Vitriolic criticism over Di Matteo sacking

First published on FeckTV.com 21/11/12; relocated to The Flying Feck, March 2013.

Who'd have thought Roberto Di Matteo would have been the first boss to be shown the Premier league door this season?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="115"] 2012 FA Cup Final DVD (Amazon)[/caption]

Roberto Di Matteo lifted Chelsea's season from the humdrum nothingness it was headed towards after the former player took over in March last season.  Not only did he win the F.A. Cup, but made it a double winning Roman Abramovic the Champions league trophy he'd coveted for so long.

In hindsight, this was probably predictable. Following his move to London from West Bromwich Albion, Di Matteo inspired a passion in the Chelsea dressing room that his predecessor, André Villas-Boas, failed to achieve.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="115"] 2012 Champions League Winners[/caption]

But even after getting the players stoked up, including Chelsea legend Didier Drogba who'd looked a shadow of his former self under the previous regime, and bringing two pieces of silverware back to Stamford Bridge, he had to wait out the summer to see if he still had a job to return to in August.

Football fans were disgusted at the way the Chelsea board treated Di Matteo over what must have been a long closed season for the former Italy and Chelsea midfielder.

[caption id="attachment_3576" align="aligncenter" width="388"] roberto di matteo formerly of chelsea[/caption]

The Chelsea board blatantly courted Pep Guardiola, the former Barcelona head coach. Only when Pep insisted that he was taking a sabbatical did the Stamford Bridge board confirm to Di Matteo that his immediate future was Chelsea. Strangely enough, that same board is going back to knock on that same door, albeit a little louder this time around.

Two ghosts of Di Matteo's past come back to haunt him

Chelsea have lost something since that upturn in form at the end of the 2011/12 season. That 'something' can be summed up in two words: Didier Drogba. Following the Ivory Coast striker's £250,000/week transfer to Chinese football club Shanghai Shenhua FC, the Chelsea forward line looks flat and impartial.

A humbling at Di Matteo's former club West Brom this weekend followed by a 3-0 drubbing by Juventus in the Champions league three days later have resulted in he and Chelsea parting company.

Juve, strangely enough, have been linked with a move for Drogba now that the Chinese football season is over. It's a funny old game.

Chelsea announce Di Matteo sacking on Twitter

The initial announcement actually came on Chelsea's Twitter feed this morning: "Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with manager Roberto Di Matteo. More to follow... #CFC".

The tweeted response by fans, those of Chelsea and football in general, amounts to a tirade of abuse at both Chelsea and, more specifically, Roman Abramovic himself.

Comments like 'teddies out the pram', 'you are nuts', 'what the fuck!?!?!' and this one's my favourite...

Chelsea, not so much a football club, more the masturbatory fantasy of a deluded megalomaniac #RDM #appalling

— Leighton Evans (@leightonevans) November 21, 2012

...litter the 'Reply to @chelseafc' box beneath the original tweet.

If you've got something to say, head on over there and add your two-penneth. This type of owner involvement and money is killing the beautiful game.

Sorry, what are you still doing here? Go on, get tweeting! Include me on the message @JasonDFeckTVcom and I'll retweet your rant @chelseafc to underline your angst.