Chelsea coach Henk ten Cate put players offside 24 hours into his new job, it has been revealed.

The Sunday Mirror says last October Ten Cate, 53, was recruited to the Blues backroom staff in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure and Avram Grant's promotion to manager.

At the club's Cobham training ground every new boy is expected to stand on a chair in the dining room and sing a song in front of his new colleagues.

Even the likes of Mourinho, Claudio Ranieri and Andriy Shevchenko have accepted the challenge. It can even be a nursery rhyme in a foreign tongue - but the song must be sung.

Ten Cate refused. According to a club insider the Dutchman's hair-trigger temper snapped and he furiously accused the players of taking the mickey out of him.

Before Ten Cate stormed out of the room he told the players his nickname was "Street Dog". And he added: "I'll take on anyone."

The Chelsea source added: "That statement had the players barking at him as he marched out of the room.

"It was unbelievable. And if the lads weren't barking they were booing him!"