Wednesday 7th March, 2012 13 BY JOHN LEICESTER ome billionaires build luxury yachts, some buy art, some Chelsea stars face Sdonate to charity.Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich is said to do all those but collects the scalps of football managers, too. Abramovich’s axe And why not? Because if there is BY JASON BURT one thing the super-rich have in com- “It has been a very difficult 24 hours for mon, it is that their money allows oman a lot of people at the football club,” said Di them to do pretty much what they Abramovic Matteo on Monday night on Chelsea TV. want, how they want, when they want. Rh will clear “Our duty is to look forward and to try to They don’t have to settle for second out some of get the results that we need in the league, best. Chelsea’s biggest the Champions League and in the FA Cup.” Andre Villas-Boas knew that when names this sum- The need for a clearout is not a new he agreed to work for Abramovich at mer and is deter- notion at Chelsea. Villas-Boas understood Chelsea. mined to see changes had to be made last summer. Luiz “I will be surprised to be kept on through the ‘proj- Felipe Scolari, who survived for a similar the job if I don’t win,” the man quick- ect’ started by period of time before being fired in Feb ly dubbed “AVB” by the British media Andre Villas-Boas 2009, said it will be “hell” for whoever takes said when Chelsea hired him eight to create what one over now. months ago. source described “Some things are known, like the rela- The managerial contract Villas- as a “hungry new tions with the owner, who has the relation- Boas signed last June said three years, team”. ship with some players before the coach,” but the truth was that his tenure was Unless there is Scolari said. “Villas-Boas was a champion only ever going to be as long as Roman Abramovich a dramatic change and he will continue to be. He needed to of heart by the replace at least seven or eight players, even owner, a number of Chelsea’s most experi- since I was there, but he failed.” enced players, headed by Frank Lampard, Abramovich is believed to have put Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba and Florent some distance between himself and the Malouda, are in danger of being forced out players since those days but there is still a of the club. perception that he indulges the squad to Others such as Salomon Kalou — who, the detriment of the manager’s authority. Abramovich, like Drogba, has a deal that runs out in Villas-Boas had already begun work on June — will go. Even captain John Terry is overhauling the squad and reducing their not 100 per cent secure, it is believed. average age. It remains to be seen whether Although Cole, Lampard and Malouda sugar dad with teeth Abramovich is able to carry out the have contracts beyond this season, others changes he wants because it has proved dif- such as John Obi Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and ficult in the past to move on high-earning Paulo Ferreira are also likely to leave. players. It might also depend on who he Clearly not all the potential departures will and dollars to make them competitive variety of reasons, Villas-Boas has not hires to succeed Villas-Boas. happen and Abramovich does not have a Abramovich’s short patience. again. managed to get the team to perform for Pep Guardiola is the Russian billion- formal list of who is at risk. So let’s not go overboard with the Chelsea fans didn’t care where him. aire’s first choice, ahead of a return by Chelsea remain interested in Napoli crocodile tears over the sacking this Abramovich’s money came from. They “Each one of them was, or thinks Jose Mourinho, although an approach will striker Edinson Cavani and the exciting weekend of AVB. Seven losses and celebrated their good fortune by wear- that he is, the superstar of the team,” not be made yet with Chelsea having to Brazilian teenage midfielder Lucas Moura, seven draws in 27 Premier League ing Russian fur hats. another of Abramovich’s former man- ascertain whether the Spaniard wants to who currently plays for Sao Paulo, and may games was never going to be good But the other side to this coin is agers, Avram Grant, said of Chelsea’s remain at Barcelona or is prepared to return for Tottenham’s Luka Modric or enough. that Abramovich’s estimated net marquee players. “This is one of the move. Porto’s Joao Moutinho.Abramovich is Villas-Boas either must or should worth of $13 billion means he can gov- main things in Chelsea — to know how Chelsea will also see which other coaches determined to carry out the overhaul and have known he had this coming. ern on a whim; his whim. to deal with these players.” are available — it is believed Fabio Capello will make funds available. He looked drained and strained but He doesn’t have to be logical or rea- The long-term plan, “my project” he and Rafael Benítez have been ruled out – and Villas-Boas was ony the second Chelsea tried to sound optimistic after what sonable. dubbed it, was that AVB would gradual- there is even the remote possibility that if manager to be sacked face-to-face by proved to be his final Chelsea game, a Carlo Ancelotti, AVB’s predecessor, ly replace Chelsea’s aging stars and Roberto Di Matteo is successful as interim Abramovich, and had the remainder of his 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion on delivered both the Premier League title give the club a younger future. manager he could remain beyond this sea- contract paid up in full. It is thought he Saturday. and the FA Cup to Abramovich but Short-term, however, he was still son. will receive around £8?million in compen- “In football, there is joy, there is then was let go after a subsequent sea- required to win. Abramovich seeming- That would, however, depend on drastic sation. Inter Milan are considering a move pain and there is another chance,” he son without trophies. That contract ter- ly wanted both continuity and revolu- improvement in form starting with Tuesday for him although it is believed he could be said. mination and the hiring of AVB cost tion. As AVB’s firing showed, most of evening’s FA Cup fifth-round replay at more likely to return to Porto in the sum- Not this time. Chelsea 28 million pounds ($45 mil- all, he wants instant success. Birmingham. mer. His dismissal cannot by any lion). In the real world, such an outlay “It’s all about results,” said Grant. It is understood that Abramovich is keen Villas-Boas did not arrive with an exten- stretch of the imagination be called a makes no sense. But for a billionaire, AVB couldn’t deliver, at least not for Fernando Torres to be restored to the sive backroom staff although Chelsea con- tragedy, not least because he is expect- clearly it doesn’t have to. fast enough for Abramovich. Perhaps starting line-up for the match and Di firmed that those he did bring — fitness ed to be richly compensated for Even before the benefit of hind- impatience is a privilege of billion- Matteo’s future, like that of his predecessors, coach Jose Mario Rochas and chief opposi- Abramovich’s change of heart. sight, AVB seemed too young and inex- aires, too. may also depend on getting the best out of tion scout Daniel Sousa — have left the Nor, as the head of the English perienced to have much hope of quick- Some would say that flitting from the Spanish striker who has struggled terri- club. managers’ union dramatically ly imposing himself at Chelsea. manager to manager is no way to run a bly since his £50?million move from Di Matteo on Monday brought back claimed, is it “a serious embarrass- He was flavor of month when he football club and that Abramovich’s Liverpool in January 2010. another former Chelsea player, Eddie ment to the owner, the club, the fans took the job, because he had won three ambition, stated in 2005, “to build the Abramovich is angry and frustrated at Newton, to be his assistant. The pair previ- and the league” that Abramovich is trophies in one season with Portuguese most successful football club in the the failure of the Villas-Boas regime, just ously worked together at West Bromwich now seeking his eighth manager in side Porto. world” won’t happen while he’s so eight months into taking over from Carlo Albion and MK Dons and, going back to nine years of owning the club. But, now 34, he was barely older focused on immediate gratification. Ancelotti, which had a clear remit of their playing career, they scored the goals No, with sugar daddies, being able than Chelsea’s established stars, But it’s his club. He can do what he rebuilding the squad and playing more that won the club the 1997 FA Cup. to chop and change just goes with the including John Terry, Didier Drogba, wants with it. attractive football. Like Di Matteo, Newton’s career was territory. Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and As Abramovich said in a rare inter- The owner, who personally selected the also cut short by injury. Chelsea also English football has been more Nicolas Anelka, the French striker he view with The Observer newspaper in Portuguese, believed he had to make a announced that Chris Jones would step up than happy for wealthy benefactors later got rid of.