Chelsea are 8/1 not to lose another PL match this season

Will Hiddink go unbeaten in his 13 league games with the Blues?

Guus Hiddink has been priced at 8/1 by Sky Bet to avoid defeat in his thirteen league games in charge of Chelsea. This may seem like a tough task but the Blues have managed it in three of the last four seasons, with their biggest remaining games coming away to Aston Villa and Arsenal. The Russia boss also achieved the feat in his last two seasons with PSV.

Chelsea are 11/2 to fail to quality for next season’s Champions League while you can back Hiddink to replicate Jose Mourinho by winning his first four games [Aston Villa (a), Wigan (h), Portsmouth (a), Manchester City (h)] at 9/2. The Dutchman is 500/1 to lead the Blues to the Premier League this season and Russia to the World Cup next summer.

Despite Hiddink’s pledge to stay with Russia until after the World Cup, he is 11/8 to be named permanent Chelsea boss in the summer. The other candidates are Carlo Ancelotti (7/2), Gianfranco Zola (5/1), Frank Rijkaard (7/1) and Jose Mourinho (8/1).

Posted: February 11th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Who are the media expecting to take charge at the Bridge?

Click here for all the prices in the next Chelsea manager market

chickendinner have our ears locked firmly to the ground in order to pass on all the latest whispers about who will succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge. However, as our round-up below shows, it’s hard to rule anyone out:

Sky Sports say that either Guus Hiddink or Avram Grant will be hired within 24 hours
[Sky Sports]

But in Russia they are “200 percent” certain Hiddink will stay put
[Setanta Sports]

Elsewhere there are reports Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke will be appointed by this afternoon
[sport.co.uk]

Former Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard will consider any approach from the Blues
[Sporting Life]

While Roberto Mancini was spotted boarding a tube near Chelsea recently
[The Spoiler]

Posted: February 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Guus Hiddink is the favourite once more for the Chelsea job

Click here for all the latest odds on who will succeed Scolari

Anyone who followed chickendinner’s coverage of the next Chelsea manager market in the summer will remember how volatile it is and that about a dozen different men spent time as favourite before Luiz Felipe Scolari was appointed. This time round it’s no different.

Guus Hiddink and Avram Grant started as joint 2/1 favourites and since then Sven-Goran Eriksson’s odds were briefly suspended, Gianfranco Zola closed as favourite last night and Frank Rijkaard emerged as the frontrunner early this morning. However, Hiddink has now re-emerged as favourite closely followed by Grant after claims from Sky Sports that Chelsea will decide between one of them in the next 24 hours.

Posted: February 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

The five favourites to succeed Mark Hughes at Man City

4/1 Mourinho leads a host of big names in the betting

In the summer, Mark Hughes was one of the frontrunners to take Jose Mourinho’s old job at Chelsea but just five months after Sparky took charge of Manchester City, Mourinho has been installed as the favourite to succeed him. Here’s our take on the frontrunners in SkyBet’s market:

Jose Mourinho 4/1
It’s only five months since Mourinho took charge of Inter Milan yet he finds himself in the curious position of simultaneously being favourite to become the next manager of Manchester City and Manchester United. The former Chelsea boss became the first man ever to win the Premier League in his first season but do City really want a manager who will turn their exciting young attacking talent into flair-free workhorses?

Frank Rijkaard 5/1
Two years ago Rijkaard guided Barcelona to a La Liga/Champions League double but his stock has plummeted since then and he was axed earlier this year after a run of just three wins in thirteen league games saw Barca finish trophyless in third. The fact his inexperienced successor Josep Guardiola has instantly taken the Catalan club to the top spot while scoring seventeen goals in their last three home games makes you wonder where the Dutchman was going wrong.

Roberto Mancini 5/1
The Italian kindly ended Inter Milan’s seventeen year wait for the title by winning three in a row (the first of which was handed to them after Juventus’ enforced relegation and Milan’s points deduction) but his reward for such drastic over-achievement was the sack this summer. The best jobs he’s been linked to recently have been at West Ham and QPR so he would probably jump at the chance to manage Manchester City.

Posted: November 12th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment