Blues are expensive timepiece on Rom wrist

THE JURY seems to be divided on whether Carlo Ancelotti will be a success at Stamford Bridge.

Who cares?

Give me a single reason why I should admire Chelsea Football Club.

I love John Terry' s commitment.

I marvel at Frank Lampard's consistent excellence.

I shudder appreciatively at Michael Essien's power.

Heck, this season I've even applauded Florent Malouda's dynamism.

I commend the unstinting support of fans who date from the pre-Roman era and there are plenty of staff who remain unaffected by the drug of cash.

And yes, Guus Hiddink seemed a decent fella.

Last weekend, with a fat cigar on the go and his arm draped around an unfeasibly rich sugar daddy, he celebrated Chelsea's Wembley success.

And, in some quarters, was hailed as a managerial genius.

Fact. He inherited a fantastically talented, ultra- expensive squad who only did not perform for Phil Scolari because they did not like the cut of his gib.

Some achievement.

And Liverpool supporters apart, was there a single neutral out there who wanted Chelsea to win the FA Cup Final?

When they were robbed of victory against Barcelona, was there any sympathy from football-lovers Europe-wide?

Barely a twinge.

Admittedly, Hiddink - even amid the recriminations of that fateful night - conducted himself with dignity during his spell at Chelsea.

And that is why the players said a poignant goodbye to him, marking his departure with a farewell gift.

A one hundred and twelve grand watch.

Like the multimillionaire Dutchman needs one.

But it was somehow appropriate.

Because with the hiring and firing of Scolari, the hiring and hiring of Hiddink and Ancelotti, that is what Chelsea have become.

An expensive timepiece on the wrist of Roman Abramovich.

By the end of the 2007-08 season, Abramovich had poured nearly £800million into Chelsea.

Their wage bill - at £172m - was over £50m more than anyone else's.

The figures are obscene.

And to what end?

Peter Kenyon will prattle on about long-term visions, about becoming self-sufficient, but do we really think he is speaking on behalf of the silent Roman?

No.

Abramovich wants to buy the Champions League.

In the same way he buys yachts.

If you needed any reminding, Ancelotti obliged.

Mindful of the £5m a year about to be deposited into his bank account, he said what he thought were the right things on his appointment.

The overriding priority is to win the Champions League.

His overriding priority SHOULD be to create a club which behaves and plays with the right values.

Which realises that identity comes through nurturing your own talent.

Which understands that supporters like a sense of loyalty between executives, managers and players.

The obvious retort from Stamford Bridge will be that dislike and disrespect go hand-in-hand with envy.

Wrong.

Manchester United are envied - but they are respected for keeping faith in a manager who has now given them two decades of success.

Liverpool are envied - but they are liked because they reach out to the community in a way that, in accordance with Barcelona's motto, makes them more than a club.

Arsenal are envied - but they are liked because they take pride in developing the talent of tomorrow and in playing the beautiful way.

There is nothing wrong with spending large amounts of money. United, Liverpool, Arsenal, even those principled chaps at the Nou Camp, do it.

And with an ageing squad, Ancelotti will need yet more financial backing from Abramovich if he is to silence the sound of time's marching boots.

But the Italian coach should also be talking to Abramovich about trying to change people's perceptions.

About developing a long-term ethos.

About stability among staff.

About behaviour on the pitch.

About creating a club that is respected.

With his latest designer purchase in the managerial chair, Abramovich may well win the Champions League.

But I have little doubt they would be among the least popular winners.

And that would be tragic for the likes of Lampard, Terry, Essien and the supporters who have followed them through thick and thin.

Idealistic as it sounds, genuine respect is more valuable than any trophy.

This column is not in the habit of referring to history's greatest playwright. I promise this will be the first and last time.

But when Macbeth's ruthless ambition has made him master of all he surveys, he reflects on his life:

"That which should accompany old age,

As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,

I must not look to have; but, in their stead,

Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath

Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not."

Translation:

People pay lip-service to his elevated status but they can never love him because of the means he used to achieve it.

Shakespeare could have been talking about Chelsea.

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