what on earth went wrong under Scolari?

[Tomo 21,733]

Was watching the 08/09 season review last night and I still cannot understand what went badly wrong under Scolari, we went from playing beautiful football to dire, predictable football in less than a month.

Pre season we won every game without conceding a goal (including a 5-0 thumping of AC Milan) and this looked really good heading into the new season.

We started the season playing a flashy brand off football we've never seen before, the Pompey, Villa and Middlesborough games were un-real and after the latter match at the Riverside i honestly believed we would have walked the league that season and at the time Jose Bosingwa and Deco looked like superb signing's, Scolari looked to have got the best out of Belleti aswell and he (Scolari) really looked like he cracked it and i thought we would walk to the title in superb style.

But in came Rafa off all people who came to SW6 with a tactical master plan, double up on the fullbacks and put Mikel under pressure and give him no time on the ball, it worked a treat and meant Liverpool walked away from Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 win, although we kept winning in the league for the next few weeks their was clearly something not clicking as shown by a worrying thumping in Rome and a Carling Cup exit to Burnley and then we had the week from hell that clearly shown the honeymoon period was well and truly over.

A 0-0 home draw to Newcastle where we looked toothless and devoid of ideas followed up by a awful performance in Bordeux and only a defensive howler on their behalf gave us a goal and we were in danger of going out of the competition and then came the real hammer blow, 1-0 up at half time and cruising to probably the most easiest 1-0 win for a long time RVP hits a quick fire double for the Gooners as the come out of Stamford Bridge with a 2-1 win, Scolari and the Chelsea faithfull were shell shocked and after they went 2-1 up we didnt look like equalizing.

December started with a comfortable win at whats slowly turning into our 2nd home (the Reebok) after that we went through to the last 16 of the CL depsite a nervy win against Cluj but after that followed un-inspiring draws against West Ham and Everton, a routine 2-0 win at home to WBA followed on Boxing Day and 2 days later 2 more dropped point down the road at Fulham, despite not losing this month there were still some pretty worrying signs and rumours of Scolari's sacking were getting louder.

The new year could not have possibly started any worse, a home draw in the cup to Southend and then a humiliating defeat at Old Trafford, the 3-0 defeat flattered us in all honesty it could have been 6, and although we won the FA Cup replay at Roots Hall (4-1) 3 days later, we were outplayed by a Southend side mid table in league one for the 1st half and were lucky to into the break 1-1, i would probably say that was the most underwhelming victory since ive supported the blues, fast forward another 3 days and we found ourself's 1-0 down at Stamford Bridge to a Stoke side that aint won away all season, a loss would surely have seen Scolari out of the door but Franco Di Santo and Miroslav Stoch off all players inspired 2 late goals scored by Belletti and Frank Lampard and Soclari's job was briefly saved.wins against Ipswich and Boro followed but another hammer blow at Anfield saw Scolari hanging on by a thread.

The Hull game was the one that saw Scolari get the chop, the players looked laboured, unfit and we could quite easily have lost that game, i went from thinking we would walk the league to worrying about our place in the top 4 in the space of 4 months, what i still can't work out to this day is how it went from one extreme to the other so quickly.

[spuz 143]

I'm trying to think of my main gripes about him but can't rememer. I know he played a 4-2-2-2 formation sometimes which probably isn't the best of formations to be using.

Definately he wasn't a motivator.

[Madmax 9,219]

What went wrong is that he ruffled a few too many feathers and lost the dressing room.

[zolayes 14,489]

He was Brazillian ...like Henriques

[Madmax 9,219]

^ lmao

[chrismada9 1,948]

He was just too lenient as a manager. He never used the hairdryer method on the players in the dressing room, and results proved that.

I don't think Brazilian managers have ever done well in the English league.

[Guest justin_3d]

Tried to exchange Drogba for Adriano!

That is what happen.

[eldo 868]

People realised that he is a fraud.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

He let player power win.

[kwylino 329]

He simply just got steamrolled. Probably in the dressing room. everywhere else and such. results turned Against him went down hill.

all adds up

[Madmax 9,219]

He was just too lenient as a manager. He never used the hairdryer method on the players in the dressing room, and results proved that.

In fact I would say it was the opposite. He was a bit of a taskmaster not afraid to let the players have one. And such behaviour doesn't go down well with the big egos of professional footballers.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

He dropped Didier Drogba. Big mistake

[Henrique 9,133]

He was Brazillian ...like Henriques

Zolayezinho, you wrote another

[Caeruleus 1,148]

Scolari was a big mistake. I mean mistake was dismissing Mourinho!

[SeB 1,281]

He wanted to change too much things from the start, maybe if he was given time he could have achieved more things. He had the pressure of the result and in the same time he wanted to change quite radically the way of playing from the team. He wanted to have control on Lollichon's work with Cech...

He is not the only guilty part, I think we have to consider that he wanted one more striker. He could also have kept Sheva or Pizarro...

Drogba had injury issues, sometimes he could not play at 100%, Scolari says that he was right not playing Drogba... It's all the more difficult to know who is right than Scolari is certainly frustrated and he can be quick to criticize .

Scolari didn't speak English, he didn't manage to find the rythm and pace of English Football on an entire season, he hadn't a very big squad... He was Kenyon's choice, not necessarly Roman's

But we all know how complex is the intern management of the club, there is a lot of lobbying, it's political. Scolari wanted to go against the current, he wasn't very diplomatical in his way of acting and that's why the club chose Ancelotti after him. Ancelotti and Scolari had the same issues: a ridiculous squad in number in particular the attacking compartiment, injuries etc... Carlo had success and luck on his first season, and during his second season even if he isn't without reproaches with his immobilism and his untouchables ; he kept his place because he did not make waves (but for me he should have done ones) contrary to Scolari.

[Henrique 9,133]

What went wrong with Scolari?

Very simple: Scolari. This is guy is really awful, I cant believe Chelsea hired this guy in the first time. Outdated, only good enough to manage national teams and brazilian teams from the 90s.

[capriccioso 2,545]

He pissed off the trio of Ballack, Cech and Drogba, who used their position as the most powerful figures at the club and got him sacked.

The difference between them and the English bloc was that they always sided with Roman, which made them more popular with him than the captain and vice captain.

[DDA 9,690]

AVB is Scolari in disguise.. Talks the perfect game but what happens on the pitch is a very different matter indeed.