Chelsea have parted company with their manager, André Villas-Boas. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
Chelsea have parted company with André Villas-Boas. The manager has left the club following a string of poor results that culminated in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion which left the club fifth in the table.
Villas-Boas's assistant, Roberto Di Matteo, has been appointed the new first-team coach until the end of the season.
Villas-Boas joined the club eight months ago after the Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich paid Porto £13.3m to make him Carlo Ancelotti's successor.
A club statement read: "The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early.
"Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season.
"The club is still competing in the latter stages of the Uefa Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts. With that in mind we felt our only option was to make a change at this time."
There was speculation that Rafael Benítez might be parachuted into Stamford Bridge but Di Matteo's appointment has ended such a possibility.
Villas-Boas had been under mounting pressure after overseeing what was threatening to be Chelsea's worst season since Abramovich bought the club almost nine years ago.
A run of just five wins from the last 16 games saw the side slide out of the top four, while they remain in real danger of crashing out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup in the next week and a half.
Brought in to revamp an ageing squad after winning an incredible quadruple at Porto last season, Villas-Boas's reign was dogged by reports of the kind of dressing-room unrest that previous Chelsea managers have said led to their own downfall.
Abramovich, who reportedly hand-picked Villas-Boas last summer when Guus Hiddink had been the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Carlo Ancelotti, appeared prepared to be more patient with the 34-year-old than previous bosses.
The Russian seemingly recognised the difficulties in overhauling the squad and the playing style at Stamford Bridge.
But, as when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked three years ago, it was fear of not qualifying for the Champions League that prompted Abramovich to act.
Having repeatedly insisted he had the owner's full backing during the recent run, Villas-Boas appeared to acknowledge the writing might be on the wall during the past week and a half.
An interview with a Portuguese radio station saw him admit for the first time he could lose his job, a possibility he refused to shy away from after yesterday's defeat at the Hawthorns.
He said: "Will this result increase pressure on me? You have to agree with it. We are in the same position, fifth, but we are now three points behind Arsenal. It is a big, big disappointment. Every defeat Chelsea suffers piles more pressure on any manager."
Villas-Boas insisted it would not help his position to be given public backing from Abramovich. He said: "I don't think so. There is no need for the owner to back us after such a poor display."
Villas-Boas, who on Friday insisted he would "never" quit Chelsea, added: "Am I the right man for the job? Yes. I wouldn't have taken it if I didn't think that."
Di Matteo's first game in charge will be Tuesday night's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Birmingham.
Villas-Boas's assistant, Roberto Di Matteo, has been appointed the new first-team coach until the end of the season.
Villas-Boas joined the club eight months ago after the Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich paid Porto £13.3m to make him Carlo Ancelotti's successor.
A club statement read: "The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early.
"Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season.
"The club is still competing in the latter stages of the Uefa Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts. With that in mind we felt our only option was to make a change at this time."
There was speculation that Rafael Benítez might be parachuted into Stamford Bridge but Di Matteo's appointment has ended such a possibility.
Villas-Boas had been under mounting pressure after overseeing what was threatening to be Chelsea's worst season since Abramovich bought the club almost nine years ago.
A run of just five wins from the last 16 games saw the side slide out of the top four, while they remain in real danger of crashing out of both the Champions League and the FA Cup in the next week and a half.
Brought in to revamp an ageing squad after winning an incredible quadruple at Porto last season, Villas-Boas's reign was dogged by reports of the kind of dressing-room unrest that previous Chelsea managers have said led to their own downfall.
Abramovich, who reportedly hand-picked Villas-Boas last summer when Guus Hiddink had been the bookmakers' favourite to succeed Carlo Ancelotti, appeared prepared to be more patient with the 34-year-old than previous bosses.
The Russian seemingly recognised the difficulties in overhauling the squad and the playing style at Stamford Bridge.
But, as when Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked three years ago, it was fear of not qualifying for the Champions League that prompted Abramovich to act.
Having repeatedly insisted he had the owner's full backing during the recent run, Villas-Boas appeared to acknowledge the writing might be on the wall during the past week and a half.
An interview with a Portuguese radio station saw him admit for the first time he could lose his job, a possibility he refused to shy away from after yesterday's defeat at the Hawthorns.
He said: "Will this result increase pressure on me? You have to agree with it. We are in the same position, fifth, but we are now three points behind Arsenal. It is a big, big disappointment. Every defeat Chelsea suffers piles more pressure on any manager."
Villas-Boas insisted it would not help his position to be given public backing from Abramovich. He said: "I don't think so. There is no need for the owner to back us after such a poor display."
Villas-Boas, who on Friday insisted he would "never" quit Chelsea, added: "Am I the right man for the job? Yes. I wouldn't have taken it if I didn't think that."
Di Matteo's first game in charge will be Tuesday night's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Birmingham.
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