Luiz Felipe Scolari has taken full responsibility for Chelsea's run of poor performances. Is that surprising given the pressure he is under at the moment?

I think it just reflects his personality. For a Premier League manager he is remarkably open and honest. He's like that with his players, he welcomes their views and their comments on his management, and he's like that with the press.

Today, he was basically saying that his decision to bring on Nicolas Anelka and open up the midfield in the second half handed the initiative to Manchester United and allowed them to go on to dominate the game. He got it wrong and he admitted that openly today.

Do you think his decision to take the blame is designed to deflect attention away from the players and allow them to get on with the football?

I don't think he's as calculated as that. He's not as scheming as Mourinho or Ferguson and I think he was also quite critical of his players in other aspects. So I just think he was being honest.

Chelsea were very poor on Sunday and to claim otherwise would be ludicrous. So he was basically just admitting to the problems at the club.

Scolari spoke about changing his tactics, from a man-to-man marking system to a zonal one, were you surprised he decided to come out with that today?

I am surprised he said so much in public. Southend now know how Chelsea are going to defend tomorrow.

Having said that, I am not at all surprised that he is going to change things. He had to change something, because some of the goals they have conceded have been appalling. Five of the last six have been from set-pieces, which, given that they have the likes of John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho and Petr Cech, is unforgivable.

In your story this morning, you said the board are backing Scolari for now, but what does he have to do in the coming weeks to keep them and his players onside?

He has got to get them defending properly, and he has to find a way of creating a greater attacking threat. On Sunday, Van der Sar didn't have a save to make. Clearly the confidence in the dressing-room is at an all-time low, and so he has got to lift everyone to get them back to where they were at the start of the season.

To keep his job he has to keep Chelsea in there fighting in all three competitions they are in, right to the end of the season. And at the moment that doesn't look like happening.