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I never wanted to be Chelsea manager but took over because the players begged me to coach them, says former boss

Published on May 01, 2025 at 09:37 AM

RUUD GULLIT has revealed he never wanted to be Chelsea manager.

The Dutchman succeeded in the Stamford Bridge dugout in 1996 as player-manager.

Ruud Gullit at the UEFA Champions League final.
Ruud Gullit says his team-mates begged him to take the Chelsea job
Gianluca Vialli and Frank Leboeuf holding a Ruud Gullit flag at the 1997 FA Cup Final.
He led Blues to their first major trophy in 26 years with the FA Cup in 1997
Didier Drogba and Ruud Gullit celebrating a Chelsea victory.
Gullit was sacked with Chelsea second in the league

Hoddle had departed to take the job and fans and the Blues squad wanted Gullit to replace him.

Gullit, 62, was unsure about taking on the role as he was unwilling to give up playing.

He revealed he was “begged”; to take on the role by his team-mates, so he begrudgingly accepted.

Gullit said on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football: “I never wanted to get into management – I just got dragged into it by fans and the boys wanted me to train them because Glenn Hoddle left to go to the national team.

“They were begging me to do it. I didn’t want to do it because I knew it would be the end of my playing career. Also, you get a different relationship with the guys that you played with. I had to think about it.

“I did it because I thought I would be good in it and the season did start very well.

“You have to make a good decision – the only thing that was bad about this job was the certainty of knowing that you’ll eventually get sacked. That is just what you know for sure. It’s not a nice feeling when you get sacked, but it is what it is.

“A lot of things happen behind your back and around you, which you have no influence on – and that’s what I hate about the job.”;

Gullit won the in his first season in charge, before being sacked the following campaign with Chelsea in second place.

The club claimed there was a dispute over wages, but Gullit later revealed he felt betrayed.

He said: “It felt like a betrayal by the people around me.

“It was horrible. It was a terrible feeling because it felt like an injustice.”;

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