Sunday, 9 March 2008
If Newcastle United is a bit like Eastenders, a soap opera full of tragedy and absurdly unlikely plot twists that end in disaster, then Chelsea FC is a bit like the OC, a tragic soap opera that doesn't suck quite as much. At least for the first 2 seasons, with back to back titles, and then slightly more pathetic and unwatchable these last two seasons (as you can see the club draws amazing parallels with the OC).
The fact is that even last season, where we only won 2 out of 4 trophies on offer (I know, how terrible) we were the best team in the country, and even the most dogged united fans consider themselves quite fortunate to have won last year, recognizing the injuries and off-the-pitch turmoil that began to grip chelsea last season. This season however is a different story. We have been pretty good at times, and suffered similar issues to last season, including an arguably even bigger injury crisis this year, but despite this, one can not honestly say we deserve to be at the summit or win anything. We just aren't that good. We have, in many people's opinions, our best squad ever, but we are being so comically mis-managed by an israeli premierleague reject and our arrogant owner who seems to believe he has the necessary skills to interfere and successfully manage a football club.
Quite frankly, Grant is not fit to be our assistant manager, clarke and ten cate are far more competent than he will ever be, and Roman should back the hell off and leave the football to the experts. Do you think it's a coincidence that Wenger has been so successful having been given near total control of his club? watch and learn from their example.
If Roman won't step aside and do what's best for the club then quite frankly he has to go. If I had the money I'd buy the club off him, and then I'd go beg Mourinho to come back and tell him he can do whatever he wants and I won't interfere at all. The difference between the two is that simply the players don't respect grant, he's like the forgotten man.
A story that illustrates this perfectly: following the carling up final defeat Grant wants to call a player meeting to sort things out. He searches the training ground trying to find the player, only to find that john terry has called a meeting without him. Attempting to join the proceedings he is told to wait outside by the players, being told that the meeting is for players only. He waits 10 minutes and comes back, only to find that they are still in discussion, and goes away again, and again, and again, and so on. The moral of this story being that grant has no power and no control and the players dont respect him. Roman, sort it out.
