CHELSEA last night cut Jose Mourinho's Wembley
celebrations short by warning him that the two cups he bagged this
season - and the style in which he won them - is not good enough.
Didier Drogba's last-gasp Wembley winner allowed Mourinho a stay of
execution at Stamford Bridge - he has been given one more year to
deliver what Roman Abramovich wants.
Abramovich ended his six-month stand-off by visiting the Chelsea
players in their dressing-room - for the first time in 2007 -
following their Wembley triumph. But as the club broke years of
tradition by having no victory parade at Stamford Bridge yesterday,
it became clear that the Blues board are unimpressed with the
consolation silverware Mourinho has won.
The Chelsea hierarchy believe the season has been "disappointing
for two reasons: failure in the two major competitions and the
uninspiring football the Blues play. Although Mourinho insists he
and Abramovich are "not enemies", the manager has been told in no
uncertain terms that he must do much better next term if he is to
have any chance of hanging on to his job for a fifth season. The
failure of chief executive Peter Kenyon - acting on Abramovich's
instructions - to find a suitable replacement for Mourinho has
given the most successful manager in the history of the club a
final chance to show he can deliver the big prizes in style.
Mourinho, who shared hugs with both Kenyon and chairman Bruce Buck
in the Royal Box after lifting the FA Cup into the air on Saturday,
said: "I have three years of relations with Mr Buck and Mr Kenyon.
I look on them as honourable people and not liars. "When they say
publicly and to me that I am going to be Chelsea manager next
season I have no reason to doubt them. "If the club are not happy
with me, I think I will be the first one to know. As I keep saying,
it's the best place to work in football. That's why I want to
stay."
Kenyon did officially concede there had been problems between
Abramovich and Mourinho when he said: "It's been a difficult year
for all sorts of reasons. Now we just want to draw a line under
everything and move on." That may not be easy, with the chief
executive insisting neither Andriy Shevchenko or Michael Ballack
would be sold and saying that while he expected three or four
arrivals at Stamford Bridge this summer, none would be big-money
signings.
Chelsea, though, are reluctant to put further improved offers on
the table. The club's claim that Lampard has rejected a British
record £7million-per-year offer has been bitterly refuted by the
England midfielder's representatives, while Terry is not happy with
a £115,000-per-week offer. Chelsea feel that Terry has nowhere to
go and will stay, but have serious fears that Wembley will prove to
be Lampard's final game in a Blues shirt.
