Watford boss Brendan Rodgers was surprised to see Luiz Felipe Scolari sacked this week at Chelsea.

Rodgers quit Chelsea earlier this season for the Hornets job and said: "I was surprised more by the timing. It is obviously sad when people lose their job but it had been a difficult period for the last 18 months at Chelsea.

"There is no way Scolari is a bad coach or anything like that. Maybe it was the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever the reasons were, he is a good guy.

"For me, I had the opportunity to learn from a manager who had won the World Cup and there are not many coaches who get the chance to do that."

Rodgers is also full of respect for former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.

He added: "Players won't listen to you as a coach if you are not a decent human being.

"Jose was a terrific coach but for all the things he won, he was a better man."