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Abramovich FC Grinds On

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To be fair, the way Antonio Conte is dealing with discovering just how low down the totem pole Chelsea managers are is immeasurably more restrained than the former manager.

Clearly, managerial powerlessness isn`t fully explained in the interview process – how could it be?

I guess you could work it out with some keen research, but top managers are alpha-individuals who believe that nothing that came before applies to them. How else would they ever achieve the kind of turnaround The Don managed last season?

But the dispiriting fact that has once again been rubbed in every true Blue`s face is that Chelsea under Abramovich has its own unique ‘culture`.

Unique, because it revolves around the boardroom, not the pitch.

Managers, however eminent or eventually beloved, are seen as freely available blue-collar employees.

Front and centre is the lure of the rouble (try saying that after three Martinis).

It isn’t just managers who like money: look at Eden Hazard; according to all sources, the Belgian would-be maestro (he gave the ball away 11 – eleven!! – times today before he was hooked off at the hour; I doubt actual maestro Leo Messi has given the ball away 11 times in his career) is about to sign a new Chelsea contract that will make him the highest-paid player in British football.

Clearly Hazard is prepared to accept playing under powerless, fitful coaching and with little reinforcement around him. It`s not a good or endearing look. No Superfrank or Captain Leader Legend he.

Diego Simeone, a manager often talked about as a Conte replacement, made it clear when approached by CFC last time that we would never work at a club where the manager didn`t have full charge of transfers.

Hmmm. Let`s see how he holds up under any big time financial temptation.

Though the favorite to take over from Conte seems to be Allegri at Juventus. You see? Even seeing his fellow countryman subjected to the transfer austerity program all successful Chelsea managers suffer, doesn’t seem to deter Allegri the alpha.

For us old-stagers it`s tragic, having suffered through the Shankley/Paisley/Ferguson dynasties, to know that we`ll never enjoy anything like it at our beloved Chelsea.

No, this is the Abramovich ‘dynasty` with lots of statistical success bringing momentary bragging rights followed by an extraordinarily empty feeling as we seem to be urged to ‘support` and revere businesspeople and profit/loss ledgers.

When even a servant as faithful as Michael Emenalo says “enough!” you know you`ve come to the end of some kind of line.

When a manager of Conte`s ability and charisma, a man who knows nothing but victory in domestic football having won four championships on the spin, is simply denied the tools to do his job, it`s time for all of us to say enough.

Particularly when you have the kind of squad we have: an unusually temperamental and sensitive bunch who seem to get tired easier than most; a bunch who also bemoan the constant lack of top quality reinforcements.

Watch: Abramovich and his servants will soon claim that this is a huge club where one of the greatest players in the world, Eden Hazard, is anxious to remain.

Hazard will then continue his Chelsea career with periods and flashes of greatness, shining out among other players nowhere near his level.

Chelsea will fail to win the Prem and Hazard will not be blamed at all. The manager will be.

And yet again a new one will come and Chelsea will continue to maintain that place among the next-down group of clubs below the true elite.< Beneath Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool, Ajax, Inter, Man United, Juventus, all of whom have at least three European championships to their names. And that’s just fine for the Abramovich regime. As long as whenever the tv cameras cut to the Chelsea crowd they only ever single out Abramovich – and not, as at every single other club, the football people who define their culture – this regime will be delighted.

Then again, we`ve nobody to blame but ourselves.

We all eagerly sold out everything we loved about our club for the mighty rouble.

We were even tricked into believing we were about to join the true big clubs above, with not just the first Prem title for 50 years, but another the following season!

Mourinho was our saviour.

As a younger man he was probably the only one with the sheer relentless energy to brush off the constant assault of the suits as they worked to wrest the power and spotlight back to their Russian leader.

Once rid of the Portuguese, the suits would never make that mistake again. And they haven`t.

They`ve prevailed. And now and then so have Chelsea.

And so has that empty hollow feeling.


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