Why England now must look forward - without Hodgson

In his role as Sky Sports' chief pundit, nothing provokes England coach Gary Neville's ire much more than teams which panic.

Teams which are so daunted at being behind in a game that they will resort to desperation tactics, trying low percentage shots from distance and attempting Hollywood passes.

Often, Neville has told of his dismay at teams trying this tactic even when entering the final few minutes of stoppage time.

So the former Manchester United defender must have watched with fury on Thursday as the team he helped prepare did just that against Uruguay, seeing their World Cup hopes go up in smoke in the process.

From the hour mark - or perhaps even earlier - England did that at 1-0 down against Uruguay, and looked in such a hurry to get back into the game that they lost their heads. Most worryingly, captain Steven Gerrard was the chief culprit.

When your captain, who also happens to be your most experienced player and the individual the young players in the squad look up to the most, does that, all you can do is hope. Gerrard certainly did not show an air of confidence, or any of the leadership qualities needed to help pull England from their malaise.

England eventually got their equaliser against Uruguay, but got swept up in the momentum and convinced themselves the game was theirs for the taking. Brave. Foolish. Naive.

A long ball over the top - with the help of a Gerrard header and a generous England defence - was all it took to allow Luis Suarez the chance to rifle home the winner, a goal which acted as a dagger through England's heart. They were not to recover again, with Uruguay showing the nous to see out the game, and England's group stage elimination was confirmed when the extremely impressive Costa Rica overcame Italy yesterday.

Fine margins saw England lose the game, as they did against Italy last Saturday.

The defeats were no disgrace. England lost two tight games on small details, and were beaten by teams including special talents like Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli, Edinson Cavani and Suarez.

But panic had ultimately overcome the Three Lions, especially in the Uruguay game, both before and after Wayne Rooney's ultimately worthless equaliser.

Roy Hodgson ultimately carries the can, perhaps undeservedly.

However harsh some of the criticism might have been, though, it is time for Hodgson to go. He may have been the right man two years ago, but he isn't now.

When he took over in 2012, his task was to steady the ship after the unhappy reign of Fabio Capello, and retain the nation's pride in its football team. He did that, with a run to the quarter-finals of the European Championship which provided few thrills, before a similarly decent qualifying campaign for the World Cup which ensured England did just enough to get to Brazil.

Now, though, the time has come for change.

Hodgson's contract runs out in 2016, but the plans already need to start for the 2018 World Cup, by which time the England boss will be approaching the age of 71.

With Gerrard and Frank Lampard surely set to retire from international football, Hodgson will have no choice but to continue the process of introducing young players to the team. Young, vibrant and talented players who need to be let off the leash. Is Hodgson the man to do that?

These are not limited players. Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling, Luke Shaw and John Stones, among others, are supreme talents, all of whom have proved how exceptional they can look with modern coaches and tactics with their club sides. The likes of Brendan Rodgers, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto Martinez have demonstrated that English players are not necessarily as far behind some of their counterparts as it may seem.

If those young players are being truly tested, stimulated and improved at club level, the least they can expect is to have the same at international level. Would they really say they get that with Hodgson?

This World Cup campaign - despite what some might say - has not been a disaster. England have been so much better to watch than under Capello in 2010, when the likes of Gareth Barry, Matthew Upson and Emile Heskey were ultimately torn apart by Germany after squeezing through an easy-looking group which included Algeria and Slovenia. England were simply beaten by a better team in Italy, and a world-class marksman in Suarez, while they were made to pay for some missed chances and defensive lapses.

The Three Lions had limitations at the back, which became painfully obvious, while in the centre, Gerrard and Jordan Henderson looked lost in a two-man central midfield, compared to the three-man midfield or diamond formation they enjoy playing in so much at Liverpool.

There was not a true ball winner in there, or someone who could change the tempo or calm England down.

For Gerrard, the games against Italy and Uruguay were among his most abject performances in an England shirt. The best player at the last two major tournaments for the Three Lions became one of the worst in Brazil.

It seems he has reached the end of the road, at international level at least. Gerrard deserved to go out in better circumstances, but he is likely to end his England days with a feeling his international career was unfulfilled, despite his sheer weight of caps.

The man who much of the blame for England's early departure has been levelled at is, as ever, Rooney.

However, while there is little doubt he is part of the problem, he is not THE problem.

Rooney got his first World Cup goal against Uruguay, but lacked some luck and needed to be more clinical against the South Americans.

He was England's only real threat in the game, sending a free-kick inches wide, a header against the bar and a shot at the goalkeeper before eventually getting the reward for his work.

His apparent failings in front of goal were only underlined by Suarez's stunning ruthlessness at the other end, as he gleefully took both of the major chances that came his way to stamp his mark all over the game. Ultimately, the difference between the two was what swung the game in Uruguay's favour.

However, comparing Rooney to Suarez would be ridiculous, as the Manchester United man simply isn't on the same level as the Uruguayan.

He still provided England's only real threat on Thursday, and while his best days are probably behind him and more composure in front of goal could have seen the Three Lions beat Uruguay, Rooney is still vitally important to the side. There are simply not enough viable, proven alternatives at present.

There is an argument Sturridge should play up front, with Adam Lallana, Sterling and Barkley behind him, and that is something which could be experimented over the coming months. However, all of those players are unproven, with Sterling following up a fine display against Italy with a non-existent one against Uruguay, Barkley inconsistent at club and international level and Lallana still making his first steps in an England shirt.

No other Englishman currently playing can come close to Rooney's goalscoring record, and his experiences in an England shirt - both good and bad - make him the only credible candidate to succeed Gerrard as captain.

How would other nations handle Rooney? Would they play him out of position, revel in sticking the boot into him at every opportunity and consider dropping him from the side? No. They would play to his strengths, make him feel like the most important player in the team and allow him to help the younger generation come through.

Of that younger generation, there is great hope for the future.

The likes of Shaw, Stones, Barkley, Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and others are terrific talents, and all are improving all the time at club level.

However, they are not quite there yet. About two years ago, there was great excitement surrounding Jack Wilshere, Phil Jones and Kyle Walker, and none of them have yet made an England place their own, through a combination of bad luck with injuries and poor form.

England - and their clubs - must ensure the same does not happen again, while Wilshere and Jones, in particular, now must find a level of consistency for their clubs to realise their undoubted talent.

A more forward-thinking and modern manager at international level - of Martinez's ilk - might help, too.

It won't solve all of England's ills. It won't, for example, suddenly give them two dominant, experienced and consistent centre-backs.

However, it should help the younger players, the fine talents who England's future - and, indeed, present - must now be built around.

Hodgson, should he continue, will find it extremely hard to recover from this World Cup campaign.

When a World Cup goes so wrong, it's almost always a fatal blow, as it ultimately proved for Capello in 2010.

It would be harsh on Hodgson to sack him, but his limitations have been exposed during the last two years, not just the last two games.

To sack him simply based on the Italy and Uruguay games would be wrong. The World Cup is such a precarious competition that all it takes is one or two defeats in two years for the entire view of a manager, and set of players, to change.

One or two defeats, and it feels like the world has ended as there are no more chances. It's not like a club side, which can lose its first two games of the season but still go on to have a successful campaign. There is so little margin for error.

The decision to go down a different route should be based on the future, and the question of whether Hodgson is the right man to get the best out of the young talents whose selection for the World Cup was not a major risk on the England manager's part, but more a necessity.

Hodgson has done a decent job, but no more. It's time for change, with the long-term in mind.

As for the future, it would be wrong simply to rip everything up and start again. With a fit and in-form Joe Hart, Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, along with talents like Shaw, Barkley and Sterling, there is real potential there.

Gerrard, Lampard, Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka can no longer be guaranteed a place, though, with Gerrard and Lampard surely on the verge of announcing their international retirements.

The relatively straightforward qualifying group England have been drawn in for the 2016 European Championship - plus the now bloated nature of the competition - means the Three Lions have the chance to experiment and blood their young talents over the next two years.

Crucially, they need the right leader. Hodgson is not that man.

England's team for the European qualifiers should be: Hart; Clyne/Chambers, Cahill, Stones, Shaw; Wilshere; Barkley, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Sterling; Rooney, Sturridge. Squad members: Forster, Ruddy, Walker, Jones, Jagielka, Baines, Henderson, Milner, Hughes, Walcott, Lallana, Welbeck, Carroll.

Michael Laudrup continues the fairytale at Swansea City

Saturday's 2-0 win at Arsenal was the result of Michael Laudrup's short reign at Swansea so far

Swansea City played Arsenal off the park at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and thoroughly deserved their 2-0 win.

Much of the focus since the game has been on the Gunners' failings, but Swansea deserve much more credit than that.

Something very special is being built in South Wales and, in truth, Saturday's scoreline shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise.

Michael Laudrup has his side playing slick, attractive football, so much so that they enjoyed 56% of the possession at the Emirates Stadium.

When was the last time Arsenal saw less of the ball than their opponents at home, excluding matches against the so-called big hitters of the Premier League?

Arsene Wenger's team look a shadow of Arsenal sides of the past, but Swansea deserve most of the praise for their victory.

The Swans in effect out-Arsenaled Arsenal with their passing game, and even Wenger admitted afterwards his side had been outplayed by the Welsh outfit.

They were patient, controlled and picked Arsenal off at the end, with the wonderful Michu on hand to add two more goals to his ever-growing tally.

The result took Swansea up to seventh in the table - ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle - and the early signs are they are not in a false position.

After a stunning start to the season, with a 5-0 win at QPR and 3-0 home victory over West Ham, they endured a frustrating spell, with no wins in their next five.

However, since then they have been sensational and only champions Manchester City have beaten them since September.

Even the most ardent of Swansea supporters could not have expected such a great start to the campaign, as Laudrup looked to have a near-impossible job on his hands when he took over from Brendan Rodgers in the summer.

Rodgers had been a breath of fresh air at the Liberty Stadium and led them to an unexpected promotion to the top flight, only to usurp that achievement by steering them to an 11th place finish in their debut Premier League season.

Laudrup also had to deal with the loss of key players and has had to do without two of Swansea's stars from last season, Michel Vorm and Neil Taylor, due to injury.

The Dane - who is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation - has had to almost rebuild the side Rodgers built in one summer, and he actually seems to have improved it.

Allen is among the key members of Rodgers' Swansea side Laudrup has had to do without

Swansea had their best players picked off in the summer. Joe Allen and Scott Sinclair were sold, while Gylfi Sigurdsson and Steven Caulker both saw their loan spells in South Wales come to an end.

When you add those departures to the long-term injuries picked up by Vorm and Taylor, Laudrup has had to mould together an almost entirely new team.

In fact, in their line-up at the Emirates on Saturday, only four regular starters from Rodgers' reign were present, yet Laudrup has made the raft of changes look seamless.

It would have been easy for the new manager to come in and replace those who left with proven Premier League players, but he took the risky decision to sign individuals with no experience of English football. He is now reaping the benefits.

Michu, Pablo Hernandez, Jonathan de Guzman, Ki Sung-Yueng, Chico Flores and Itay Shechter were among those brought in, and all have taken to the Premier League easily, along with the stand-ins for Vorm and Taylor, Gerhard Tremmel and the youngster Ben Davies.

Michu has been the most impressive, although it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to see him succeeding in England (and Wales, of course).

The 26-year-old is currently the joint-top scorer in the Premier League with 10, including the two that put Arsenal to the sword on Saturday, but he boasted similarly impressive figures in La Liga last season for Rayo Vallecano.

His 15 strikes last season made him the top-scoring midfielder in Spain, and with the standard of defending in the Premier League having fallen so dramatically in the last three seasons or so, if you can score regularly in La Liga you should be able to do it in England, too.

Michu has all the attributes needed to be a success in English football, with his finishing and heading abilities, along with his movement and work-rate, and he already looks like the signing of the season in the Premier League at just £2million.

He started in a more withdrawn role this season, but his regular stream of goals, coupled with the lack of strikes from Danny Graham, led to him playing in more of a 'false 9' role.

With Shechter now in the team, Michu has reverted to again playing behind the front-man, and his impressive form shows no sign of stopping.

Michu was a reported target of Manchester United and Liverpool before he joined Swansea

His quality was again underlined at Arsenal on Saturday, with his two extremely well-taken goals, and it may only be a matter of time before the likes of the Gunners take a keen interest in him.

However, for now, worries like that will have to wait for Swansea.

Pre-season fears of a relegation dogfight now seem long gone, and Laudrup's side continue to look forward.

As well as sitting in the Premier League's top seven, they also have a League Cup quarter-final at home to Middlesbrough to look forward, so the Swans already have a fantastic chance to improve on last season and complete a truly memorable campaign.

The philosophy of the club is also one which should be applauded, with chairman Huw Jenkins deserving much of the praise for their success.

He has helped lead the club from League Two to the Premier League, and has ensured Swansea have continued to grow year on year.

Jenkins knows exactly what he wants from a manager, and that has shown in the appointments he has made.

Roberto Martinez, Paulo Sousa, Rodgers and now Laudrup have similar football philosophies, with incisive, attacking play the order of the day, but it took courage for Jenkins to turn to Laudrup.

The Dane had no experience of English football prior to being appointed, while he struggled in spells in charge at Spartak Moscow and Real Mallorca.

It would have been easy for Swansea to appoint an experienced man to lead them through a difficult, transitional campaign, but then that's not really their style.

They're ambitious, they're bold and they're willing to take risks. That is what has got them to the Premier League.

Laudrup's style of play is a slightly different variation of Rodgers', but equally - if not more - effective.

These are still very early days in his reign at the Liberty Stadium, but the early signs are all very positive.

During a disappointing period of form in September, there were murmurs of discontent towards Laudrup, with players reportedly unhappy with his tactical changes and lack of focus on fitness work.

However, the Dane has come through that sticky spell brilliantly and their victory at Arsenal must have left their fans in dreamland.

It would have been easy for the club to fall back after the departures of Rodgers, Allen, Sinclair and Sigurdsson, but Swansea continue to move forward and act as an example to other clubs.

There have been so many impressive performances, including the 5-0 win at QPR, 3-0 victory over West Ham, the home thrashing of West Brom, draw against Chelsea and victories at Newcastle and Arsenal.

Their new signings have taken to the Premier League with ease, while the likes of Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer and Angel Rangel look like players reborn under Laudrup.

Michu has been their star man, and it is hard to think of any summer signing who has had a bigger impact on his new club this season than the Spaniard.

Swansea are flying high, and the challenge now for Laudrup and his squad is to maintain it.

They have already come through one spell of poor form, and more could well come later in the season, but if the win at Arsenal is anything to go by, they are more than ready for the challenges to come.

Forget West Brom, Everton and West Ham - Swansea are the Premier League's success story so far.

They are just three points off third-placed Chelsea, with some decent fixtures on the horizon, and are playing a refreshing brand of football which can only be admired.

The rise of Swansea City over the last decade, from the depths of League Two to the top half of the Premier League, has been a fairytale story.

There may be no such thing as a happy ending in football and challenges will lie in wait, but for now, they should just enjoy the ride.

Swansea are a club on the up and their success is a joy to behold.

Why Pardew's Newcastle cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves

Alan Pardew's Newcastle are in an alarming run of form

Around this time last year, I wrote a blog post arguing it was time to start taking Alan Pardew's Newcastle side seriously.

They were flying high in third place in the Premier League - similarly to West Brom this season - yet they were not getting the credit they deserved.

The general consensus was that they would eventually fall away and finish in mid-table, but they defied their critics to maintain their form and ultimately finish in a brilliant fifth.

This season, though, the tables have been turned.

Newcastle's form has slipped so alarmingly that they are currently 14th in the Premier League, but, similarly to last year, the feeling is they are in a false position. To believe that, though, would be dangerous and wrong.

Pardew's side are exactly where they deserve to be based on their performances. In fact, it could be argued they should be one or two places lower.

But for the majority of the derby game at Sunderland and a couple of Europa League wins, Newcastle have not had one fully satisfying and convincing performance yet this season, so they cannot claim to deserve to be any higher than they are.

They have now lost their last three Premier League games, and all three fixtures seemed eminently winnable.

Home games against West Ham United and Swansea City, followed by an away match at Southampton, should be fixtures to relish for any aspiring side.

For Newcastle to get no points from the nine available is more than alarming. It's embarrassing.

If they are not careful, they will be dragged into a relegation battle. They are certainly playing poorly enough to be sucked in.

There is zero depth to Pardew's squad and the club is now paying for its penny-pinching policy.

In the absence of key players like Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa, youngsters like Shane Ferguson and Sammy Ameobi are being relied upon far too much.

Ameobi has looked good in patches, but is not yet good enough to be a first-team regular

Ferguson and Ameobi undoubtedly have talent and have shown it in glimpses, but they are not yet ready to be regular starters in the Premier League.

Newcastle have an excellent crop of eight players who would be good enough to play in most teams in the country, but beyond that there is very little.

When two or more of those eight are unavailable, the team is simply not good enough.

With youngster Haris Vuckic injured, Cabaye is the only creative midfielder at the club, and when he is also unavailable, Newcastle are predictable and easy to stop.

Pardew has persisted with a 4-4-2 formation throughout the season, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse up-front, but it is painfully obvious the Senegalese pair cannot play together effectively.

They did play well together during the second half of last season, but Cisse was in the form of his life during that period and Ba was pushed out to the left.

An obvious option for Pardew should be to drop Cisse, who has looked a shadow of the player of last season, play Ba up-front on his own and have a three-man central midfield. That would stop Newcastle being over-run in that area and allow the wide players more freedom to roam.

However, Pardew's only central midfield options at this time are defensive, while his wide players are hardly consistent.

He would surely like to play Ben Arfa behind Ba, with two out-and-out wingers, but at this time that would mean playing Jonas Gutierrez - who is a defensive winger - and a player like Gabriel Obertan or Sammy Ameobi on the flanks, and Pardew would have virtually zero confidence in a ploy like that working.

So for now, he is persisting with the Ba-Cisse partnership, and Newcastle are limping their way through the campaign.

Their squad is simply not big enough for the rigours of the Europa League, and the club has missed a huge opportunity to build on last year's success.

Four or five players needed to be added to the squad just to beef up the options available to Pardew, but funds were not forthcoming and Newcastle are now paying for it.

There is no doubt the Magpies have been incredibly unlucky with injuries and suspensions, with fringe players like Vuckic, Dan Gosling and Ryan Taylor out long-term, Cabaye missing, Cheick Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini missing games after red cards and Ben Arfa now ruled out for at least two weeks.

However, those injuries should not be used as an excuse for Newcastle's poor form.

Yesterday's pitiful performance and defeat at Southampton came when Pardew had just three first-team regulars missing, so there is more to Newcastle's recent slump than bad luck.

Even when the likes of Coloccini, Ben Arfa and Cabaye have been in the team, Newcastle have still not been good enough this season.

They have only won three times in 13 league games, and two of those - against Tottenham and West Brom - were barely deserved.

Ben Arfa has been Newcastle's best player so far, along with the free-scoring Ba, but Cabaye has looked off-the-pace for the most part and even Ben Arfa has not performed on a consistent basis.

Ben Arfa is a magician at times, and his absence over the next two weeks will be keenly felt

There is no doubt he has been the team's biggest threat, but he has also at times been wasteful and defenders have dealt with him effectively.

Perhaps Pardew's Newcastle have simply been worked out, perhaps the team have become too comfortable, perhaps Pardew has made tactical mistakes and perhaps injuries and suspensions have scuppered their chances.

However, now is not the time for them to feel sorry for themselves.

Pardew has the security of his unprecedented eight-year deal, so shouldn't be too concerned about his future.

You wouldn't find too many Newcastle fans who would want to see Pardew leave given the miracles he performed last season, and it is likely they will stand by him for the foreseeable future.

There is only so long that will be the case, though, so Newcastle need to have an upturn in their fortunes soon.

It could be argued Pardew himself is too comfortable with his eight-year deal and should be managing with the pressures of any other top-flight boss, but to question his future at this stage would be harsh in the extreme.

It is only six months since he was named manager of the season, so to call for his head now would be folly.

When Graeme Souness was Newcastle manager, he used to say the club was only ever two consecutive defeats away from a crisis, but Pardew is not quite in that situation left.

He will be given plenty of time to turn things around, starting with their trip to Stoke on Wednesday.

That will be another extremely difficult task, and could very well lead to a fourth straight league defeat for Newcastle.

They would then go into the Wigan home game badly in need of three points to stop themselves being dragged ever nearer to the bottom three, so Newcastle need their excellent fans fully behind them now.

The fans will need to be patient, as the lack of depth to Pardew's squad is painfully obvious and they don't look like a team on the brink of a good run of form.

This season is now a dangerous one for Newcastle and if they're not careful, a long, hard campaign will lie ahead.

They still have plenty of time to turn it around and now is not the time to panic, but they badly need a positive result soon.

Last season's success seems a long time ago and Newcastle cannot afford to be thinking back to that.

This campaign is a fresh one and the challenges for them are different, but a top-eight finish would still be a success if they could somehow achieve it.

At the moment, even the top-half is a long way away but Newcastle are only a win or two from forcing their way in there.

In contrast, a defeat or two could plunge them into the relegation zone, so now is a crucial time in Newcastle's season.

Get the next few fixtures right, and the heights of last season may not seem so unreachable. Get them wrong, though, and the rot could begin to set in.

It is time for Pardew to earn his dough. He needs to again prove why he has been given an eight-year contract and work a few more miracles on Tyneside. It's not going to be easy.

Why Di Matteo's sacking shows everything that's wrong at Chelsea

Gone: Roberto Di Matteo has parted company with Chelsea

It always seemed like the impossible job for Roberto Di Matteo when he became permanent Chelsea manager in the summer.

Just how was the Italian supposed to follow a three-month spell as caretaker in which he won the club their first Champions League and an FA Cup?

Perhaps he shouldn't have even taken the job. He must have known he was no more than a stop-gap appointment from Roman Abramovich, who was extremely reluctant to give Di Matteo the job permanently despite his success.

The Russian recognised Chelsea's Champions League win was fortunate and the style of play they used to triumph did not sit well with him, and only appointed Di Matteo after Pep Guardiola rejected an offer.

However, Abramovich simply had to give the job to Di Matteo. He had delivered the elusive trophy Abramovich had been chasing for nine years, and at the very least deserved the chance to follow up that success.

A fantastic start to this year's Premier League campaign, coupled with the new expansive style of Chelsea, seemed to prove that Di Matteo was ready to build on what he had achieved.

Last night's 3-0 defeat to Juventus was a humbling one, and left the Blues on the brink of Champions League elimination, but despite a run of just two wins in eight matches in all competitions Chelsea are still just four points from the Premier League summit.

Champions League survival may seem unlikely, but a Shakhtar Donetsk victory over Juve in their final group game would more than likely see Chelsea qualify for the last 16.

Similarly, a Premier League victory over Manchester City on Sunday would see Chelsea right in the title mix, so Di Matteo was doing an excellent job at Stamford Bridge.

When you look at the challenges he has overcome in his 262-day spell, it becomes clear he deserved more time.

Di Matteo took over from Andre Villas-Boas in March with Chelsea in crisis, out of the Champions League qualifying places and on the brink of elimination from Europe's premier club competition at the hands of Napoli.

The Italian not only turned that 3-1 deficit around, he then led them to victories over Benfica, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to make Chelsea champions of Europe.

This season, Di Matteo has had to manage against a backdrop of controversy and threats, and has largely dealt with it brilliantly.

John Terry's racism case cast a huge shadow over the club, as did his subsequent four-match ban, the club's refusal to sack him and the injury he picked up against Liverpool last week.

Di Matteo has also had to deal with the idiotic Ashley Cole, who has never been far away from controversy and seems to be running his contract down at Stamford Bridge (similarly to Frank Lampard).

Didier Drogba - the catalyst of Chelsea's Champions League triumph - left the club in the summer, as did Romelu Lukaku, who could have had a key role this season but was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion.

The inspirational Drogba was always going to be near-impossible to replace

That meant Di Matteo was forced to rely on Fernando Torres this season, and the Spaniard has looked so uninterested and out-of-form that the manager decided against using a striker against Juventus yesterday, with Torres left to sulk on the bench.

That was Di Matteo's Villas-Boas moment. Villas-Boas dropped Cole and Lampard for the Champions League clash with Napoli and was subsequently soundly beaten, and on the face of it Di Matteo's decision not to play with a striker was equally strange.

However, you can understand his frustration at Torres, who has been simply awful for two-and-a-half years now, and the fact he had no other striker who warranted a place in the team.

Di Matteo is just another Chelsea manager who can lay the blame for his departure partly at Torres' door, with the £50million man yet another of Abramovich's signings who has refused to pull his weight.

At the same time as all this, Di Matteo has had to deal with the spectre of Guardiola, the ex-Barcelona boss on a one-year sabbatical after a trophy-laden spell at the Nou Camp.

Abramovich dreams of having Guardiola in charge at Stamford Bridge, and it seems inevitable he will try to woo him next summer, whatever Di Matteo's successor achieves in the meantime.

Because of the Guardiola dream, Di Matteo was effectively never more than a caretaker manager at Chelsea. The man who showed such great dignity deserved much, much more.

This season, he has been forced to implement a new style of play at Chelsea, something which takes a lot of time to get right.

Di Matteo had to find a way to get Eden Hazard, Oscar, Juan Mata and Torres functioning in the same team without losing defensive stability, something any manager would struggle with.

Young players with next to no experience of Champions League football were brought in by Abramovich, while Di Matteo was expected to deliver success immediately. It was the impossible job.

Villas-Boas found that out, with his reign lasting just 257 days, while Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted 13 days less than that.

Abramovich's hiring and firing is a joke and it is a wonder any manager worth his salt would want to work in such conditions. One bad run of form and you're out, regardless of the circumstances.

Di Matteo deserved to be given until the end of the season at least to get it right, but the reality is he would have been sacked whatever he achieved in this campaign.

Guardiola will be approached again next summer - or perhaps even before - as Abramovich chases the impossible dream: to create a new Barcelona in south London.

Guardiola is reportedly keen on managing in London

It is thought he was dismayed by August's 4-1 Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid, as Di Matteo's side were destroyed by hat-trick scorer Radamel Falcao, who has since been consistently linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

That was the beginning of the end for Di Matteo and Abramovich has been looking for an excuse to get rid of him ever since.

How are Chelsea supposed to move forward with such a trigger-happy owner? And why would Guardiola put his reputation on the line by joining such an unstable club?

These are questions Chelsea fans must surely be asking as their club becomes the talk of football for all the wrong reasons yet again.

Abramovich may get his wish at some point, with Guardiola arriving on a white horse to save Chelsea and lead them to greatness.

But would Guardiola be spared the Abramovich axe if he had a tricky start? It's doubtful.

If managers of the calibre of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and the man who delivered the club its first Champions League triumph can be sacked so easily, then anyone can.

There is a lot of talk of Rafael Benitez or Avram Grant taking over until the end of the season, but why would any manager want to risk their reputation by becoming caretaker manager of a club already in turmoil?

Benitez may be able to get the best out of Torres - as he did at Liverpool - but a manager with as high a reputation as him would surely not even consider a temporary post. Also, Torres' form and effort have been so dire he simply doesn't deserve the new manager to be appointed merely to suit him.

Di Matteo will always be remembered fondly at Stamford Bridge for his playing days and for delivering the greatest night in the history of the club, but he has now fallen on his sword like so many before him.

He has gone the same way as Villas-Boas, who was also sacked after a defeat at West Brom and a loss in the Champions League to an Italian side.

Di Matteo deserved so much more and can leave with his head held high, though, and so the joke of Abramovich's kamikaze ownership style continues.

Nile Ranger helps Newcastle U21s to derby draw

Full-time: Sunderland U21s 2-2 Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, played for just over an hour and looked lively throughout.

He particularly impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford after striding past two defenders.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman’s subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pickford’s goal.

Newcastle took their one-goal advantage into half-time, and could have gone further ahead 20 minutes after the restart.

Inman and Ranger combined to set up Marcus Maddison on the inside corner of the box, but he got his left-foot shot horribly wrong and his effort sailed into the stands.

That chance looked set to prove crucial when Wickham was nudged in the box moments later, with referee Gary Beswick pointing to the spot.

However, Adam Reed spurned the opportunity when his subsequent penalty came back off the inside of the post.

Reed's penalty was well struck to the right of keeper Jak Alnwick's goal, and Alnwick dived the wrong way, but the ball bounced away to safety.

Ranger, clearly lacking match sharpness, was withdrawn and replaced by Dennis Knight after 67 minutes, but he will have been pleased with the shift he put in.

Sunderland almost equalised moments later after more good work by Wickham, but Craig Lynch's shot was beaten away by Alnwick to preserve the visitors' lead.

Wickham had a number of efforts, but saw two attempts fly over the bar as the home side pressed for a leveller against Peter Beardsley's men.

It was Newcastle who had the better chances though, and they would have gone 3-1 up but for a great save by Pickford.

Abeid's superb through ball fell perfectly for Jonathan Hooper just inside the box, but Pickford was alert to the danger, closed down the striker and parried the effort away.

Sunderland then withdrew Wickham, who had been their biggest threat but proved largely wasteful in front of goal.

The Black Cats were unable to make any real impact without Wickham, but struck a leveller in stoppage time.

Lynch cut in from the left and struck a left-foot effort into the bottom corner, giving the hosts a deserved point from a hard-fought encounter.

Abeid did have a later chance but he blazed his effort over inside the box to give both sides a point.

Half-time report: Ranger returns with goal for Newcastle U21s

Nile Ranger made his long-awaited return for Newcastle in their U21 Wear-Tyne derby at Sunderland tonight, and marked the occasion with a well-taken goal.

Ranger, who had not made an appearance in the black-and-white of Newcastle for eight months since a reserves outing against Chelsea, impressed early on and did not take long to open the scoring.

The striker gave Newcastle the lead after being played in by Bradden Inman on eight minutes. He coolly slotted the ball past home keeper Jordan Pickford.

Ranger almost doubled the lead five minutes later, but his cross-cum-shot went agonisingly over.

Inman later had a decent chance saved by Pickford. Sunderland went down the other end of the pitch and pegged Newcastle back on 19 minutes, with England U21 international Connor Wickham on hand to slide home a cross from Roarie Deacon.

Newcastle skipper Curtis Good could have regained the lead for the visitors after the ball fell to him following a corner, but his powerful shot was straight at Pickford, who parried it away.

In the 36th minute, the Magpies did retake the lead.

The ball fell to the lively Inman just inside the Sunderland box after the home side failed to clear following a Mehdi Abeid effort, and Inman's subsequent shot deflected into the corner of Pikcford's goal.

Wear-Tyne derby: Toon leave Wearside upbeat despite late leveller

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was satisfied with his side's 1-1 draw with Sunderland

If you had offered Newcastle United fans a point following Cheick Tiote’s dismissal at Sunderland yesterday, you can be sure the majority would have taken it.

With in excess of 65 minutes still to play at the Stadium of Light, the Magpies were winning 1-0 thanks to Yohan Cabaye’s excellent third-minute finish, but Tiote’s red card left them facing an unenviable task.

It took the Black Cats until four minutes from the end to finally bundle home an equaliser, and but for some bad luck from a Seb Larsson free-kick, Newcastle would have held on for a famous victory.

They had repelled the likes of James McClean, Stephane Sessegnon, Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson admirably, and while the Sunderland quartet all disappointed, that was in large part due to excellent Newcastle defending.

Fabricio Coloccini was a class apart at the back and it is no coincidence Sunderland’s leveller came when he had left the pitch.

Credit must also go to Mike Williamson, Davide Santon, Danny Simpson and James Perch for keeping Sunderland’s attackers quiet, but it was Coloccini who held it all together.

Yesterday’s game proved Newcastle are a completely different proposition with the Argentinean defender in their team, with his composure, skill and doggedness not only keeping Sunderland at bay, but also calming his team-mates in the process.

Toon manager Alan Pardew remarked after the game that his captain’s performance “was like watching Bobby Moore”, and that is a compliment his captain thoroughly merited.

In an encounter where attacking talents were expected to shine, Coloccini deservedly picked up the man of the match award and showed just what Newcastle have been missing in recent weeks due to his injury absence.

I have never seen a better defender in a Newcastle shirt, and Coloccini’s display at the Stadium of Light yesterday was certainly one of the best defensive performances in the club’s recent history.

Until Tiote’s sending off in the 25th minute, Newcastle were by far the better side.

For all the pre-match talk of Sunderland being favourites, it was the visitors who sprinted out of the blocks and Cabaye’s opener was the least they deserved.

However, the Ivorian then turned the game on its head with his crazy sending off.

His challenge on Fletcher was dangerous, reckless and thoroughly deserving of a red card, which was made all the more moronic given the referee had already blown for a foul in Tiote’s favour before he dived in on the Scot.

Tiote has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for some time

Many fans have defended Tiote and insist he should not have been sent off, and one argument they have given is that Sunderland’s Larsson was not even given a booking for an equally reckless challenge on Shola Ameobi.

Larsson’s foot was so high it almost took Ameobi’s head off, and he at least deserved a yellow card, but Tiote could have no real complaints.

His dismissal also led to Ameobi being sacrificed by Pardew, which clearly disappointed the front-man.

However, it was a wise decision by the manager to bring the striker off, as Newcastle could no longer afford to play two up-front, Demba Ba offered a better goal threat and Ameobi was on a booking due to his part in the aftermath of Tiote’s dismissal.

Newcastle coped admirably with their one man disadvantage and were worthy of at least a point.

They will be the team most satisfied by their performance in the cold light of day, however galling it was to lose their lead with time running out.

Ba was desperately unlucky after a dogged display up-front to head Larsson’s free-kick into his own net, but the Magpies managed to hold on for a point.

Both sides will have been relieved with the draw, but for very different reasons.

Sunderland will have been delighted not to lose the game having trailed for so long, while Newcastle must have feared the worst after Tiote’s red.

In truth, they didn’t come under anywhere near as much pressure as they might have expected until the last 10 minutes, when their legs were weary and Sunderland managed to gather some momentum.

It was a typically ferocious and atmospheric derby, but unfortunately it is again off-the-field matters which are dominating the headlines.

A Sunderland fan is being investigated for allegedly racially abusing Ba, while neither set of supporters covered themselves in glory.

While a relatively small number of arrests were made, a section of Sunderland fans chanted the moronic “We wish you were dead” at Toon defender Steven Taylor in retaliation to his ill-advised pre-match comments, and some Newcastle supporters chanted equally tasteless songs about Lee Cattermole and Jimmy Savile.

Neither side can take the moral high ground when it comes to chanting as both showed extremely poor taste.

It is disappointing that this is even a talking-point but it seemed inevitable due to the intense build-up this fixture always invites.

For Newcastle, they will have left Wearside with mixed emotions but the overriding one should be upbeat as they proved just what a good and resilient side they are.

If they had managed to keep 11 men on the pitch, they would surely have fancied their chances of taking another three points back to Tyneside, but they can’t be too devastated by a solitary one.

Newcastle once again had the better of a derby and their performance should stand them in good stead. Their season is finally up and running and they should feel much more positive now with their pride very much intact.