Sidwell: Why Abramovich would also visit Chelsea dressing room
Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell admits Roman Abramovich would regularly visit the dressing room.
Current co-owner Behdad Eghbali has been questioned over his insistence of visiting the Blues dressing room after every game.
But Sidwell says predecessor Abramovich would often do the same.
He told talkSPORT: “When I was at Chelsea Roman Abramovich used to come in after matches at Stamford Bridge.
“It depends what the context is and if they’re coming in to address everyone and then what they’re saying, ultimately.
“As a player, I never really saw it as a negative or a positive. After a game you knew if you’d played well or not, but with Roman it was different.
“If he came in, he didn’t have to say anything really. It would be a glare.
“He’d come in after most games and shake everyone’s hands and stand there talking to the coach and that was it – at that time players were getting up and going for showers or getting some food.
“He never really addressed us, but if there was a defeat or a bad performance, he’d come in and it would be ‘oof okay, here we go’.
“If they’re coming in and giving their opinions of the game – an owner’s opinion is different to someone who has been in football for 20-odd years at the highest level.
“It just depends what’s being said
Sidwell also recalled: “At the training ground there were times where we were called in for a meeting with the owner – especially at Chelsea with Roman, but away from the stadium and the emotion.
“We had to go in as a collective. You knew when he [Abramovich] was there because everyone was there!
“He would just address us to say ‘this is Chelsea Football Club, the standard at the moment is not good enough’. Short, sharp and sweet but just a little punch to go ‘come on’.
“But I’ve never had an owner come down to the dressing room to try and do tactics or be anywhere near the training pitch, nothing like that.”