OT: Chelsea fires Manager

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

Those that follow Premier League Football know that no manager is safe, particularly at top teams. Chelsea took silliness that to new heights today, firing Manager Carlo Ancellotti in the hallway after today's game at Everton. This after a second place finish in the league this year, and after having won the double for the first time in club history LAST YEAR.  There is no sport's owners more about what have you done for me lately than that league.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/22/chelsea-sack-carlo-ancel…

Anyway, I know there is a majority of mgobloggers who don't like to see soccer news, but there are many that do, so here you are.

 

bryemye

May 23rd, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^

The man has been a dead man walking since they lost to Man Utd. Frankly he could have won the league and perhaps been fired.

Roman has pumped more money into that squad than anyone save Man City now (so mad) and he expects to win.

Not getting Torres to fire all season was the big problem Ancelotti. He knew he was out and didn't seem worried about it.

Zone Left

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:07 PM ^

I remember Sparky Anderson saying something along the lines of, "I was a Hall of Fame manager because I was smart enough to have a bunch of great players on the teams I coached," implying that the best managers were only differentiated from the average manager by being lucky enough to coach the players who were on the 1984 Tigers.

I've always thought of pro soccer and basketball coaches in the same way. Their primary job is to keep players focused and not try to get cute. Am I way off base here? Maybe it's because I don't understand soccer very well.

MKEblue

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:30 PM ^

There's a lot of truth to your comment. A manager for a soccer club definitely has less influence during an individual game than a basketball coach, and WAY less influence than a football coach (and his coordinators). For basketball and football, there's all kinds of playcalling and personnel decisions to be made. This happens much less in soccer. You still choose a base formation etc., but there's much less going on during the game in terms of plays and subs. If you have a bunch of playmakers on the field, the manager can just let them play to a greater extent than a bball or football coach can.

BrownJuggernaut

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:23 PM ^

Their squad has gotten older and more injury prone. Several of their top players were injured and/or underperformed. Roman has always been quick to change managers, but I don't think it was the right solution in this case. I understand that he invested a lot in the club, even in midseason, but the team was probably the hottest club to end the season. Ancellotti had gotten the squad back on track particularly once David Luiz got into the side. While I do not like Chelsea, I don't think it was a good decision. Who is a better manager on the market right now? Mourinho might be available if he gets fired with Real but would he want a second stint at Chelsea? Would they be able to lure Guardiola from Barca? I don't think either are realistic possibilities.

BrownJuggernaut

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:44 PM ^

I agree, but I've heard something that suggest otherwise. There's been rumblings that Guardiola wants to coach in the Premiership, that he's tipped to takeover when Ferguson or Wenger retires, or that he's unhappy with Barca's management. I would think that managing his home club is a dream position for him though. 

bacon1431

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^

The coaching carousel in soccer is ridiculous. I know they have less influence than alot of other sports and personnel changes are very frequent, but how do they expect any stability and continuity year-to-year by sacking managers every other year?

Big Z

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:40 PM ^

The guy has won everywhere he has coached. Great manager. Now the door is open for him to come back to Roma. What a perfect way for DiBenedetto to start to improve the club

thedeezy

May 22nd, 2011 at 6:55 PM ^

The writing on the wall has been there for a few months in regards to Carlo. Pretty funny how he won the double his first year and the sacked in the second year. The lack of form of Essien, Lampard, Torres, and inability to find a half decent RB did Chelsea and Carlo in this year. In the cases of Essien and Lampard, they are at the age where it may not be in a dip in form, just age catching up them. Not everyone can be a Ryan Giggs.

Edit: In regards to OP, can we make an exception to the no manager is safe with SAF

Blue_in_Cleveland

May 23rd, 2011 at 12:17 AM ^

Michael Essien is only 28. And this thing has happened in the NBA as well. Byron Scott was relieved of his position with the Hornets a little more than a season after winning coach of the year. Likewise for Mike Brown of the Cavs who won the award the year after Scott. Which is a bummer because I like both of those teams.

GoBlueBrooklyn

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:02 PM ^

.... when you have the Russian people's oil money to spend, why not get the best? Abramovich has let himself down here. I don't think they like Ancellotti's  style, and with an incredibly mediocre Man United winning the league this year, Chelsea's point total seems unacceptable. He did not get the best from Torres, who is burying managers everywhere he goes of late, and you have to wonder, as others said, who they will bring in to make this team hum. Let them flounder; you can't buy history.

samber2009

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:05 PM ^

I'm a big Man U fan with a ton of respect/hatred for chelsea, but this is a terrible decision.  Ancelotti seemed to be a great manager and they weren't out of the EPL title hunt until last week. Roman is just so desparate to win the champions league he's making a big mistake here.  I guess getting rid of Mourinho was the bigger mistake. Who is better AND available to meet his standards?

JohnnyV123

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:05 PM ^

Yet Arsene Wenger whose team has choked at least 3 times in the past 6 years in the quest for the premier league title keeps his job. Chelsea is ridiculous their team showed poise getting themselves back into contention for the league and finishing second.

Torres has been a huge disappointment so far especially considering what they paid for him but still....runner up to repeating for the title and winning the double last year.

seattleblue

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:31 PM ^

It's not choking when you have a squad with significantly less depth.  Arsenal wouldn't even compete with the likes of Man U, Chelsea and now Man City if not for Arsene Wenger.  I'm not an Arsenal fan though, so I would love for Kroenke to fire him and watch them plummet out of the top 4.

seattleblue

May 22nd, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^

Van Persie is a decent striker.  Unfortunately he gets injured a lot. 

What striker do you suggest they buy?  There isn't a plethora of world-class strikers on the market (see Liverpool paying through the nose for Andy Carroll).  Chamakh looked to be a good purchase this summer, but he never settled in the squad.  As far as goal-keepers go, Szczesny is young and has been solid.  Money would be much better spent adding some brutes to the midfield and on defense.

BrownJuggernaut

May 22nd, 2011 at 10:22 PM ^

The need some consistency at central defense. Djourou looked like he was emerging as a solid partner to a healthy Vermaelen, but then he's regressed a little bit. Vermaelen has been okay since he came back. I think they still need to address that area. Clichy is a god damn sieve of a leftback. He makes so many moronic decisions.

They need to get someone in the midfielder who is going to work for them and clear out space for Cesc and Nasri. They need a bulldog. I like Song, but I'm not completely sold. 

Van Persie lit the lamp a record number of times since January 1st. The guy was the one shining star to the second half of the season. Yeah, he's fragile, but if he's healthy, he's the guy.

EDIT: Keep an eye out for Ryo Miyaichi. If they can get a work permit for him, he will be a star. He was tremendous for Feyenoord in the Eridivisie. 

BrownJuggernaut

May 23rd, 2011 at 9:54 AM ^

Song gets injured a fair amount too, like the rest of the team. They need some hard working players that really fight for the badge. Sometimes I feel like the team is completely nonchalent, especially about defending. Everyone runs back to attack, but no one runs back to defend. I don't want a complete overhaul of the team, but I do want Wenger to get some more physical and more hardworking players. They have some guys who are coming through the system like Frimpong and Lansbury who I think can contribute, but I don't know if Wenger is going to give them a chance. Frimpong was looking like he would contend with Song prior to his injury and Lansbury helped Norwich City get to the Premier League. 

Rabbit21

May 22nd, 2011 at 10:49 PM ^

Arsenal still have to pay for the Emirates, so I think they get a pass for being tight fisted. It's part of the reason I'm ambivalent about Spurs building a new stadium even though they've never been about the huge splashes in the transfer market more just trying to get too clever( although with Modric, VDV and even Berba it worked out.) I'd rather they be able to be a bit freeer than continuing to force Harry to be clever.

BrownJuggernaut

May 23rd, 2011 at 9:59 AM ^

Arsenal still have debt from the Emirates, but they've significantly cut the debt over the last couple years. Their debts were at 300 something million a couple years ago and they had cut it to 135 million at the beginning of this year. I'm not quite sure how much they exactly have, but I don't think debt is a big issue for Arsenal as it could be for other clubs, especially with the way the club is run (beyond the transfers, the wage structure is pretty strict).

CalGoBlue

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:46 PM ^

Arsenal haven't choked.  They don't spend the money that ManU, Chelsea and ManCity spend and, therefore,don't have the depth to handle the last third of the season with injuries, suspensions and the increased number of matches.  Don't confuse lack of depth with choking.

BRCE

May 22nd, 2011 at 8:08 PM ^

They still have a lot more depth and spending prowess than Fulham, Stoke and Aston Villa yet couldn't get a win against any of them down the stretch when just one victory there would have secured third place.

Wenger doesn't deserve to be fired, but to say this wasn't a choke makes me wonder if you were following the week-to-week action in the Premier League this season. It was a total choke.

coastal blue

May 22nd, 2011 at 9:27 PM ^

This was really the year where Arsenal should have taken control and ended their trophyless run with both Man U and Chelsea blowing game after game. 

Wenger's signings have seemed smart at times, but they just haven't given Arsenal that edge they had when Henry, Pires, Ljungberg, Viera and Bergkamp were running the show. 

Rosicky is fantastic, but always hurt. Nasri and Arvashin are both quality, but they don't score enough goals. Van Persie always seems to miss a stretch of games. Vermalean was probably his best signing as it addressed their defensive struggles, but once again, hurt. 

They really need someone to fill Henry's role as the consistent goal scorer, otherwise they'll just remain Barcelona-Lite. 

bryemye

May 23rd, 2011 at 10:08 AM ^

Money in and money out. This was certainly a very disappointing season and I agree with you they have choked a few times but god damn it man, that's real money for some clubs and not for others. Man Utd is in ENORMOUS debt just to keep up. Arsenal have largely balanced books.

You cannot ignore that factor. Arsenal often puts out a side that costs less than a top team's bench.

If Arsenal were to have won the league once in the last 6 years (which was oh so possible fuck you Brum and breaking Eduardo's leg) it would be a pretty huge triumph over buying championships.

seattleblue

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:33 PM ^

All Abramovich cares about is winning the champions league.  Even if Chelsea won the premiership this year, I'm pretty sure Ancelotti would still be out.

JohnnyV123

May 22nd, 2011 at 7:34 PM ^

Always nice to see another Arsenal fan. It isn't even the lack of trophies that is bothering me it's about the decisions and the tactics. Wenger usually signs great players when he goes out and does it but his resistance to doing it when Arsenal is better off financially than the other Big Four just drives me crazy.

It really got to me when after Arsenal beat Barcelona in the CL by being aggressive offensively that he said something along the lines of while we are still the underdogs we know how to beat this team now......then he goes and plays an all defensive first half in the second leg that was only counterattacking

bryemye

May 23rd, 2011 at 10:12 AM ^

I think now with Kroenke here, he's going to spend some money.



When you're building a lean squad and are down your best central defender the whole season, it's tough.

I agree though, this year hurt more than most people nobody was freaking good. A pitiful year at the top of the Prem and yet Man Utd are sitting in the CL final.

 

PurpleStuff

May 22nd, 2011 at 8:32 PM ^

Real Madrid has twice hired Fabio Capello.  Both times he won La Liga.  Both times he got booted out the door immediately following the season (the second time because the fans and ownership decided his team's style of play was not entertaining enough).

mgorecruit

May 22nd, 2011 at 8:32 PM ^

Being English, I've obviously followed the EPL for a very long time, and this firing is just another verse in the terrible leadership of Roman Abramovhic. Ancellotti is a great manager who's won multiple Champions League titles (the trophy Chelsea seeks the most) at Milan along with many other trophies. And yet they fire him because he went one year without a trophy?

This is almost as bad as when they fired Avram Grant, who, whilst he isn't the greatest manager, was one penalty kick away from winning the Champions League. 

Note: John Terry missed a penalty to win the CL in 2008 vs Man utd

 

It was also Abramovich who fired Ray Wilkins, a great coach at Chelsea who basically told Abramovich that his plan to buy Torres was a load of crap and wouldn't work. After they fired Wilkins, the team went on a streak that basically cost them the league this season, and they went on to buy Fernando Torres for £50MILLION!!!! He scored 1 goal....in like 15 games.

Conclusion: Chelsea are stupid.

JimBobTressel

May 22nd, 2011 at 9:21 PM ^

It confuses the hell out of me when Europeans refer to their coaches as "Managers".

This was dumb as hell. Chelsea just balled out last year.

thedeezy

May 22nd, 2011 at 9:22 PM ^

Totally agree that was a huge mistake and the results directly after that during the winter period of the season would back that up. Comparing the Carlo situation to the Avram Grant one  is pretty laughable though. Grant inherited an awesome team from TSO and was one kick from winning the CL (viva john terry! viva john terry! could have won the cup but he fucked it up) but he is no where near the level of the top managers even the middle tier of managers in England. It's a shame what has happened to West Ham under his watch. That team has no reason to be playing in the Championship.

In regards to Wenger, I can't understand how Arsenal fans can still support his philosophies in the transfer market. They've been such a flawed team for how many years now and it's the same exact flaw but he refuses to address it. The lack of leadership on the pitch for Arsenal is amazing for a team that big. Basically started with Gallas crying @ Brum a while back (the Eduardo leg break game) and it seems to be passed on to Cesc who wants to be in Barca.

mgorecruit

May 22nd, 2011 at 9:45 PM ^

People's view of Avram Grant is way too harsh. Think how easy it is to score a penalty kick. Well if John Terry had managed to do it, we'd all be hailing Grant as a great manager, and one who gave Chelsea something that even Jose Mourinho couldn't manage, a CL title. 

He was set up to fail at Portsmouth with their financial troubles, and although he sucked at West Ham, I still think he was good for Chelsea. Even if he inherited a good team, it still takes a lot to bring them that close to the biggest club competition in the world.   

Blue Mind and Heart

May 22nd, 2011 at 10:04 PM ^

Doesn't matter what sport.  I am not sure why anyone would want to do it.  Besides being brutal personally if things don't go well, it is incredibly difficult on your family no matter how things are going.

 

 

SKIP TO MY BLUE

May 22nd, 2011 at 10:19 PM ^

I am new to following the EPL and have noticed that the EPL spends more money and has more rabid fans then any league I have followed. I can only imagine the combination of the two leads to managers short life span with a club. Chelsea has made a big mistake. City seemed ready to fire their manager before the FA cup win and securing 3rd in the league. Who knows maybe Mancini will be fired if Carlo is available. This makes hockey coaching changes seem normal.

thedeezy

May 22nd, 2011 at 11:13 PM ^

If Mancini gets sacked, which is highly unlikely, it would be a way bigger shock than Carlo getting the axe. Mancini exceeded all expectations this year with removing the banner at Old Trafford and finishing 3rd.

SKIP TO MY BLUE

May 23rd, 2011 at 5:07 PM ^

I agree with you that Mancini should not get sacked and he did remove the banner from Old Trafford (not to mention beating ManU in the FA Cup) however if I have learned anything in my short following of the EPL that no manager is safe without the title of Sir next to it. Mancini had high expectations this year with the amount of money spent by the club and there have been some rumblings by players on loan about the way he manages. But I still think he has turned this team around from a group of highly paid solo players into a real team and he should be comended and retained for completing something no other manager had done in over 30 years at City.