Chelsea players past and present have been discussing the appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari, and all are in agreement that he will be a success at the club.

The announcement was made on Wednesday evening that we had appointed the 59-year-old Brazilian, who is currently leading Portugal's charge at Euro 2008.

Ricardo Carvalho, one of three Portuguese squad members Scolari will link up with when he assumes charge on July 1, was pleasantly surprised at the appointment.

Speaking while with the Portugal squad after their game in Geneva last night, Carvalho said: 'We were all shocked by the news. We heard the rumours but didn't guess he would be going to Chelsea after the Euros.

'He is a great manager and a big personality. He's the kind of guy that players respond to and I think we can go forward with him.'

Carvalho's view was shared by full-back Paulo Ferreira, who plays at left-back for the Portuguese national team.

'I think Scolari is a good manager and he can do a good job there - it will be good for the club,' he said.

Petr Cech, whose Czech Republic side was beaten 3-1 by Portugal last night, was also pleased with Scolari's appointment, and is eagerly anticipating working under the Brazilian, who coached his country to the World Cup in 2002.

'He is a manager with great charisma, great experience, great results. I look forward to working with him,' Cech said after the game.

Former Blues have also been quick to praise Scolari's appointment, with Nigel Spackman leading the way.

'It has been worth the wait, I think he's the right man to take Chelsea forward,' said the former midfielder. 'The pressure will be on him to do well but he's had that pressure before and he's stood up to it.

'I think it's a great signing. You only have to look back a couple of years and England wanted him.'

Graeme Le Saux is also impressed, and believes the relationship between club and manager will be mutually beneficial.

'It's an exciting appointment and a wonderful opportunity for the club to work with him, and a privilege for him for working for Chelsea,' said the left-back.

'It is an opportunity for the club to continue its forward momentum over the last 10 years and he fits the credentials in every way - his status, his discipline, and if Chelsea want a particular player, with him as the figurehead, most players would want to play for him.

'The players that are here will be excited about playing for him, and last season's disappointments will be a fast-fading memory when you start to work under somebody like that.

'If you're playing for a manager like that and know you're one of his players and you're a part of his team it's a privilege because he has as big a status as anybody else - it's an exciting prospect.'

Chelsea TV's Scott Minto added: 'He's got a fantastic CV and he's doing a brilliant job at the moment for Portugal. I think he will be popular.

'The only thing is - and I'm not sure how good his grasp of English is - that he will have to learn the language pretty quickly. I think once Scolari does that he can communicate his thoughts to the Chelsea fans and they will listen to him and love him.'

Colin Lee, meanwhile, looked at the type of manager he expects Scolari to be, and anticipates the club growing further under his stewardship.

'I would think he will be hands on like Mourinho was, and I think the players will respond to that,' he began.

'Sometimes it's very difficult to judge a person unless you work with them but the impression you get from the new manager is that he's a very passionate person who wants his players to show that same passion.

'He's got masses of experience and you would imagine that he's got a tremendous knowledge of players worldwide so that can only be good for Chelsea. For the club to progress further, I think it's a wise appointment.'

Mobile wallpapers of Chelsea's new manager are now available to download from Chelsea Mobile.