IF YOU'RE A CHELSEA FAN - YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!

Chelsea published their accounts yesterday and revealed that Chelsea had to pay £28m on "changes in the first team management structure" by sacking Carlo Ancelotti and hiring Andre Villas-Boas as his replacement which is just insane.

In addition to this, Football Finance Analyst Andy Green has calculated that Chelsea and Roman Abramovich have paid out around £64m in the last four years on managerial changes alone!.

It's unthinkable isn't it and you wouldn't find it happening anywhere else would you?. That £64m spent has only brought us "the double" which is a season that will always be remembered in our history and an FA CUP with Guus Hiddink at the helm. Meanwhile, Mourinho has won more league titles and yet another Champions League!

The Champions League still eludes Chelsea and if anything we have drifted further and further away from winning it.

Four managers have come and gone on ridiculous salaries that were drawn up at the time to a) convince them to come and take over after Mourinho and b) to include a compensation package "just in case" things didn't work out!.

Salaries and money in football is off the scale now compared to what it used to be but it's something we have to live with as more and more heavy investors and businessmen are attracted to our league prepared to pay top dollar with the expectations of immediate success.

Where do you draw the line? That's the question and once again the press are beginning to ask questions of the Chelsea man in charge as we struggle in the league for the second season running.

Will Roman jump and hit the switch once or will he give his new man time? I have a feeling that the few meetings at Cobham and Stamford Bridge in recent days would have been to confirm the minimum requirement of Champions League football at the end of the season.

I just want to turn this round on us supporters for now and what's happened to us over the same period. We enjoyed immense and unheard of (for 50 years at least) success under Mourinho winning back to back titles. In the third season Mourinho didn't win the league but put up a damn good fight as we lifted the League and FA Cup and he encouraged all of us to lift our head up and be proud of what his team had achieved. Back then, it was unheard of to think any different.

In his fourth season, things began to change and it all came to head in a dreadful performance at home to Rosenberg as Andrei Shevchenko (remember him?) headed in a late equaliser. Jose left the club soon after and most of us were left stunned.

Avram Grant came in, took over and guided us to our ONLY Champions League final and put up a decent fight in the league once again, which again bearing in mind the circumstances he took over, seemed acceptable. He left shortly after.

Phil Scolari came in, had a good start and then it all fell apart. The media, the fans and his players turned on him. He was sacked. Guus Hiddink came in, led us on a fantastic climb up the table to put up yet another fight that came to nothing but like I said, won us the FA CUP and once more that seemed acceptable.

Carlo Ancelotti came in and let's be honest, for the first time as a Chelsea Manager had done, began to walk out from under the shadow of Mourinho as he led us to our first ever double. We were in dream land once again.

Last season, faced with losing established players and a couple of signings in the summer us fans were looking to somehow build on the double winning season before while bringing the youngsters through. It was a big big ask but one we expected being spoilt with the levels of success we have achieved in such a short space of time.

Then, just as we all know football can do, it turned against us, injuries and suspensions kicked in with a real lack of squad depth and we found ourselves at what I believe to have been our lowest point as we lost 3-0 at home to Sunderland and deservedly so.

Immediately there were calls for Carlo's head and the majority of us expected "yet another" knee jerk reaction from the owner. It happened but nothing like we could believe as he backed HIS man in charge and spent £75m in January to send shock waves through football as he did 6 or 7 years beforehand.

The signings bolstered the squad struggling with numbers and once again, our manager led us on a charge up the table that came to head at Old Trafford back in April 2011. We lost that day and some people including Ancelotti, believed that was the straw that broke the camels back. Chelsea faltered in their remaining two games as the obvious after effects of United took their toll. Carlo was sacked before he even stepped onto the team bus to come home after our last game of the season.

As Chelsea supporters did we expect it after seeing our revival and climb up the table as it was happening? No we didn't!. Did we though, expect it after watching a dismal performance on the last day defeat at Everton? Yes we possibly did!. We're a spoilt lot aren't we!.

The problem we have as supporters of the club we all adore is purely that, we are spoilt and have been ever since Roman took over. Jose won 6 trophies in 3 and a bit seasons including TWO league titles and an FA CUP. Guus Hiddink delivered the FA CUP and Carlo Ancelotti delivered the double.

In every season our manager at the time has finished without silverware he has been sacked. Jose never even got to see out the season, Grant won nothing, Scolari the same as Mourinho and Ancelotti last season. Will there ever be a time now that a season without silverware becomes acceptable and if it does is it purely down to Champions League qualification?. Would us Chelsea fans ever accept that?

This leads me on perfectly to THIS season and AVB. As expected, we are hearing reports that he is getting some "heat" from Roman at the training ground (which is bollocks as I have already stated on record by the way!) and reports of a potential return of Mourinho is being banded about. It's pretty much par for the course being a Chelsea manager sitting in fourth place in the Premier League and way off winning the title.

The thing is, I don't want to see Roman or the club pulling the trigger once again at the end of the season but if we are left with (god forbid!) Europa League or nothing next season, you would have to expect it. Does that make it right though?. Surely a top four finish now and a good run in the FA CUP winning it would be acceptable, whereas winning the Champions league would end all doubts about our manager?

Everyone talks about a manager being given time at a club. Mourinho has been Roman's longest serving manager lasting just over three seasons. We will always wonder what would and could have happened if that decision was never taken and he was given more time (apart from being £64m better off of course!). Some people believe it's a matter of unfinished business between our club and Jose' and a fair few people would have him back no problems.

With AVB coming in, he really is the first manager who is trying to build a new Chelsea. Think about it for a second, it's a daunting task to try and build a successful and sustainable squad for years to come replacing the established core of first team players who have won everything with and for Roman and us supporters.

So as it stands now with AVB at the helm we have a squad more than capable of putting together a run of games and results to establish our 4th place in the league as a minimum, and to try and put pressure on Spurs for 3rd place.

With a decent looking tie in the FA CUP ahead of us before we are in the Quarter Finals once more and being through as league winners once again in the Champions League, avoiding a nightmare draw in the first knockout stages, could we still salvage something of our season?

I am asking you the Chelsea fan reading this no matter where you are in the world for your honest opinions. I have two important questions to ask you and I WANT TO HEAR FROM AS MANY CHELSEA FANS AS POSSIBLE ON THIS!:

1. What would you personally accept as a minimum requirement this season from AVB as our manager?

2. If he doesn't achieve YOUR answer to question number 1, should he be sacked or given time?

KTBFFH

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