just six months into this 'three year plan' sums up everything that is wrong at the football club at the moment. Abramovich has become too trigger-happy; he dismissed 'Phil' Scolari in similar circumstances, cast aside Avram Grant for losing the Champions League final (on penalties!!!) and then undermined Carlo Ancelotti before duly giving him his marching orders.
Some may argue that, as the owner of the club, Abramovich is entitled to appoint and dismiss managers as he chooses. He has, after all, invested significant amounts of money into a club that before his arrival were little more than a mid-table club, who participated in the odd cup final every now and then. His endless supplies of money has seen a complete revolution in the clubs image and, indeed, their success. Three Premier League trophies, three FA Cups and two League Cups have arrived at Stamford Bridge since the Russian billionaire took charge of the club. Much of this success was of course down to the efficiency of Chelsea's coaching and playing staff, but it is an unavoidable truth that performers of such capabilities would not have been at the club were it not for the presence of Abramovich and, more significantly, his money. Therefore, there is a slightly warped argument to be made that suggests a chairman has the right to act in a completely illogical manner, providing he invests heavily in the club and oversees some success on the field of play.
The flip-side of this argument is, of course, that this philosophy will eventually damage the clubs reputation both domestically and throughout Europe. Since the removing of Villas-Boas as manager, some of Europe's most feted coaches have been touted as his replacement, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho being the two most noteworthy names. These are not completely unfeasible suggestions; Guardiola's contract at Barcelona expires at the end of this season and Mourinho has well-documented connections with the club, as well as a very stormy relationship with current employers Real Madrid. However, the idea that either of these two will be keen to leave Europe's two most eminent clubs for the soap opera that is Chelsea is wildly unrealistic, particularly in the case of Guardiola. Barcelona are a club built on heritage and a sound, long-term strategy, therefore making them the complete opposite to what Chelsea have become, a home to wildly inflated egoes and uncomfortable managers.
The identity of Chelsea's new manager is likely to hinder on whether they can qualify for the Champions League at the end of the season; failure to do so will be a complete disaster for a club that have invested so heavily in their playing staff in recent years. If they manage to pip Arsenal to fourth place then they may be able to entice a coach with a strong pedigree (though I seriously doubt he will be either of the aforementioned), but if they don't then they are facing a very uncertain future in which they will no longer be able to attract top players or indeed top managers. And that will be a crisis of Abramovich's own doing.
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