Chelsea FC - crisis or no crisis?

A strange period for Chelsea FC at the moment.

Carlo Ancelotti, the team manger who in his first season took Chelsea to win the double - the FA cup and the Premier league, appears to have fallen out with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.

As usual the fans are told very little, or just get the official club spin.

Firstly, Ray Wilkins gets sacked - another in a long line of staff to be losing their jobs recently at Chelsea - but is this Abramovich flexing his muscle over Ancelotti, or is this more penny pinching?

The statement from Chelsea FC on Ray Wilkins departure (short and to the point);

In response to media enquiries regarding a League Managers' Association (LMA) statement issued on behalf of Ray Wilkins today (Saturday), the club has issued the following statement.  It reads:

'We are having amicable discussions with Ray's legal advisors. Although the matter is confidential, we can say that we have told Ray and his advisors that we will honour the termination provisions in Ray's contract.'

Once you read the brief statement you can no longer argue both aspects as above, this is a clear sacking, otherwise surely the cost cutting point would have been highlighted, but then to add insult to injury a replacement was installed two days before the statement on Wilkins and only a week after Wilkins departure.

Michael Emenalo has now been appointed to the position of assistant first team coach. He moves up from his previous position of head opposition scout, a role he will continue to oversee, while updating his coaching qualifications.


I feel for Emenalo, he no doubt already has the respect of many players in his current role, but there may well be some time bedding in as the assistant coach to Ancelotti, although he is one of three.
 
Is the crisis restricted to the off pitch aspects of Chelsea FC?
 
Obviously not, given Chelsea have now lost three of their lost four matches there is clearly something not right within the squad and you cannot just blame the injuries of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Zhirkov - Alex and Cole are now fit again.
 
The players need a kick up the backside, they earn some massive amounts of money and although Abramovich has now put a ceiling on no player earning more than £80,000 per week.  I still think the salaries are part of the problem, not just at Chelsea, but across the premiership full stop.
 
So, do I think there is a crisis at Chelsea, no, because if we can lose three games in four and still be at the top of the premiership, we must also be doing something right.
 
I hope Abramovich sees sense and keeps hold of Ancelotti and gets that contract sorted out now.