Scolari sacked!

[Johnny_Big]

Chelsea have sensationally sacked manager Luiz Felipe Scolari after just seven months in charge.

The 59-year-old Brazilian arrived in West London last July, but the club's poor form and rumours of discontent in the dressing room have seen his position undermined.

Chelsea's results at home have been particularly disappointing, winning just six of 13 games at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Saturday's goalless draw at home to Hull City saw them slip to fourth in the table, seven points behind leaders Manchester United.

Nevertheless the dismissal of Scolari, who won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, comes as a major shock.

Chelsea have reached the last 16 of the Champions League where they face a Juventus side managed by former Stamford Bridge boss Claudio Ranieri, and they are still in the FA Cup.

Scolari started brightly with six wins and two draws from his first eight league games and they led the table most weeks until the middle of November.

However, Liverpool won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on October 26 to end Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten home league run and their home form, in particular, began to dip alarmingly with another loss to Arsenal at the end of November and a series of poor draws.

Scolari's substitutions were also questioned by fans, who taunted him on Saturday with cries of "you don't know what you're doing".

The club, who won back-to-back titles under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006 and were beaten on penalties in last season's Champions League final by Manchester United, slipped further back in the title race when they were beaten 3-0 by United and 2-0 by Liverpool recently.

Scolari's assistant Ray Wilkins takes temporary charge of the first-team, but one of the favourites to take over permanently is West Ham manager and former Blues legend Gianfranco Zola, who has been voted the greatest player the club's history.

Russia manager Guus Hiddink and Avram Grant - the man sacked by Chelsea last May after reaching the Champions League final - are also believed to be on the shortlist.

A club statement said: "The Chelsea board would like to place on record our gratitude for his time as manager.

"Felipe has brought many positives to the club since he joined and we all feel a sense of sadness that our relationship has ended so soon.

"Unfortunately the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season.

"In order to maintain a challenge for the trophies we are still competing for we felt the only option was to make the change now.

"The search for a new manager has already started and we hope to have someone in place as soon as possible."

@ Eurosport.

This one really surprised me. I really have some consideration for the man, I think he is a great manager.

 

[Arnau]

but if the ball dont enter, the firts cuted head its always the coach one

 

[night]

but if the ball dont enter, the firts cuted head its always the coach one

What?

 

[Pogba4Now]

I think he means when a team don't score, the first person they blame is the coach?

Anyway I think its not a good time to sack a manager. Chelsea has important games ahead including the last 16 of the champions league, and now they'll have to look for a new manager.

 

[pede54]

I'm a very optomistic guy, but I will be writing off our chances of winning anything this season.

I never thought I would ever say this again, but I just hope we can simply qualify for the CL next season. That in itself will be a great end to the season considering the mess we are in at this time.

....and if you think Scolari is a great coach, then watch our last 15 games, and observe the inept way in which he deals with 15 different teams. Take note of his tactics, formations and subs. He played narrow and predictable football, and it seems that he didn't have a formula to win games.

He had the playing talent at his disposal, so there are no excuses there either.

Ah well. Another chapter in the Chelsea story I guess.

 

[Arnau]

What?

if the team dont work the firts ban will be for the coach

 

[Pogba4Now]

firts? flirts?

 

[Bobby]

Haha, it HAS to be Avram!

 

[Johnny_Big]

I'm a very optomistic guy, but I will be writing off our chances of winning anything this season.

I never thought I would ever say this again, but I just hope we can simply qualify for the CL next season. That in itself will be a great end to the season considering the mess we are in at this time.

....and if you think Scolari is a great coach, then watch our last 15 games, and observe the inept way in which he deals with 15 different teams. Take note of his tactics, formations and subs. He played narrow and predictable football, and it seems that he didn't have a formula to win games.

He had the playing talent at his disposal, so there are no excuses there either.

Ah well. Another chapter in the Chelsea story I guess.

It's true Scolari doesn't have many tactical abilities. Here in Portugal it was noticable. But one strength of him is his amazing capacity of motivation and unity he brings to the squad (and that goes to the fans as well).

But surely. He wasn't the right manager for Chelsea. He isn't manager for EPL quality.

 

[Gunnersgoal22]

The fact that he won a World Cup doesn't necessarily make him a good manager. Raymond Domenech was a penalty shootout away from winning it all and I don't think many people believe in him too much.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I never really thought Big Phil could succeed in England, it's just a different game over there. England has always been very different than the Continent, and it takes a very unique coach to succeed in both places. There are assumptions you make in England that are just not true on the Continent, and likewise there are assumptions you make on the Continent that are not true in England. Scolari always seemed like a stubborn guy, so he wouldn't be too open to questioning everything he had learned before he got to England.

 

[cmc211]

Then noone want to have a manager in Chelsea.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

it has nothing to do with coaching "on the continent" vs coaching in the oh-so-special land of england ... it has to do with the fact that the man has been in international management for almost a decade!

sure he had initial (and rather instant) club success in Brazil, but his successes in the last decade have been in international tournaments, where 'being a motivator' can be enough to carry a team through a maximum of 5 to 7 matches ...

I wasn't saying that either was better than the other one, but they are unquestionably different.

 

[dimo]

Big Sam, Baby!

 

[Sevillista]

every league is different ... Italy is not the same as Spain, which is not the same as Germany, which is not the same as England ...

and all that stuff about "assumptions you make on the Continent that are not true in England":- Big Phil has a singular experience on 'the continent': managing the Portuguese national team, where he pretty much kept picking the same players regardless of form or whether they even featured for their clubs ... he just took time to readjust to the fluctuations of the day-in day-out club management scene; apparently, too much time ...

Thank you. I had the same reaction to that post. It has always bothered me how EPL-centric this messageboard is.

As for Scolari... does this mean Drogba will get more minutes?

 

[kp41]

I think bad decisions costed him his job. Arsenal goal was offside as well as wrong send off for lampard.

I think his major problem was sidelining deco and playing ballack and using anelka instead of drogba or using both.

 

[Mus]

But his successes in the last decade have been in international tournaments, where 'being a motivator' can be enough to carry a team through a maximum of 5 to 7 matches ...

martin o'neill?
he's a motivator, and he is being very successful

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Thank you. I had the same reaction to that post. It has always bothered me how EPL-centric this messageboard is.

As for Scolari... does this mean Drogba will get more minutes?

England REALLY IS different than pretty much everywhere else. I don't think I'm saying anything controversial here. The flat 4-4-2 is still the most common formation, the players develop and value different skills than pretty much everywhere else.

 

[Lean]

I agree with Shifty. However, considering how Felipão's teams played over here in Brazil (aggressive, competitive football, a physical game), i'm really surprised to see Chelsea being big match pushovers.

Scolari is a great motivator but his motivation only works when all his players are focused and concentrated on one goal and that is not the case. Chelsea look like a side without passion at the moment and there are too many players underperforming (which can be the manager's fault or not). Felipão's biggest fault is being too stubborn and inept tactically. He's not good with tactics. His teams were successful because he made his players run more, try harder and do it better than the opponents simply by inspiring them, which made up for his side's tactical faults.

When it doesnt work, his team is seriously exposed. Now he needs to reinvent himself if he wants to be a good club manager again.

 

[Kibe Kru]

I agree with Shifty. However, considering how Felipão's teams played over here in Brazil (aggressive, competitive football, a physical game), i'm really surprised to see Chelsea being big match pushovers.

Scolari is a great motivator but his motivation only works when all his players are focused and concentrated on one goal and that is not the case. Chelsea look like a side without passion at the moment and there are too many players underperforming (which can be the manager's fault or not). Felipão's biggest fault is being too stubborn and inept tactically. He's not good with tactics. His teams were successful because he made his players run more, try harder and do it better than the opponents simply by inspiring them, which made up for his side's tactical faults.

When it doesnt work, his team is seriously exposed. Now he needs to reinvent himself if he wants to be a good club manager again.

Agreed. I wonder how much the language barrier contributed to it. Yes, he could speak English well enough, but still.