Warning: This article addresses issues that may disturb readers
Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he and his family have received anonymous death threats following the club’s poor run.
The Blues have won just two of their last 14 games in all competitions and lost to Premier League champions Southampton on Saturday.
Chelsea says she offers her full support to Potter and his family.
“I’ve had some not-so-nice emails that want me dead,” Potter said.
“Obviously it’s not pleasant to receive.”
The former Brighton boss said the anonymous emails also referred to threats against his children.
Under Potter, who was appointed in September after the sacking of Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea have won just nine of their 25 matches.
“You could ask my family what life was like for me and them. It wasn’t pleasant at all,” added Potter.
“If you go to work and someone swears at you, it’s not going to be pleasant.
“You can answer it two ways. I could say I don’t care, but you know I’m lying. Everyone cares about what people think because we’re hard-wired into social connection.”
Chelsea says she’s offering Potter and his family all the support they need, but that it’s a personal matter.
The Blues are currently 10th in the league, 11 points off the Champions League places.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game against Tottenham, Potter said: “With the results as they are, you accept the criticism.
“That doesn’t mean it’s easy at all. Your family life suffers, your mental health suffers, your personality – it’s hard.”
Potter acknowledged that fans had a “right to be angry” with the recent results, but said he would not be undone by the abuse.
“Life is hard for a lot of people,” he said.
“You ask me is it difficult, I tell you yes it is difficult. You are suffering. You get upset. When you are in private, you show real feelings with your family.
“But the world is tough. We’re going through an energy crisis, a cost-of-living crisis. People are on strike every other week. Nobody wants to hear about the poor old Premier League manager.”
Spurs assistant manager Cristian Stellini, who remains in charge on Sunday as manager Antonio Conte continues to recover from gall bladder surgery, believes Potter is a “great manager”.
“I’ve studied Potter since I got here because he was the manager who was at Brighton last season and I followed Brighton a lot,” Stellini said.
“I was surprised by the way they played, the way they switched systems so many times and the way they were good at challenging Potter.”
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