Source: SKY_Sports
Ballack - No Scolari plot
Chelsea star Michael Ballack has denied suggestions he helped oust Luiz Felipe Scolari from his job at Stamford Bridge. Scolari was surprisingly sacked last week after just seven months in charge of the club with Guus Hiddink coming in to replace him.Reports suggested player power helped remove Scolari from his post with Ballack, Petr Cech and Didier Drogba allegedly key in persuading Blues owner Roman Abramovich to axe Scolari after having a meeting with the Russian.German international Ballack has expressed his surprise at the claims and insists he had a good relationship with Scolari. "I couldn't believe this," Ballack said. "I was surprised when I heard about it in Germany as I always had a lot of good words about Scolari. Not true"This is not true. Meetings are normal in a club. If people speak with each other, even if you don't have the success you want, it has happened before. It's not just this week. It happened with other coaches. "It's normal Abramovich comes in the dressing-room and speaks with players. It's not easy, not nice to sack somebody. This was in the papers, but is definitely not true. "There is no backing or basis for this. I had a good relationship with every coach. I never said this. "It's speculation which appears in newspapers. I was disappointed as I couldn't react because I was away. "In recent months I've spoken good things about the coach, but if you don't get the results, a lot of people speak."BackingBallack believes Hiddink is the right man to succeed Scolari and that he can help Chelsea get their season back on track."He's an experienced, very strong coach who's had a lot of success. Even with teams that aren't favourites like Korea, Australia, now Russia, he's pushed them to another level," added Ballack. "Of course, my first impressions were that I was impressed but it's too soon to say anything about him. "He only has a short time and that's not easy for anybody, but he's an experienced guy and we're an experienced team. It shouldn't be a problem to fight and stay together."