Luiz Felipe Scolari ... the Brazilian master, current Portugal coach, World Cup winner with his home country in 2002 and Chelsea boss-in-waiting needs no introduction. 

Throughout the ages Chelsea have had more managers than most of us have had hot dinners. They've come and gone like airline passengers waiting for their connection. But Stamford Bridge has just appointed its latest backpacker, an astonishing man known throughout football simply as Big Phil.

Some 30 years ago Chelsea hired and fired a whole succession of bosses who just wanted the quiet life.

There was the amusing Scot Eddie McCreadie, a Chelsea playing legend and a man of simple tastes and integrity.

McCreadie passed through customs, got Chelsea out of the old Second Division and was never seen again. After Ken Shellito and Danny Blanchflower briefly checked in and checked out again, it was the turn of Geoff Hurst, who conquered the world with England in 1966 but never really lit up the King's Road.

Bobby Gould lasted TWO whole matches in 1981, to be followed by John Neal, a harmless and inoffensive man who clocked up four years at Stamford Bridge, won the Second Division title in 1984 and then picked up his cards the following year.

John Hollins and Bobby Campbell achieved the heady heights of winning the long-forgotten Full Members Cup for their Chelsea sides.

In 1993, a midfield sculptor called Glenn Hoddle arrived at Chelsea via Swindon. His playing career at Tottenham had been the stuff of legend and although he did bring a certain gloss to Chelsea, the overall product still lacked varnish. Hoddle then fell painfully into the England job and weird spiritualism.

Ruud Gullit was the upright commander in chief of a great Dutch side and Gianluca Vialli introduced natty tank tops to the Chelsea dug-out.

Now, the new Blues boss is a man with the biggest ego in the whole footballing world. Scolari will take over at Chelsea at the beginning of July and already the sparklers and bangers are ready to be launched.

The Brazilian is larger than life, bad tempered. volatile and fierily forthright. He's colourful, vain and unashamedly conceited. He is bold, boastful and probably a right pain in the neck. But when did that ever stop him achieving big things?

Before the glum and grumpy Avram Grant, Chelsea had another explosive in their armoury. Jose Mourinho was, to some, the crazy dictator from another planet but undoubtedly Mourinho's record of two back-to back-Premiership titles spoke for itself.

Now Scolari is about to hit Planet Chelsea like a meteorite from outer space. After the glitzy theatricality of the Mourinho era, Scolari may just steal Mourinho's thunder. Of course, many of us already have seen Scolari's resemblance to Gene Hackman. Hackman was never shy and retiring on the big screen and when the clapperboard goes at Chelsea it'll be action all the way.

When England gave Sven-Goran Eriksson the bullet, Scolari was the next man in the hiring line. Or so we believed. Scolari played hide and seek with the British media. Sadly after whispers and intense secrecy, Gene Hackman turned down the top job.

Steve McClaren was no Robert Redford but he was the best of a bad bunch. Sadly, England and Scolari were never compatible and Scolari remained manager of Portugal.

In a couple of weeks Big Phil will charge into West London. He will not be reminded of Geoff Hurst, John Neal and Eddie McCreadie. Their managerial exploits will be quietly tucked away in the Chelsea archive and Scolari will light the fuse.