Di Matteo: 'One incident' won't change Chelsea bond

By Graham MacAree Mar 23, 2014, 6:07pm GMT

Obviously this isn't a subject on which Chelsea fans -- particularly long-time ones -- like to dwell, but since Roberto di Matteo is talking about his sacking, I guess we will too. When he was dismissed in November 2012, it was difficult to feel anything but sorry for the man. He might not have been the greatest manager, but he's undoubtedly a Chelsea icon, having helped secure our first major trophy of the Premier League era as a player before guiding us to Champions League success as the interim head coach.

His reward was some pretty shabby treatment from the club, but did di Matteo let that get to him? Of course not -- he still loves us just as much as we do him:

I spent so many years connected to the club. One incident is not going to change that. We achieved something that will connect us for the rest of our lives, that group of players, with the staff we had.

And there were a lot of supportive messages from the players in the weeks of my release. I knew we were together in all of this. And there will always be a positive feeling between us.

-Source: Sunday Times via the Daily Mail.

What a man he is. Rumour has it that he'll be looking to go back into management soon; I imagine I'm joining pretty much every other Chelsea fan on the planet in wishing him all the best with whatever comes next.