'A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma' - Winston Churchill's famous quote about Russia's intentions in the second world war as easily applies now to the actions of Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch whose plan for Chelsea is far from clear.
The team are in a state of flux again as they prepare to host Stoke tonight after Abramovich rolled the dice again with the ninth manager of his nine-year ownership of the club. Perhaps nine will be his lucky number, but the chances are it won't be and he will move on to 10, 11 . . .
Abramovich is said to crave Champions League victory above all else, but there is no coherent approach to finding the type of manager who could deliver that ultimate triumph. He has tried the young and ambitious - Jose Mourinho and his one-time prot?g?Andre Villas-Boas - with varying degrees of success. He has tried the trophied eminences of Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti, again with varied results, and he has tried stand-ins such as Guus Hiddink, Avram Grant and now Roberto Di Matteo.
What appears to have escaped Abramovich's notice is that Manchester United and Arsenal - the two most successful clubs in the English Premier League era - appointed managers in their mid-40s and stuck with them through thick and thin. Pick them young and give them time to build is the magic formula used by United, Arsenal and countless other successful clubs when choosing a manager.
The suspicion is that Alex Ferguson would not have lasted the 41/2 years it took him to win a trophy with United if Abramovich had been the owner. Mourinho was the longest-serving manager under Abramovich, but he lasted only 31/4 years despite being the most successful in Chelsea's history.
Arsene Wenger was quick to achieve success at Arsenal with the Premier League-FA Cup double in his first full season but it is doubtful whether Abramovich would have been happy to wait almost 10 years for his first Champions League final. Ancelotti, who secured Chelsea's first domestic double in his first season, did not deliver Champions League success and lasted only two seasons.