ODE TO ANDRE

Andre, oh Andre,
What can you do?
This high line you play,
Is no good for you.

Luiz is too crazy,
Terry to slow,
You better sort it out,
Before Roman tells you to go.

You need to climb the table,
Or win the champions League,
Or a one-way ticket outta London,
Will be all that you need.

Teams used to come to the Bridge,
Happy for a draw,
But the style you now play,
They know they'll get more.

Ask Jose or Phil,
Carlo and Avram too,
They all know,
What you need to do.

Coz Roman's itchy fingers,
Will be pointed at you,
And you will soon see,
You are disposable too!

Chelsea! In Crisis?

Personally I think reports of Chelsea decline are coming a bit early?

Admittedly they've not been great, at times they haven't even been good, obviously the stats don't lie. In the first ten games of the Premier League season they scored 27 goals, since then it reads: Seven games, four goals. No one associated with Chelsea is happy with numbers like that but I don't agree it warrants the word 'crisis'.

Chelsea's problem is that their most successful period has been over the last decade which makes it at the forefront, in the mind of a fan. A 20 year old supporter won't remember a time when they weren't challenging for the league, trophies will be all they know. They have won 14 trophies covering top-flight Championships, League and FA Cup, and of those nine have been since the year 2000. That's 64 %.

But all this counts for nothing as in football you are only as successful as your last result and right now that is a one all draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur. So rumours continue about Carlo Ancelotti leaving the club in the summer or before. The boss made it clear it wasn't his decision to sack Ray Wilkins and you have to wonder how much control the Italian has over his staff and it's affairs. He has looked increasingly unhappy in the dugout with his new assistant Michael Emenalo at his side, a man who was promoted from the position of chief opposition scout.

Unlike previous managers such as Avram Grant it is clear Ancelotti is in charge in the changing room with players regularly coming out in support of the manager, but will this be enough to keep him at Stamford Bridge? As the media continues to speculate over the clubs form will this increase doubts in the owners mind about whether he has the right man in charge? Roman Abramovich is a man known to make important decisions on his opinion alone but maybe now would be the time for him to look for the thoughts of those outside of the boardroom.

It is clear the fans have a lot of love for the man in the hot seat and in a league where managers are sacked for wearing the wrong colour tie it might be nice to see someone of Abramovich's stature being a little patient and removing his finger from the trigger. The longest serving managers are at the Premier League's most successful clubs. I'm sure even Mr Abramovich knows this isn't just a coincidence.

No Respect for Ray

I know it is not just me who feels a bitter taste in their mouth while reading about Ray Wilkins unceremonious and abrupt sacking by Chelsea football club. I know it is not just me who thinks there is slightly more to the story than what we are hearing in the media. I also know it is not just me who has lost a bit of respect for manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

There have been lots of jokes over the years about the lack of soul in the Stamford Bridge boardroom since Abramovich's takeover, maybe the jokes were true. Is it possible that the jokes were true. I wonder if with all that money comes a lack of morals and a sense of doing things exactly as you like, rather than in a fitting and right way.

Ray Wilkins was not just another member of staff, he was a Chelsea man and I would presume he still is, regardless of how they treated. Ray Wilkins is a football man. As a player he played for Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Rangers and QPR. He is respected by all involved in the game and all who love the game. His playing time at Chelsea in the 70's conincided with the teams most successful period before the Russian intervention. A man with blue blood pumping through his veins has been left shock and bemused.

We should all be shiocked but I suppose this is the way of the world now. Loyalty and respect no longer counts in a world of yachts and private jets.

I could go on blaming the money men but there is still enough humans involved in the game to know right from wrong.

So instead, I'll leave you with a quote from Carlo Ancelotti, made on 10th September 2010:

"Without Ray we couldn't have won a thing and I wouldn't have started this year at such a supersonic speed..."

You can tell so much about a man by his words...