ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea 2 Blackburn Rovers 0:GUUS HIDDINK bade farewell with a polite bow, a brief thanks to the supporters in an interview on the pitch and an admission that he has had "second and sometimes third thoughts" over whether he is doing the right thing to leave Chelsea so soon.
Yet it was Roman Abramovich who departed the occasion with most to ponder.
This game had drifted beyond the hour when the most vocal section of the Matthew Harding stand broke off from their salutations of the temporary manager to chorus: “You can stick your Ancelotti up your a***”. Their message was loud and clear.
It cannot have escaped Abramovich, watching from his executive box. Chelsea continue their pursuit of a permanent successor to Hiddink today still hopeful Carlo Ancelotti will agree to sever ties with San Siro at the end of the month.
Their resolve will not be deflected by the dissonant voices which punctured the praise showered upon the part-time incumbent yesterday, yet theirs was an uncomfortable show of dissent. Hiddink has been made welcome here by the fans more than any manager since Jose Mourinho.
The players recognise as much. Nicolas Anelka, the game’s outstanding performer, said: “We feel the same as the fans do about him. Since he came here, we’ve played so much better.”
Even Hiddink admitted he is torn at the prospect of departing.
“I have many second thoughts, sometimes third thoughts,” he conceded. “You cannot avoid them. You don’t have a button to turn them off, but that’s how it is. When I have to leave – having seen the reaction of the players in the way they’ve worked – I will feel a kind of sadness. That’s for sure, but that’s the reality.
“You can talk about contracts but, when you are committed to people – Russia, in this case – and have given them your commitment with pleasure, I have to fulfil that. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not difficult to leave this.”
This was a celebration of the Dutchman’s brief reign, a simple victory against opponents who had been rendered arithmetically safe by results on Saturday, yet the warmth shown to Hiddink during the game as well as after the final whistle left even this man of the world taken aback.
This match was no reflection of the job that awaits the new man at the helm. Rovers were porous and prone, relaxed with their top-flight status guaranteed, and offered only sporadic resistance. Chelsea might have run up a cricket score. Profligacy, and some fine saves from Paul Robinson, denied them.
The opening goal was outstanding, Jose Bosingwa sending Anelka scurrying down the right with the French striker’s cross headed beyond a diving Robinson by Florent Malouda from just inside the penalty area.
Anelka secured the win after the interval. “It was a nice way to say goodbye,” added Hiddink.
Guardian Service
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