December 19, 2015 – Chelsea Football Club today announced that it has hired former Coach of Netherland, Guus Hiddink as first-team manager to replace Jose Mourinho who was sacked late this week.
Hiddink will be team manager until end of the season.
“The owner and the Board welcome back a coach with a wealth of top-level experience and success, including his previous spell with the club in 2009 when we lifted the FA Cup”, Chelsea FC said on its website.
It added that Mr Abramovich and the Board believe that Guus has what it takes to get the best out of our talented squad.
Speaking on his appointment, Hiddink said he is excited to return to Stamford Bridge.
“Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world but is not where it should be at the moment. However, I am sure we can all turn this season around.
“I am looking forward to working with the players and staff at this great club and especially renewing my wonderful relationship with the Chelsea fans”, he said.
Hiddink took temporary charge of Chelsea in February 2009, losing just one league game, helping the team to recover from a poor first half of the season to finish third in the Premier League.
He combined that role with being coach of Russia, one of six international posts he has held during a coaching career which has spanned three decades.
His first managerial job was in his homeland with PSV, a club he had represented during a 15-year playing career.
“As coach, he lifted three league titles and the European Cup in 1988. Three more followed during a second stint there between 2002 and 2006, with the intervening years seeing him coach in Turkey and Spain as well as lead the Dutch, South Korean and Australian national teams.
“As South Korea coach, he led them to a stunning third place at the 2002 World Cup on home soil, one place better than with the Netherlands four years earlier.
“Having taken the Russian job in 2006, Guus led them to the semi-finals of Euro 2008 before taking the reins at Chelsea on a temporary basis in early 2009. A 2-1 win at Aston Villa in his first game set the tone for the remainder of the season, and it took a last-minute Andres Iniesta strike on a controversial night to deny the Blues a place in the Champions League final.
“Guus’s first stay in west London ended well, however, with the whole of Stamford Bridge singing his name following our final home game of the season and the fans unveiling a huge ‘thank you’ banner at Wembley prior to the FA Cup final, in which we came from behind to win.
“Since then, Guus has coached Turkey and the Netherlands, as well as spending 18 months at Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, where he signed Willian from”, the club said online.
