1 of 10
An unknown in England, Claudio Ranieri is appointed Chelsea coach after the sacking of Gianluca Vialli in September 2000

2 of 10
Ranieri struggles with the language at first and it sometimes seems he has trouble communicating with his players

3 of 10
The Italian gets his first chance of silverware in the 2002 FA Cup final, but his Chelsea side lose 2-0 to Arsenal

4 of 10
With Chelsea's debts mounting Ranieri somehow guides them to Champions League qualification for 2003-04

5 of 10
Russian billionaire Roman Abromovich acquires the London club in the summer of 2003 and hands Ranieri a blank chequebook

6 of 10
Ranieri invests more than �100m on players such as Joe Cole, Juan Veron, Adrian Mutu, Damien Duff and Hernan Crespo

7 of 10
There's a proud moment for son of Rome Ranieri when his new-look side thrash Lazio in the Champions League

8 of 10
Ranieri comes under increasing pressure as Arsenal run away with the title, but he remains popular in the public eye

9 of 10
Wayne Bridge's late winner against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final brings tears to the eyes of his manager

10 of 10
With no trophies to show for Abramovich's investment Ranieri's sacking is inevitable and he says goodbye to the fans