Chelsea’s fear of the old guard led the club right back to them

Chelsea has spent the better part of the last decade trying to remove the old guard’s power. Those efforts ultimately led the club right back to them.

Make no mistake; Chelsea is very much the house that Jose Mourinho built in his first tenure. So massive was the Portuguese manager’s initial influence in the newly cash rich club that his finger prints still remain.

When Mourinho left, his lieutenants remained. They created what is known as the old guard. They were the spine that pulled Chelsea through when coaches could not. Their power grew so great that even the board began to fear them on some level.

The board tried to remove the vestiges of the old guard. But in a twist of fate, only now that almost every mark is removed, the Blues have no choice but to turn back to the players that helped build the club’s current state. The fear of the old guard has only driven Chelsea right back to them.

It started with small moves like the 30 plus one contract rule. This was an attempt to keep the squad young and fresh, but it also helped to force the older players elsewhere bar a massive pay cut. It pushed Didier Drogba out the door just after winning the Champions League. It eventually pushed Frank Lampard and John Terry out as well.

But one issue was that no one filled the leadership gap. As the strong voices departed, no new ones arose. Chelsea tried to hire strong managers to replace those voices but that proved to be a false equivalence.

As more and more of the old guard departed, managers gained more control but the strength of the squad dwindled. Most thought those players would return someday but many found other avenues into the game.

But now the squad is as far away from the old guard as it has ever been. They were never really replaced. With the transfer ban and moral at one of its lowest points among the fan base, the board that tried so hard to remove the old guard’s power now has to give it back.

Frank Lampard is set to return to Chelsea with Jody Morris as his right hand man. Petr Cech is rumored to be returning as sporting director. Claude Makelele is old even for the old guard, but he just left his job with somewhat suspicious timing. Gianfranco Zola (again, old for the old guard) and Joe Cole are already at the club. Ashley Cole is available and it is only a matter of time as to when John Terry returns. Didier Drogba is among the many true unknowns.

The old guard is coming back after having been pushed out. The only question is whether the board wants that because they need the old Chelsea spirit back in the side or if it is because that is the only play they have currently. Is the board still afraid of the old guard? If so, this may be more rocky than desired.

But the fans will back their legends as they do most that come through Chelsea. That will not make them unsackable, but it will make it a great deal harder for the board to come out in the right if it comes to it.

This will probably start as an uneasy alliance between the board and the legends they helped push out the door. It can be repaired over time, but only with results. The time for the old to become new again is now.