Water under the Bridge for Ranieri

FORMER Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri returns to Stamford Bridge insisting he has no ill feelings about the way he was axed by Roman Abramovich.

Juventus coach Ranieri took Chelsea to the semi-final of the Champions League in his last season at Stamford Bridge but was removed as manager in May 2004.

The Italian had spent more than £120m on building a Chelsea side that his successor, Jose Mourinho, instantly inspired to their first domestic title for 50 years.

But Ranieri is adamant he would still have been given the sack even if Chelsea had beaten Monaco in the semi-final and gone on to win the Champions League.

“Even if we had won, I knew that my days were numbered but I actually liked that,” said Ranieri.

“I never gave up, and that is part and parcel of my character. I don’t think I’ve written much in the pages of history while I was here, though they were wonderful years, all of them, especially the third year.

“We didn’t spend a penny in the third year and got into the Champions League.

“Once Roman Abramovich bought the club, it was almost like fantasy football in the fourth year, and we could spend money on whoever we wanted, even if we could only do that from June, so that was a bit late.

The Italian was given just one season to try and achieve glory with the Russian’s millions. However, reaching the last four of the Champions League and finishing second in the Barclays Premier League was not considered good enough for the Blues, as subsequent managers have also discovered.

“I agree with Sir Alex Ferguson when he says football is changing here in England,” said Ranieri.

“In the past, one would have had time to build a team, bring in young players, get them experience.

“Everyone wants to win, but there can only be one winner. We’ve seen new owners come in and put their money in and they want an instant return.

“But football isn’t like that. You need time for players to bed in, make their mark and for a manager to make his impact felt. It’s not all about money. It isn’t what makes you win, which is probably just as well.”