Star defender John Terry has dismissed reports of a players' revolt at Chelsea, insisting that troubled manager Jose Mourinho has the support of the entire squad.
Terry was reacting to allegations made in a BBC Radio show on Sunday that an unnamed Chelsea player had said he would prefer to lose rather than win for Mourinho.
"In the last few days we've had ridiculous stories about what's happening within the dressing room. In my whole career I've never heard a player come out with those words," the veteran central defender was quoted as saying by the Daily Express on Wednesday.
"I've seen players' faces with the disappointment after results. The players are 100 percent behind the manager. We are together. The players will stand up and say - and I will personally - we've not been good enough. We take that on our shoulders. We know what we need to do," he added. "It's going to take a dressing room that sticks together. We are prepared to fight. The fans want to see people putting their bodies on the line. That's the bare minimum.
"The player wouldn't be let out of the dressing room, let's be honest. It wouldn't go down too well. Would it?""
With Chelsea enduring a torrid time this season, there has been speculation that Mourinho's job is on the line. The defending champions are currently 15th on the English Premier League (EPL) table with 11 points from an equal number of matches.
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Mourinho has also been under fire from England's Football Association (FA) for repeated clashes with referees and match officials. The 52-year-old was hit with a 40,000 pound fine by the FA and a stadium ban that could see him miss the EPL match against Stoke City on Saturday.
But Terry stoutly defended Mourinho's actions, insisting that the Portuguese is the best manager Chelsea can have.
"The passion comes out. That's what the fans want to see. But he gets punished," Terry said. "We don't want to be fighting the world. You want to be loved, as an individual and as a club for what we've achieved."
"Jose's been good at protecting us over the years. We're talking about the best manager I've seen at this club and Eden Hazard is one of the best players. There's been talk of them leaving, but we have to keep the best here," he added.
"We are going to turn it around -- and Jose will be in charge long after I've finished. He is the man to take this club forward."