Ancelotti or Hiddink?

[aliboy66]

I known theres along way to go and we are on top at the moment but that is only because the rest of the teams are not as strong this season,look two weeks ago Arsenal where well out of it no chance not now.Do you think Ancelotti is doing a good job or if we still had Hiddink would we be say 10 points clear?, under Hiddink we seamed more stable then we do now ,if Hiddink was there at the start of last season I'm sure we would have won it last season so whats changed? we still got the same players

[Maksimov]

We will never know if Hiddink would have played the youngsters, but one of the big positive things so far this season has been the introduction of the youngsters to the first team. We may be going through a pretty rough patch, but we're still at the top and if we can get back to winning ways soon, I'm positive we can win a trophy or even two with Ancelotti this season.

[Englishman]

It's worth bearing in mind that Hiddink didn't get it right every game either. Remember the tame loss to Spurs, the 4-0 lead we almost let slip against Bolton, shipping four at home to the Scallies in the CL...

[bcarroll]

If we beat pompey in midweek this whole blip will be forgotten about.

[Chippy]

Like I always say the Job at Chelsea is not an easy one, the players here are all big names and a lot of the performances hinge on how they respond and if they get up for it or fancy it if the going turns out to be a bit tougher than it looked on paper,

sometimes they look like they wouldn't consider the thought of losing and it almost seems like they slap teams for being cheeky when they go one down and suddenly turn it on..other times they just don't respond and then there isn't a lot the Manager can do, its happened to our last 4 managers more because now we as fans know that we have a squad capable of winning every game and someone needs to be blamed if that doesn't happen..surely not the players we know how good they are right?

Being good is not enough they have to have something to prove in every game and they have to believe if they don't perform to their best they can come unstuck to teams that are really not on anything like the same level.

I think Hiddink came in at a good time for him (not taking anything away from him) I think the row with Drogba and Scolari had split the players and Manager and when Hiddink came in it was a good time for them to all start pulling together, Essien came back from injury at that time as well which helped the team and the Manager and Drogba really looked like he thought he had to show Scolari was wrong to drop him for a few games(for the record the way he was playing I think Scolari was right) and the Hiddink Drogba was a totally different player to the one Scolari was working (or not) with.

I think any decent Manager will challenge for all honours with this team if he can keep the players happy and I don't really have a preference in the two that this thread is about as I feel they both have their own styles which given time and the right attitude from the players will reap rewards here.

We need as fans to stop thinking we should win every game and if we don't the Manager is at fault, stop comparing one Manager to another as without a few seasons in the Job any Manager has not got the team playing in his style and not made it fully his team.

We can do well this season and Ancelotti can be the lucky one who is left to do his Job here and given time to create something lasting, for that he needs Romans backing, our backing and the players respect..a change of formation might surprise the opposition on occasion as well..it would certainly surprise me.

[BlueDay]

We need as fans to stop thinking we should win every game and if we don't the Manager is at fault, stop comparing one Manager to another as without a few seasons in the Job any Manager has not got the team playing in his style and not made it fully his team.

We can do well this season and Ancelotti can be the lucky one who is left to do his Job here and given time to create something lasting, for that he needs Romans backing, our backing and the players respect..a change of formation might surprise the opposition on occasion as well..it would certainly surprise me. :D

Agreed. If we lose to Pompey I could see the 'sack ancelotte' fans coming out the woodwork. Something I would very much be ashamed to see.

Edited December 14, 2009 by BlueDay

[Maksimov]

Agreed. If we lose to Pompey I could see the 'sack ancelotte' fans coming out the woodwork.

I think those "fans" are already coming out.

[dkw]

I think those "fans" are already coming out.

its ridiculous isnt it. first points dropped at home this season and all of a sudden were sh*t and shuold sack the manager. its unbelievable really. by all means be pissed of with the results of late but some "fans" need to get a f**king grip.

[evissy]

Ancelotti has been very good for us. Brought new formation, youngsters have played and we have won all the games against the other big teams. That includes beating Manu twice. Topped our CL group, leading the league and crashed out of cocacola-mickeymouse cup just the right time :D.

All the players seem to like Carlo and he's been very gentlemanlike in the press. Maybe he's unable to say what he wants but he hasn't been blaming the referees as all the other big four coached do after every game they've lost.

I hope he has some tricks in his sleeve against Portsmouth as we need to win that game. The team really needs a win at this moment.

[Hutch]

i agree we'll never know whether hiddink would have played the youngsters. when he took over from scolari things were looking well desperate and it wasn't the time to take a risk. also it made sense to stick with players he knew about. i doubt if he would of even heard of most of the younger players.

[Cam]

A manager that can control the whole dressing room is one we need. Scolari didn't have it, Grant didn't have it. Hiddink did.

To be honest, I think Hiddink and Ancelotti are both world class managers and would be happy with either. But having made the forced switch from Guus to Carlo, I don't see a need to change back now.

Carlo hasn' done a lot wrong. The dressing room seems fairly harmonious (but there would have been some walls shaking when the team were adressing the defending in the Everton game).

Only if Ancelotti goes downhill for a sustained period would I consider a move back to Guus necessary.

I'm sure Ancelotti will lift the team out of this miny slumber. I particularly like him injecting the team with some youth prospects.

[g3.7]

my opinion is the same as it was when we hired ancelotti- he's a quality manager and suits working with big players and potentially difficult executives. he's not in hiddink's class (who belongs with fergie, lippi etc), but he suits us quite well and he is the type who'd like to be here long term.

I think he's brought a lot already- despite city and blackburn away he's got ballack and carvalho back playing well, he works well with drogba, he's using two strikers etc. he's also introduced a number of kids into the first team picture- that's not to be underestimated either. he's also got us playing well quite consistently, and seems to have the respect of all of the players. and this is before he's made one single signing.

clearly a lot of fans won't be fully convinced- both because we remember what happened under scolari and plainly, because many had strong negative preconceived ideas about carlo despite having no interest in italian football- those things aren't easy to overcome.

hiddink is one of the least flawed managers about, but I don't see any reason why we would want to get rid of ancelotti.

[Cam]

I will always love Hiddink as a manager, because he took Australia to the second round of the World Cup, and almost beat the eventual winners. It was awesome haha

[sunshine kebab]

It's worth bearing in mind that Hiddink didn't get it right every game either. Remember the tame loss to Spurs, the 4-0 lead we almost let slip against Bolton, shipping four at home to the Scallies in the CL...

regarding the loss to spurs, it was our only loss during hiddink's reign. we went to anfield, barca, arsenal, villa, juve, wembley. no manager on earth can get it right every game.

yes we shipped four at home to liverpool, but a 4-4 draw was a damn fine result bearing in mind we were 2-0 down at half time and on the cusp of the mother of all painful and embarrassing exits. hiddink worked his magic at half time when all his players must have been a bag of nerves, sending the troops out early, making them wait on the pitch for liverpool to come out. we showed immense bottle that night.

he also made a decision that night which showed his true worth. he withdrew kalou after half an hour. i see no evidence that carlo can make that kind of tough decision. hiddink worked out very quickly whom his better players were. kalou was out, malouda was in. miraculously, malouda looked a player under hiddink. players like alex, ballack, mikel and anelka all dramatically improved under hiddink, who was only interested in playing his best side, not in pandering to his players' feelings. he didn't rotate players just to keep them on his side.

he was the first manager to drop ballack. more tellingly, he took one look at deco and said no thanks.

is ancelotti in his class? my instinct says no.

[loz]

What Hiddink did for us was great and we are right to be appreciative and think good things of him however don't forget he was only here short term so we will never know if would have maintained that level. Scolari started with a bang and then faded badly. Ancelotti started well and is now having a rough period. Hiddink started with a bang abut left before we could see whether he too would hen have a rough spell.

Players often respond well to a new manager coming in and then slip back into 'bad ways' so comparing anyone with Hiddink is, for me, a bit pointless.

[WV2 Blue]

So the player's HAVE to respond....our current is form is not exactly the kind of form that wins leagues or cups is it...we need a positive response soon

This will prove how much Ancelotti can manage, "bad ways" means the team letting points slip away..

Hiddink would say at times we were "sloppy"we lost 1 game in the league and we should have had another CL final but he managed to put things right in the end...but, as an interim manager he never had to deal with a slump in form.

Ancelotti has pedigree to do so, lets trust him.

Edited December 21, 2009 by WV2 Blue

[Katon]

he also made a decision that night which showed his true worth. he withdrew kalou after half an hour. i see no evidence that carlo can make that kind of tough decision.

Yes, it took him a whole 45 minutes to withdraw Kalou yesterday - shockingly slow :angry: .

[rahul]

Yes, it took him a whole 45 minutes to withdraw Kalou yesterday - shockingly slow :) .

He shouldn't have started Kalou in the first place. Awful judge of talent too!

[sunshine kebab]

Yes, it took him a whole 45 minutes to withdraw Kalou yesterday - shockingly slow :lol: .

there is a world of difference between withdrawing a player before half time and during half time. the former is a far tougher decision.

to prove my point about tough decisions, lampard got withdrawn in turin. hiddink didn't do it to exert his authority or indulge his ego, he did it because it was the right thing to do and he was vindicated. it was a breathtaking decision at the time.

a crucial difference i see between the two managers is that hiddink doesn't pander to his players' feelings. he never rotated in order to keep his players onside. the respect he commanded meant he had no need to. respect commanded by the fact his judgement was almost always right.

He shouldn't have started Kalou in the first place.

this was a no brainer, especially after kalou's performance in the previous game, a performance which borini put to shame with his cameo.

[Englishman]

regarding the loss to spurs, it was our only loss during hiddink's reign. we went to anfield, barca, arsenal, villa, juve, wembley. no manager on earth can get it right every game.

That was my point. Ancelotti is not perfect and nor is Hiddink. Hiddink was in a no-lose situation when he came here. He was only ever going to stay til the end of the season, which had more or less been written off by then. Any improvement on where we were, like winning the cup or finishing top 4, would inevitably get him a lot of credit (and deservedly, this post isn't meant as a dig at him).

Remember Ancelotti has actually won more Champions Leagues and more championships (in a top Euro league) than Hiddink has. Given that we also had a few less than stellar performances under Guus, there's no guarantee we'd be ten points clear like the OP suggested. Ancelotti has the pedigree and deserves a season at least.

[sunshine kebab]

Remember Ancelotti has actually won more Champions Leagues and more championships (in a top Euro league) than Hiddink has. Given that we also had a few less than stellar performances under Guus, there's no guarantee we'd be ten points clear like the OP suggested. Ancelotti has the pedigree and deserves a season at least.

he definitely deserves a season, i'm not trying to get the guy the sack, i'm just not overly impressed. he's a good manager, no doubt about that, but we've had hiddink and mourinho, so comparisons are inevitable. we now rightly expect to be challenging for the top prizes, which we still are i hasten to add.

ancelotti has been very poor since the emirates. he played an experimental side at blackburn, when the time to play an experimental side would have been apoel. he messed up both games, our momentum and confidence faltered, and we've taken that into the league, against three piss poor sides ravaged by injuries. we beat everton and west ham and we're eight points clear, and the title is done and dusted. big opportunity. missed. i'd put money on us paying for it in may. you have to capitalise on those chances, that's what separates the men from the boys.

this thread asks for a comparison between our current manager and our previous one. in the limited time we've seen of both, hiddink wins hands down, mainly down to the fact he was more decisive and his decisions were invariably correct. you can bet there were one or two who hated hiddink because it was clear he didn't fancy them. i bet everyone likes carlo, because he keeps giving them games.

carlo gets his season for sure, and i want him to succeed, but hiddink may be available this summer, and with roman's track record he'd be well advised not to blow too many more opportunities.

[ivorycoast]

One thing I really respect Hiddink for was turning around Malouda's form. The last few games of last season for us was really something special and reminded me of Drogba in his golden boot year, where every time the ball went to them you knew something was going to happen.

[cfc_12]

Was this thread even necessary?

We have got Ancelotti at the helm so why not just stick with him and back him afterall we are top of the league,he deserves credit for this and not this kind of behavior from the fans.

[lampsgod89]

Hiddink did an amazing job with the team considered the time the team and the situation he was given. Especially in CL were he was undefeatet, and should have pulled the victory against barca. The team played to amazings games, but thanks to ref d**khead he had´nt got a chance.

Ance is doing fine aswell in my point of view. the league is stronger than ever before the top 4 have lost more games this season at the time, compared to the other seasons. I think he has brought identity to our chelsea squad. But i sincerely hope that we will stop loosing points like today agains mid-teams. I think Ance cut be the manager who will last long i our club. At least i hope he will get the time to prove him self, and time to build the team.

[Randy36]

Ancelotti is the man for the job. I believe he will be with us for the long term. Apparently, Roman had his eye on Ancelotti to be the long term successor to Mourinho. He couldn't get Carlo in 2008 so Roman settled for a short term option in Scolari. Mourinho was short term and established us as a big club that world class players wanted to join. Ancelotti will build on that foundation and needs time to build HIS squad. Irrespective of how this season turns out, the next two seasons will be critical. Roman will judge Carlo on whether he can win the Champions League for us.

Onwards and Upwards, Chelsea!