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?