Chelsea's pre-emptive announcement of Phil Scolari's appointment as their new boss has been overwhelmingly celebrated by those associated with, and commenting on, the club. Even the usually reviled Peter Kenyon has come in for praise, lauded as the mastermind behind the capture of one of the most sought-after managers worldwide.

Roman Abramovich is happy as Larry. According to reports, the Russian benefactor has welcomed the news of the Brazilian's signing by offering the new coach a blank cheque from which he can start the rebuilding process. Much like a wealthy man whose wife adopted a kid he didn't much care for, dishing out large wads of cash is how Roman expresses his love.

The recent comings and goings at Chelsea have shown that there is very little long term planning at the club, which goes to undermine the credibility in their management. It takes absolutely no forward-planning to fire Avram Grant and then replace him with Scolari, offering the new guy a bottomless war-chest. There is no cultivation, no investment of time and resources, no foundations. It has become all about finding quick-fix solutions by throwing money at the problem.

By no means does Gene Hackman's residency guarantee success for the Blues, as there are some fairly legitimate question-marks hanging over the character and temperament of Scolari that will no-doubt be addressed over the course of the season.

Scolari is a man who has gone on record sympathizing with Chile's brutal dictator General Pinochet, applying the line of defence that says you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. And while Scolari's politics may be in question, it is also worth noting that his appointment breaks the usual conventions respected by South American coaches, who in the main have distanced themselves from working in Europe, with very few ever proving a success.

Chelsea will be Scolari's first European club and it will be very interesting to see how his impressive coaching background translates into the Premier League. He has had nine Brazilian championships, along with the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, and the Euro 2004 final with Portugal. However the structure of the Brazilian championships, together with the World Cup and European Champions are all based on a cup-competition format. Never has Scolari been faced with the challenge of a 38-game season, where three points in August are worth the same three points in May.