Villas-Boas…who?
There are moments in the summer where a lack of football can drive a man wild. Hmmm the job, the girlfriend, a newly found appreciation for sunlight all have their beneficial side. Naturally, I’d ditch them all for the football.
As you can imagine, therefore, a summer without football – and I am not talking about U21s, what a load of rubbish that is – can lead to the devouring of the merest morsel of a football story. Merely looking at the Sky Sports website brings up such treasures like…bet you can’t wait for it….
“Wolves land de Vries.”
No! I hear you shout in strangled exclamation. It’s true friends, this actually happened. Joking aside, footie fans clamour for decent news all summer long, so when I story of merit comes along it actually has the ability stop working days as it did to mine when the news of Chelsea’s appointment of one Villas-Boas.
This is a man of 33 who already has some outstanding credentials, it makes you sick doesn’t it. This is a man who lead a Porto side to unquestionable glory in Portugal, where a domestic quadruple was plundered, and in Europe, where Porto were crowned as Europa League champions. This is a man who served under Mourinho in his time at Chelsea and who formed a close relationship with Sir Bobby Robson when the great Englishman was at the helm of Porto in the 90s.
The big question that stands in front of us is simple. Is this the man for Chelsea?
Many have tried, many have failed. Abromavich quest for domination is not one that is guided by clemency. You have to feel afraid for the young tactician. Chelsea as a squad are tired. Lampard, Drogba, Anelka, Malouda are progressing into the twilight of their careers. New signings like Torres did not plug the gap.
This is not an easy job!
So how does a young manager succeed where experience and more succesful managers have failed. The key is down to mentality. A ruthless winning mentality needs to be reintroduced such as the one that Mourinho gave birth to. This needs to reemerge.
The only for this to happen is for a new set of players to come in, and for the old to go on to pastures new. This could indeed be a momentous moment for Chelsea, however, big changes at the top need to be supported with plenty of cash and plenty of good will. The new coach needs time which for a man so clearly in a rush might not be a necessity. However, changes do not come over night.
The need is clear therefore. Back the new manager and give him a chance. At a tune of £13 million just to hire the fella, it might prove an expensive mistake not to!
A view from the north 