Chelsea sack boss Di Matteo (From Daily Echo)
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Chelsea sack boss Di Matteo
9:14am Wednesday 21st November 2012 in Saints News
Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo has been sacked as Chelse a manager after the club’s crushing Champions League defeat at Juventus last night.
The manager who masterminded the greatest climax to a season in the Blues' history this morning paid the price for Chelsea possibly becoming the first holders to crash out of the competition before Christmas.
Last night's 3-0 loss in Turin - their heaviest ever in a group match - put them on the brink of doing just that, with Chelsea relying on a Shakhtar Donetsk side who have already qualified beating Juve to let them off the hook.
They must also win their own final Group E game against Nordsjaelland.
Pep Guardiola is still waiting in the wings, while there is even talk of Rafael Benitez or Avram Grant being parachuted in as a stopgap, in much the same way Di Matteo was last season.
Asked if he was confident he would still be in charge for the final group game and beyond, the Italian had said last night: "At the moment, I think, with the team we are all in it together.
"At the moment, I am here and I think I will be for the future. It's probably not a question you should ask me but, as far as I'm concerned, I'll keep working."
Asked if sacking him would be fair considering everything he achieved last season, he added: "I'm the wrong person to answer that question."
Di Matteo risked Abramovich's wrath last night by dropping Fernando Torres and radically overhauling his tactics - and he took full responsibility afterwards.
He said: "I'm responsible for the result. I'm responsible for the performance. It's a negative evening for us.
"If anyone has to take the blame, it's me. I selected a team I was convinced was the right team to win against Juventus, or get at least a draw, so the blame belongs to me."
He added: "I'm responsible for positive and negative results. This is what I do."
Di Matteo took more than an hour to emerge for his post-match press conference but he said that was not because he had been grilled by senior club executives.
He defended his selection decisions but was left clutching at straws when assessing Chelsea's prospects of qualifying.
He said: "Well, mathematically, it's still possible. While there's hope you still try. Who says that Juventus aren't going to lose at Shakhtar?
"We just have to make we do our job at our end, win the last group game. With 10 points, normally... usually, it's enough. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it is."
A Chelsea statement this morning said: "Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with manager Roberto Di Matteo.
"The team's recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the Board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season.
"The club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup competitions. Our aim is to remain as competitive as possible and challenge strongly on all fronts.
"The owner and the Board would like to thank Roberto for all he has done for the club since taking over in March. Roberto helped guide us to an historic Champions League victory and a seventh FA Cup. We will never forget the huge contribution he has made to this club's history and he will always be welcome at Stamford Bridge.
"The club will be making an announcement shortly regarding a new first team manager."
Comments(22)
SFCOLDBOY
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9:39am Wed 21 Nov 12
happysaint
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9:57am Wed 21 Nov 12
Don-Irelando
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10:16am Wed 21 Nov 12
seventh-junction
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10:17am Wed 21 Nov 12
costa gaz
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10:36am Wed 21 Nov 12
SO50 Saint
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10:39am Wed 21 Nov 12
billythesaint
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11:00am Wed 21 Nov 12
TheSaintsMan
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11:01am Wed 21 Nov 12
TheSaintsMan
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11:02am Wed 21 Nov 12
Strasbourg Saint
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11:12am Wed 21 Nov 12
seventh-junction wrote:I heard the PST had put all their 'pack the park' income on it being Nigel.
I bet the bookies are rubbing their hands......All those bets for NA and MH etc to be the first manager to get he boot down the swanny!!
Oh well, that's another quid down the drain in Skateville!
St Retford
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11:27am Wed 21 Nov 12
Strasbourg Saint
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11:33am Wed 21 Nov 12
St Retford wrote:If I was younger, I'd take a GAP year and sqeeze it in between doing a ten-month stint with displaced people in, say,Gaza.
It's my dream job - I'll do it!
I don't suppose that's an option for you.
Maybe you could take a six-week sabbatical from journalism.
Sainty saint saint
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1:04pm Wed 21 Nov 12
george chivers
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1:39pm Wed 21 Nov 12
COYR
Hobson82
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1:45pm Wed 21 Nov 12
george chivers wrote:I hope we can keep the momentum going and keep picking up points.
Just a matter of time before Cortese's great personal friend arrives at SMS to replace NA. Almost inevitable unless we go into a long sequence of wins. COYR
I fear a couple of bad results and Di Matteo will be in for Adkins. Unless QPR get in there first.
St Retford
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1:52pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Strasbourg Saint wrote:I don't think I'd need six weeks. I'd say I was likely to get found out within a week, meaning I could probably squeeze it in over my Christmas holidays.
St Retford wrote:If I was younger, I'd take a GAP year and sqeeze it in between doing a ten-month stint with displaced people in, say,Gaza.
It's my dream job - I'll do it!
I don't suppose that's an option for you.
Maybe you could take a six-week sabbatical from journalism.
However, this would still give me time to line up a swap deal to Southampton of Hazard, Mata and Oscar plus £200m in exchange for Tommy Forecast.
This might set alarm bells ringing, but I think my fate might be sealed when I play Forecast as a striker. Still, I'd get sacked and my contract would be paid up and I'd be 10m the richer. Everyone's a winner.
(Except Chelsea, obviously, but which sane person doesn't absolutely hate them anyway?)
TEBOURBA
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2:01pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Never thought I waould say it!!
CB FRY LIVES
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3:11pm Wed 21 Nov 12
george chivers wrote:i said the same thing yesterday on a post before roberto got the chop and got a bit of verbal for it.i also said that NA will have to get a good run of wins together beween now and xmas otherwise we might be welcoming the italian swiss gentleman as our new manager.lets see what happens then.it will be interesting to see what both the bookies and the echo's take on the subject will be.
Just a matter of time before Cortese's great personal friend arrives at SMS to replace NA. Almost inevitable unless we go into a long sequence of wins.
COYR
george chivers
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3:24pm Wed 21 Nov 12
Hobson82 wrote:On the sunday before CFC won the CL final there was a Cortese feature article in the Sunday Times saying how close he was to Di Matteo and how close their families were. It said he had consulted Di Matteo before coming to SFC
george chivers wrote:I hope we can keep the momentum going and keep picking up points.
Just a matter of time before Cortese's great personal friend arrives at SMS to replace NA. Almost inevitable unless we go into a long sequence of wins. COYR
I fear a couple of bad results and Di Matteo will be in for Adkins. Unless QPR get in there first.
At the time of that article nobody thought CFC would win the CL final. I thought the subtext of the article was after CFC had lost the final Di Matteo would be fired and then on his way to us.
The current situation is similar. And of course NA is struggling. We shall see.
COYR
Saintsayer II
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4:03pm Wed 21 Nov 12
george chivers wrote:There are 3 chances of RDM coming here Dogs chance No chance and a snowballs chance in hell
Hobson82 wrote:On the sunday before CFC won the CL final there was a Cortese feature article in the Sunday Times saying how close he was to Di Matteo and how close their families were. It said he had consulted Di Matteo before coming to SFC
george chivers wrote:I hope we can keep the momentum going and keep picking up points.
Just a matter of time before Cortese's great personal friend arrives at SMS to replace NA. Almost inevitable unless we go into a long sequence of wins. COYR
I fear a couple of bad results and Di Matteo will be in for Adkins. Unless QPR get in there first.
At the time of that article nobody thought CFC would win the CL final. I thought the subtext of the article was after CFC had lost the final Di Matteo would be fired and then on his way to us.
The current situation is similar. And of course NA is struggling. We shall see.
COYR
SO50 Saint
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8:55am Thu 22 Nov 12
Throw in Cahill and you have yourself a deal St Retford
Saintsincethe60s says...
9:34am Wed 21 Nov 12