Buck: Chelsea will keep Clarke

[the wes 7,212]

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck believes Steve Clarke will have a part to play under Luiz Felipe Scolari and assured the new manager that Roman Abramovich will not meddle in team affairs.

Steve Clarke has been on the coaching staff at Stamford Bridge since 1999 and was assistant manager to Jose Mourinho during his time in charge at the club.

Although Henk Ten Cate was brought in to work under Avram Grant last season, Clarke's services were retained and Buck is sure Scolari will also keep him at the club.

"Steve Clarke is Chelsea Football Club through and through," Buck told the official Chelsea website.

"He has been with the club in a coaching role for a long time, even before he took the job with Jose.

"We have the greatest respect for Steve Clarke. He has met several times with Felipe and I think they are getting on fine.

"I am optimistic that Steve will be an important part of Felipe's coaching staff this year and in the future."

Buck insists he has no fears about the relationship between the new manager and the club's owner.

"It really does fascinate the media and all of us, but I think that at any club the relationship between the owner and the management is important," Buck added.

"At Chelsea Football Club, Roman is the owner and he loves Chelsea, he loves football and he wants to be knowledgeable on the football side of things.

"So his relationship between himself and the manager is important and I think that sometimes in the press we hear that Roman is picking the team or Roman's meddling or Roman is doing this or Roman's doing that, and that's not it at all.

"You know he just wants to understand what's going on and be part of the football and I think Felipe is confident enough of his own skills and own ability for his relationship with Roman will be superb.".

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[Kez 2,727]

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