Chelsea Football Club: Ensure that Rafael Benitez is not considered beyond his interim title.

The supporters are the lifeblood and soul of any football club. As supporters, we had made it abundantly clear that Rafael Benitez was not wanted at Chelsea Football Club but the board rode roughshod over supporter's wishes, sacking a Chelsea legend who had delivered us the European Cup and the FA Cup just months before in the process.

Let's look at the FACTS -

- We lost the World Club Cup to a Corinthians team that we could and should have beaten.

- We went out of the Capital One Cup with barely a whimper.

- We are 9 points further down in the Premier League than we were when Rafael Benitez was employed. Our league form (including losing at home to QPR and away to West Ham) is worse than the blip that got Di Matteo sacked.

- Baffling tactics including like for like swaps for defenders when we are losing and a complete inability to change the game has become the hallmark of our interim manager.

- Rafael Benitez's win % record so far is one of the worst in the Abramovich era, worse than managers who have previously been sacked by the club.

- More importantly than any of the above, the unity has been lost at the football club. A number of our supporters feel disconnected and disenfranchised from the club that they love to the extent that some have stopped going, whilst the atmosphere at home games has declined.

 

Roman Abramovich has done a number of fantastic things for this football club and has demonstrated his commitment to the supporters from freezing ticket price, changing to the traditional badge, subsidising away travel right through to the obvious on-field investment, resulting in the most successful period in our history. This petition is not to be taken as a sign of ingratitude for the incredible contribution that he has made to our football club. We just want to work with him to get the club that we all love moving together once more in the right direction.

Chelsea FC, end these rumours that there is a possibility that these substandard results and this mutinous atmosphere can continue past the end of this season at the very latest and concentrate your efforts on getting a popular and successful manager who the fans, players and board can all unite behind once again. Every supporter wants the club to be pulling in the same direction, to achieve the success and harmony that we all wish for and that is impossible under a manager who it is clear will never be accepted by the supporters of Chelsea Football Club.