London: Chelsea have become a "serious embarrassment" to the Premier League after firing Andre Villas-Boas just eight months in his reign, the head of England's League Managers' Association said on Monday.
Dumping the inexperienced 34-year-old Villas-Boas after only 40 games in charge on Sunday left owner Roman Abramovich searching for his eighth manager since buying Chelsea nine years ago.
The instability and uncertainty surrounding Chelsea this season has seen the club win just three times in 12 league games and slip to fifth, out of the Champions League places.
"What's for sure is the club, despite unlimited wealth, haven't yet worked out how to build a successful football club," LMA chief executive Richard Bevan told the BBC. "Looking for what is an eighth manager in nine years is a serious embarrassment to the owner, the club, the fans and the league."
Bevan claimed the frequent managerial changes at Stamford Bridge did not help Villas-Boas develop a relationship with his squad.
"Players need to know that the manager's strategy and his job is not in question, there's a clear remit," he said. "You get success if you get time, and stability will come from that. Otherwise it's very difficult for a manager like Andre to impose his philosophy and build a team ... after only eight months you can't build that sort of success."
He said Abramovich's notorious lack of patience had undermined Villas-Boas and could be a problem for whoever is hired to replace the Portuguese.
"The club's still competing in the latter stages of the Champions League, the FA Cup and fighting for a top-four position. If you want success you must look at the longer term."
Abramovich has gone through seven managers since buying the club in 2003, a revolving door policy that has cost around 100 million Pounds in compensation, salaries and pay-offs.
The situation led one of those seven, Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, to describe the job as "hell" for the next incumbent of the hot seat.
Villas-Boas attracted sympathy from fellow managers.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said the 34-year-old was not given enough time.
"All I can say is I feel sorry for Villas-Boas because I know him and I like him as a manager and as a man," Wenger told Arsenal's website.
"I feel sorry for him and it's sad every time a manager loses his job because it's a job that demands a full commitment and I think he did that. I am sorry he was not given enough time to do his job."
First-team coach Roberto Di Matteo has been put in charge until the end of the season, while Eddie Newton, another former player, will join the coaching staff until the end of the season.
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