Chelsea FC Welcomes Big Phil
Move over, Avram – Chelsea have got their hands on a man who may just finally help Blues fans pining for Jose Mourinho to get over their broken hearts. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has been confirmed as Chelsea's new coach, taking over at Stamford Bridge after Euro 2008.
He comes with a huge reputation, a glowing CV (albeit more at international level, he hasn't coached a football club for seven years), and, even better (for the red top tabloids at least), he already has an ace nickname: Big Phil. No need for headline writers to even attempt to squeeze Luiz Felipe Scolari onto the back pages.
But will he actually be any good? Well, time will tell. On the plus side, Scolari's reputation could prove a winner in his first few weeks. He has to convince some of Chelsea's big names to stay put, and the likes of Drogba, Lampard and Carvalho (who surely worships him, given his Portuguese connections) may all be charmed by his man-management skills. Also, Scolari could be Chelsea's trump card in the summer months as they attempt to bring in the kind of players who will push them onto regaining the Premier League trophy, and lifting that elusive Champions League trophy. Deco? No probs. Quaresma? Easy. Kaka, Ronaldinho? Maybe, just maybe.
On the downside, this is a whole new ball game for Scolari. Managing a club in the Premier League is not easy, especially when he's been away from the club scene for so long. Managing Chelsea, a club with an increasingly demanding owner expecting a near 100% success rate AND beautiful football to boot, may be beyond even him.
But we'll see. For now, it's a big warm welcome to Big Phil! Meanwhile to bet on Euro 2008 check out Bodog's Euro 2008 odds.
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