Who next for Stamford Bridge?

When Avram Grant was booted off the Chelsea throne a week ago, Peter Kenyon and co must have known that they had their work cut out to find a replacement who would not only take the job but also satisfy Roman Abramovich's quest for football which combined the dominance of Manchester United circa 1990's and the aesthetic qualities of the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Chelsea hierarchy have cleaned up with Henk Ten Cate being removed from his position as assistant manager but Steve Clarke has kept his job s assistant first team coach, Clarke himself would undoubtedly be a firm favourite for the role as manager if it wasn't for his lack of experience in such a position.

In fact the Scotsman has only been in charge of one game and that was at Newcastle following the sacking of the then manager Ruud Gullit. Clarke lost that match but his ties with Chelsea which stretch back 21 years would make him one of the fans favourite choices as manager.

Another former Chelsea man who has been linked to the role is Mark Hughes and although he may not hold such a glamorous CV as many of the other managers in line for the job, his own record speaks for itself.

After successful spells as both manager of Wales - missing out on qualification to Euro 2004 via the play-offs - and Blackburn Rovers who he saved from relegation before guiding them to a UEFA Cup place and three FA Cup semi-finals, his stats make him a not-so unlikely candidate for the job.

There are of course other 'bigger names' that have been rumoured to be Grant's successor, namely Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Roberto Mancini, the latter currently leading the betting for the job.

Scolari himself turned down the chance of taking over from Sven Goran-Eriksson due to the immense pressure put on him from the English press during his talks with the FA. The Brazilian will know that it would be no different if he took the helm at Chelsea.

His record is impressive, it has to be said. After leading his Country to World Cup victory in 2002, 'Big Phil' moved to Portugal where, under his management, Ronaldo and co reached the final of Euro 2004 only to be beaten - surprisingly - by Greece before reaching the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.

He will be managing Portugal in Austria and Switzerland as they hope to go one better and be crowned Euro 2008 Champions and it would be a brave man who would bet against them doing so.

Through his role as Portugal's national coach, Scolari will have strong relations with two Chelsea men, Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho. If he were to take over at The Bridge, the Chelsea players would be under the management of a strong willed coach, something which has been arguably lacking since Jose Mourinho's departure.

The one thing going against Scolari is his lack of experience at club level, although he has done the business with both Brazil and Portugal, working with players day in day out, living under the intense media spotlight on a weekly basis and dealing in the transfer market is something which
Scolari is yet to encounter.

The next man in the frame is bookies favourite Roberto Mancini. His record is equally as impressive as any of the other candidates.

After taking both Fiorentina and Lazio to Coppa Italia victories, Mancini took over at Inter Milan and four years later after securing two further Coppa Italia titles, two Supercoppa Italia and three Scudetti titles, the former striker has become Inter's most successful coach in over thirty years.

Although it seemed unlikely that Mancini would become available to Chelsea this Summer, his recent shock dismissal from the Giusseppe Meazza has meant that the West Londoner's pursuit of what is arguably the hottest manager currently out of work has intensified.

Hughes, Scolari and Mancini make up the apparent three man shortlist for Chelsea although another name which has been mentioned frequently since Mourinho's departure has been Guus Hiddink. It seems however that Kenyon and company's list has been shortened for them as the Dutchman claims that the job is not for him.

Hiddink has not specifically come out and dismissed his interest in Chelsea totally but he has said that at this time he has given his word to the Russian football president that he will continue as the Country's manager until at least the end of the 2012 World Cup in South Africa.

Russia have improved dramatically under Hiddink. After being labelled as a side who were dominant at home but poor away, Hiddink's tactical knowledge and instalment of discipline throughout the side have led to Russia qualifying for this Summers European Championships in a convincing manner.

One thing is for sure, with such a strong field in contention for the Chelsea job, the Blues look unlikely to be finishing as second best next season.

Written by John Ford - A Freelance Football Writer