Luiz Felipe Scolari

Guus Hiddink appears set to take over from Luiz Felipe Scolari as the manager of Chelsea until the end of the current season, after being granted permission by the Russian Football Union to talk to the club. The Dutch coach revealed on Tuesday that he is in discussions with the Blues, but will not leave his job as coach of the Russian national side and does not expect to takeover at Stamford Bridge before the weekend. Russian football chiefs have given their approval, with Russian FA general director Alexei Sorokin telling Reuters: ''We don't see it as a problem. The timetable of the national ... Read Full Story

Chelsea have confirmed that Luiz Felipe Scolari has been sacked following a poor run of form, although the decision still took many by surprise. The Brazilian only took charge of the Blues in the summer and after a promising start the Blues have slipped to fourth in the Premier League, seven points adrift of leaders Manchester United. Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Hull City proved to be the final straw for Scolari and the club have moved swiftly to stop the rot by axing Big Phil and placing Ray Wilkins in temporary charge. A statement on the club's official website said: " Luiz ... Read Full Story

Chelsea star Michael Ballack has defended himself against accusations that he played a part in the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari from Stamford Bridge, although confirmed he speaks regularly with Blues owner Roman Abramovich. Scolari was surprisingly sacked last week after just seven months in charge of the club. Reports suggested player power helped remove Scolari from his post with Ballack, Petr Čech and Didier Drogba allegedly key in influencing Abramovich to ditch the Brazilian gaffer. Ballack revealed it was normal for Chelsea players to speak with Abramovich but insists he had a good relationship with Scolari. He told The Sun : "I was ... Read Full Story

Michael Ballack has claimed Luiz Felipe Scolari was Chelsea 's weakest link and his coaching methods were not good enough to bring success to Stamford Bridge. Ballack, along with Didier Drogba and Petr Čech, were the three stars who Scolari believes betrayed him and helped get him the boot this week. But the German midfielder insists even though he and his team-mates should shoulder part of the blame for Chelsea ’s downfall, he believes Scolari left himself wide open to criticism. He said: "Every coach has his own training methods and Scolari has been very successful with his way of doing things in the ... Read Full Story

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins admits his side’s title hopes are receding after the Blues were held to a surprise 0-0 draw at home to Hull. The west Londoners were jeered off after an insipid performance against the Humbersiders on Saturday, who contained their illustrious hosts with ease and produced several clear-cut chances of their own. Chelsea could fall 11 points behind the leaders Manchester United if the reigning champions win their two games in hand and manager Luiz Felipe Scolari may even start casting anxious glances over his shoulder towards fifth-placed Arsenal unless he can arrest his side’s current slump ... Read Full Story