Might be cnuts, but the way they deal with former pros, or how they're handling the Harding anniversary compared to what Bates used to do is superb. ![[^]](../images/smilies/approve.gif)
Chatting to a bloke through Barons Badges and he said he lost his 19th month old child a year ago next month. He said the club were brilliant to him - sent a letter and various personally autographed gear.
Not necessarily on a consistent basis though; haven't particularly treated managers who've won us historic titles, Doubles and Champions League with the same respect ![[sad]](../images/smilies/sad.gif)
Bates was often a massive cnut but he also had a tendency to pick & choose who to treat well, and when.
I think there's decisions made that are impossible to avoid being public. Sacking managers is the norm for football now mate, we're not unique in 'time allowed' anymore. I look at Jose's record and it was failing the club at the time. We can point fingers at players but it's the manager that takes the flak for results/performances. The only sacking that left me annoyed was Carlo, that really summed the club up. Impatience from club to a large amount of the support. Still not recovered imo.
We look like a circus because I believe the media paint us up as a circus...not hard work for them with Jose feeding strange comments to the media about the FA, other managers and verbally attacking a doctor very publicly. Perhaps that was the real reason he was sacked. We love Jose but he came at a cost to the image of the club and I'm not so sure that sat very well with the club.
They don't really need any help from Mourinho or the media to make themselves look bad B; things like wheeling out Emenalo to discuss palpable discord and lying to us to try & steal Stamford Bridge so they could move elsewhere (not to mention trying to use Matthew Harding's name to sway the vote their way) speak for themselves.
I was thinking more about the treatment towards Carlo and Ray Wilkins, even Di Matteo, moreso than towards Jose. Their departures could all have been handled so much better, their contributions deserved more.
I agree with Stan's original point to a certain degree but I think there's a caveat in that it's not always consistent. Some have been treated incredibly well by the club whereas others, who've arguably done much more for the club & the fans, have not quite received the same treatment.
I'm not sure how you sack people nicely mate 
I'm sure there's plenty we don't know that goes on and the amount of info we get is probably less than half of the real facts. I look at Ray Wilkins - it seemed absurd the way he was fired...then his drinking becomes common knowledge and it becomes a little clearer to me that there was probably more to it than meets the public eye. Of course Chelsea FC aren't going to say 'the geezer is an absolute pisshead'! They're going to keep mum because that's the professional thing to do - they won't want to ruin the professional life of a man in a spot of bother.
With RDM, I wouldn't have given him a deal after Munich. I think they went into that very cautiously and were quick to realise a mistake had been made...not quick enough to save our CL campaign though!!! For me, the error was employing him...not sacking him.
The club took the piss hiring Rafa. No excuse for that.
I've been amicably let go over the years and I've also been ordered out the building & offered a fight outside in the car park
Obviously it's hard to always know what goes on but Wilkins for example, if they knew he was suffering with depression and battling alcoholism then sacking him would be even more disgraceful!
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It's a very high profile club now. I think the drink driving charge left the club with little choice, imo.
Contrary to public belief, our club don't mess about if you get in trouble with the law. See Jacob Mellis, Mutu, Bosnich, Rix. Jody Morris never lasted long because of bad influence I reckon! I don't think the club thought JT was guilty of anything and that's why he rightly stayed with us...before anyone challenges me there