Roman's Russian Roulette

When it happened, it seemed inevitable but yet there was still something that rankled about the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti from Chelsea. Even this, by the standards of the owner Roman Abramovich, was harsh.

Just under two hours after a 1-0 defeat to Everton, the antithesis to Chelsea as a model of stability, Ancelotti was informed that his services were no longer required. The 51 year-old finds himself out of a job merely a year after leading the Blues to their first ever domestic double of Premier League and FA Cup.

Why? One season without a trophy.

It all went up in smoke for Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge

In a move that will leave Arsene Wenger thanking his lucky stars on the other side of London that his chairman is not as demanding, Abramovich mercilessly destroyed any form of stability Chelsea had gained over his two years in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Since taking control of the club in 2003, the Russian owner has overseen the departure of six managers: Claudio Ranieri, José Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and now Ancelotti.

The Italian was brought in to guide Chelsea to the one trophy that eludes Abramovich, the one he so desperately craves - the Champions League. Having won the trophy twice with AC Milan, Ancelotti was seen as the man who could deliver the missing part of the jigsaw for the Abramovich reign.

However, old friend Mourinho put pay to that dream in the 2009/10 season as his Inter Milan side went on to lift the trophy. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United can repeat that feat with victory against Barcelona at Wembley on Saturday evening.

Ferguson and Mourinho put pay to Ancelotti's Champions League dreams

Many thought that Ancelotti was resigned to the sack following the Champions League exit to the Premier League Champions regardless of whether or not he won a domestic honour; though they no longer seem to register on the Abramovich radar.

Failure to deliver the Champions League is enough to earn a one-way ticket out of Stamford Bridge. The pay-off ain't bad, mind you.

Fingers will inevitably point to the unexpected and inexplicable departure of the popular Ray Wilkins, the man seen as the go-between of Ancelotti and the squad. The downturn in form after the sacking of Wilkins was alarming and took longer than it should have to resolve.

A return of 10 points from 11 games was disastrous and ultimately left them too much work to do in the title race, gifting Manchester United their 19th crown.

Ray Wilkins' departure was seen as a turning point in Ancelotti's reign

Poor form aside, the performances of £50m January signing Fernando Torres did little to aid the cause of Ancelotti. With numerous failed integrations into the side and one goal since his arrival from Liverpool, Torres had looked a shadow of his former self and there are no signs of that changing - one lucky goal against a despondent West Ham aside.

Rifts within the camp are rife if rumours are to be believed. Talismanic frontman Didier Drogba no longer feels wanted at the Bridge as a result of the Torres transfer and wants out. A public argument at Old Trafford with David Luiz failed to quash rumours of internal problems. Morale, it seems, is at an all-time low.

As harsh as the sacking is, perhaps it is time for Ancelotti to move on. The squad he inherited is aged and does not appear to be improving with John Terry, Frank Lampard and Drogba are all into their thirties and the remainder of the first-team looking more and more laboured as the weeks went by.

Clearly, a motivator is needed.

The one prize that Abramovich's millions haven't been able to buy

FC Porto's Andre Villas-Boas has been linked with the vacant post but he has recently stated a desire to "build a dynasty" at the Estádio do Dragao; Guus Hiddink has insisted that his loyalties lie with the Turkish national side and José Mourinho has no desire to return to Stamford Bridge as he wishes to remain at Real Madrid.

This leaves just two men left from the front-runners with the bookmakers.

Dutch footballing icon Marco Van Basten is favourite for the job but his lack of and disappointing managerial experiences may prove to be a decisive factor. Rumours suggest that he will be appointed as head coach whilst Hiddink takes up his preferred role as Director of Football.

Harry Redknapp's position at Spurs is comfortable but, having tasted Champions League football last season, he may want more and it is something that Chelsea can provide. He is no stranger to crossing rivalries having moved to-and-fro between Southampton and Portsmouth. This move, however, may be a bridge too far.

Whoever takes the manager's job at Chelsea will be sipping from a poisoned chalice and under immediate pressure to deliver Abramovich's personal Holy Grail. It is obvious that he will stop at nothing to see that Chelsea are European Champions and there will be few who envy the next man given the task of making it happen.

New Lambert Deal Proves That Norwich's Yellow Submarine Is No Sinking Ship

Paul Lambert’s new contract at Norwich City, the length of which is unknown, is the least he deserves after the rollercoaster ride of the last 21 months for both himself and the club.

It is a ride which has culminated in the Canaries winning promotion to re-join the elite of English football for the first time since 2005.

Following relegation to League One for the 2009/10 season, Norwich’s start under Bryan Gunn was nothing short of humiliating. A 7-1 home defeat to local rivals Colchester United who, at the time, were managed by Lambert. Already 4-0 down inside 22 minutes, two fans decided they had seen enough and ripped up their season tickets on the pitch. It would come back to bite them firmly on the backside.

Lambert's arrival sparked a transformation at Carrow Road

A mere six days later and Gunn had been sacked with Lambert sounded out as the top target. 39 at the time, his best achievement was leading a fourth tier Wycombe Wanderers to the semi-finals of the League Cup where they lost to Chelsea.

Despite this, Norwich were adamant that Lambert was their man and eventually got him after he walked out on Colchester to join the Canaries – a move that later cost them £400,000 at a tribunal but money well spent considering what Lambert has achieved whilst at Carrow Road.

Lambert’s influence on the side was immediate with the team winning League One from Leeds

United with an attractive, passing game. The season that has just passed, however, has been the one that has placed Lambert, 41, into the spotlight as one of the best young managers in the country.

Lambert celebrates promotion at Portsmouth

Seemingly not content with establishing themselves as a Championship side, Norwich finished 2nd to Queens Park Rangers to earn back-to-back promotions: an achievement spearheaded and encapsulated by one of the key performers of the Lambert era.

After proving himself as a success lower down the leagues earlier in his career, Grant Holt was plucked from Shrewsbury Town for £400,000 having scored 28 goals in the 2008/09 season. He was to be an even bigger success at Norwich with 30 goals for the season in which they won League One and followed that up with another 23 in the last campaign.

His performances have seen him included in the Team of the Year for League Two, League One and the Championship in the last three years – a testament to the hard work he has put in to prove himself as a consistent goalscorer.

Grant Holt's goals have been vital to Norwich's progress

Arguably the biggest contributing factor to Norwich’s promotion was the amount of late goals that they scored. They won 22 points with goals scored after 80 minutes and although title winners QPR had the highest percentage of goals scored after 80 minutes, they were nowhere near as important as those that Norwich scored.

Over the course of the season, there was no doubt that Norwich deserved to go up. They showed three sides to their game towards the end of the season with a comprehensive 6-0 win against Scunthorpe United, a great comeback against an impressive Nottingham Forest and a gritty 1-0 win at Portsmouth which guaranteed promotion.

Norwich like to play good football and have gained a reputation for doing so but you feel that they will need to produce more of the ugly wins next season if they are to stay up. Following Blackpool’s example of all out attack could result in disaster though the general consensus appears to be that Norwich’s defence is a lot better than that of the Seasiders.

One of Norwich’s strengths has been the ability to get goals from all sources. The likes of Russell Martin, Wes Hoolahan, Andrew Crofts and, of course, Holt all made their contributions to the final tally of 83 league goals – the highest in the division.

Simeon Jackson celebrates scoring the goal that clinched promotion

Simeon Jackson also made a telling contribution towards the end of the season with 9 goals in the last 8 games of the season including the goal that sent Norwich up. It was Lambert’s faith in the Canadian frontman, who had been disappointing throughout the season, which saw the ex-Gillingham man come good at just the right time.

Other signings from the lower leagues proved themselves to be more than capable of mixing it with the best the Championship had to offer and now get to have a crack at the Premier League. Players like Marc Tierney, Andrew Crofts, and David Fox all came from League One sides and made the transition to Championship life seamlessly as the Canaries now aim to consolidate amongst the big boys.

Question marks will remain about whether such players have the quality to keep Norwich in the Premier League, many feel that there is a need for the defence to be strengthened as well as the purchase of a Premier League quality striker but Lambert will be given money to spend despite Norwich’s debts.

Lambert will have to spend that money wisely to make Norwich an attractive and competitive outfit in the Premier League. They will be one of the favourites for relegation but, having warded off interest from other clubs with the signing of this new contract, Norwich will have every confidence in Lambert that he can keep them up.