Ranieri's Rants: Man Yoo (a)

Last updated : 09 May 2004 By Rich Godden
Claudio said: "In Spain with Valencia I finish fourth, in Italy with Fiorentina I finish third, and now in the Premiership I finish second. Who knows what next!"

When questioned about the lack of silverware, Claudio replied "That is a pity. But you have to remember we went out of the FA Cup to Arsenal, we reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, and the only one where I was not happy with our performance was at Aston Villa (in the Carling Cup). But I always say, the Cups are a gamble. The League tells the truth.

"Anyway, we have some silverware from Malaysia!"

Will he still be at the club next season? Claudio was defiant about his chances, saying "I feel it, I feel it. Everything is open and I feel it's not finished yet. I don't close my door.

"It will be difficult to win [the Premiership] for me or another coach, but the foundations are here."

And Claudio need look no further than skipper John Terry for support. Speaking after the game, Terry said "Nobody knows what's happening and all we can do with the manager is to put in performances like that and do him proud.

"Hopefully we have done him a favour. We're all behind him and want him to be here next season if it's possible. I'd love him to stay. The manager said it was important for us to bounce back and we did the job and put in a great performance today."