[SPORTS] Chelsea sack manager Roberto Di Matteo after poor run of form + list of past managers

The Italian won 24 of his 42 games in charge
of the club but, after their 3-0 defeat to
Juventus left them in danger of missing out on
the knockout stages of the Champions League,
Chelsea have decided to end his tenure.
Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and ex-
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez have emerged
as the early favourites to replace Di Matteo.
However, Harry Redknapp and former
Stamford Bridge boss Jose Mourinho have also been mentioned as contenders for the
position.

"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," read a statement on the
club website.

"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 owner and the Board would like to thank
Roberto for all he has done for the club since
taking over in March.

"Roberto helped guide us to an historic
Champions League victory and a seventh FA
Cup. We will never forget the huge contribution he has made to this club's history
and he will always be welcome at Stamford
Bridge.

"The club will be making an announcement
shortly regarding a new first team manager."
Chelsea's defeat in Turin means they must
beat Nordsjaelland in their final group game in
a fortnight's time and hope Juventus lose to
the already-qualified Shakhtar Donetsk in
order to reach the last 16. Allied to a run of four Premier League games without a win, Di Matteo's position as manager at Stamford Bridge had come under increasing scrutiny just months after signing a two-year
contract.

Di Matteo was handed a permanent deal after
leading the Blues to Champions League and FA
Cup success having replaced previous boss
Andre Villas-Boas in March. However, he has become the latest manager to fall victim to Roman Abramovich's axe after risking the owner's wrath by dropping record signing Fernando Torres for the Juventus
game and radically overhauling his tactics.

Di Matteo had taken more than an hour to
emerge for his post-match press conference
before taking full responsibility for the
result. He said: "I'm responsible for the result. I'm responsible for the performance. It's a negative evening for us. "If anyone has to take the blame, it's me. I selected a team I was convinced was the right team to win against Juventus, or get at least a draw, so the blame belongs to me." He added: "I'm responsible for positive and negative results. This is what I do."

Chelsea Managerial history FROM TO

Roberto Di Matteo 04 Mar, 2012 SACKED

Andre Villas-Boas 22 Jun, 2011 04 Mar, 2012

Carlo Ancelotti 01 Jun, 2009 22 May, 2011

Guus Hiddink 16 Feb, 2009 31 May, 2009

Ray Wilkins 09 Feb, 2009 16 Feb, 2009

Felipe Scolari 01 Jul, 2008 09 Feb, 2009

Avram Grant 20 Sep, 2007 24 May, 2008

Jose Mourinho 02 Jun, 2004 20 Sep, 2007

Claudio Ranieri 18 Sep, 2000 31 May, 2004

Graham Rix 13 Sep, 2000 17 Sep, 2000

Ray Wilkins 13 Sep, 2000 17 Sep, 2000

Gianluca Vialli 12 Feb, 1998 12 Sep, 2000

Ruud Gullit 10 May, 1996 12 Feb, 1998

Glenn Hoddle 04 Jun, 1993 10 May, 1996

David Webb 15 Feb, 1993 11 May, 1993

Ian Porterfield 11 Jun, 1991 15 Feb, 1993

Bobby Campbell 06 Mar, 1988 07 May, 1991

John Hollins 11 Jun, 1985 06 Mar, 1988

John Neal 01 May, 1981 11 Jun, 1985

Geoff Hurst 13 Sep, 1979 30 Apr, 1981

Danny Blanchflower 14 Dec, 1978 11 Sep, 1979

Frank Upson 13 Dec, 1978 14 Dec, 1978

Ken Shellito 07 Jul, 1977 13 Dec, 1978

Eddie McCreadie 16 Apr, 1975 01 Jul, 1977

Ron Suart 03 Oct, 1974 16 Apr, 1975

Dave Sexton 01 Oct, 1967 03 Oct, 1974

Tommy Docherty 01 Oct, 1962 01 Oct, 1967

Ted Drake 01 Jun, 1952 30 Sep, 1961

Billy Birrell 01 May, 1939 31 May, 1952

A Leslie Knighton 01 Aug, 1933 30 Apr, 1939

David Calderhead 01 Aug, 1907 01 Jun, 1933

John Tait Robertson 01 Apr, 1905 01 Oct, 1907