Abramovich Needs a Dose of Reality ; Sports Journalist of the Year

Summary

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WE ALL remember our first time. The atmosphere, the sights, sounds and smells. That outstanding player who will play forever in our mind's eye. And the result, usually a thriller with plenty of goals. Actually, the memory often plays tricks. What we normally remember is not our first time at all - more probably a 0-0 draw - but one of our first matches, one that we expect every game thereafter to resemble, to live up to. Until we grow up, that is, and realise that life and the game are not always like that. Maybe that is what has afflicted Roman Abramovich, still a schoolboy in footballing terms. He fell in love with the game, we are told, after watching Manchester United against Real Madrid in the Champions League four years ago when Sir Alex Ferguson's side so nearly pulled back a first-leg deficit. David Beckham was magnificent in a cameo substitute appearance, scoring twice in a 4-3 win, but Ronaldo's hat- trick enabled Real to win 6-5 on aggregate.

The patent reality, however, is that not every European match is like that, nor can be under its present, tired format. For each United v Real, there are a dozen more like Chelsea v Rosenborg. The former was an epic quarterfinal, the latter a footling group game. One involved glory, the other was about revenue-raising of the sort that Abramovich, his bean-counters and their ilk across the continent now need and want.

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Abramovich Needs a Dose of Reality ; Sports Journalist of the Year

Chelsea's 1-1 draw with the Norwegians may have been the final straw for Abramovich, frustrated by empty seats and his side's misfiring lapses, but he should be less naive by now. Though R...

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