AVB out? seriously?

[Term-X 7,891]

The Chelsea players still refer to AVB as 'Bambi'. He will always be Jose's errand boy to the seniors, the guy who used to hand out the dossiers, which were no doubt later thrown in the bin. Naive-Boas has committed the biggest heist in club football history, whether he stays or gets sacked, it's 'win win' for him financially. In the meantime, the club is in meltdown, being humiliated and most importantly on the verge of becoming history, with the new FFP regulations looming ever nearer.

[Madmax 9,219]

the other takes a worldclass football team to not qualifty for cl and go out in group stages

Worldclass? The Chelsea of July 2011 was a worldclass football team?

[zolayes 14,489]

made a donation yet TX???

[Laylabelle 9,356]

If the players cant respect him as a Manager then its them who needs to go.His postion in the club before thats in the past.They need to grow up,deflate their egos and realise he is their manager

[Term-X 7,891]

made a donation yet TX???

You've now gone off-topic in two threads.

I have no intention of discussing anything other than AVB in here. Which is why I specifically posted in the 'AVB out' thread.

[Kostas 1,468]

Too...Much..Drama..

[eldo 868]

Is TX Martin Lipton?

[manpe 10,861]

If players cannot or will not respect the manager appointed by the club, then it's their problem, not the manager's... If it is indeed true, then it only shows that some of the players think themselves bigger than the club. If the CLUB decides and PAYS for their boss, then they have to accept it and respect it like professionals, not be a bunch of schoolboys who think they are running the playground. Everybody who disrespects and doesn't take AVB seriously, can fuck off... yes, even if it is Terry or Lampard or flippin' Drogba, I don't care - even they are not bigger than the club. Appointing AVB was a decision made by the club board, including Roman himself.. so they are indirectly showing Abramovich their middle fingers, which is disgusting when to think about it.

[francozola 2,040]

Telegraph Sport was told that Villas-Boas's appointment at Chelsea was "purely" down to Abramovich and that the club's owner is determined to provide as much support as he can to the manager, whom he still greatly admires.

That view is not universally held within Chelsea where there is some concern over the 34-year-old Portuguese and his methods. Indeed there are even doubts as to whether the club will finish in the top four in the Premier League and qualify for next season's Champions League.

However, Abramovich is determined to back Villas-Boas and that will include bidding for at least one marquee signing in the January transfer window.

It is understood that Chelsea have made a creative midfielder a priority, having missed out on Tottenham's Luka Modric in the summer. A meeting was held earlier this week and a target decided. His identity is being closely guarded but Chelsea are also considering moves for a striker – if they can offload Nicolas Anelka – and a central defender, most likely to be Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill, if Alex is sold.

Two forthcoming home fixtures, however, have been highlighted as key to Villas-Boas's prospects – next week's Champions League tie against Valencia and, the Premier League match, also at Stamford Bridge, against Manchester City the following Monday.

If Chelsea were to go out of the Champions League it would undermine the manager further while a poor home performance against City, would make the manager's position precarious, in spite of Abramovich's backing.

Villas-Boas has to improve on what one senior Chelsea official called the "supine" defeat to Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup on Tuesday evening if he is to survive.

There are advisers close to Abramovich who have decided that Villas-Boas is not the right man to take the club forward and make the necessary changes. Interestingly, these concerns were first voiced to Abramovich in August but he dismissed them.

These doubts extend to the players with some privately questioning Villas-Boas's tactics – the team used a midfield diamond on Tuesday without, apparently, practising that formation – and being confused as to the chopping and changing of his line-up. It is said that he does not know the "core" to his team.

However, a source close to the Russian said last night: "The only one who chose this manager was Roman. This was his choice, purely. No one else was involved."

That tallies with the confusion over why Abramovich did not offer Guus Hiddink the job in the summer after sacking Carlo Ancelotti.

At the time, advisers were suggesting Hiddink, not Villas-Boas, would be hired and there was some shock when the Dutchman was overlooked.

However, the source added: "When Ancelotti was selected that had much to do with Andrei Shevchenko. With [Luiz Felipe] Scolari it was [the then chief executive] Peter Kenyon. With Mourinho it was [the agent] Pini Zahavi. But with Villas-Boas it has been Roman. Purely Roman."

Chelsea have maintained that Villas-Boas was always their No 1 choice, and Abramovich underlined that view by paying 15 million euros for Porto to release him from his contract as coach, even though that release clause would not have applied next summer.

However, it is believed that Abramovich intends to veto bids for Porto players because of his annoyance at the way they negotiated Villas-Boas's release. That may end their interest in Uruguayan international Alvaro Perreira. The manager would like Chelsea to inquire about Hulk, but the Brazilian striker has a prohibitive buy-out clause.

Chelsea have also ruled out bidding for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani and, having spent £75 million last January on Fernando Torres and David Luiz and then a further £64 million in the summer, there is not the appetite to spend big again, even though there is an acknowledgement that the ageing squad needs an overhaul.

As well as Anelka, Chelsea are prepared to allow Didier Drogba – also in the final year of his contract – and Florent Malouda to go at the end of this season while Salomon Kalou appears to be out of favour with Villas-Boas despite being offered a new contract at the club. Kalou is in the final year of his current deal and could sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January.

At the same time there is growing concern over the poor form of Torres, with Villas-Boas acknowledging that he is now firmly second choice to Drogba. Romelu Lukaku is also struggling to convince Chelsea that he can justify his billing as one of European football's most exciting young players.

It had been thought that Villas-Boas's time as manager would be defined by whether he could get the best out of Torres, but it is understood that Abramovich is now considering whether the striker, rather than the coaching, is the problem.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8926958/Chelsea-owner-Roman-Abramovich-vows-to-stand-by-Andre-Villas-Boas-even-after-recent-wobble.html

all these "insider" articles are always dodgy but who knows

[Kez 2,727]

^ interesting to read & reassuring if true.

The bit about players raising concerns & doubting AVB annoyed me. Yet again we have player power trying to take over. No player is bigger than the club & if they don't want to play for AVB it's time for them to leave cause a lot of them are playing like they don't give a shit.

[ZanSnake 1,211]

I hope Roman supports AVB, but really, we can't ease our minds about because some journalist made an assumption.

They said Mata was Arsenal bound but he came to SB, for example, but i do hope it's true.

Hope AVB starts to make changes tactically though - he needs to experiment to some exstent.

[eldo 868]

He needs to get rid of advisors.

[bluephoenix 1,126]

AVB should start with trying to build a home record that Mourinho had !

[nullabletype 987]

francozola, assuming what you have posted is true, that's great. I think we all know AVB can get the job done if he gets the support and as the players he wants. I said before, I wouldn't be surprised if Roman is happy to let him play the older guys who's contracts are soon to expire now, so as not to rock the boat. Let them go, and then get some new signings.

[The Big Drog 1,110]

avb is exactly like obama, came with so much promise. One has runied the country he is in charge of and the other takes a worldclass football team to not qualifty for cl and go out in group stages(if you think were beating valencia, your a thick fken moron). Stop being so fucken nieave people thinking he is a savior. The way its set up at porto I could win a treble there. Cut our losses. Hiddink in for the next 3 years, he will get results while rebuilding.

Really? You could win a treble at Porto? Really?

Nevermind the tough obstacles AVB had to overcome having never been a professional player, or the sterling work he did under Mourinho, or how he he did well at Academia to earn the right to manage Porto, to be the manager of Porto at his age with his non existent past as a pro player warrants a lot of respect, to have won 4 trophies in his first season deserves a lot more.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Villas-Boas cannot work miracles. This is an old team now. The problem is not Villas-Boas, it's with the team that he has.

[manpe 10,861]

did he say that?

yeah, found it http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Chelsea-Blame-old-players-not-Andre-Villas-Boas-for-bad-results-says-ex-manager-Carlo-Ancelotti-article836801.html

[Kieran. 6,317]

did he say that?

Yes. He is correct.