Well, it's all but official. Rafa Benitez will be succeeding Robeto Di Matteo as the manger of Chelsea FC, having reportedly agreed to an 18-month deal to join the London club. Di Matteo was a popular figure with the fans, having been a successful player for the club before guiding them to their first ever Champions League title. Rafa Benitez is generally hated by Chelsea fans, as he's generally been noted as a massive jerk* despite having been fairly successful at several previous stops.

*Not the word I'd have liked to use there

Benitez is a control freak who has been difficult for players to get along with in the past, so he's far more of a return to the ways of AVB in that regard than what we were used to with Di Matteo. Potential for on pitch improvement aside, I don't think I'm alone in thoroughly hating this move.

I'm actually quite excited to see the reaction to this move when Chelsea take the pitch on Sunday, as I'm sure it won't be a friendly greeting from the fans at Stamford Bridge. Oh well, at least history tells us that he'll be getting the sack in short order.

Update: It appears it's only until the end of the season