Hiddink to ask Scolari about Chelsea problems

SOCCER NEWS:GUUS HIDDINK intends to speak with his predecessor, Luiz Felipe Scolari, to gauge precisely what awaits him at Chelsea after yesterday taking over at the Premier League club on a non-contract basis until the end of the season.

The Dutchman, who will combine his role as Russia’s coach with his new duties at Stamford Bridge, was due to be in Amsterdam last night ahead of arriving in London this morning, and is expected at Chelsea’s training ground to meet the players either today or tomorrow. Although Ray Wilkins, Scolari’s former assistant, will take charge of the team at Watford in their FA Cup fifth-round tie on Saturday, Hiddink will be watching from the stands. His first game in charge will be the potentially critical trip to third-placed Aston Villa on February 21st.

The 62-year-old Dutchman will not have a contract at Stamford Bridge, his willingness to do so serving to emphasise his close friendship with the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, who has secured his services for the next three months after instigating negotiations with the Russian Football Union (RFU).

“I don’t have to sign one,” said Hiddink. “It’s not a question of money. This is a favour to a friend. Abramovich called me personally. He does so much for Russian football that I wanted to do something back.” Hiddink will continue to pick up his full salary from the RFU and will oversee the World Cup qualifying games with Azerbaijan on March 28th and Liechtenstein on April 1st.

His greatest challenge is likely to be uniting a fractured dressing room, with some senior players having effectively lobbied for Scolari’s dismissal.

The captain, John Terry, admitted on Tuesday that he and “only two or three” of his club-mates had been supportive of Scolari, who was dismayed to learn that a delegation of players – understood to be Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba and Petr Cech – had spoken with Abramovich last week to discuss the manager’s position.

• Guardian Service