Roman ruins his chances

IT WAS tempting to think that Roman Abramovich (left) did not understand his club or their supporters when he sacked Frank Lampard as manager last week but perhaps it is closer to the truth to say that some of us persist in not understanding him. For many in English football, the identity of a club is strengthened by having local players in the team. It has always been a powerful driver in the success stories of England’s two greatest clubs, Manchester United and Liverpool, and Lampard had begun the process of tapping into that emotion at Chelsea.

That doesn’t matter to Abramovich. All he sees is the moment. All he feels is impatience. All he is ruled by is ruthlessness. It is maybe why he will never get a Chelsea team playing the kind of football he yearns to see.