Roman Abramovich sends clear message to Chelsea Todd Bohely as Pressure builds up
That explains a lot of the dissent towards Clearlake-Boehly in the two-and-a-half years since. But why now, after a quiet period, has Abramovich become the beacon of light?
The biggest reason is surely results. Chelsea have surrendered a position as solid contenders for the top four and are now fighting to cling on to their spot. Going out of both domestic cup competitions without as much as a whimper does not help.
These are not characteristics associated with the Chelsea that fans still hold so dear. It is not what Abramovich’s Chelsea would have done, is the general feeling.
Really, though, it is the lack of vision or clear sight of the new owners which is angering supporters. Results are volatile at the top level and have been for a while. Supporters can put up with that, to an extent, if there is other stuff to get behind.
At the club now, with the remainders of Abramovich’s glory days wiped out, there isn’t much to cling onto. Fans are no longer content to turn frustration towards managers who they dislike – Graham Potter as an outsider and a risk, a man without the personality to succeed in the fire of Chelsea, and Pochettino as a Spurs man.
Instead, attention turns to those further up. Online, in particular, there are increasing levels of disbelief at the roles played by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart among others in the recruitment department. Behdad Eghabli, as the controlling owner no longer in the shadows of Boehly, is also coming under fire.
The lack of clarity over key positions, holes in the squad, and eventual appointment of an inexperienced manager to front it all, are so far removed from even Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea of 2022. And that is not to say that Tuchel did not have his problems. Chelsea at that point were approaching a crossroads of how to get back to competing for titles and didn’t seem to have a clear way of getting there.
That is what the Abramovich era Chelsea ended as. The current guise is much worse for those watching on. They see nothing of the club they once loved – by design, as the owners ripped it up to implement their own ideas. That is still the case now, as it was in March last year under Pochettino.
It is something that goes beyond the results on the pitch, hence why a dip for two months brings out the underlying concerns and feelings. Whether there is logic to chanting for Abramovich, an owner who was still working in medieval ways in a lot of respects, is not really the point. That Chelsea fans accept and know this but are so keen to enter nostalgia mode rather than get on board with what is right in front of them is telling.
Shouting Abramovich’s name is unlikely to help the current team. It won’t bring people together and is not a positive sign for the club as a whole. It is entirely understandable why those standing in the rain to watch Chelsea choose to do it, regardless.