Ever since AVB and Chelsea parted company speculation of his successor has been rife with an array of the Continent’s top managers, and Rafa Benitez, being linked with the post.
However at last one Englishman has thrown his hat into the ring to fight for the position; that man is not Harry Redknapp, its not even Roy Hodgson, it is in fact none other than Glen Hoddle.
The Englishman previously held the post for three years in the mid- 90’s and only left the club to take up the England job, allowing him the honour of being one of the few Chelsea managers of recent decades not to be sacked.
The Telegraph quote Hoddle as stating,
”If they were prepared to look for an English manager, I would love to go back there. I really must say that.”
”I did a good job when I was there and a lot of Chelsea fans actually say when I meet them ‘thanks for what you did because we started something there’.
”Chelsea hadn’t done much for 27 years and they could start to see the progression that was coming very quickly. It has obviously been taken on since Ken Bates was chairman and [former vice-chairman] Matthew Harding died.”
At 54 years old and with a lifetime of footballing experience Hoddle could offer the team the safe pair of hands required, after the debacle of appointing the relatively inexperienced Villas-Boas.
However Hoddle has been out of the English management game for a long period of time and may be considered out of touch, while his insistence on the employment of the mystic Eileen during France 98 has almost seen him become a figure of fun within the management game.
While Hoddle may have improved Chelsea during his time at helm his attempts to portray his time as manager as the origin of Chelsea’s journey to becoming a regular contender for the title and a permanent fixture in the Champions league is somewhat tedious.
The Roman revolution occurred at a time when Chelsea were facing potential financial ruin and only the cash of the Russian billionaire and the genius of Mourinho sparked Chelsea into becoming a giant of European football.
Hoddle may have gained the England job due to the FA’s desire to stay English but it seems unlikely that Chelsea will opt for a similar criteria, meaning that Hoddle’s wish to return to the Bridge is almost certain to remain unfulfilled.
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