Villas-Boas 'can be the Fergie of Chelsea'

Published 22:50 06/10/11 By Neil McLeman

Andre Villas-Boas could be Chelsea’s answer to Sir Alex Ferguson – if he wins trophies in style.

Chairman Bruce Buck said the Portuguese manager could be rewarded by remaining at the club for a decade, if he can follow the ambitious blueprint.

Buck admitted Chelsea envy the long reigns of Manchester United’s Ferguson, and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, who have been in their jobs 24 and 15 years respectively.

In contrast, Villas-Boas, 33, is the sixth Chelsea manager in a little over four years. Every boss who has failed to win a trophy under the Abramovich era has been sacked at the end of the season – or before in Felipe Scolari’s case.

But Buck said: “I’m not saying anything about how we would react if there was a period where we weren’t winning trophies. And I don’t want to get into that.

“I think a manager needs to have success to have a long-term relationship with a club.

“We do envy Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson in terms of longevity, but it shouldn’t be longevity for longevity’s sake.

“It has to be the right guy in the job for 10 or 15 years and, in light of Andre’s age, he may well be that guy.

“Longevity and stability in your manager is a good thing, but you have to do it with the right manager.”

Villas-Boas has arguably a more difficult task than his Portuguese predecessor Jose Mourinho, who won two Premier League titles in pragmatic fashion.

Not only have Manchester City usurped Chelsea as English football’s big spenders, but the Blues are now expected to win in an entertaining style. Buck added: “I think it’s well known that to follow the progression – you want to win trophies, and we have started to do that.

“You want to win them creatively, and we have done some of that, and we want to do more of that. That’s why we all go to football matches.

“It’s other people who say you cannot win trophies while you are still developing your creativity.

“We don’t agree with that – it might take time, it might not.”

Speaking at the Leaders in Football Conference, Buck added: “Everyone thought Andre Villas-Boas’ age might have been a negative, but it’s been a positive.

“There was a concern about how a 33-year-old manager could deal with a 31-year-old player.

“The answer is that he can do it very well. And we are very impressed with his man-management skills.

“We are also impressed with his organisational structure. We also think that he relates very well to the board and to Mr Abramovich, which is important.

“You not only have to relate to your players, you have to relate to your bosses as well.”

Chelsea’s plan to buy back Stamford Bridge from shareholders has attracted opposition from Blues fans fearing another site has already been identified.

An EGM of the Chelsea Pitch Owners will be held on October 27 to vote on the proposal.

And Buck insisted: “There is no conspiracy here. I am sorry that a few fans have indicated there is a lack of clarity.

“We think three weeks is plenty of time. We didn’t expect every Chelsea Pitch Owner to agree from day one. Some will never agree.

“There is a small, but vocal minority, who want to stay at Stamford Bridge.”

FERGUSON v WENGER v VILLAS-BOAS

The records of the Prem’s old hands and the new kid on the block

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Record at Man United

PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST

1403 832 325 246

Trophies won at Old Trafford: 2 Champions League, 1 Cup-Winners’ Cup, 12 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups

ARSENE WENGER