Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has handed an ultimatum to his players and staff to either prove their mettle - by winning a trophy, or fall prey to the axe at the season's end, the News of the World has reported.
The wrath of the Russian billionaire is believed to have been irked by the manner of the defeat to Inter, and in particular former boss Jose Mourinho, who masterminded a famous victory over the Blues at Stamford Bridge amid taunting chants from travelling fans aimed at the west London club's owner.
Following the heavy handed defeat, which sent the Premier League title chasers out of the Champions League earlier than initially expected, Abramovich is believed to have arrived unannounced at Cobham on Wednesday, and called a meeting to discuss the direction in which the club is currently heading.
The owner was reportedly unhappy with the state of affairs on as well as off the pitch, and it is claimed that some players as well as coaching staff are on the verge of being shown the door if silverware does not roll into the Bridge at the end of this term.
An unnamed source who attended the meeting is quoted as saying: "Roman didn't actually say that much but it was clear from what he did say and his body language that he was absolutely furious.
"Nobody knew he was coming to Cobham on Wednesday and certainly nobody expected the three most powerful men at the club to call a meeting.
"It was Tenenbaum who did most of the talking. Well, actually, there was as much shouting as talking. He made the points that Roman obviously wanted to get across.
"The meeting lasted almost two hours and it wasn't a debate, it was the boss getting a message across and everybody was pretty clear about what it meant. If there wasn't a dramatic change, then there would be new faces coming in the summer.
"It wasn't just the players he was talking about, it was the coaches and the medical people as well. Nobody felt safe coming out of the meeting."
The wrath of the Russian billionaire is believed to have been irked by the manner of the defeat to Inter, and in particular former boss Jose Mourinho, who masterminded a famous victory over the Blues at Stamford Bridge amid taunting chants from travelling fans aimed at the west London club's owner.
Following the heavy handed defeat, which sent the Premier League title chasers out of the Champions League earlier than initially expected, Abramovich is believed to have arrived unannounced at Cobham on Wednesday, and called a meeting to discuss the direction in which the club is currently heading.
The owner was reportedly unhappy with the state of affairs on as well as off the pitch, and it is claimed that some players as well as coaching staff are on the verge of being shown the door if silverware does not roll into the Bridge at the end of this term.
An unnamed source who attended the meeting is quoted as saying: "Roman didn't actually say that much but it was clear from what he did say and his body language that he was absolutely furious.
"Nobody knew he was coming to Cobham on Wednesday and certainly nobody expected the three most powerful men at the club to call a meeting.
"It was Tenenbaum who did most of the talking. Well, actually, there was as much shouting as talking. He made the points that Roman obviously wanted to get across.
"The meeting lasted almost two hours and it wasn't a debate, it was the boss getting a message across and everybody was pretty clear about what it meant. If there wasn't a dramatic change, then there would be new faces coming in the summer.
"It wasn't just the players he was talking about, it was the coaches and the medical people as well. Nobody felt safe coming out of the meeting."
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