No Chelsea manager likely to under capricious Abramovich

Analysing Russian diplomacy, historians used to notice a tendency to act decisively — sometimes brutally — regardless of whether it was the right course. The purpose was to avoid doing nothing. Roman Abramovich displays this historical tendency. He fears indecision — so now he is searching for his eighth Chelsea manager in nine years. He sets up a "project" for change, paying Porto £13.3 million (Dh77.37 million) to release Andre Villas-Boas, then panics nine months later, dumping blame on the manager and ignoring the failings of directors, middle men, the recruitment department and, most of all, the players. The headline on this piece should be ‘Roberto Di Matteo on the brink' because that is the perpetual state of all Chelsea coaches. Then, when the permanent successor is appointed, he too should be described as a man ‘on the brink', even as he is grinning for photographers in the stands of Stamford Bridge. If Abramovich were serious about holding his workforce to account, he would have looked to his inner circle, and those like Michael Emenalo, the so-called technical director, who are presumably also part of any problem. He would have evolved beyond his reductionist view that any weakness at a football club is traceable to the poor tortured soul in the dugout. We all know this is a risible way to run an organisation. It creates a culture of accountability for some and exemptions from blame for others. Who, for example, spent £50 million on Fernando Torres? Not Villas-Boas. On whose watch was Chelsea's best signing of the last 12 months made (Juan Mata)? Answer — AVB's. Chelsea's statement on Sunday spoke of the need to "make a change". The experiment with Villas-Boas followed the disastrous decision to sack Carlo Ancelotti 12 months after his Premier League and FA Cup Double. The excuse was that Abramovich wanted to move beyond the old bulldozer style in favour of audience-winning entertainment. Nobody has explained, then or now, why Ancelotti was thought incapable of effecting that transformation. After a lot of asking around, Abramovich blundered in the direction of Villas-Boas, paying £28 million to replace Ancelotti and his team. That included pumping money into the transfer market for managers in the form of the compensation to Porto. The studious, intense AVB arrived from Portugal, certain he had a mandate to dismantle the old Chelsea functionalism and replace it with something more uplifting. Maybe he did, but the brief expired when he struck a run of three wins in 12 League games and the old ghouls massed against him. He was sycophantic in support of John Terry over the Anton Ferdinand alleged racism incident and seemed to want to take on Frank Lampard, identifying him as the biggest block to progress. In other words, he created enemies without crushing them. The awkward squad in Chelsea's dressing room will be feeling very smug. Another victim is chalked up. But, there is a deeper problem for them and their capricious owner. You look at this Chelsea side now and see a deficit of players good enough to mount another title challenge. With a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Napoli, Abramovich's Champions League dream is receding. In management circles, the deal has long been clear: take the Chelsea job, watch your back and wait for the dismissal cheque.