The constant media circus that surrounds Chelsea Football Club carries on a pace. One of my favourite films is The Truman Show. For those not familiar with it, the plot of the film follows the character played by Jim Carrey, Truman Burbank.
He lives in a world where those all around him are actors performing in a TV show that is broadcast live 24/7. Truman is the only one who doesn`t know. His whole life takes place on a film set and he has no idea, for him it`s his reality. Everything that happens to him is controlled by the shows writers and directors.
At the moment Antonio Conte is Truman Burbank. His whole life is being conducted in a glare of unwanted publicity and manipulation. It`s no wonder he set about putting the press in their place at his Friday presser before the Bournemouth game.
Quite who is directing this soap opera, that is Chelsea FC, remains the mystery. The obvious main contender for the role of director has to be the man at the top, Roman Abramovich. To those watching on though, the viewers, Abramovich seems to be an unlikely source of unrest at the club he has invested so much in. Seeing him sitting in the stadium kicking every ball, vigorously applauding every goal, shows a passion that defies the belief that he would want to upset his own applecart.
Whilst overall editorial control of Conte, in his Truman role, must lie with Mr. Abramovich, he`s surely not the only director. Like all soap operas there`s a group of people deciding how the show pans out.
Back in the summer when the transfer window was plodding slowly on, it was the transfer gurus, Marina Granovskaia and Michael Emanalo controlling proceedings. Their seeming inability to get deals over the line was a constant frustration for Conte. Whoever wrote in the Diego Costa plot line was responsible for a moment of genius. Like any good storyline, it was strung out for weeks before it was finally allowed to run its course.
Those at the club, set up the whole Chelsea story for this season, during the fractious summer of discontent. The media moguls have picked it up and run with it. At the moment, it`s those in the media that are having their say on, let`s call him Truman Conte.
The current plot line, introduced by those hacks, is that the manager is unhappy with his present squad of players. The indices being he didn`t want some of those bought in during the summer transfer window. They weren`t his choices, he wanted other players. Players the club, and their two transfer gurus weren`t prepared to get for him.
The natural progression of that plot line is, that, if the manager is not happy with the players, then surely the player`s can`t be happy with the manager.
So, more recently the story that has been dreamed up, is that Truman Conte is working the squad too hard. The players don`t like it. Recent injuries add fuel to that fire and of course players don`t like having to work hard do they? Really? What a ridiculous idea that is. How anyone can believe there is anything in that garbage is beyond belief. It`s another story that Conte has had to refute in a press conference.
Based on all of the above, the next progression in the plotline has to be who will be the next manager? The appearance of former manager Carlo Ancelotti at recent games has been ruthlessly highlighted. Obviously, if the current manager`s not happy with the players, and the players are not happy with the manager, then surely a new man must be installed. Other possible names have also been mooted. It`s all so disrespectful towards a man who deserves so much better.
Chelsea`s recent run of form has them go four games undefeated, despite all the supposed troubles. They are still in the top four, on top of their Champions League group and in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. Important victories have been achieved against all these odds. More significantly, players are beginning to recover from injury and form is returning for those affected earlier in the season.
The simple fact of the matter is, that, the manager has no problem with the players and vice versa. It`s all a figment of someone`s creative imagination. Maybe, Truman Conte is about to be allowed a period of relative stability in terms of media shenanigans. It`s a faint hope.
Those that believe Chelsea Football Club is run in a way that allows for self-imposed implosions from time to time are wide of the mark. Most of the clubs troubles are created and dictated by a media intent on making money and causing unrest in an ever-increasing circle of turmoil.
It`s easy to blame the club for all that is going on, but there are dark forces at work somewhere. Maybe, high in a control room looking down on proceedings, the life of Truman Conte could be about to change for the better. At least for the time being.
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