Luiz Felipe Scolari | July 2008 – Feb 2009
When Big Phil Scolari became head coach at Chelsea, the world was abuzz with anticipation because he came with an incredible reputation. Having turned down the England job, Scolari accepted Roman’s offer to revive the sleeping giant at Chelsea, and he started in superb fashion, replicating Brazil’s flashy style of play in no time, only for the wheels to fall off rather stunningly.
A dreadful run of form saw Roman pull the plug on the Brazilian experiment in February, just seven months into Scolari’s reign at the club. Nobody was surprised. He looked out of his depth, having not been used to managing at club level for so many years.
Why He Deserved The Sack
Losing Chelsea’s proud unbeaten home record. Struggling to speak English. Having zero empathy with players. Trying to phase out club legends. Being stubborn with his tactics despite them clearly not working.
Guus Hiddink | Feb 2009 – May 2009
With Scolari shown the door, there was again a vacancy in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge which was taken up by the highly-respected Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who combined his role at Chelsea with that of his commitment with the Russian national team, which considering who the Blues owner is, was never going to be a problem.
Hiddink galvanised the squad, got everyone playing for the cause, and only lost a single game all season, capping it off with a well deserved FA Cup victory as the fans and players all begged him to stay, but he opted to remain loyal to Russia.
Carlo Ancelotti | July 2009 – May 2011
The most coveted manager of the Roman era. Carlo Ancelotti was the master of winning European trophies, both as a player and coach, who Abramovich desired to manage his club, and he finally got his man in 2009.
Despite struggling with the language barrier, Ancelotti was an instant hit at the club, playing an extremely attractive style of football, scoring over a 100 goals, and winning the league and cup double in his first season.
The following year, a lack of signings left the squad rather depleted, and a host of injuries threatened to derail the season completely. Despite all of this, Carlo managed to guide Chelsea to second place, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy Roman, who sacked him.
Ancelotti later managed an array of teams all over Europe including Napoli, PSG and Real Madrid, who he showed his Champions League pedigree with again by achieving their tenth success in the competition. Ancelotti is now back in the Premier League, doing a fabulous job in charge of an energetic Everton side.
Why He Deserved The Sack
This is a controversial one because I loved Ancelotti, and felt this was, and still is, the most brutal sacking of all in the Abramovich era, but it was ultimately deserved. Ancelotti was brought in for one thing, and one thing only, to win the Champions League. Carlo’s form in the competition was uncharacteristically terrible. Getting knocked out in the last sixteen in back-to-back seasons, leaving Roman with little choice but to send the Italian packing.
Andre Villas-Boas | June 2011 – Mar 2012
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A bold choice by Roman, this one, to replace the legendary Carlo Ancelotti with Jose Mourinho’s former assistant, Andre Villas-Boas, who is to this day the youngest manager in the Abramovich era at Chelsea.
It was abundantly clear from the start that the job was simply too much for AVB to handle. He struggled to get any rhythm going in terms of results, looked completely out of his depth, and reportedly didn’t have a great relationship with the top players in the dressing room which ultimately led to his sacking after a thumping defeat away in the Champions League to Napoli.
AVB would go on to coach Spurs to decent success only to unjustly lose his job. He has since had stints in various clubs around the globe, most recently at Marseille where he infamously resigned on Deadline Day over an unwanted signing.
Why He Deserved The Sack
Where do I start? Lack of tactical knowledge. No respect for senior players. Signed his own death warrant by dropping the stars for a big Champions League tie. Way off the pace in the league. Arrogant aura.