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Scolari fails to step out of Jose's shadow (0)

• Phil McNulty - Sport Online chief football writer
• 9 Feb 09, 05:38 PM

If anyone ever doubted that Roman Abramovich still takes more than a passing interest in the affairs of Chelsea Football Club, then the brutal sacking of Luiz Felipe Scolari on Monday provides the most compelling evidence to the contrary.

The sudden dismissal of Scolari just seven months after he was paraded in a barrage of flashbulbs and a blizzard of optimism in a plush Cobham hotel in Surrey has all the hallmarks of Abramovich's refusal to settle for second best.

Chelsea's hierarchy smiled in satisfaction back on that sunny July day when "Big Phil" charmed allcomers with his sense of humour and clever command of the English language.

Abramovich was absent - but his fingerprints were all over the appointment of .

It all seems an age away now as the coach who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, and looked like he would win everything in sight in the opening weeks of the season, is sacked with a ruthlessness that might shock even seasoned Chelsea observers.

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White Hart pain for Wenger (0)

• Phil McNulty - Sport Online chief football writer
• 9 Feb 09, 06:25 AM

Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger are aiming at contrasting goals as the Premier League campaign enters its final straight - and a swift lesson in body language during the north London derby deadlock told you who was more confident of hitting the target.

Redknapp's eyes are solely on salvation for Spurs after being employed to mount a rescue job at White Hart Lane, while failure to reach the Champions League is an option Wenger cannot afford to contemplate.

White Hart Lane offers almost a "reach out and touch" experience when it comes to examining Premier League managers at close quarters under intense pressure - and what an education it was.

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