Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell reveals Roman Abramovich used to visit the dressing room and ‘glare’ at players after a defeat

• Steve Sidwell claims Roman Abramovich used to visit the dressing room 
• The former Chelsea owner used to ‘glare’ at players after a defeat 
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Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell claims Roman Abramovich used to visit the dressing room after a defeat and ‘glare’ at the players. 

The 40-year-old, who spent a year at Stamford Bridge, revealed the former owner would never address the players unless they put in a bad performance.

Sidwell’s comments came just days after Chelsea co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali reportedly went into the team’s dressing room after the Blues’ 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. 

Fellow owner Todd Boehly has also been seen visiting the changing room. The American called the side ’embarrassing’ following their 2-1 defeat by Brighton at the Bridge in April.

Sidwell also revealed that Abramovich used to come in after most games and shake everyone’s hands.

Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell (right) claims Roman Abramovich used to enter the dressing room after a defeat and ‘glare’ at the players

Sidwell revealed that the former Chelsea owner used to 

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Speaking to Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent on talkSPORT Drive, the former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder said: ‘When I was at Chelsea Roman Abramovich used to come in after matches at Stamford Bridge.

‘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.

‘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.

‘It just depends what’s being said.’

The 40-year-old made 25 appearances for the Blues before being sold to Aston Villa in 2008

Sidwell was also asked if he ever saw an owner claim to know more than the manager about tactics. 

‘All of the owners at the clubs I was at owned it as a business where they’ve got departments to look after certain areas and the manager looks after the team,’ he said.

‘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.

It came just days after Chelsea co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali (left) reportedly visisted the team’s after their defeat to Aston Villa 

Boehly (middle) has previously hit back at criticism over his presence in the dressing room 

‘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’. Short, sharp and sweet but just a little punch to go ‘come on’.

‘But I’ve never had an owner come down to the dressing room to try and do tactics or be anywhere near the training pitch, nothing like that.’

Sidwell would go on to make 25 appearances in one season at the Bridge. The former midfielder struggled to get regular minutes under Jose Mourinho and was sold to Aston Villa in 2008. 

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