Chelsea dismissed their Champions League winning coach Roberto Di Matteo with immediate effect on Wednesday morning.
The Italian was relieved of his duties following a miserable night in Turin in the Champions League.
The 3-0 defeat to Juventus means the Londoners look set to become the first holders of the Champions League to be knocked out in the group stages since the competition was reformed in 1992.
‘Recent performances were not good enough.’
A club statement read: “The team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season.
“The club faces a difficult task ahead in qualifying for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as well as maintaining a strong challenge for the top of the Premier League while competing in three other cup competitions.
“Our aim is to remain as competitive as possible and challenge strongly on all fronts.”
The 42-year-old, who began his management career with Milton Keynes Dons and West Brom, took over as interim team manager in March when Andre Villas-Boas was given the boot by trigger happy chairman Roman Abramovich.
He steered the club to a historic double in May. First they beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley and then in dramatic fashion, overcame Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena to surprisingly win the Champions League.
Di Matteo’s shout to his owner of ‘I won it,’ when he marched up the steps to collect the most prestigious trophy in club football suggested a long-term partnership was possible.
A two-year deal was given to RDM (pictured) in June and he went on to buy creative players such as Oscar, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses in the summer.
Unwelcome headlines
Chelsea were the early pacesetters in the Premier League and have reached the last eight of the Capital One Cup.
However a run of two wins in eight in all competitions, along with the John Terry FA ban for racist abuse and the ongoing investigation made by the club surrounding Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, have given the Blues some unwelcome headlines.
Defeat to the Serie A champions in Europe on Tuesday means Chelsea’s fate is now out of their hands in Group E.
Only a Shakhtar Donetsk victory over Juve in the final round of group games can keep the holders in the competition.
Chelsea fan Robert Jones is furious with Abramovich’s decision to sack yet another manager.
He told me: “I am utterly disgusted with Abramovich. Ok, so we are in a bad patch but what team doesn’t have one.
“I’m so annoyed at the moment. I always had a feeling that RDM was never the man who Roman wanted.”
Benitez being lined up to replace RDM
Despite winning 24 of his 42 games in charge, Di Matteo joins a growing list of managers to feel the full force of the Russian owner.
They include Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti and Villas-Boas.
The club are set to announce a short-term successor later on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s crunch Premier League showdown with league leaders Manchester City.
Former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss Rafa Benitez is being lined up to take over but he has been out of work since leaving the San Siro in December 2010.
According to Sky Bet, West Brom boss Steve Clarke and Grant are being considered as other shorter-term appointments.
Abramovich’s preferred appointment will be that of ex-Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola but he is currently on a sabbatical in the United States and is unlikely to take another managerial position until the summer at the earliest.
The first Premier League managerial sacking has taken place and not in the expected area of London as forecasted at the start of the week.
There will be shockwaves sent across England of another baffling decision by Abramovich, as the Blues look for their seventh different manager since Jose Mourinho departed five years ago.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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