And so the Roman Abramovich conveyor belt of managers moves on. Although a slightly strange analogy, the job appears like a packet of chewing gum, whereby Abramovich chooses what he wants before spitting them out later down the line when he's done with them. You know the saying right; there are only three things that are certain: life, death and a new Chelsea manager every six months? Maybe not, but something like this is to be expected so soon into the new football season. It is a staple of our football viewing. Much like a dodgy 90 minute goal from Man United at Old Trafford, a refereeing controversy involving Howard Webb and Man United and a dodgy tackle from Paul Scholes, a Premier League just would not be the same without it. And no, I have nothing against Man United as you can clearly see.

The Chelsea melodrama, chiefly orchestrated by owner Abramovich, and acted out by the players on the pitch has claimed yet another victim. Roberto Di Matteo, Champions League and FA Cup winner in his first season, a man who has transformed a lagging Chelsea side in the post-Andre Villas Boas era to perennial title challengers and a man who looks totally at ease with himself in the Chelsea dugout. Surely immune from the sack then and Abramovich has made a total error of judgement? Think again, he was right.

The hot seat at Chelsea is never truly 'hot' considering the fact that no manager has stayed long enough to achieve this feat. It is lukewarm at best. Di Matteo at first could do no wrong at Chelsea, he was a double winner, delivering Abramovich the one prize he so truly desired, and a man loved by many behind the scenes. But success comes at a price. With raised expectations comes raised demand, and two wins in their last eight games is not good enough for a owner like Abramovich and a team like Chelsea. Premier League titles are won and lost by runs like this.

In effect, I never believed even as an impartial in these affairs, that Di Matteo was the right man for the Chelsea job. With all due respect, he isn't a big enough name yet to manage a team of Chelsea's calibre. The disastrous campaign of the Villas Boas era took Chelsea to a new low, and whoever had walked through the dressing room door to replace the Portuguese manager would have received a positive response, due to the sheer fact that negativity at Chelsea under Villas Boas was at an all time high. I'm not saying Di Matteo didn't contribute to Chelsea's season last year, he most certainly did, but in order to take the club in a new direction and onto bigger things I'm not sure he was the right man.

Hazard. Mata. Oscar. Lampard. Ramires. This is a team that shouldn't be dropping off the pace this far into a Premier League season. The main problem it appears lays with the enigma that is Fernando Torres. How much blame can we attribute to him for Di Matteo's sacking? A £50m pound striker should be doing better and his lacklustre performances can, in part, be seen to be a reason for his dismissal. It is perhaps ironic that Carlo Ancelotti, Villas Boas and Di Matteo have all been sacked after dropping Torres in their previous game. An ill omen then for future managers. Do not mess with Roman Abramovich and his prodigal son.

Even though in this instance I do feel that Abramovich was right, if anyone is looking for some part-time work over Christmas, apply for the Chelsea job. You'll be sure not to last long.

About Author / Additional Info:
A Tottenham fan writing about affairs at Chelsea. Hopefully my hate for the club doesn't shine through in this article.