Ancelotti - permission refused (supposedly)

Hughes - City bound (1-5 ON with Betfair for the City job)

Mourinho - now at Inter (Done deal )

Hiddink - loyal to Russia ?? (or saying the right thing ????)

All things considered, the Bookies rarely throw their money away. They ALWAYS manage to get inside info (is Just a bookie??? ) tonight the exchanges have on average :

Rijkaard 9-4 (GOD HELP US !!!)

Scolari 3-1

Ancelotti 4-1

Mancini 5-1

Hughes 10-1

Eriksson 12-1

Hiddink 25-1

Zola 40-1

Laudrup 50-1

I pray that this time the favourite does not win. I hope we wait for Portugal to win the Euros and nick big Phil !!!

My opinion now is the Rijkaard deal is almost set.

With Ten Cate getting shown the door like that, it would only be because of 2 potential Managers, and one signed for Inter today!

My opinion now is the Rijkaard deal is almost set.

With Ten Cate getting shown the door like that, it would only be because of 2 potential Managers, and one signed for Inter today!

My worst fear confirmed !!!!

Ancelotti - permission refused (supposedly)

Roman still had his cheque book in his back pocket when they refused, their Italians (sorry Pauly) wave a few Euro around and they'll change their minds quick enough.

hughes to city....what?! and we'll be stuck with rijkaard...

I say Rykaard is a good immediate bet.

But Scholari if they are willing to wait.

Not Mancini or the rest.

much as I love Hughsie I do not believe he is ready for top top flight.

Has anyone thought of Steve Clarke for manager?

much as I love Hughsie I do not believe he is ready for top top flight.

Has anyone thought of Steve Clarke for manager?

So Hughsie isn't ready but Clarke is? I'd have thought it was the other way around if anything.

Hughes has proved to be a damn good manager with limited resources. Clarke has been a very good coach, but that's it. Hughes for me!

Get in Sparky!!

Chelsea rival City for Hughes

Decision 'imminent' from Blues on Grant's successor

Sky Sports News understands members of the Chelsea hierarchy want Mark Hughes as the club's next manager

Full story http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3642635,00.html

So do members of their lowerarchy.

Yes, have just seen the Sky report. They seem to be really pushing this, and I'm allowing myself to feel a bit more hopeful. It's as I suspected, perhaps - Sparky (or his agent) has thrown City into the mix to make us get our finger out! The Sky team showed the back page of one of tomorrow's tabloids, in which Hughes is credited with saying 'Come and get me' - he'll give us 48 hours or he'll go to City.

I don't know what to make of it all now, but he's certainly the man under the spotlight - and no mention anymore of Shifty-eyes or Scolari or Mancini.

We'll just have to wait. Surely, surely it's very imminent now! I don't think I'll sleep tonight.

I bet the blokes head is everywhere! After managing mediocre sides, and looking to move to Man City, then suddenly being thrown in the frame to the Chelsea job!

Being offered the Chelsea job after that, must be like winning the lottery for a manager. I always believed (since last September) that Sparky would be a small fish in a big pond at Chelsea, maybe now is the time he can show people he can be a big fish in a big pond with this chance. I'm hoping he is.

if anything Sven being sacked is probably the catalyst Chelsea needs to make a decision quickly.

With Hiddink, Lippi, Ancelotti, Mourinho all ruled out, I think there are now pretty much two names which stick out ahead of the pack for me - Hughes and Erickson.

Erickson because he is a proven quality manager in multiple leagues, and Hughes because he is has the right temperament for the job, speaks English, would be immediately accepted by the the fans, and would have the respect of the players.

All other others are a step down from these two if you ask me. Rijkaard or Scolari might be worth a gamble, but when you start looking at the Laudrups and Mancini's, you have to question why we didn't stick with old Avram.

I know that there would be a lot of resentment amongst supporters if Erickson got the job for various reasons, and as a person I don't know if I like him, but at the end of the day, his record with everyone he coached is pretty impressive. Even his record with England isn't terrible - and you have to wonder whether that had more to do with him not having the players to fit the system that he wanted to play.

Basically, at this stage I would be pleased if it went to either Eriksson or Hughes, ambivilent if it went to Rijkaard or Scolari, and dissapointed if it went to anyone else, and would probably see it as the club taking a further step backwards.

Eriksson to take over Mexico?

With Hiddink, Lippi, Ancelotti, Mourinho all ruled out, I think there are now pretty much two names which stick out ahead of the pack for me - Hughes and Erickson.

Erickson because he is a proven quality manager in multiple leagues, and Hughes because he is has the right temperament for the job, speaks English, would be immediately accepted by the the fans, and would have the respect of the players.

All other others are a step down from these two if you ask me. Rijkaard or Scolari might be worth a gamble, but when you start looking at the Laudrups and Mancini's, you have to question why we didn't stick with old Avram.

I know that there would be a lot of resentment amongst supporters if Erickson got the job for various reasons, and as a person I don't know if I like him, but at the end of the day, his record with everyone he coached is pretty impressive. Even his record with England isn't terrible - and you have to wonder whether that had more to do with him not having the players to fit the system that he wanted to play.

Basically, at this stage I would be pleased if it went to either Eriksson or Hughes, ambivilent if it went to Rijkaard or Scolari, and dissapointed if it went to anyone else, and would probably see it as the club taking a further step backwards.

this is a post I can agree with!

sparky or sven, both, for different reasons would be good appointments.

How does Henk ten Cate leaving mean we're more likely to get Rijkaard? Apologies for my ignorance, did they fall out or something?

Sparky or Sven would do for me.

Eriksson to take over Mexico?

From what I've read, he has already flown to Mexico, and terms are been negotiated.

I am sorry, but why does everyone forget Deschamps ?

He did a hell of a job with Monaco back in 2004 and he has played for us for some years.

I know he is not in the same league as Mourinho yet, but it surprises me names like Erikson and Hughes and Laudrup have got much more mention that him.

SPARKY SPARKY SPARKY SPARKY

I can't believe that Hughes would want to go to City.... the expectation level would be too high for him and the bloke could end up out on his ear if the standards were not met after only one season in charge... and given our recent track record with Managers would he be given any more of a chance with us..

Unless Abramovich has a massive U turn on his thinking for this post and his alleged involvement in team affairs then I fear the same could happen to the next Manager.. but let's hope not.. we need to get settled..

I would like either Scolari or Sparky!!

Don't really want to wait till the end of the Euro's as i think the manager needs quite a bit of time to sity down and think about how to approach the next season.

So i am crossing my fingers for Hughes!!

Actually to add to my other post:

although i like the idea of having Mark as our manager, i am not sure how many big names he can bring in, where as someone like Scolari or even Rijkaard could.

I think Sparky is more likely to go to Manchester City - his wife never moved to London when he played at Chelsea and Southampton because she wouldn't move south. I would think staying in Manchester suits his family life and there is a lot less pressure on him to take over another midtable club.

Sky have their headline breaking news as "Chelsea in talks with Ancelotti's advisors". They go on to say that Abramovich has shown his hand an now Ancelotti is the owners clear favourite for the job. The man himself is still in Italy but his advisors are in discussions with Chelsea's hierarchy. As has already been posted, it looks like the lure of the Euro has changed

A C Milan's view on this.