The Dutchman has expressed his bitterness on several previous occasions.

Gullit was sacked when Chelsea refused to accede to his wage demands and promoted Gianluca Vialli from within.

Indeed, when Vialli was similarly forced to leave Stamford Bridge earlier this season amid reports of dressing-room unrest, Gullit reflected that "what goes around, comes around".

The Blues have continued to struggle this season, out of Europe and the Worthington Cup as well as seeing their supposed title challenge vanish, amid Vialli's sacking and Claudio Ranieri's attempts to revitalise them.

However, Gullit seems to have overlooked that Vialli won the Cup Winners' Cup, FA Cup, Coca-Cola Cup and Super Cup while in charge, as well as taking Chelsea into the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Dutchman, who won the FA Cup for the Blues in 1997 and had taken them to second place in the table just before he left, is in London for the World Sports Awards.

And he said: "I think Chelsea could have been one of the major clubs in Europe.

"But they decided to take another route and this is the consequence.

"I thought I had done something well and proved myself. After I was sacked, it's been going downhill ever since for the fans.

"Football can be a very hostile environment, especially for a coach. It's easier to sack the coach than the team.

"You know you have to live by that and it can be hard but it can also be successful, even though for me it was strange because it showed that even if you are successful, it can still happen to you."