Introducing - The Men Who Have Ruined Football

So Roman has got bored again and we all  know what that means... The man who is almost single handedly responsible for football becoming detached from reality has forked out another few million in compensation. He also seems deluded enough to think that Pep Guardiola will consider ruining his reputation by managing a club whose owner will sack you if you lose 2 games.. 3 recent managers of Chelsea have failed to last a year in charge..

Plank 

The majority of Chelsea fans will accept the decision.. The older fans, because they still remember the days of John Bumstead, Doug Rougvie and relegation, will always look on these times as a golden age. The younger fans, because they know no different, will accept whatever decision Abramovich makes, as long as a ready supply of silverware continues to flow into the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet . It leads to the question, have Chelsea lost the plot, or is it football in general?

It's fairly obvious from the first paragraph that I am not a fan of Abramovich. I dislike him for what he has done to football (as well as other things that are easy to find online if you search well enough). I don't mind footballers being well paid, as part of the entertainment business market forces will dictate their earnings. Players should be able to take what they can from the game. If a club is prepared to pay £200,000 a week we shouldn't castigate the players for accepting it. I'm fairly sure that if anyone came and offered us a well paid job we'd all take it. The problem comes when rich people with no understanding of sport or the sport industry get to make the big decisions. One fact though is undeniable - Chelsea are Roman's club and he can do what he wants with them. If he wants Chelsea to have 3 managers a season he can do it. If he wants Chelsea to wear pink and purple shirts, he can do that too. If he chooses to leave, he can, and he can ruin the club in the process.

Here is the real problem. These people who come in and buy clubs often have no understanding of the culture and history of the club. It's just a plaything. The bad news is, that these people are not unique to the Premier League.  There are plenty of examples to show how one man can ruin the proud history of a club. The sad thing is that there is nothing that the supporters can do about it. One of the clubs that is local to me, a club that has been well run and punching above its weight for years is currently having it's soul ripped out by a wealthy moron.

For most of their history Forest Green Rovers have been found rummaging amongst the dregs of  the West of England's clubs. I remember them usually in the bottom 4 of the Southern League (Midland Division). Then, in the mid 90's they found themselves a decent manager and board and rapidly rose up to the Conference, where they still sit today, and to the FA Trophy final twice. Add to that a decent new stadium and you could argue that FGR were a club that all non league clubs could look at for good practice.

The problem is that they come from a small town (Nailsworth) and so have small crowds.. (Small crowds, not bad crowds because as a % of local population attending, FGR must rate quite highly). To be able to compete against Wrexham, Newport and Luton, and ultimately to become a fully professional club,  Forest Green Rovers needed a rich benefactor. Without someone chucking money in they would never finish outside the bottom 8.

Would you trust this man?

Step forward Mr Dale Vince. A man who has made his millions through the green electricity company Ecotricity and who was prepared to become the major shareholder of the club. Sadly the vegan new age traveller turned business tycoon has inflicted the club with his own ideas. Some good (Solar panels for electricity and pitch equipment), some bad (changing the club badge), some laughable (banning players from eating red meat) and some moronic (banning the sale of meat in the stadium - no burgers and pies people).

Then he committed one of the greatest crimes a club owner can possibly commit. He messed with the kit. After years of playing in black and white stripes, Vince decided that FGR should wear green shirts. Green to show how environmentally friendly the club is. Sadly, to most people it just looks like a stupid joke based on the fact that a colour is mentioned in the clubs name.

The supporters protested, but it fell on deaf ears. At home games banners still show resentment. But, and it's a big but, the club are having their best season ever. They are challenging for promotion to the Football League, and playing some decent stuff. Their performances this season would not be possible without Mr Vince's money. Like Chelsea, FGR could not compete without a rich man's money.

What is more important? The clubs history or success? To most supporters success is irrelevant. It's nice, but it's usually for supporters of other clubs. One thing is for sure, when Mr Vince or Mr Abramovich get bored, the supporters of their clubs will still be there. Whatever league it's in, I hope the good people of Nailsworth are watching their team playing in black and white stripes, and stuffing a meat pie into their mouths.

Overpaid players aren't the problem football has to cure. It's the rich businessmen who haven't got a clue who need sorting out.

My Cup Final Tears Are Drying...

Something has been missing from my football watching life for the past 20 years or so, but it is back. A genuine anticipation of the cup final. Already I can't wait to watch the match on May 19th. For those of us older than 30, who grew to love football before the 7 day a week coverage of the satellite era began, the cup final was an event, not a match. It started with the cup final songs, built up through FA Cup breakfast until, by 3.00,  the excitement was just like Christmas morning. The same teams weren't always in the final, there were stories galore about the players. Even now I can still remember that Micky Gynn was a postman! It didn't even matter that it was never my team in the final.

I can remember the last time I felt like this. It was May 18th 1991, shortly before Forest and Spurs played out the last final of a spell that gets my personal vote for the greatest period of the FA Cup (between 1986 and 1991).  Even when my team reached the final fairly recently, I just felt nerves and dread at what we might miss out on, rather than excitement.

1987, when the Cup Final was a big event.

To some extent I've fallen out of love with top level football now. I still love the lower division stuff, but usually now the cup final just means another bonus for millionaire players, and more bragging rights for glory seeking fans of the big teams. On top of that, with the exception of 2006, the game is usually awful. Whether this is purely down to the increased participation of Chelsea in the final recently is open to debate!  (It's worth considering though that between 2007-2011 there have been 7 goals in the final, and between 1987-1991 (not counting replays) there were 20.)

It has taken until 2012, but I have my Cup Final excitement back. I really don't care about Liverpool v Chelsea. I do care massively about events in Glasgow though. Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian. Everything a Cup Final should be. A local derby in the final. Two teams invading the national stadium for the biggest game in their lives. A player promising to strip off and run down Princes Street if his team win.  The supporters of the losing team will probably have to put up with merciless, painful reminders from their cross city rivals for the next 100 years. A city will be torn between total joy and tearful gut wrenching agony

Hibs v Hearts - Real Football?

Hibs fans have been waiting 116 years to right the 1896 final. They are probably the most patient fans in the history of football, having been waiting to win the cup for 110 years.  Waiting whilst Clyde, Morton, Airdrieonians, East Fife, Falkirk, St Mirren and Motherwell all had their days in the sun.

The league positions and head to head record show that Hearts have the better team and the history of more success. They can also draw on a fairly recent 4-0 smashing of their rivals at Hampden Park. Supporters will               remember 2 Cup Final successes in the last 15 years too.

As always, the Scottish Cup becomes interesting when Celtic and Rangers are watching on TV. I can't wait for this game, and I will be hoping that Hibs win. I have nothing against Hearts, but I think I may even shed a tear if I hear Sunshine on Leith being sung at full time. Football, I should never have doubted you.While I'm worth my room on this earth, I will be with you.

Are Chelsea the new Man Utd?

Clueless Manager or Gutless Owner?

Chelsea have made a decision.
Whether it is a good one or not remains to be seen, but one thing is perfectly clear, Roman Abramovich buckles to public opinion. When the grumbles start to fly around Stamford Bridge, the P45 is usually heading towards the manager. This is him disguising the fact that Chelsea's problems are all Mr Abramovich's fault. The mess they are now in all comes down to his personal falling out with Jose Mourinho and the eventual departure of the self styled 'special one' in September 2007.

Villas Boas can only have been appointed manager at Chelsea for one reason, and that must have been to build a new, young squad of his own. There is no other reason to appoint such a young manager. The fact that Abramovich has turned his back on that after a dodgy couple of months is laughable. There is always going  to be a period of transition whilst a new team is formed. Arsenal have been in one for about 6 years now. Liverpool for approaching 25.

People may say 'What about Man Utd, they don't seem to have a period of transition?', but it is Man Utd that I most closely associate Chelsea's current situation with. Not Manchester United of now, obviously, but Manchester United 1972-1989, a team unable to cope with the pressure of emulating the great team of 1968. A team left to grow old together, instead of gradually being broken up and rebuilt without anyone really noticing. A club where the big names of the past made it almost impossible to succeed.

The problem Chelsea have is that the make up of the current squad still contains 4 senior members of the 2005 -2006 Premiership Champions squad. A team afforded legendary status by Chelsea fans brought up on Eddie Nzedwiecki, Kevin Wilson and Steve Wicks. These players are untouchable at Stamford Bridge, and have created a situation where they can't be left out without the manager immediately being under pressure. These players are growing old and their performances are not what they once were.( In fact out of the 4, Frank Lampard (the player most commonly dropped by Villas Boas) is the only one playing anywhere near his original level.) Yet, there are no suitable replacements coming through. The youth system at Chelsea creates next to nothing, and any available top player would probably see other clubs as more forward thinking. What I find most amusing is that certain players seem desperate to see Mourinho back in charge. If he was, Terry, Cech, Drogba and Lampard would be unceremoniously dropped and released. I am certain of that. They would have gone last season if Mourinho was still there.

Chelsea need change if they are to remain at the top. They can't just hope that another great team comes along because it won't. Whoever the man is who gets the job, they will need 4 things to help them succeed:

Stability - no great change can be achieved in 9 months. The new man will need at least 2 season to get anywhere.

Cash - Roman had better be prepared to open his wallet. £200 million might enable them to keep sight of the Mancunian rears before they disappear beyond the horizon.

Support - The manager must be backed to the hilt. If he wants John Terry to go he must be allowed to send him on his way. I'm sure JT could do  a job at West Ham for a year or two.

The Mark Robins moment - At some stage, some player will have to stand up and be counted in a crucial game. I wouldn't back on anyone doing that right now.


Finally, if Chelsea really aren't going to spend 25 years in the doldrums, they'd better hope they don't get Fulham at home on the last day of the season. Damian Duff backheel anyone?