Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Hull City left Chelsea 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester United, and while West London’s richest second-richest club still has silverware to play for (Saturday’s F.A. Cup visit to Watford and a Champions League tie with Juventus, respectively), the brief tenure of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari (above) has come to a conclusion.  From The Times Online :

Chelsea have issued a statement which said: “Luiz Felipe Scolari has been dismissed as manager of Chelsea Football Club today (Monday) with immediate effect. The Chelsea board would like to place on record our gratitude for his time as manager.

“Felipe has brought many positives to the club since he joined and we all feel a sense of sadness that our relationship has ended so soon.

“Unfortunately the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season. In order to maintain a challenge for the trophies we are still competing for we felt the only option was to make the change now.”

I’ve yet to read a bookmaker’s list of likely favorites to assume the Chelsea managerial post from interim boss Ray Wilkins, but I will take a very wild guess that former Arsenal icon Tony Adams —- relieved of his duties at Portsmouth today — will not be amongst them.