Sport 13-09-2000 Vialli Sacked By Player Power who: Gianluca Vialli what: Sacked as Chelsea manager where: Stamford Bridge, LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: After two-and-a-half years as one of Chelsea`s most successful managers, Gianluca Vialli was sacked yesterday afternoon, just four months after his club won the FA Cup. "The ruthlessness of the club`s decision came as something of a shock," says The Independent`s Steve Tongue. "It appears that the lack of confidence in Vialli`s man management felt by some of his players has now been reflected at board level". "Like Ruud Gullit before him," notes Matt Dickinson in The Times, "Vialli had forgotten that the first rule of working for [Chelsea chairman] Ken Bates is never to assume anything, least of all job security". Striker Gianfranco Zola, who is now among the favourites to succeed Vialli, has been one of the most vociferous opponents of the manager, after he found himself inexplicably dropped from Chelsea`s starting lineup by his former Italian team-mate. More recently, Frank Leboeuf accused Vialli of a lack of faith in his players, while Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Marcel Desailly, Mario Stanic and Didier Deschamps have all expressed frustrations with their boss. "If the move was swift when it came, it was hardly a complete shock," says The Guardian` Martin Thorpe. "Chelsea`s results have been disappointing by the club`s newly adopted high standards. After finishing third in the Premiership two years ago, Vialli could only manage fifth last season, not only failing to win the title, but missing out on a lucrative Champions League place as well." As a player for Sampdoria, Vialli was a European Cup-Winners` Cup winner in 1990 and a Serie A champion in 1991, when he was also the league`s top scorer. He was sold to Juventus for a world record £12.5million in 1992 and named World Player of The Year in 1995. As Juve captain, he won the European Cup Final in 1996. Under Vialli`s management, Chelsea won the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998, the Cup Winners` Cup (1997-98), European Super Cup (1998), FA Cup (2000) and FA Charity Shield (2000). [... more]

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