Can Chelsea Ever Be Respected as a Club?

So after only 8 months at Stamford Bridge, AVB, the man Roman Abramovich brought in to revive the club's fortunes and return them to the good old days under Mourinho has been given his marching orders. With Chelsea struggling to get into the Champions League for next season and out of the Champions League effectively this season, the Russian oligarch decided enough was enough and parted more of his millions to ensure AVB wouldn't manage Chelsea again.

So the list of Chelsea's managers since Roman Abramovich looks like this:
Claudio Ranieri (2003-04)
Jose Mourinho (2004-07)
Avram Grant (2007-08)
Luis Felipe Scolari (2008-09)
Guus Hiddink (2009)
Carlo Anclelotti (2009-11)
Andre Villas-Boas (2011-12)
Roberto di Matteo (2012-)

I don't think even Real Madrid who are infamously known for playing Russian roulette with their managers has had that many managerial changes in one period.

And the return for having 8 managers in 10 seasons? 3 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 1 League Cup & 1 Champions League final appearance. If we convert that into a per-capita stat, Chelsea would be well at the bottom of the list.

The big problem is that last trophy - it happens to be the one Roman Abramovich wants so badly to win but none of them have achieved it of course.

Ironically, it was Avram Grant, the one manager that Chelsea fans least wanted who has come closest - with a heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Manchester United in the 2008 final in Abramovich's hometown of Moscow.

But even the Special One got the chop because he couldn't quite deliver the European Cup to West London.

Like the England manager's job, the Chelsea managerial job is clearly a poisoned chalice and you'd be brave and stupid to take on a job with someone like Abramovich at the helm.

But while the England manager's job certainly has the pressure of the nation - and a nations' media - on top of it, the Chelsea manager's job has the pressure of a super-rich and powerful oil tycoon and a couple of West Londoners on its head - yet Steve McClaren and Graham Taylor somehow stayed as England manager for as long as they did than Mourinho and Anclelotti?

Rubbish

The problems at Chelsea are for all to see. The squad as talented as it is and as good as it was is clearly past its best and urgently needs a clean-out in order to compete with the likes of the Manchester clubs and heck even Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle! There is some promise in Daniel Sturridge, Josh McEachran & Gary Cahill but there have also been some rubbish signings, most notably David Luiz and Raul Meireles (thank God Liverpool cut the cord with him) who are absolutely mediocre and aren't suited to the Premier League.

Yet it appears the manager keeps getting the cull. Perhaps the old adage applies - easier to sack the manager than the whole squad.

But can Chelsea ever be truly respected as a football club if it keeps playing musical chairs with its manager? How long will the fans who have seen aplenty in their colourful past put up with this nonsense?

I'm glad I'm a Liverpool fan. At least we've got a trophy in the bag.