Terry, Lampard & Abramovich
Roman Abramovich. The Russian Oil King. Chelsea Football Club Owner. A millionare. Our Dark Knight.
How ? That's what I'll be telling you today my fellow Blues.
Right now, Football is going in full steam with the Euros going on and I thought we might as well as take a breather and go beyond the realms of the footballing fraternity.
Born in a Jewish Family of Lativian origins, Roman was orphaned as a child. He attented regular state schools and was an average student. He had a pretty torrid time before he became what he is today.
He's a self-made man.
Roman has been severly criticized for sacking managers. He's been blamed about being too short-sighted.
He's been blamed for treating Chelsea FC as a toy of his own. The point of sacking managers is true, but not 100%. The rest, these are all severe misconceptions about Roman.
Roman loves the club. He has loved it ever since he brought it. He's pumped in his OWN money into the Club. Made Chelsea a Global brand. An European Superpower.
He's seen the ugly as well as the good side of life and that of the world. He's made many sacrifices. Many that we don't see, don't understand. Roman is a mysterious guy, but passionate about his ideals, about the things he loves. He will hardly show emotions. He won't ask for praises, neither will he care about the criticism hurled at him.
Why do we not look at the bigger picture ? Beyond theses 'rules' and 'regulations' and 'idealogies' that seem to be engraved in the world of Football. Lets try to enter Roman's mind. Be a bit more .. Open- Minded about the things he's done ever since becoming our owner.
You know, I've been a Chelsea supporter since 2000, and when I first heard the news that a Russian Billionare has taken over my beloved club, I had only one thing in mind :
" An Oil Merchant from Russia who knows nothing about football is going to be the owner at SW6 ? "
I feared for the club, for it's image, for the ideals that it stood for. I feared that we may go back to the torrid time we witnessed under Bates (remember him ?). But Then I started noticing the things Roman started doing over since he became our new owner, the amount of efforts he put in, to learn the game, to understand it. And you know what ? I believe in Roman Abramovich.
He may not have got it 100%, but he's warming up to it, slowly but surely. He may not be perfect, but has there ever been anyone who's been perfect ?The only legit blame you could put on him is the manager issue. Rest is all farce.
We live in a world full of people who need results. We blame Roman for his lack of patience, but do WE possess the patience too ? After a tiger tastes human blood, thats the only thing it craves for. And thats how it's going to be with us. I am sure none of us would like to go the Liverpool or the Leeds way, would we ?
Once you taste success, you need continuation, you can't go back, WE can't go back. Roman's changed things, forever... for the better or for the worse, probably for the better.
Chelsea is like Gotham. It was in a strange place, somewhere between the lines of brilliance and dissapointment. A team, full of potential, regularly challenging in pieces everywhere, but faltering at the last step. It needed somebody to show it a direction, a path. It needed a guy strong enough to stand up for himself and for the club, who could take on the criticism and still guide the Club to ultimate glory, even if it meant people hated him for it.
And I am sure that other than us Chelsea fans, the entire world depises Roman. But will that stop him ? WILL it stop him ? He has and always will put the Club's success before himself, thats a fact. Perhaps we, as Chelsea fans understand that Roman Abramovich stands for something more potent than the whims of the so-called footballing Idealogists. And people as i said, Hate him for it. Thats the sacrifice he's making. He's not being a hero or a villian. He's being something more.
Like the Batman, Roman is whatever Chelsea needs him to be. He'll make sure our levels don't drop, he'll make sure that our players get top class facilities.
And who says he doesn't think about youth ? He's pumped close to a Billion on our youth academy since he took over, and results are being seen clearly. If youth don't play more in the first squad, thats the manager's problem, not Roman's.
People may criticize him, but he take it. He can be the outcast. He can make the choice no one else can at the club. The right choice.
The truth is that every ideal has an opposite ideal that also views itself as the truth. Doing what Roman does is very hard. He stands up for his ideals and in the process, his morals turn into ambiguous and unheroic for the crowd that cries for his head. People said that we'll never achieve greatness in Europe, because the path
Roman chose to take us on, was 'Unethical' for them. It's tempting for people to turn their backs on someone who makes difficult choices, in order to protect their appearance of a non-existent fixed idealogy.
In this new found cynical age, we don't want to love our saviour. We want him to work for us. People love to see Roman being mocked at because it makes them feel more perfect than him, it soothes their own insecurity. Trust me, Roman Abramovich is our unsung hero.
Like the Batman says :
" Sometimes, the truth isn't good enough. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded. "
My point is that as a culture, the anti-Romans and the Anti-Chelsea guys forget that having faith itself is the biggest reward. We kept faith in the team and in Roman. And now we have finally conquered Europe. It's a reward for our faith.
The ULTIMATE AWARD: UEFA Champions League
Roman Abramovich is a saviour in a cynical age for us, not the one that we deserve, but maybe the one that we need. Not the one to chase, but the one to follow. Someday, Maybe when I'll have the priveldge of meeting him, I'll say " For everything you've done, I never got to thank you Roman. "
And he'll probably smile and say " And you'll never have to .. "
Roman's not a hero, but he ain't a villian either.
Like the Batman, He's a silent gaurdian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight.
#KTBFFH
-RR2
