Ruthless Roman wields the axe once more

"Na, time's up Andre, bored of you. Next."

June 2011 and Roman Abramovich was heralding a 'new' era down at King's Road, Chelsea. The billionaire west London outfit had just shelled out the incredible £13.2million required to release young Portuguese talent Andre Villas-Boas of FC Porto, on the back of an astoundingly successful season which saw 'Las Portistas' win every competition they entered whilst remaining unbeaten in the 'primeira liga'.  What could possibly go wrong? Surely a youthful, talented manager who had previously been under Abramovich's employment as a member of Jose Mourinho's all conquering coaching staff would take to the position like a duck to water? Surely this 'three year plan' to overhaul an ageing squad, integrate aesthetically meriting football and bring trophies back to the Bridge was going to be given a chance?

March 2012 and news filters in that Andre has been instantly dismissed from his position with Roberto Di Matteo covering as caretaker manager. Hang on a minute...

It is hard to envisage what Roman's exact expectations were for this season, was he really predicting Villas-Boas to win another treble, match Arsenal's legendary invincibles? The Russian's short patience and insatiable hunger for instant success is well documented but this would be pure fantasy and surely common sense would've prevailed, but since when did common sense mean anything in this world in 2012? 

Abramovich had hung his man out to dry and characteristically there was not one public statement declaring his support as the results worsened; he had treated the Portuguese as a child would a new ball; fawning over it whilst it remains new, desirable even, only to let it rot and deflate along with all that pre-season optimism.

The sad thing is that it's no surprise; rather like in a famous scene from 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', Abramovich sees his holy grail as the Champions league and irreverently tosses a disposable array of managers into the lion's den only to immediately dismiss them if they don't produce. You have to question the thinking for Villas-Boas' successor shall be the eighth manager in as many years under the Russian's tenure. Just ask Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, world class coaches who were extremely successful only to succumb to Roman's itchy trigger finger, it really is curious and must leave Chelsea's fans disillusioned in what is vast becoming a hellish season, their first for many a year.

The statistics do not favour 'AVB' with a win percentage of 45%, 3 wins out his last 12 premiership fixtures and the concession of 32 goals in just 27 domestic games. These are facts that cannot be disputed yet they do little to tell the full story of what ultimately led to Villas-Boas' demise and it would take a heartless man to not feel a twinge of sympathy for the man who seemed to become more and more ostracised as the days wore on. 

Perhaps the job came a few years two early for the rookie manager who never seemed to command the respect of prominent senior dressing room characters such as Lampard, Cole and Drogba. There were well documented rows over tactics and team selection and as the defeats racked up after a promising start, the Portuguese' post match interviews began to get more bizarre with barbed snipes at the press followed by a defensive, twitchy stance culminating in a beaten man, a pale shadow of the beaming smile we saw in June.

I think it would be fair to say he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip having inherited an ageing, depleted squad co-inciding with Tottenham and Manchester City's new found status in the Premier league. The signings Villas-Boas made such as Mata and Romeu have been successes, rare positives in an under-performing side that is in serious need of re-invigoration, one that is stagnant. Seven months is nowhere near enough time to re-build such a team and the three year project that he was promised was not delivered, by no means did he do himself any favours but it seems rather pointless to issue a P45 at this stage of the season when no big names are available. They might as well give the manager's position to Lampard and Terry who from the outside seem to have been the real men in charge since the 'Special One's' departure, whoever is the next man in will have a daunting task in front of them. The Chelsea job is vast becoming a poisoned chalice akin to that of the England post.  Who'd be a manager eh?

Wow... Where did that come from?!

 Theo Walcott's relief was plain to see on Sunday after scoring his first home league goals since late 2010 against the old enemy. Often clinical, however even more often infuriating, the England winger was certainly the former yesterday.

Every season there is a stand out game separated from the others, one result symbolic of the entire campaign; an emblematic token that will forever define a certain year to every football fan. 
Who can forget Philippe Albert's impudent chip sailing over a helpless Peter Schmeichel in a resounding 5-0 Newcastle win? Or Stan Collymore's incredible last minute finish to win Liverpool a 4-3 thriller against Kevin Keegan's Toon army? A certain Russian's performance at Anfield in 2009 anyone? You get the idea, and the very fact that I could fill this whole blog with a host of classic encounters is only testament to the premiership's appeal, it has an aura about it that allows it to tower above any of its European rivals with yesterday only re-affirming this. 

Arsenal scored two league goals at Old Trafford for
the first time in over 7 years. Said Wenger. 

This however is not news to a lot of people, the majority agreeing that it is globally the greatest league around, the surprise is that this season alone there has been a deluge of spectacular results and frankly ridiculous scorelines in comparison to previous years gone by. This term fixtures between the top 6, so usually cagey and tactical if previous encounters are to go by, have produced incredible matches, exciting scores and incomparable entertainment. Spurs steamrollered King Kenny's reds 4-0 in September which got the ball rolling for City to stun the world of football with a remarkable performance at Old Trafford followed just a week later by a Van Persie inspired Arsenal team to romp to a 5-3 triumph at Stamford Bridge. Of course unforgettably the Gunners suffered at the hands of the 'Red Devils' in the fledgling season with a complete capitulation. This not including yesterday's match is 25 goals in 5 games and only Sepp Blatter would argue that this isn't entertaining to the fans.

David Luiz has had reason to hide after recent defensive displays

 It is almost certainly no co-incidence that the English team's poor performances in Europe this year have come at the same time as so many goals being conceded domestically, a full blown epidemic of comical defending that has clearly swept our nation and you evidently get punished for that at the very highest level. David Luiz is a fine example, although an extremely talented player he is to defending what N-Dubz are to music and Villas-Boas would be wise to re-evaluate the Brazilian's position, his fine goal this weekend evidence of his offensive capabilities. 


Back to yesterday's football though, Arsenal vs Spurs was a fantastic advert for the Premier league,  a topsy turvy rollercoaster of a game. Out of all the big match ups over the years, the North London derby has been the fixture for football purists in recent years with only one goalless draw in the past 32 league and cup encounters, including some memorable results along the way, most notably 4-5, 4-4, 3-3. They are frenzied, basketball style affairs, events in which the country sits down to take notice, occasions where the only thing moving at a faster rate than the ball itself is the heart rates of the fans involved. Yesterday was no different, it was a blur, when the final whistle was blown a brief pause for actually absorbing what had just happened occurred, a short moment to pinch yourselves perhaps if you reside from the red half of north  London. 

Van Persie netted his 23rd league goal of the season with this blistering equaliser.

Tottenham went into the derby as favourites for the first time in over ten years in away match against an Arsenal side fresh off the back of an FA cup exit and a more than probable Champions league exit, and after Saha opened the scoring in the 4th minute, the script seemed clear. Redknapp's men started much the brighter team and seemed happy to caress the ball harmlessly around the glorious Emirates turf, until Luka Modric pounced. The Croatian hit a wonderful first time pass to set Gareth Bale free until the Welshman chanced his luck with an 'optimistic tumble'.. ahem... to earn his side a penalty. The all so charming and ever so popular Emmanuel Adebayor slotted home with for once muted celebrations and with Spurs 2-0 up at the half hour mark surely Arsenal were set to lose again, their routine post January kamikaze like submission.This was different though. The home team reached well and were in dreamland to go in at the break at 2-2. Arsenal were dare to say it, like the Arsenal of old for 15 minutes, fluent, potent, direct and effective. Sagna's header was a great finish off of a good cross into the box, something the Gunners don't do enough of. Van Persie's equaliser was sublime, a strike that words cannot do justice for one must see, as soon as the Dutchman's bullet left that sweet left peg, the momentum was with Wenger's men, Spurs were shell-shocked. 

Bad day at the office for 'Arry but he has every right to be
proud of Spurs' season thus far

Tottenham never really turned up for the second half and when Rosicky flicked in a neat finish early in the proceedings to give Arsenal the lead for the first time the stadium erupted. Walcott was a different player from the timid, indecisive boy of the first half and burst through twice in the space of 5 minutes to score two great finishes, much with Van Persie's assistance. Arsenal were in dreamland, nobody expected this, not even the most ardent fans on the North Bank for the simple fact is that their team had not shown this spirit, fight or desire for a very long time, it was unexpected, an inculpable relief. Harry Redknapp joked after his side's 0-0 draw with Stevenage last weekend that it wasn't the best audition for the England job, what would he be saying after this showing?

Stop the Press! The F.A show common sense!

John Terry: charming bloke.

     Who would have thought it eh? The rich men in suits who are seemingly intent on ensuring football descends into a non-contact sport made a good call, the guys who thought that this man was the solution made the right decision. The news this week that John Terry had been stripped of the England captaincy for the second time in little over two years wasn't surprising for its moral reasoning; but more so for its decisiveness. It is fair to say the FA have been far too ponderous and perhaps weak on decisions gone by; Terry's controversial re-instatement after losing the captaincy initially in 2010 being a fine example. 

Do I really need to write a caption?

    John Terry is a great defender, an iconic figure within English football, that is of no doubt. He may not be as influential and unrelenting as he once was but he certainly still has a daunting presence on the field. The fact is that he was the England captain and he was due to appear before a criminal court on charges of racial abuse after this summer's European championships, as the case was delayed.  Terry's position was by all accounts untenable, how could England allow another incident to overshadow preparations for a tournament, it was a sense of deja vu; a dark mark hovering over the camp like an unwanted swarm of wasps at a picnic. Many of England's best players are black and that is the reality, in fact the victim in the whole saga, Anton Ferdinand, is the brother of Rio, the man who Terry displaced as captain last year after incredibly being re-instated following the Wayne Bridge furore. The whole situation is farcical enough as it is, the FA had to make a decision and it was one that was well warranted. The very fact that this has made such big news this week is saddening in a way; surely a normal society would unanimously agree that it is the correct decision beyond doubt. It lacks of integrity from the Chelsea captain to plead 'not guilty' to the charges and thus dragging out an unwanted, ugly saga. I am by no means a lip-reader but everybody has seen and heard the footage, how long can it take to process that through court? He will need an extremely good lawyer come July 9th, personally I cannot fathom a plausible defence for such actions.

     

      I do not believe for one minute John Terry is a racist but he is certainly guilty of racial abuse and as the England captain, 'the biggest rolemodel' in English football it is unforgivable, with this decision the FA have reduced us from laughing stock to figure of fun. There have been whispers of 'JT' quitting England all together after being 'humiliated', my heart bleeds along with many others I'm sure. England have a wealth of talent to choose from defensively with younger talents such as Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Michah Richards and Joleon Lescott's relatively recent emergence. It might suit both parties if he had received his last cap, who knows? They are all typical unconfirmed reports from mysterious 'sources' though so it would be unwise to read into that too much. 

    Despite not playing this weekend, Terry's team rounded off the worst of weeks for their skipper after capitulating against old foes Man Utd in a pulsating 3-3 draw, a game that saw the Blues race into a three goal lead early in the second half, only to decide that wasn't exciting enough and in turn self destructing. It was an incredible turnaround from United and although their team looks one of the weakest Red Devil teams for a while on paper, their spirit and hunger is insatiable. It is the hallmark of a Ferguson team, that tenacity and never say die attitude is what differentiates them from their 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City.

    

Thierry Henry grabbed his 1st premiership goal for 5 years this weekend,  Torres might have to wait 6.

      The result left Chelsea only three points clear in that prestigious champions league position after Arsenal went goal crazy against a hapless, albeit ten men, Blackburn Rovers outfit. Van Persie grabbed a hat trick recording his 22nd league goal of the season, before Oxlade-Chamberlain helped himself to a brace and Thierry Henry put the icing on the cake with a late tap in. It was a perfect day for the Gunners and a very welcome result for the perennially under pressure 'Profeseur', Arsene Wenger. At the the top of the table City opened up a two point gap over Utd with a comfortable 3-0 win over Fulham in wintry conditions at the Etihad, Sergio Aguero dazzling for Mancini's men. 

World of Sport

• Pakistan compounded England's misery with a remarkable comeback in the final test in Dubai to complete a 3-0 series whitewash of the world's number one side. Pakistan became the first side since 1907 to win a test match having being bowled out for less than 100 in their first innings, further rubbing salt into the wounds. 
• The Spanish cyclist, Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France win and banned from the sport for two years after being found guilty of doping this week.
• Eli Manning joined the elite after leading his Giants team to a thrilling 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Superbowl XLVI on Sunday. Eli now has two Superbowl rings, one more than his legendary brother Peyton and two Superbowl MVP awards. 
• In Rugby the annual six nations kicked off with the biggest game of the weekend being Scotland vs England at Murrayfield with the Calcutta cup at stake. Charlie Hodgson scored the only try of the game as England sneaked their first away win against the old enemy for five years in a 13-6 victory. Other results saw Wales grab a brilliant win in Dublin in a close game 23-21 and France complete a routine 30-12 victory over Italy at the Stade de France.
• The F1 teams unveiled their new cars for the upcoming season this week, with Lewis Hamilton feeling his usual confident self. The English driver has claimed he can 'win every race' this season and that is his aim. Good luck to him.