CHELSEA were thrown into disarray again this morning as Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich axed manager Roberto di Matteo less than four months into the new season.
Di Matteo was originally appointed on a temporary basis in March following the sacking of Portuguese boss Andre Villas-Boas - but the Italian then promptly won a glorious FA Cup and Champions League double to secure a two-year contract.
In the meantime, though, league form last season was patchy, and the Blues slipped to their lowest finish in 10 years.
This season has also been a bit of a mixed bag, with a brilliant start - 22 points out of the first 24 - blighted by the Blues taking just two points from their last 12.
On Saturday, di Matteo's men lost away to his former club West Bromwich Albion with a lacklustre performance.
It meant that Chelsea - who were four points clear at the top of the Premier League after the first eight games - are now four points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
However, the tipping point appears to have come in the competition which was so rewarding for di Matteo in May.
For, after away defeats to Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus last night, Chelsea seem likely to become the first defending champions in the Champions League era to go out in the group stages.
At last, it appears the Roman emperor at Stamford Bridge has got enough self-justification to give a thumbs down verdict.
After all, Abramovich never really wanted di Matteo in the top job and only a repeat of last season's Cup form and improvement in the league would have saved him.
Indeed, in my preview post for the season, I noted that the delay of three-and-a-half weeks which it took for the Chelsea hierarchy to appoint di Matteo "spoke volumes".
Abramovich was left in a difficult position and felt obliged to give di Matteo the job after his successes at Wembley and in Munich. But, even then, he still did not really want to.
And so, while the Russian's latest reshuffle has been rightly condemned as a harsh verdict on di Matteo, it actually comes as no surprise.
Remarkably, di Matteo may have only lasted 262 days at Stamford Bridge - but that is still longer than Villas-Boas (256), Avram Grant (247), Luis Felipe Scolari (223) or temp Guus Hiddink (104).
Indeed, under Abramovich, only with Jose Mourinho (2004-2007) and Carlo Ancelotti (2009-2011) has there even been a modicum of stability.
So, where now for the Blues? Well, ideally, Abramovich would like to persuade former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola into the hotseat.
However, if Guardiola is a man of his word and takes a full season out following his exertions at the Nou Camp, Abramovich would be forced to look elsewhere for yet another short-term fix.
The favourite, for now, appears to be former Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez, who has been out of work since being sacked by Inter Milan in December 2010.
That could be a prudent move if Benitez is able to help 28-year-old Fernando Torres rediscover his best form, having previously linked up with him effectively at Anfield.
Torres, who was signed in January 2011 by Ancelotti, has only ever shown glimpses of his best since his £50m move from the Reds. Overall, the Spaniard has been a costly mistake.
Nevertheless, in the world of Abramovich where money is no object, a £50m flop or the pay-out of yet another manager's contract, is very much small beer.
And even delivering the holy grail of the Champions League is still sometimes not enough to save your job.
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