Well, he was doing a brilliant job at that time, but it all started to go tits up the moment Stevie G slipped on his arse.
He might come again, or he might go the way other onetime promising young managers like Owen Coyle.

Would not say "brilliant" job. It was pretty obvious what would happen even without the "slip". They lacked the tactical intelligence needed to win the title and instead of learning from his mistakes he continued to repeat them. The defence was always going to cost him and his attack attack attack strategy was going to backfire

I admit he did well to take advantage of what was happening at Chelsea and Utd (something Wenger and Arsenal should have done) but I would have expected any most premiership's manager in charge of the the team he had at the time to do the same. He will have a decent career due to him having the Liverpool job but that's about it

I think the hysteria and weight of expectation simply got to them near the end when they hand one hand on the title.
Those performances against us, and then Palace, were just brainless.

You don't win or lose the title because of two games.

You could see even early on in the season they would often coincide goals quite close together. They had no middle ground (which is something all title winning teams have had). You got either a fantastic Liverpool performance or you got a bad one.

In other words, go with the flavour of the month.....

As soon as the world class striker left he was errr found out.

Haha. You have such a bad memory.
Rafa was tolerated. That's all. We don't want ex Liverpool managers at Chelsea.
You might but then you are a very strange type of Chelsea supporter....

I've watched virtually every game over the last seven years and have been a fan for over 20 years. That's pre Mathew Harding, when the 'shed end' actually looked like a shed and the ground was like a 2nd division side's.

The Rafa matches. A small vocal minority would start chanting, 'we don't care about rafa..' just as the second Chelsea goal was scored, and when points were vital, and when the players needed as much support as they could get. Fans? They didn't want the team to win?! Crazy. I don't remember any games when the team played anywhere near as badly as they're doing now under Mourhino. The players got behind Rafa, and there was some brilliant football plus a major trophy.

If he had been in charge the following season, who's to say he wouldn't have won the PL and CL. I would have backed him to have a good go at it. He would have rotated and played attractive football. He would have also tried to give some of the youth a chance. The sort of football that defines Chelsea's history and character.

Evidence:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/...t-chelsea-fans
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...Obi-Mikel.html
http://talksport.com/football/why-it...ez-13111868552
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/footb...-Cesc-Fabregas

http://images.express.co.uk/img/dyna...dary/38766.jpg

Ok, we'll all wait and see what happens to Jose. For the record, I predicted the current mess over 3 years ago when Rafa was still at the club, and Jose was talked about as his replacement. That was on 'new 606' when I was just known as 'Tip Top', and I made similar comments on the BBC's 606, although back then I was known merely as 'Tip'. As you can see with my current name, I've progressed a lot. Those other boards closed down unfortunately. Any news on this one? Will it be Tip Top 3 soon elsewhere?!

Major Trophy? It would have been maybe one before Roman but since he joined us its no more then a nice trinket. But its a perfect example of your mentality you still stuck in the old days where winning any trophy makes for a good season

How long you have been a fan is irrelevant. You could have been sitting at the bar of the Raising Sun when the Mear's walked in and bought them a drink.

There is a massive difference in most intelligent fans view (but since you use to post on 606 I doubt you have come across many) between supporting the manager and supporting the team. While of course the fans wanted to do well they did not support the ideal of Rafa being given the job for longer then a season. They accepted him in the role he was given because we knew it was only for a small amount of time and as we went further down that time they accepted him because there was a excellent chance that Jose was returning. The atmosphere at the games during that time even when the fans was supporting the team was very toxic, It had a smell and a taste that I have seen at other clubs but not at Chelsea. It was toleration mixed with lets get this game over with then its one game less

There is a big difference in putting up with someone and what you are saying. We put up with our boring uncles at family parties because we have to and know once he has left early we can get back to enjoying ourselves.

While yes we cannot say for sure if Rafa would or would not have won the title the following season all we can do is look at his previous employment and with hindsight look at what he has done since Chelsea. The actual evidence shows one thing. NOT A CHANCE

Did you also predict JM was going to win the league again when he came back? Even if he does end up leaving this season, it will have been worth bringing him back just to have made us Champions again.

A small minority? You really are clueless mate. It was so bad that Rafa had to make an appeal on telly and radio for unity. Remember that ?
Google it. You seem to spend so much of your time doing that......

To be honest, I can't agree with any of you. I thought the reaction of some of our supporters to the appointment of Rafa Benitez was just stupid.
I could understand feelings running high after Roberto was dismissed, but that wasn't Rafa's fault. Benitez was only ever going to be an interim manager anyway, so I just wanted him to do a decent job.
Yes, there was "history" between Chelsea and Rafa while he was at Liverpool. But doesn't that just go with the job these days. We happily accept players when they change allegiance ( even ones we dislike ) so why not managers ? I hear Arsenal fans saying they would never welcome Mourinho as manager. Why not ? They might actually win something worthwhile.
I never disliked Benitez personally (unlike AVB) but I didn't rate him very highly as a manager either. I thought he just messed around with teams far too much and was always capable of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory. With our comparatively small squad, he didn't get the chance to mess things up and did a decent job in my opinion.
But would I want Benitez in place of Mourinho ?..never.

Your knowledge of football comes across as poor, very poor. An objective view of Rafa. Extremely good, one of the best.

1. He has never been given a big transfer budget (up until now possibly). When he was at Liverpool he was cash strapped and still managed to finish runners up to Man utd. He also WON the CL on a meagre budget, and got to another final. Better than Jose ever did at Chelsea. Much better;

2. He achieved everything he could have done when at Chelsea, under extreme pressure;

3. Again on a meagre budget he won La Liga TWICE, with Real? No. Barca'? No. WITH VALENCIA! Mourhino boasted he 'broke Barca's monopoly'. He didn't and Barca' won the trophy back the following season. Mourhino has also always been given practically limitless funds. Rafa's achievements in Spain are far, far superior.

I'm being objective, and looking at the facts and the evidence. Don't let the red mist fall doon, it spoils the discussion. Evidence doon, evidence lad..

Ok, back to the boxing thread, where I'm needed on Pacquaio's last bout. Mayweather again or Khan?

I just did not think he was good enough. Never paid much attention to what he said about anything during his time at Liverpool as I thought his views about anything was totally irrelevant (and still do). Did not even remember the stuff he said about Chelsea or it's fans as I thought anything he said was immaterial to clubs who aim it is to win titles

But many fans did remember and I think it showed the board was not really engaged with the fans am not saying that football board's should listen to fans 100% as many fans show a complete lack of understanding of modern football and how to run a business but at the same time you should not go around poking the bear. They then tried to paper over the cracks by giving him a title of "interim".

Was the reaction OTT? Of course but that's modern football even tiny meaningless decisions are blown into major stories (all you need to do is look at the Eva rubbish) fans are OTT at best of times but with the media fanning the flames it was always going to go down one route. It could have been avoided with even a small amount of common sense and intelligence which you could say with many of the board decision's at the time.

What I can't quite understand is that you claim to be a Chelsea fan for over 20 years yet have a dislike for the most successful manager in our clubs history.
What on earth did you do when we won our first league in 50 years, celebrate that a team managed by Rafa beat us in the CL ?
in his first season back he ruined Liverpools party which you celebrated right and in the second won a double.
Some would say that's a brilliant return but strangely your prefer to talk about Rafa.
Very strange that.........I wonder why........

When we won the title for the first time in 50 years it brought tears of joy to my eyes.
When we won the CL it did the same but that was also mixed with a massive amount of sheer relief.

What has always bugged me about Jose, is that he gets far too much praise for us winning the title that year. It's like he was a genious who did an amazing job taking us to the top, rather than someone who took over after all the really hard work had been done. Alll he really had to do was put the cherry on the cake. Raniere would have done that, such was the progress we were making.
Even Wenger said it was Raniere's work.

So you had tears of joy but in the back of your mind it bugged you that Jose got praised.
Yeah, that makes perfect sense mate. Were you still upset the next season when we retained it ?

How do you know he would of ? You don't. He was a nice bloke but tactically flawed.
I'm afraid he will forever be remembered for two things. One was knocking out Arsenal and the other was totally messing it up in the semi. It was so bad it was almost funny.
Lovely bloke but not quite top drawer.

As for Wenger, well what a surprise he said that.

Jose brought a winning mentality to that team which was lacking. That stayed all the way to the CL win.
Even you must admit that or does it bug you to do so.

What has Wenger got to do with anything?

Its highly unlikely. He might have done in a few years time but rightly with the massive investment that was not going to be given that but he lacked that extra something that makes a valiant 2nd into a winner.

Yes he did a great job but lacked the edge you need to win titles.

The second Jose walked into the dressing room every single one of those players did not think they was good enough to win the title, THEY KNEW they was. They did not think they could win the title, THEY KNEW that they was going to win the title.

"adding the cherry" as it as been put is the most difficult part of the job as Roger's found out and as Rafa before him and as Wenger has been finding out season after season after season. Its very easy to get a team into the top 4 for a decent manager, Its not so easy to turn that top 4 place into a title win and you need that little bit more that most managers have

Very true. Getting over the line is the hardest thing.

and for the managers who can do that its "easy" the biggest test and the hardest in this league is winning it back to back. That's when you know you have got a manager you need to hold on too

The CL SF defeat was a total shambles, but it was still a very good effort to us there and to second in the league. Look how hard City have found it to do well in both.

Raniere, and the team, were still making some mistakes but they were learning fast and getting better and better in every single department. I do not see any reason why they would have suddenly stopped improving.

I really have had enough with the sneering, arrogant way you speak to certain people on here.

I was delighted we won the double, and have always had my doubts about Mourhino's ability to manage effectively beyond two seasons anywhere. I certainly wasn't chanting against him when we were winning, despite my doubts about him ever challenging in both the PL and CL in the same season due to his complete inability to effectively utilise a squad.

If he had proved me wrong and was still here winning trophies, bringing youth through and playing entertaining football in 5 years, I'd also be delighted. Back in the real world though, that's not going to happen is it?

Come on, constantly playing Ivanovic, claiming the squad needed no new players in the summer, dropping Zouma recently when he was the least of the problems, playing Traore at left back, refusing to play Rahman in the PL, etc, etc, etc.

R'mond mentioned some players will be 'scratching their heads'. Smart players like Hazard won't be scratching their heads, they'll be keeping their heads down, muttering, 'he's lost it, he's a nutjob', privately, and just waiting until he's gone, when a manager will be brought in who won't demand same, same, same, driving players crazy with boredom.

That's nothing personal, it's the reality of modern football.

Overall, can we have a bit more repect for people's opinions here? I'll be 82 next month, and remember the days when Chelsea played in long, baggy shorts with orange balls in snow. A bit of respect please lad..

No, I'm not going to suggest he should be Chelsea's manager, but a few words.

Imo, as head of youth back in his Chelsea days, he would have been extremely disillusioned at the lack of opportunity good, young players were getting, and imo would have thought he could do a much better job than Mourhino if he was only given the chance at a PL club. He rotates, gives young players a chance, and tries to play, fast attacking football.

The problem? He went way too far, and became almost the exact opposite of Mourhino, playing too many new, young players at the same time.

There is a balance, and imo, Benitez understood that perfectly. You have to give young players a chance, but sparingly, and alongside, older more experienced players. Mourhino and Rodgers are two extremes, and the club imo needs someone in the middle.

Diego Simeone, with JT as a player coach? It's an idea.