THE LAST thing you need in a crisis is panic but that only happens when those in charge do not appear to know what they are doing. So whether you are the pilot landing a jet in a frozen river in New York or the prime minister attempting a similar soft landing for the economy, if people don't believe you are in control and have a plan, pandemonium and disaster are likely to ensue.
For that reason, last week when the Chelsea fans sang 'You don't know what you're doing' they couldn't have said anything more damaging about the manager. If Roman Abramovich or his aides heard that, and it was pretty difficult to miss, then the al
arm bells would have sounded immediately.
Maybe sacking Scolari wasn't a panic measure in itself but there is no doubt that the Russian was very worried. In the Premier League this season managers are being dismissed the moment their boards have got the first whiff of a relegation struggle. Chelsea have exactly the same concerns about the Champions League.
Forget talk of challenging Manchester United in the league or winning the Champions League, realistically even the FA Cup is a long shot. For purely financial reasons, Chelsea's priority between now and May is to qualify for the continent's premier tournament next season. On a purely personal level a season in the new Europa Cup would be the equivalent of Abramovich forsaking his Bentley for a year and toodling around Kensington and Chelsea in a second-hand Ford Ka.
Apparently Abramovich went to see some of his assets, I mean players, last week before sacking Scolari. If the players have the power to sway the owner that much, then why does he slip Peter Kenyon £5m per year to do the job? I have to say I have some sympathy for Scolari's current position, if not for the state of his bank account.
When the Brazilian arrived, Chelsea were a tiring side in dire need of surgery. His remit was to win the Champions League in an entertaining stylish way. He first tried to get Robinho to add some of that style as well as some of the pace and width which were clearly missing. Robinho settled at Eastlands instead, but Scolari still kept Chelsea in contention for all major competitions until the transfer window opened again in January. At last a chance to put his own imprint on the team, but no funds were made available. The club apparently wanted to conquer Europe while implementing huge cutbacks. It doesn't matter if your name is Scolari, Hiddink or Dumbledore, that is impossible.
Guus Hiddink is, however, one of the best – maybe the best – in the business. The part-time nature of the job is not a concern considering Russia have so few games coming up. In fact old Guus can keep a close eye on his two most important players, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrey Arshavin, who are both now situated just up the road in North London.
The difficult part of the deal is getting Chelsea back on the straight and narrow in double quick time. Villa are waiting next week and Juventus can't wait to get at the Pensioners in the Champions League just when the Londoners appear to be at their weakest.
The wily Hiddink will already know much about Chelsea, he may even already have thought of a few tactical tweaks needed now that almost every team in the Premiership has figured out how to stop Chelsea recently. First block Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa, then channel the rest infield. It isn't rocket science. Scolari knew this and would have changed it if he felt he had or could have recruited the personnel. He couldn't and so where is Hiddink going to find an on-form flying winger now that the transfer window is closed?
The Dutchman is renowned for getting the best out of players, just as Mourinho did, but he usually does so with a much more attacking system. Can he get inside Florent Malouda's head and make him consistent, instead of a one-good-game-in-10 man. Can he find out why Michael Ballack, one of the world's best, is performing like an average Championship player? Even tougher than that, can he get inside the heads of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, two of the most infuriating players on the planet. This season Drogba in particular appears to think running around and trying is beneath him.
If I had to choose any manager in the world to pull this one off between now and the end of the season, Hiddink would be that man, but it is still a tall order in a league he has never worked in before.
More importantly, what will Chelsea do after that? Are the fans right to panic because in reality there is no long-term plan, instead just a series of knee-jerk reactions to each and every short-term problem? Is Abramovic tiring of this plaything? There have been moments recently when fans have had to consider what would happen if, for whatever reason, Roman's roubles were no longer available.
Chelsea have to choose one of two directions. They can go big and keep Hiddink or tempt the likes of AC Milan's Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season. Neither will take the job unless they are paid a king's ransom and are promised many multiples of their own salaries to reconstruct the squad. The much-vaunted effort to make Chelsea self-financing will quickly die in this scenario.
The other route is to bring in an imaginative younger manager, one who will be there for the long haul. He will develop youth and explain that world domination tomorrow is no longer on the agenda. In the meantime the owner will just have to accept that having the biggest boat in Monte Carlo is enough to puff your chest out about. If he brought in Stevie Clarke, Davie Moyes or someone of that ilk, he could start to build that dynasty.
Most Chelsea fans who have been following the team for more than five years would prefer the latter path. Those who demand that ever more cash is thrown at the problem are generally those who think of the club as a world power and the question has to be asked whether or not they would hang around for a rebuild? The recession may provide the answer. If there is no attempt to punch pound for pound with Man Utd and now City, maybe the loyal Blues fans will see a club emerge that resembles the one they first fell in love with, and secretly many will not be too disappointed.
The full article contains 1140 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
