John Terry: Forget about Mourinho - Chelsea stars want Hiddink

John Terry has thrown his considerable weight behind the permanent appointment of Guus Hiddink.

The Chelsea skipper is adamant that the players are NOT being consulted on who should be their boss.

But with Chelsea taking a 3-1 advantage into their Champions League quarterfinal against Liverpool on Tuesday, he does believe Hiddink's credentials are becoming irresistible.

Terry said: "We'd love Guus Hiddink to stay. He's on at us every day in training, he always wants us to improve and be better. He lets no one get away with anything on the pitch or off the pitch and has done fantastically well.

"We need stability at the club now. The manager's come here and done brilliant, got the lads together and got us playing freely.

"He has a great relationship with the owner, Roman Abramovich, on the field and off it as well." As for talk of an unlikely return for the Special One, now coach at Inter Milan, Terry insisted: "Jose was a great manager and had some great times here. But it's someone else's turn now to kick on.

"Mourinho is a world-class manager, a lot of the players are still in contact with him.

"But you know when you get a good manager come through and you learn a lot from them you want to stay in contact and I'm sure players will be doing that for years on end.

"It's good to have good relationships with good people."

It has been claimed that the Chelsea players have been consulted over the managerial appointment.

But Terry said: "I won't and shouldn't be consulted over the appointment of a manager. Everyone always seems to think myself and Frank Lampard get a say in certain things.

"There are things the players are entitled to have a say on like things that happen around the training ground.

"But for issues like that it's down to the board." The impressive midweek win over Liverpool has given rise to a new sense of Chelsea confidence.

Terry added: "We're doing really well.

"Everyone's speaking about Manchester United and Liverpool at the moment and we would like to keep it like that.

"We're by no means out of the title race and I think they both know that."

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