Kipling poem banishes Ranieri’s blues

CLAUDIO RANIERI yesterday revealed how he has drawn strength from the Rudyard Kipling poem, If, during the ten turbulent months since Roman Abramovich swept into power and cast the manager’s future at Stamford Bridge into doubt.

The Chelsea coach disclosed yesterday that billionaire Russian Abramovich wanted to axe him the moment he took over last summer.

Ranieri survived then and when Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon recently held secret talks with Sven-Goran Eriksson but now admits his position is precarious.