AVB warns players: Back me or go

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS insists he will boot out his Chelsea troublemakers.

The under-fire Blues boss is clinging on after senior stars questioned him at a stormy team meeting this week.

Even former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri now reckons he is a goner.

But AVB said: "If the players want to be part of this club's future, they have to support the project with their performances.

"If some of them don't support me, that's normal.

"Two players have already left and there will be further departures in the future. Contacts will have to be addressed and changes will be made.

"We have to defend the Chelsea badge, because they don't pay us to be a failure and everybody understands the demands to be successful at this club.

"You don't contemplate rewarding people who under-perform in any football team and our objective now is to get the best possible position in the Premier League and continue to fight for two trophies.

"In the situation we are in, we have to demand we do a lot better. We really need some results to put us back on track."

AVB, 34, who faces a crunch FA Cup tie with Birmingham tomorrow, claims to have the support of owner Roman Abramovich.

But Ranieri, now boss of Inter Milan, said last night: "As happened to me when I was not getting results and was sacked, if that is the rule they will also sack him."

AVB insisted: "It's the owner who must back the project. I think he has full trust in me and that he will continue with the ideas we have.

"We had a team meeting because our results haven't been good enough and the responsibility must be shared between players and management.

"The owner was not at that meeting. He can do whatever he wants but, for sure, Roman listens to me ahead of the players. My authority is total because it is Roman's authority."