Roman Abramovich – Football’s Henry the VIII

‘Off with her head’ the former king of England would proclaim when the marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn, had failed. Henry the VIII went through six wives in 63 years between 1485 and 1548 – sounds familiar when compared to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, right?

The Russian has today sacked Roberto Di Matteo after a poor run of form, culminating in a 3-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League. ‘Off with his head’ Abramovich proclaimed from his seat in the Juventus Stadium like the axe wielding Wildman that he is.

Di Matteo, to date, remains the seventh manager that the Oligarch has sacked during his time at Stamford Bridge, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jose Mourinho, Luis Felipe Scolari and Andre Villas-Boas.

Whoever comes in to replace the Italian will have to continuously look over their shoulder; such is the threat of the axe from Abramovich. His seven sackings in little over nine years isn’t a record to boast about, that’s for sure.

Either way, it may be worth any manager steering clear of the Blues, should they be approached. The likelihood of lasting over a year is relatively slim, with only Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti the two managers to have lasted 12 months of the contract offered to them.

Nevertheless, whoever is lined up to replace Di Matteo, how long will it be before Abramovich cries out ‘off with his head’ once again? 

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