28 September 2023 , 15:01
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Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have caused controversy by regularly visiting the dressing room after games, but former Blues midfielder Steve Sidwell has revealed former owner Roman Abramovich used to do the same thing.
Boehly was widely criticised after entering the dressing room following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton last season and delivering a speech where he described their campaign as "embarrassing". Eghbali, meanwhile, was spotted leaving the dressing room after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last weekend and is said to have made similar visits following every game he has attended this season.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino said earlier this week that he "likes" when the owners visit the dressing room, telling reporters: "I like when the owners come. In all my career as a coach, at Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain before and after. I think it is good that the owner came to the dressing room.
"It's the way they approach the player is important, if they are in a good way then they are very welcome. After my press conference after the game against Aston Villa, they came and chill with us, like normally.
"Also against Liverpool, Luton, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, they came with co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and Behdad. We talk about the game - I don't see it in a bad way."
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And Sidwell, who spent one season at Stamford Bridge after leaving Reading, has revealed Abramovich used to do the same thing and "glare" at players following a defeat. "When I was at Chelsea Roman Abramovich used to come in after matches at Stamford Bridge," Sidwell told talkSPORT.
"It depends what the context is and if they're coming in to address everyone and then what they’re saying, ultimately. As a player, I never really saw it as a negative or a positive. After a game you knew if you'd played well or not, but with Roman it was different.
Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell has revealed Roman Abramovich also used to visit the dressing room after games (UEFA via Getty Images)"If he came in, he didn’t have to say anything really. It would be a glare. He'd come in after most games and shake everyone’s hands and stand there talking to the coach and that was it – at that time players were getting up and going for showers or getting some food.
"He never really addressed us, but if there was a defeat or a bad performance, he'd come in and it would be 'oof okay, here we go'. If they're coming in and giving their opinions of the game – an owner's opinion is different to someone who has been in football for 20-odd years at the highest level.
"At the training ground there were times where we were called in for a meeting with the owner – especially at Chelsea with Roman, but away from the stadium and the emotion. We had to go in as a collective. You knew when he [Abramovich] was there because everyone was there! He would just address us to say 'this is Chelsea Football Club, the standard at the moment is not good enough'."