by Patrick ‘Rey’ Reynell
Let me first get this off my chest: I’m a closet Chelsea fan. I started following soccer in 2006 and have somehow morphed into a fan of the Blues.
I hate to admit it because, in my opinion, this leaves me in the same category as the thrall of Boston Red Sox fans that suddenly appeared post-2004. I wasn’t around during Chelsea’s fifty-plus years of struggle to prove that I am a true fan. But in the same note, I also wasn’t a fan of anyone pre-2006.
Since following the Premier League and secretly the boys at Stamford Bridge, they’ve been through three managers and may be four when this season ends.
Other clubs on the cusp of the title do not seem to follow this trend, like Arsenal with Wenger, Aston Villa with O’Neill, Liverpool with Benetiz, and Manchester United with Sir Alex.
Why has Chelsea, a contender every year for the Premier League and Champions League, fallen into this NBA-like trend of hastily firing every manager that starts slowly? Perhaps greed but more so impatience.
Steve Kerr, general manager of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, made a bold hire at the end of last season. He realized the “seven seconds or less” era, albeit entertaining, was not going to produce a championship.
Building off the philosophy that defense wins championships, Kerr went out and hired Terry Porter, who he believed could build a defensive team with the same offensive fire power left over from Mike D’Antoni’s tenure.
Porter definitely had the Suns playing at a different pace, and perhaps most affected by this was Steve Nash. The two time MVP’s numbers were down and he seemed stagnant. Blame spread far and wide, mostly circling around Nash’s age in a ridiculously athletic position and, of course, the Shaquille O’Neal trade from last season.
But Porter wasn’t given much of a chance to implement his system and create the platform for which he was hired. One would think that with two of the most prolific finishers perhaps in the game’s history, Amare Stoudemire and O’Neal, as well as guards who could get them the ball, that Porter would be given the chance to make a cohesive defensive unit out of these fun-and-gun cohorts.
Think again.
Kerr fired Porter during the All-Star break. Yes – before he even completed one season in his new job.
The Suns were 23-18, which was a worse start than the past few seasons. Worse, yes, but the point was for Porter to produce a better finish, not necessarily a better start.
Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s owner, has displayed the same impatience in his hiring practices and, like Kerr, seems to forget that the end result is what matters.
Jose Mourinho and the Blues started a bit slower than usual last season in the Premier League. Amid reported strife between owner and manager, Mourinho (please pick one) left/was fired and Avram Grant stepped in.
Grant did not win the Premier League but was able to get the Blues to the Champions League final. They faced fellow English club Manchester United in Abramovich’s home country of Russia and lost in a shootout.
Grant was then predictably let go after the season and Chelsea made the popular hire of Portugal’s Felipe Scolari, whose most famous managerial stint was with Brazil in 2002 when they won the World Cup.
As is the case for all teams not far removed from chugging out of the championship chalice, everyone started to overanalyze Scolari’s start forgetting, once again, it’s how they finish the race, not start.
Soon reports followed that some players were not thrilled with Scolari’s training sessions and that the team’s poor performance was deteriorating any enthusiasm amongst players. Abramovich fired Scolari in early February in what seemed like déjà vu from the previous season.
Note to Abramovich and Kerr: Rome wasn’t built in a day.
These two are more like Nero rather than Julius Caesar. The empire has been built, and they’re willing to burn it down in order to build a more grandiose version.
Both hires, in my not-so-expert opinion, were fine. Now we see Phoenix probably back at square one with Alvin Gentry. Sure the Suns are scoring an insane amount of points and have somehow discovered Shaq’s fountain of youth, but haven’t we read this script before? Phoenix will not outgun the West’s best in a seven game series.
Chelsea continues on almost the exact same path as they did with Grant at the helm. New manager, Guus Hiddink, won’t see the Blues hoist the Premier League trophy. However, the Blues have been impressive at home and currently hold a 1-0 aggregate advantage in Champions League round of sixteen against Italian club, Juventus. He can certainly buck Chelsea’s managerial trend if he can win the Champions League.
Julius Caesar established Rome as a world power that spread far and wide. Nero nearly burnt it to the ground (allegedly). Hopefully, Abramovich and Kerr take note of the greatest empire of all time and realize that patience, especially with one’s handpicked personnel, is a virtue.
Rumor has it that plans are in the works for renovations of Stamford Bridge. They plan to to refurbish the seats and add waitresses who will come around bring refreshments to spectators. They are thinking of adding those cushy high backs and referring to it as the concierge level.
Fan of Chelsea?!?!
I friggin’ knew it. All that carryin’ on about Terry was too much. I saw right through it. Come to think of Drogba and Manny could be soul brothers. Ballack…hmm….he’s a little like Youkilis. You are not just a closet Blues fan. Rey are you a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation?
Casey – how do I emphatically say no in written form? NO! How dare you suggest such a blasphemous thing. Chelsea I am guilty of, though I also cheer for others. Red Sox Nation? I’d rather cheer for the Yankees and Manchester United.
Do you think Kerr started feeling the heat about losing some potential fannies in the seats by having his team play a less-than-entertaining style?
You bring up an excellent point my furry friend. Perhaps both are guilty of favoring an entertaining style. But at what point does entertainment take the place of success? Don’t know, as far as these two go it may be their demise as GM/owner. Their entertianing style can only make fans restless over the years, no? It’s like some of the girls you date in college. Sure – most you hung out with were entertaining – but did you ever see yourself marrying them?
I wouldn’t know anything about that. My under garments were always in a bunch. 🙂
Entertainment has been replacing success for too long in major sports. Owners want people in the seats. Not that the Rochester Rhinos are major sports, but just ask Pat Ercoli why he was shown the door. His teams were dominant. Then the owners asked him to play a more entertaining style – they told him a couple of losses would not matter if their style could attract more attention.