Chelsea legend Roberto Di Matteo became the sixth manager to fall in just five years as Abramovich issued the chop shortly after the 3-0 defeat in Turin last night.
The large majority of fans seem unhappy that he has been dismissed, but 6 months after guiding us to our solitary Champions League victory, and the FA Cup double.
However, no win in four league games has left them four points off the pace in the Premier League, and three straight defeats in Europe means only a miracle can prevent them being the first winners of the competition to be eliminated in the Group stages.
Although few can argue about his start to the season, after winning seven of the first eight in the league, there was bound to be a rocky patch around the corner.
Unlike other clubs, Abramovich doesn’t like to see managers attempt to revive themselves out of a slump, he prefers to simply fire them, and get a new man in to pick up the pieces.
Di Matteo was always meant to be a temporary role however, and many people believe Abramovich never really wanted him for longer than the end of last season, but after picking up the Champions League against all odds, he was forced to give him a chance.
It was ironic that Di Matteo would win that title, the one that Abramovich had pined for since his arrival in 2003. It was almost like that co-worker you always hated finding your valuable bracelet you had lost years ago.
What is done, is done however, and Chelsea fans prepare for yet another era, a hype that seems to come with a new manager, although now its hard to justify keeping anyone who doesn’t provide the club with at least 2 trophies per season.
We look at the favourite candidates for the Chelsea job, as speculation intensifies, and rumours handed about. All odds are from Skybet this morning.
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Rafa Benitez – 4/6 Favourite
The Spanish waiter, as most will know him, although he is probably more well-known for the famous Champions League victory he steered Liverpool to in 2004/5, beating AC Milan on penalties.
He also managed something that both AVB and RDM failed to do, get Fernando Torres to score goals in the Premier League, consistently.
Pep Guardiola may well not be available until the summer, so a short-term deal for Benitez may well be the choice, although he declined a similar offer last season when Villas-Boas was axed.
If he gets our blonde bombshell scoring, he will be a hit with the fans, and may well put us back in contention for the Premier League title this season.
Pep Guardiola – 3/1
If Roman actually wants a long-term appointment, we’re thinking two years max? Then Pep surely must be the man. After four years in charge of Barcelona, amassing fourteen trophies, he stated he would take a break from football, as he was tired. Though who wouldn’t be? He had masterminded two Champions League wins, and three La Liga’s in that time after all.
He certainly seems to be the favourite for Abramovich, and surely most Chelsea fans would be happy with the appointment, although whether he can work his magic away from the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi, is yet to be seen.
It is widely suggested that he is currently looking at offers to start in the Summer of 2013, so a move this early into his year vacation seems quite unlikely, but with the Russian’s millions, everyone surely has their price.
Harry Redknapp – 5/1
‘Arry has been in the game for a while, and although he has a host of achievements on his CV, he is yet to land that top job, one that he was expected to get in the form of the England job this year, before the surprising news that Roy Hodgson had been hired.
He took lowly West ham to a 5th place finish in the Prem, lifted the FA Cup with minnows Portsmouth, and guided local rivals Spurs up to eighth after being bottom with eight games gone, before finishing fourth in two of the next three seasons, and then finally receiving the boot in June, after failing to agree a new contract.
He may not have the suave persona of a Mourinho or a Guardiola, but few could argue with his achievements, and he has averaged over 200 games per managerial post, whereas Grant, Scolari, Hiddink, Villas-Boas, and Di Matteo couldn’t manage that many games between the five of them.
Wouldn’t be a favourite with the fans because of his Tottenham connections, but results would of course change that.
Other selected bets:
Avram Grant 12/1
Gianfranco Zola 16/1
Andriy Shevchenko 20/1
Steve Clarke 20/1
Jose Mourinho 25/1
David Moyes 28/1
John Terry 33/1
Whoever takes over, will have a massive job on their hands, both pleasing Roman Abramovich, and turning the clubs fortunes around.
By Brad Smith
Follow @BrummieBrad
unfortunate that Roman is impatient….