Roman Abramovich "The Axe-man" strikes again!
(04 March 2012)

It may come as no surprise that Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked as manager of Chelsea FC, as once again Roman Abramovich dismisses yet another person who was unable to walk on water.

Since buying Chelsea (June 2003), Abramovich has now seen 9 different people in charge of the team (including caretaker managers). The first manager to go was Claudio Ranieri, who had been with the club almost 4 years, he lasted just 11 months.

Perhaps the most successful manager was Jose Mourinho, who lasted a staggering 33 months under Abramovich. Yet despite adding 4 more cups to the trophy cabinet and making Chelsea league champions twice, even the "Special One" could not fulfil the impossible demands made by his boss.

If you are wondering what Roman Abramovich is looking for in a manager, the answer is simple, he wants 'perfection'. This means winning every game and every trophy. He might say he wants to see more attractive football (goals), or that his manager will have all the time he needs to get results, but this is just talk. As soon as a manager has two or three losing games in succession, Roman will be busy sharpening the 'axe'.

His mentality is much the same as other Russian businessmen who invest in a business they know nothing about. At first they show a little patience, but they quickly become more involved and soon end up telling their managers how to do their job!

There have been some rumours that Abramovich wants Jose Mourinho back and this wouldn't surprise me at all. It is not unusual for Russian businessmen to rehire managers that have got good results for them in the past (even though they were sacked). Unfortunately, they expect such managers to recreate the earlier success immediately and will not hesitate to sack them again if the magic doesn't appear within a few weeks.

If you are a football manager considering the Chelsea job, remember that the position is only temporary, unless you can produce miracles every match. Of course, if (sorry, when!) you get sacked, you will pick up a few million for your early departure, but it won't do your reputation much good.

Sadly, Chelsea fans will be the most disappointed, as this "Hire and Fire" habit will affect the club's chances of winning too many trophies in the future. Maybe Roman Abramovich will consider stepping down himself in the near future, as all the money in the world is not going to produce the results HE is looking for.