King Scolari is missing the Clarke of his court

While manager Luiz Felipe Scolari tries to get tough in a bid to win over a highly sceptical dressing room, his best chance of doing just that is plying his trade at Upton Park instead.

When Scolari took over in the summer he understandably brought his most trusted aides Flavio Teixeira and Darlan Schneider with him to form his backroom staff, but made the mistake of sidelining the players' confidant in the process.

To be fair, the Brazilian tried his best to persuade the ambitious Scot to stay after he had been approached in September, but it proved too little too late.

The lure of working with former Chelsea team-mate Gianfranco Zola was impossible to ignore, especially as he was given a more prominent role in training and tactical decisions.

Notably, there was no talk of dressing room unrest or signs of on-pitch frailties at the start of the season, however things began to unfold at Stamford Bridge just a month after Clarke had gone with their first home defeat for over four years against Liverpool.

Some would argue it is just a coincidence and dismiss the notion that the 45-year-old could have such an influence in a squad full of wealthy internationals. However, even former Blues manager, the immodest Jose Mourinho, acknowledged the former Scotland international's contribution to the club's two title triumphs in 2005 and 2006.

There is also the not so small matter that West Ham are thriving at the moment despite all their problems off the field. They have suffered just two defeats from their last 10 games and Zola has been keen to credit Clarke's work for the good run.

Zola said: "He knows a lot about the League and the way he organises the training sessions are unbelievable. I have to give him a lot of credit because a lot of the work that has gone on is because of his fantastic job.

"He's a very intelligent person, a person you can rely on even in the most difficult moments."

To say Scolari is having difficulties is an understatement, with his long-term future at Chelsea in jeopardy.

But while assistant first-team coach Teixeira and fitness coach Schneider, who have worked with him for 25 years and 19 years respectively, can offer him moral support, their influence on the players, apart from those that played under them for Portugal, is still a work in progress.

The same goes for Clarke's replacement Ray Wilkins yet Scolari, who tried to be a father figure at the start of the season, has now become an angry parent. His decision to publicly criticise the players in the wake of Sunday's humiliating 3-0 defeat against title rivals Manchester United may only succeed in making things worse, especially as it compares unfavourably with Clarke's appreciated method of talking to unsettled individuals at the privacy of the training ground with an 'arm round the shoulder' approach.

Scolari said: "In the last five games we have played at 50 per cent of our potential. No more than this. Some players have been at 75 to 80 per cent while others have been at 35-40 per cent. But the balance for our team in the last five games has been 50 per cent.

"If you ask me if this team are ready to win things then no. They are not ready to win a trophy and they know this. They might not say things publicly but they know we are not ready."

But, given their pedigree over the last few years, Chelsea are supposed to be ready to win trophies - and they can make progress in that regard starting with the FA Cup third round replay at Southend tonight. It is to Scolari's credit that he is taking his fair share of the blame for the team's lacklustre performances as well and is refusing to fall back on the old managerial stand-by of a plea for more time.

He said: "I understand people now don't have a very good opinion about me. I should be judged from the first day I arrived. I don't want to say to the people - give me five months, six months - no."

However, Scolari may just wish he could persuade West Ham to give him Clarke back to ensure his tenure in the Stamford Bridge hot seat lasts for years rather than months.