Roman Abramovich has continued the macabre game of managerial merry-go-round that has been such a feature of the club since Jose Mourinho's acrimonious departure in 2007.
In the intervening four years, Chelsea have played under Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas. That makes Roberto di Matteo, the interim manager while Chelsea search for yet another suitable candidate, the sixth man in less than five years to take up the job.
The Russian showed yet again that his modus operandi continues to be ruthless. What seems baffling though, is his apparent reluctance to extend the same policy when it comes to players. That there was widespread discontent in the Chelsea squad under Villas-Boas - at least among the veterans - was no secret.
"Chelsea becoming an embarrassment"
"What's for sure is the club, despite unlimited wealth, haven't yet worked out how to build a successful football club," said League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan.
"Looking for what is an eighth manager in nine years is a serious embarrassment to the owner, the club, the fans and the league."
Bevan added: "That might be the case. After only eight months you can't build that sort of success. The club's still competing in the latter stages of the Champions League, the FA Cup and fighting for a top-four position. If you want success you must look at the longer term."
With Andre Villas-Boas's three-year project cut short to eight months on Sunday, we take a look at the leading candidates to succeed Villas-Boas in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat:
Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid)
The Portuguese is a massive fan favourite from his three year spell (2004-2007) with the Blues and he remains the most successful manager - in terms of trophies - the club have ever had.
Rafael Benitez (Free)
Benitez was a disaster at his last job managing Inter Milan, but prior to that he oversaw successful periods at Valencia and Liverpool.
Fabio Capello (Free)
Capello has won league titles at Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus and Milan - he also won the European Cup in 1994 with the Rossoneri - and although his stint in charge of England failed to yield any major trophies, he finished with a respectable track record.
Pep Guardiola (Barcelona)
Guardiola's constant refusal to sign a long-term deal with the Catalans - he prefers to extend his contract by 12 months at a time - means his name is linked to all the top clubs across Europe at the end of every season.
Roberto Di Matteo
The former Chelsea player is just starting out in his career as a manager and as such his record does not compare well to the leading candidates for the job like Mourinho, Benitez, Capello or Guardiola.
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