Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and, now, Carlo Ancelotti. It is all your fault that Chelsea have failed to win the Champions League, as far as Roman Abramovich is concerned.
Abramovich privately fumes about the amount of money he has spent and – in his reasoning – the unacceptable return he has received. As the Chelsea owner would have it, it's their fault that too many players and agents have grown ridiculously rich at the Russian's expense and that he has had to – Ancelotti, for now, apart – sack them all.
No one knows, for sure, what goes on in Abramovich's mind. He speaks sparingly, even to those closest to him, but having taken soundings following Chelsea's exit to Inter Milan on Tuesday, a game when it was clear that this team had run their course, the response appears to be the same: blame the manager.
Yes, the players received flak – Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba, especially, came in for criticism. All the big names with the biggest pay packets, in fact. But that was part of a theme.
These guys have cost Abramovich a fortune whereas the likes of Alex and Salomon Kalou haven't and, according to the reaction from 'the big guy', appeared to be the only ones really trying.
Abramovich has been told often enough he needs to spend big again and he is prepared to – but it will have to be, for example, Sergio Aguero at £30 million rather than the £40 million that Atletico Madrid want. And the prices for Franck Ribery, Fernando Torres, David Villa all, similarly, have to come down to attract Abramovich.
He's also been told that it's time to move some of the big names on. There are those who maintain Manchester City's offer of £30 million for John Terry should have been accepted.
But Abramovich doesn't accept it. And the core of his argument highlights his blindness to what goes wrong at Chelsea. He tells his friends this: why can't all the expensive coaches he's hired (with the exception of Mourinho, who left because he couldn't get on with the boss) mould a team in the way that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger have? The answer, as they say, is in the question, Roman.
ASHLEY COLE TAKES STEP FORWARD
He tried to hide his presence but it was, unmistakably, Ashley Cole in the Stamford Bridge press room before Tuesday's match. He had the hood of his black top pulled over his head and was trying to squeeze himself into a corner so he wasn't noticed as he talked to who he was there to talk to.
Fair enough. There wasn't much chance the media were going to bother him anyway. What was more interesting was the fact that not only did Cole appearing to be walking comfortably, and able to put weight on his broken ankle, but that he also had a little turn of pace as he quickly exited the room once his conversation was finished. No limp. It would appear he's well on the way to recovery, which is good news for England as well as Chelsea.
PORTUGUESE TEARS OF WAR
There was some damage done on the night, however. Jose Mourinho left Stamford Bridge late on with his right hand bandaged up. It begged the question: had Roman Abramovich – or more probably one of his pumped-up bodyguards – inflicted some damage in a bone-crushing handshake of congratulations? The answer was more prosaic: Mourinho's fingers had been trapped in a door he held open for someone in the corridors of Stamford Bridge. It brought a tear to his eye. But it wasn't the only one he shed.
One reason for the long delay before Mourinho addressed the media following Inter's victory was because he wanted to compose himself. Such was the understandable emotion of the occasion that Mourinho had sobbed, tears of relief and, perhaps, regret in the away dressing room.
FOREIGN FIELDS A BIGGER LURE
Just two English clubs – Manchester United and Arsenal – will be in the draw for the last eight of the Champions League on Friday, which may lead to some hand-wringing at the Premier League. After all, with three representatives in the semi-finals for the past two seasons, and England the powerhouse of domestic football, then surely their dominance was set to continue?
It's not exactly a poor showing – indeed the spread of countries, with France the only other with two clubs, is a healthy thing. But it does puncture the myth that leading foreign players come to England because of the football, the excitement, the competition and the crowds. With a 50 per cent tax rate kicking in and the pound continuing to be weak against the euro, the reason why some players – especially those in France – are less keen to move is the reason why they wanted to come here in the first place: money.
Abramovich privately fumes about the amount of money he has spent and – in his reasoning – the unacceptable return he has received. As the Chelsea owner would have it, it's their fault that too many players and agents have grown ridiculously rich at the Russian's expense and that he has had to – Ancelotti, for now, apart – sack them all.
No one knows, for sure, what goes on in Abramovich's mind. He speaks sparingly, even to those closest to him, but having taken soundings following Chelsea's exit to Inter Milan on Tuesday, a game when it was clear that this team had run their course, the response appears to be the same: blame the manager.
Yes, the players received flak – Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba, especially, came in for criticism. All the big names with the biggest pay packets, in fact. But that was part of a theme.
These guys have cost Abramovich a fortune whereas the likes of Alex and Salomon Kalou haven't and, according to the reaction from 'the big guy', appeared to be the only ones really trying.
Abramovich has been told often enough he needs to spend big again and he is prepared to – but it will have to be, for example, Sergio Aguero at £30 million rather than the £40 million that Atletico Madrid want. And the prices for Franck Ribery, Fernando Torres, David Villa all, similarly, have to come down to attract Abramovich.
He's also been told that it's time to move some of the big names on. There are those who maintain Manchester City's offer of £30 million for John Terry should have been accepted.
But Abramovich doesn't accept it. And the core of his argument highlights his blindness to what goes wrong at Chelsea. He tells his friends this: why can't all the expensive coaches he's hired (with the exception of Mourinho, who left because he couldn't get on with the boss) mould a team in the way that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger have? The answer, as they say, is in the question, Roman.
ASHLEY COLE TAKES STEP FORWARD
He tried to hide his presence but it was, unmistakably, Ashley Cole in the Stamford Bridge press room before Tuesday's match. He had the hood of his black top pulled over his head and was trying to squeeze himself into a corner so he wasn't noticed as he talked to who he was there to talk to.
Fair enough. There wasn't much chance the media were going to bother him anyway. What was more interesting was the fact that not only did Cole appearing to be walking comfortably, and able to put weight on his broken ankle, but that he also had a little turn of pace as he quickly exited the room once his conversation was finished. No limp. It would appear he's well on the way to recovery, which is good news for England as well as Chelsea.
PORTUGUESE TEARS OF WAR
There was some damage done on the night, however. Jose Mourinho left Stamford Bridge late on with his right hand bandaged up. It begged the question: had Roman Abramovich – or more probably one of his pumped-up bodyguards – inflicted some damage in a bone-crushing handshake of congratulations? The answer was more prosaic: Mourinho's fingers had been trapped in a door he held open for someone in the corridors of Stamford Bridge. It brought a tear to his eye. But it wasn't the only one he shed.
One reason for the long delay before Mourinho addressed the media following Inter's victory was because he wanted to compose himself. Such was the understandable emotion of the occasion that Mourinho had sobbed, tears of relief and, perhaps, regret in the away dressing room.
FOREIGN FIELDS A BIGGER LURE
Just two English clubs – Manchester United and Arsenal – will be in the draw for the last eight of the Champions League on Friday, which may lead to some hand-wringing at the Premier League. After all, with three representatives in the semi-finals for the past two seasons, and England the powerhouse of domestic football, then surely their dominance was set to continue?
It's not exactly a poor showing – indeed the spread of countries, with France the only other with two clubs, is a healthy thing. But it does puncture the myth that leading foreign players come to England because of the football, the excitement, the competition and the crowds. With a 50 per cent tax rate kicking in and the pound continuing to be weak against the euro, the reason why some players – especially those in France – are less keen to move is the reason why they wanted to come here in the first place: money.
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