...as I'm 90% sure he will, who would you rather have as a manager ?

I want to be perfectly clear - I'm not stating any personal opinion on whether he should go, just that I'm 90% sure he will. So let's simply assume for a while, he's going.

I'm almost sure he will be leaving because - to cut a long story short - there's no smoke without fire, and there has been too much smoke.

All this recent events, all the player's and Kenyon's declarations, all the rumours and gossip:

Seville coach makes first move in race to fill shoes of Mourinho

Mourinho exit draws closer as Chelsea look to ditch his aides

(as posted on another thread)

Chelsea adament Terry will be staying

'Arguments' are tearing club apart, says Drogba

Drogba launches attack on Mourinho's enemies within

Red Rom targets Mancini - Achtung ! THESUN !

Mancini is Jose minus aggro - Aten??o ! THESUN !

Mancini: I'd love Chelsea job - Atenzione ! THESUN !

I voted for Mancini.

Lippi would be my favorite, if he wasn't 93 years old.

I voted for Juande Ramos, he has made Sevilla into one of the top teams in La Liga and they do play "sexy football" most times. I'd rather have a new face at Chelsea to freshen thing up.

P.S: I DO NOT WANT JM TO LEAVE EVER!!!!

jose has got it all...hes utterly hilarious and his arrogance is delightful...the man is a genius, that being said i am sad to say that i too believe he is gone after this season...we all say the papers are wrong about inside rifts and such but no matter what it isn't good news that it is being reported

ps

bring back the tinkerman haha

An option you have ignored is Rijkaard - he is almost defiitely going to leave Barca at the end of this season and I am surpised the gossip columns haven't already come up with the possibility of a job swap with Rijkaared coming our way and Jose going the other - the Barca fans would hate to see Jose coming in but stranger things have happened.

Ruud G. The only manager ever to be sacked when his team are in two cup semi-finals and 2nd place in the league. A man that exuded confidence with everything he did. A man that could play the game with his eyes shut. The man that finally made us winners again after 26 years of nothing.

For those that loved sexy football, if JM goes, let him come back and finish the job he started.

lippi is great. the most able to play attacking and defensively.

but hiddink is obviously quality as well.

I'm split on ruud.... great for us, but susequently not so good anywhere else. who knows- definately would bring quality attacking football.

Mark Hughes - he's British, he's been a Chelsea supporter all his life, and even played for us for a while - and didn't do too badly as I recall

He's doing OK at Blackburn, and it would be interesting to see how he'd do with a bit of dosh to chuck about. I'd much rather we took Hughesy than some big-name foreign manager who doesn't know f*ck all about the EPL.

Mourinho is one of the very few who have had real success over here. Benitez will never lift the scousers to where they want to be, and Wenger is just a c*nt.

It would also be great to see Ruud Gullit back at the Bridge, but I'm not sure if he'd have the same impact as he did first time around.

Juande Ramos and Guus Hiddink are both good. But Mourinho is better.

Does Abamovich understands how much money he would pay for new players after new manager will be appointed??

An option you have ignored is Rijkaard - he is almost defiitely going to leave Barca at the end of this season and I am surpised the gossip columns haven't already come up with the possibility of a job swap with Rijkaared coming our way and Jose going the other - the Barca fans would hate to see Jose coming in but stranger things have happened.

as I understand it, he's surely off to milan.

I had heard that as a strong rumour but I would say he is still a possibility for us.

An option you have ignored is Rijkaard - he is almost defiitely going to leave Barca at the end of this season and I am surpised the gossip columns haven't already come up with the possibility of a job swap with Rijkaared coming our way and Jose going the other - the Barca fans would hate to see Jose coming in but stranger things have happened.

Yeah and then we meet Barca in the Champions League next season. That would be a funny turnaround.

Definitely don't want Rijkaard at Chelsea though or any other.

Jose all the way!

The ifs and buts are endless should Jose leave. However, if we win the CL before he goes, Ruud G would be my first choice, as the only thing left for us to do would be to start playing sexy football - nothing else to prove and a lovely position for him (and us) to be in.

Should the CL remain a distant dream, I?d go for Guus Hiddink as the quality contender and the coach most likely to fit neatly into the current set-up. Having said all that, I have no doubts about who is best when it comes to winning and for that reason alone I do not want Jose to go until he has set a few more records.

Ruud G. The only manager ever to be sacked when his team are in two cup semi-finals and 2nd place in the league. A man that exuded confidence with everything he did. A man that could play the game with his eyes shut. The man that finally made us winners again after 26 years of nothing.

For those that loved sexy football, if JM goes, let him come back and finish the job he started.

I loved Gullit and can still clealy remember the day he got the boot - left me totally numb. I wrote to the club in disgust and being a regular subscriber then to The Chelsea Independent (pre CSR days!), aired my anger there too.

However, as much as I loved Ruud and the style of play he brought in, I'm not sure that to get him back in would be a good move. Look at other managers that have returned to clubs and it's never been the same. Gullit also had a complete mare at Newcastle and the thought that something similar could happen to us is too, too worrying.

And of course, he would still want to be paid "netto", but I guess that wouldn't be a problem now!!!

I was outside a pub in London when my brother called me with the news about Ruud - I was sure he was on a wind up and had to go into the pub to check the news on the tele.

Whilst in the pub I had to have a beer.

Then another

and so on it went for a good few hours.

Having Ruud back? Tough call. I don't place much weight on how things faired for him in Newcastle as I don't think it would have any bearing on how we would fair with us. At Newcastle there was always only one manager and he had elbows like pistons, at Newcastle Ruud never really settled domestically and at Newcastle very few players of calibre wanted to live in the North East. As much as we would like to think it was Chelsea that drew certain players in we all know that is twaddle, mostly it was London that persuaded key players to sign for us.

I think if I had to choose I would take him back - I feel there is unfinished business and I would love to see Ruud win us the title.

I loved it when Ruud came to Chelsea, and I strongly believe that had he stayed, he'd have taken us further than Vialli or Ranieri ever would. It was one of the biggest Chelsea moments of my life when I heard he was coming here, and I'm sure that goes for a lot of other Blues fans.

Thing is, at the time it was his playing skills we were excited about, the management stuff that came later was a bonus. If he were to come back now, would he be able to build on what Mourinho's put in place? Impossible to know until it happens (if it ever does), but at least he wouldn't have Bates' ego to contend with anymore.

Ruud G. The only manager ever to be sacked when his team are in two cup semi-finals and 2nd place in the league. A man that exuded confidence with everything he did. A man that could play the game with his eyes shut. The man that finally made us winners again after 26 years of nothing.

For those that loved sexy football, if JM goes, let him come back and finish the job he started.

beat me to it!! unlikely to ever happen as his stock has gone down ever since although heaven knows why

at newcastle he had the ego battle with shearer which he was never going to win and you cant tell me that didnt effect the team and at fyanord he was there for bugger all time and actually did a very good job!!

Just like to add the guy had eddie newton, Scott minto and george burly playing out of there skins, well above there station so to speak.

Imagine what he can do with cole, robben, mikel ect!! He gave kalou his chance and it was his displays under ruudy that got the boy recognishion from cruyff and vanbasten pulling every poloiticle string to get him involved in the dutch team for the world cup and remmeber he didnt take huntelar or Maccky!!

I think i have a got a little bit carried away there with a pipe dream!!

Like to add i love Jose and dont want him going any where

Well, seems everyone is keen on Ruud coming back. (Yes you told me so, Henry)

I didn't put him on the list simply because in my humble opinion he's not a real option (not for me, for who's in charge).

Lippi IMO is great, too old though. That doesn't mean he needs a weelchair, it's my understanding that the people in charge want some young blood.

Rijkaard was also someone I thought, but also don't think he would be a real contender. Too much repressed anger for him.

I can't see Jos? joining Bar?a also. Real, maybee...

BB, I think you're still getting over the "Le Guen trauma"

What really strikes me as very plausible, are those rumours from The Sun. I know it's the Sun, and blabla...but I'm joining 1+1+1=3=Jos?'s assistants contracts ending (he will never stay without them)+Mancini contract renewal being stalled+possible swap between JM and Mancini, making it all easier and quicker.

An option you have ignored is Rijkaard - he is almost defiitely going to leave Barca at the end of this season and I am surpised the gossip columns haven't already come up with the possibility of a job swap with Rijkaared coming our way and Jose going the other - the Barca fans would hate to see Jose coming in but stranger things have happened.

Loz,

Alan Brazil on "talk sh*te" suggested exactly this during the week. He often seems to be in the know and I have also seen him enjoying corporate hospitality at the Bridge, several times so who knows......

He was suggesting Rijkaard is more than a slight possibility and that his info is that JM will definitely leave, (not be sacked)

Then the "Fack Off Rijkaard" campaign starts here.

Sign your name and say no to the greasy, spit boy.

I'd rather have Anders Frisk.

"Hey Rudy your about to get spat on"...................

"Hey Rudy your about to get spat on"...................

"You asked for it !..."

_________________________________________________________

An update on the "Mancinigate" :

Mancini rubbishes Blues link

Rijkaard top of list to replace Mourinho at end of season

Not my list.

"...when, as expected, Jose Mourinho is sacked in the summer."

If that's not motivation enough for the lads to keep fighting on all fronts, I don't know what is.

And yeah...what ever happens, keep Rijkaard away from the Bridge. Let him in only when he comes with his team to play an away game against Chelsea!

How they Roman/Kenyon could even contemplate sacking Mourinho (who has made it perfectly clear that sacking him is the only way he will leave) is beyond me.

Forget personality differences, transfer policies, style of football - the fact of the matter is that a coach should not be sacked while his team are winning. We have won the Carling Cup, and are in the box seat for the FA cup and Champion's League if you ask me.

I think we are a better team than United, and in a 1-off match, I think we will beat them more often than not. I think the only reason we are behind in the league is due to an injury crisis, which could have been handled a lot better with a stronger squad - and by the sounds of things, that is not Mourinho's fault.

Anyway, personally I think he will leave us at the end of this season - probably the same way he left Porto - with a Champion's League Winner's Medal.

As far as a replacement goes - I think there are only three real options.

Rijkard - if we want to play exciting attacking football, but aren't so interested in results.

Lippi - who will get results, but I can't see him being a huge amount more attacking than Mourinho.

Hiddink - who is a tactical genius, and would get results with attacking, attractive football, but who has an ego almost as big as Mourinho's, and who will only stay with us for a couple of seasons until the next challange comes along.

Gullit isn't a real option, unfortunately - as much as I loved the way we played when he was in charge.

No matter who the replacement is, it is asking a lot for them to come straight in a deliver a league title straight away. Just like players need time to adjust to the Premiership, so do coaches. What works in Spain or Italy won't necessarily work in England. I really think that what Mourinho did in his first season with us is the exception rather than the norm - and in all likelihood wouldn't happen with the new coach.