Should Chelsea stick with Roberto Di Matteo next season?

Revolution9

After guiding Chelsea to the Champions League final, winning the FA Cup and managing his side to just two defeats in 18 games since his appointment, should Roman stick with Roberto Di Matteo for next season?

Or is he merely Avram Grant in disguise?

I remain conflicted. I think that whoever had replaced AVB would've benfited from the surge of relief and happiness from the Chelsea squad that followed his dismissal. Dropping AVB's ridiculous defensive high line was a no brainer. He doesn't have much of a managerial record, managing MK Dons and then West Brom, where he was sacked for losing 13 out of the 18 games they played on their return to the Premier League.

But, I can't argue with the results over the past few months. Roman wanted Guus Hiddink permanently and he achieved less than Di Matteo in a similar time frame.

Should the decision rest on whether or not he wins the Champions League final? Any other Premier League owner would've probably decided to give him a full season by now, especially because there's no obvious candidate available.

The_Kew_Tour

Yes.

He deserves a chance.

Revolution9

No

Poll added.

No

Yeah,why not.

If he misses out on CL he may get the flick though.

gnfnrhead

I reckon Roman will try and get one of the big names like Pep. I can't see any of them willing to take the chance on Chelsea (unless they just want the money and don't care if it damages their reputation any) meaning he has to stick with Di Matteo next season. So long as Di Matteo keeps up the good performances, it's going to be very hard to sack him unless Roman has someone like Pep already lined up to replace him.

A normal club would have given him the job for another couple of years already, but we know that's not the way things work at Chelsea.

Revolution9

No

Pep wants a break from the game. Can't see him walking away from Barca only to join Chelsea a few weeks later. Not a viable option for Chelsea. Can only think of Capello and Benitez as probable alternatives to Di Matteo and I don't think either will happen.

GavRedKing

No

Keeping it short, yes.

Hes done no worse then any of the previous managers so I say give him a year at least and see how we are by this time next year.

jesus_thats_gre

Only if he wins the Champions League

For the 7/8 years up to AVB being appointed, Chelsea were one of the major forces in the PL and Europe. A significant part of this success was down to the likes of Terry, Lampard, Drogba and co. During this time, there were persistant rumours that Ambramovich wanted the team to play a certain brand of football and that success alone was not enough.

After a few managers being moved on or sack, AVB is brought in as a long term appointment and is given the mandate to overhaul and reduce the average age of the the team and to change the style of football that the team plays.

After a few months, AVB is sacked due to poor results.

DiMatteo is appointed soon after and immediately reverts to the players and style that AVB was pretty much told to remove the clubs reliance upon. Chelsea's performance improve - particularly in the cup. The league performance is still well short of expectations though.

There is nothing DiMatteo has been doing that every other manager, AVB being the exception, under Abramovich have done.

Fair played to DiMatteo but he hasn't done enough for me.

Revolution9

No

gavredking wrote: »

Keeping it short, yes.

Hes done no worse then any of the previous managers so I say give him a year at least and see how we are by this time next year.

Out of interest, did you (and other Chelsea fans) feel the same about Avram Grant? I know he didn't win anything but he came damn close.

Panthro

gavredking wrote: »

Keeping it short, yes.

Hes done no worse then any of the previous managers so I say give him a year at least and see how we are by this time next year.

Absolutely, give him a year at least, if he does well, happy days and if things go badly for him, then fair enough.
Hes got a lot going for him at the minute, players and fans support, being a former player of the club etc. Let him have a shot.

Revolution9

No

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

There is nothing DiMatteo has been doing that every other manager, AVB being the exception, under Abramovich have done.

Scolari?

CSF

No

I think they have to, really.

NukaCola

Yes, however i wouldnt be surprised in the least if he got the boot. The guy might need to win a CL to keep the job.......which is funny if you think about it

willmunny1990

I'll judge him after the CL final. The FA Cup was a great win but it was a win you'd expect because we were playing a mid table team in Liverpool.

Bayern will be a different animal and i think he'll have to get at least a season if he gets us the CL league.

G.K.

No

Yes, provided he startes the clearout over the summer.

L'prof

Only if he wins the Champions League

Whoops, voted "No" because I thought it said "sack". I think they should give him a proper run at it, he's done well since taking over from Boas. In reality though, winning the CL might be the only thing that will guarantee he keeps his job and he needs to have a good start to next season too or he could be gone before Christmas!

Turtyturd

I think they will have no choice unless they throw loads of money at someone. Any manager with respect for their career will keep away so the only option is getting someone who will want a big pay day for a couple of months work.

greendom

i think he made a big mistake with his team selection against Newcastle. Everyone knows that the Champions League is the be all and end all for RA and he risked Chelsea's involvement in next year's competition for the FA Cup. Obviously if he wins this year's Champions League all will be forgiven but if not he'll be gone.

DARK-KNIGHT

No

United fan here do not bias but Chelsea really need to stick witha manager rather than costing 10 million a season to get rid of manger every year!! Maybe not 10 but cash payouts alround ffs who wouldn't want to be Chelsea boss with the redundancy packages there lol

Dimatteo is a great manager and has a love for your club which is why he should be given at least 3 years to try and transform the team

mike65

He could be worth a punt esp if none of the obvious top rank names are willing but Di Matteo could easily turn out to be a bit like Dalglish - comes in at a time of woe, settles the top players nerves, changes the style back to what they know and like and sees the results pick up impressively.....then comes the summer transfer window and the full season with the feel good factor having worn off.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Only if he wins the Champions League

Not a notion will Pep will be at Chelsea come August. He left Barca to take a break from football, we won't see him back in the dugouts until 2013 at the earliest, although I think he'll take a 2-3 year break before taking on another position as manager.

Had Mourinho won the CL then I could have seen him going to Chelsea, he still could, but I think he will want to win the CL at Madrid, considering the players at his disposal and changes he was responsible for upstairs I think he'll consider his tenure as somewhat unsuccessful if he doesn't.

As for De Matteo I don't think he'll be in charge come August, nor do I think he should be. jesus_thats_gre summed it up for me;

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

For the 7/8 years up to AVB being appointed, Chelsea were one of the major forces in the PL and Europe. A significant part of this success was down to the likes of Terry, Lampard, Drogba and co. During this time, there were persistant rumours that Ambramovich wanted the team to play a certain brand of football and that success alone was not enough.

After a few managers being moved on or sack, AVB is brought in as a long term appointment and is given the mandate to overhaul and reduce the average age of the the team and to change the style of football that the team plays.

After a few months, AVB is sacked due to poor results.

DiMatteo is appointed soon after and immediately reverts to the players and style that AVB was pretty much told to remove the clubs reliance upon. Chelsea's performance improve - particularly in the cup. The league performance is still well short of expectations though.

There is nothing DiMatteo has been doing that every other manager, AVB being the exception, under Abramovich have done.

Fair played to DiMatteo but he hasn't done enough for me.

That and his poor record with West Brom is enough for me. Also, the interviews yesterday with the chairman and the players were interesting, not one of them said they'd like to see him there next season, the writing is on the wall as far as I'm concerned, although if he does manage to win the CL it'll be very interesting to see how the board justify not keeping him on for another season.

MUSEIST

No

THFC wrote: »

Not a notion will Pep will be at Chelsea come August. He left Barca to take a break from football, we won't see him back in the dugouts until 2013 at the earliest, although I think he'll take a 2-3 year break before taking on another position as manager.

Had Mourinho won the CL then I could have seen him going to Chelsea, he still could, but I think he will want to win the CL at Madrid, considering the players at his disposal and changes he was responsible for upstairs I think he'll consider his tenure as somewhat unsuccessful if he doesn't.

As for De Matteo I don't think he'll be in charge come August, nor do I think he should be. jesus_thats_gre summed it up for me;

That and his poor record with West Brom is enough for me. Also, the interviews yesterday with the chairman and the players were interesting, not one of them said they'd like to see him there next season, the writing is on the wall as far as I'm concerned, although if he does manage to win the CL it'll be very interesting to see how the board justify not keeping him on for another season.

Ok, not having a go but who do you think chelsea could realistically bring in that would do a better job than RDM over a full season. Remember that chelsea were not in the top 4 when RDM took over and we have been playing a catch up game ever since, if he took over 6 weeks earlier we would be in the top 4 now, I'm pretty certain of that. Also his record at west brom was good and most people agreed that he was hard done by to be sacked after an impressive start. I just don't see a viable alternative and so-called big name managers have failed at chelsea so why not go for a lesser name that gets the best out of the squad.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Only if he wins the Champions League

MUSEIST wrote: »

Ok, not having a go but who do you think chelsea could realistically bring in that would do a better job than RDM over a full season. Remember that chelsea were not in the top 4 when RDM took over and we have been playing a catch up game ever since, if he took over 6 weeks earlier we would be in the top 4 now, I'm pretty certain of that. Also his record at west brom was good and most people agreed that he was hard done by to be sacked after an impressive start. I just don't see a viable alternative.

I don't know who they will bring in, but I just can't see Abramovich being happy with RDM in charge, we all know he likes his big names. It depends as well if Abramovich will want someone with experience or not. Hitzfeld is a name being bandied around a bit, he has a proven track record, in the CL as well. Luis Enrique at Roma could do a job imo, but they'd be taking a gamble and after AVB I can only see them going for experience. Obvious candidates are Capello, Van Gaal (who Chelsea were reportedly interested in) and Benitez, although I can't see the latter being given the job. An outstanding candidate would be Bielsa, but would he leave Bilbao is the question.

Revolution9

No

Surely the job is in the bag now

plasmaguy

G.K. wrote: »

Yes, provided he startes the clearout over the summer.

Clearout of who? Drogba? Lampard? These players won the CL for Chelsea. Moving them on makes no sense.

dreamers75

Depends on what Lampard and terry think.

kitakyushu

Only if they can't get Daglish.

Sgt Pepper 64

They have to give him the job TBH, cos what manager is going to come near them if that isnt good enough.

Although RDM's league rate was poor, I think the cups affected that and all our energy went into them

Even if its for year, he has to get or Chelsea will be slated

Guy:Incognito

He'd probably be better off riding in to the sunset tbh. Get a job elsewhere. The only way he can have a better season is to win the in the league and the CL, and thats not going to happen .

Helix

I don't think he's the right man for them in the long run, and I do t think Roman does either. He did a good job this season, but not quite as good as done think, with less points and goals per game than AVB. The cups papered over that quite a bit, but to keep him on because of them will only end one way, and that's chelsea looking for a replacement at some point next season

I like the guy though,and I think he's got a decent career ahead of him, but let's not forget that avram grant was a stud's grip away from winning the CL 4 years ago

They'll go for someone with more experience and more pull

stealinhorses

Yes, unless they can get Guardiola.

carbon nanotube

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

He'd probably be better off riding in to the sunset tbh. Get a job elsewhere. The only way he can have a better season is to win the in the league and the CL, and thats not going to happen .

what he said.


the only other outcome is for him to be fired in 6 months time and have a nice pay cheque.

Barr

Rdm as next manager please

Masked Man

People have slammed RA for being so rash but it doesn't get more rash than deciding who your manager is going to be based on the outcome of one match (I know its the cl final but my point is still valid). The decision should have been made before tonight and it makes no sense to say "how can you fire somebody who won the cl". If you wouldn't have said he should be there next season before tonight then you shouldn't say it now.

DARK-KNIGHT

No

They will do exactly what they have for last 8 years... Buy success or throw a shed load of money and hope it sticks!!! Sad really Chelsea are not a club they are a bank full stop.

Dimatteo should stay he done a great job with an old tired looking team!!

Red Crow

Only if he wins the Champions League

I'm not sure Di Matteo is a good manager at all. Chelsea haven't played well in the Champions League against the better teams and they look a tired old side and I'm not sure Di Matteo is going to be the man to drop Drogba, Terry and Lampard and make the changes necessary to move Chelsea in a new direction.

Chelsea were a very poor side in the league too this season and deserved to finish outside the top four. I can't see any sustained success for this side under Roberto Di Matteo tbh.

G.K.

No

plasmaguy wrote: »

Clearout of who? Drogba? Lampard? These players won the CL for Chelsea. Moving them on makes no sense.

It does make sense. Think about how old they are.

Leiva

G.K. wrote: »

It does make sense. Think about how old they are.

Exactly.

If RDM just rolls with what he has next season, sticks with the old guard, and doesn't introduce youth or reduce the average age of the squad then if I was a Chelsea fan I would be concerned.

But if he does implement a strategy to reduce the average age of the squad then it will surely cost points here and there .
Could he find himself in the same waters that got AVB the sack ?

And all of this will need to be done within UFFP . Whatever that end up to be like .

CSF

No

There's an argument to say he has earned it, but I can't see it ending too well. You can't invite that much pressure on you that often and be successful regularly. Last night, Chelsea got their bit of luck but should probably find someone now that ensures that for any future successes, Chelsea make their own luck.

MUSEIST

No

Well if he gets the job which I hoe he does then he will be replaceing kalou, malouda , drogba and bosingwa. 3 of those are out of contract so he will have no choice but to freshing things up. Chelsea don't need a huge clearout. Cech, terry, cole and lampard still have plenty to offer. Mata, luiz, ramires, mikel and all in there early to mid twenties and if we replace malouda, kalou, drogba and bosinwa with younger players then chelsea are sorted IMO.

spiralism

If chelsea dont stick with robbie after that then abramovic is a total disgrace. What he's done for that club in 3 months will never be surpassed

Aidric

Eli Manning wrote: »

I'm not sure Di Matteo is a good manager at all. Chelsea haven't played well in the Champions League against the better teams and they look a tired old side and I'm not sure Di Matteo is going to be the man to drop Drogba, Terry and Lampard and make the changes necessary to move Chelsea in a new direction.

Chelsea were a very poor side in the league too this season and deserved to finish outside the top four. I can't see any sustained success for this side under Roberto Di Matteo tbh.

Fully agree with this. I get the impression he is a yes man. It's not like he has Chelsea playing anything resembling good football.

CSF

No

spiralism wrote: »

If chelsea dont stick with robbie after that then abramovic is a total disgrace. What he's done for that club in 3 months will never be surpassed

It's a chairmans job to be a little bit more sentimental than that.

edgecutter

Only if he wins the Champions League

Love all the plaudits that RDM is getting for the win and fair play to him. However, the talk of his tactical genius is getting on my nerves. His team have been outclassed on so many occasions. It will be interesting to see what happens next season, as I believe that he will to be blame for the sinking ship.