Andre Villas-Boas: 5 Reasons Chelsea Were Wrong to Fire Him

Chelsea have sacked Andre Villas-Boas. Shocked? Didn't think so. I'm not either.

AVB has had a pretty poor record since being appointed during the summer of 2011 but should be applauded for remaining stubborn and doing things his way in the face of criticism.

I think the decision to sack the Portuguese tactician is a mistake by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Here are five reasons why. Enjoy the slideshow!

They're Not in a Crisis

For now at least, Chelsea are not in a crisis.

The team stand a very reasonable chance of winning the FA Cup and all is not lost in the Premier League either.

Even in regards to the UEFA Champions League, they're not in as bad a position as Arsenal. Do you see their London rivals pressing the panic button?

If you want a crisis, check the bottom of the table. There are teams down there who are in a crisis. Chelsea just aren't doing quite as well as they'd like.

Worried about missing out on the Champions League cash flow? Don't spent £50 million on Fernando Torres and give him a ridiculous £175,000-plus per week.

Lack of Consistency Hurts the Team

All this chopping and changing rarely has a good effect on the team.

The one time it did work was when Guus Hiddink came in, steadied the ship and won the FA Cup.

This is Roberto Di Matteo's big job interview in a risk-free environment. He is the only one in the entire situation who will profit from this.

While Chelsea have maintained a limited form of solidarity by reappointing from within, what will be the huge, season-saving change?

Removing Andre Villas-Boas doesn't change the fact that Florent Malouda doesn't care, Didier Drogba is old and declining and Fernando Torres is absolutely awful.

Buck the Trend

Roman Abramovich's trigger finger never rests.

Chelsea have had five managers since Jose Mourinho was sacked in late 2007 and it's just not getting any better for them.

This near-one-manager-per-season-policy has got Roman Abramovich no closer to winning the coveted UEFA Champions League title he so dearly desires.

It has also seen Carlo Ancelotti fired, a man who did the domestic double with the Blues in 2010.

Why not stick your faith in a young manager and see how it fairs? The current methods Abramovich uses are not yielding results.

Wasting Money

It has reportedly cost Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich £28 million to sack Carlo Ancelotti and hire Andre Villas-Boas.

This includes the £13.3 million fee that Chelsea paid FC Porto to release him from his contract. Having spent so much money on a young, promising manager, you'd think the Blues might be inclined to show some faith.

Alas, another has bitten the dust. It will cost them dearly in compensation and this money could have been used to buy star players instead.

Mats Hummels could be acquired for less than £28 million and it would be the majority of the fee needed to land Eden Hazard or Mario Gotze.

Is the cash being spent wisely?

It's the Players That Are at Fault

My final and perhaps most critical point is that it's not Andre Villas-Boas who's at fault for Chelsea's season so far.

The Blues have several long-standing players on the roster who seem to think they can do whatever they wish.

John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba et al are players who have achieved a lot for the club but need to be moved on.

A huge rebuilding job needs doing at Chelsea. I'm not sure the Russian billionaire owner is even aware of the magnitude of the job.

Andre Villas-Boas started in the right way, recruiting young players to replace the old, expiring guard. He should have been given the chance to finish what he started.

Chelsea would have thanked him in the long run.