Chelsea's Roman affair - A steady bond

I’ve written this article in response to Kalou’s recent words in the press. As I’m sure most of you will have noticed, he has come out with both praise and criticism on Roman Abramovich’s role at Chelsea.

Here is what he said:

Roman has his vision and he knows how he wants things to happen. He has the idea ‘I want to run this club, I want things to work’. And sometimes he has to remind people ‘I’m the one doing all of this’…. It’s important to remind players that ‘you may have been here for eight years, but I can change the team any time I want, so you better get back to the pitch and do the job right. Roman always reminded us very well of that and it worked every time. He came twice to talk to us – once in Carlo’s time and when we won ‘The Double’. And he came again after AVB and we won the Champions League. So when you see the results – they are positive, so you cannot criticise him because he has won everything. And most of all, he wanted to win the Champions League. Maybe he could have won it with Jose, with Carlo or another coach. He happened to win it with Robbie. But he wanted to win the Champions League and he won it. So you can say doing all of that was worth it.

I feel that there are positives and negatives from what he has said here. This idea, that Abramovich made it clear to the players and staff that, ultimately, he was running the show, isn’t the ideal way for a club to be run. Most argue that it’s his job to appoint who he thinks will do the best job as manager, and then work with him, take on board his wishes and requests, and allow him to do his job whilst offering whatever help he can.

That said, Kalou comments on how Abramovich’s presence at the club reminded them of the job they had to do, and that on multiple occasions it served as a motivation, which saw them win the double and the champions league.

There is no doubt that we owe a lot to Abramovich; he is responsible for the most successful and exciting period in the club’s history. Furthermore, his love for the club cannot be in doubt. People always used to say to me that he’ll get bored and move on, or when you win the champions league, he will sell the club and leave you in a dire state. Well, those people are bitter, he’s still here, and anyone who saw his and his son’s reaction after we beat Bayern Munich, will know that he is here for the long term.

The press certainly make a big deal of his role at Chelsea. Just weeks ago, they went nuts after he visited the training ground! You know it’s a slow news week when the headlines are “owner of football club visits his own football club.”

I don’t care what the media thinks about Abramovich though. All I care about, is what I and all other Chelsea fans think about his presence at Chelsea. He can certainly motivate the team, and I really don’t see the harm in him talking to the players, or even having a go at them if their attitude isn’t as it should be. It could be just what they need!

It’s easy to get drawn in to arguments about stability and our transfer policy, but I’ll leave that alone as it’s a very general and extensive topic. Some may mock the way the club is run, but I for one, love how everybody, from the owner, to the manager, to the players, are involved. There is a real feeling of togetherness, something that I have always felt characterised Chelsea (maybe not last season during AVB’s time). Roman plays a big part in this. Even if he imposes himself on the team a little too much sometimes – potentially undermining the manager – I will always support him.

Follow me on twitter: @cody_bound

KTBFFH!