Chelsea should not have sacked Andre Villas-Boas, says BBC pundit Robbie Savage, who believes the players and board are to blame for their malaise.
Chelsea's decision came on the back of a run of just three Premier League wins in their last 12 games.
The 34-year-old only took over as manager in June 2011 after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in May.
"I just feel sorry for Villas-Boas. The players and board should be culpable," Savage told Radio 5 live.
"Villas-Boas should still be in charge. [Ex-Liverpool manager] Rafa Benitez looks an interesting prospect and he might get the best out of Fernando Torres.
"I'd go for someone like David Moyes, he has over-achieved at Everton and brought a bit of stability to the club."
Villas-Boas' tenure was marked by a reported falling out with senior stars such as Frank Lampard. Former England manager Graham Taylor believed the dressing room had undermined the Portuguese's attempts to lead the club.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Taylor said: "As a football manager, you have to be held responsible for results, as a player, you have to be held responsible for performances.
"Looking at Chelsea, you have to say the players have won off the pitch. I don't think the players have had the commitment you would expect from any professional sportsmen, and that's difficult for the manager.
"At the end of the day the objective is to win matches, but Villas-Boas has not been helped by his players."
While Villas-Boas had been on Chelsea's coaching staff during Jose Mourinho's tenure, he came on the club's radar as a successor to Ancelotti after he won the Portuguese League and Cup double, plus the Europa League, last season with Porto.
The 1-0 league defeat by West Bromwich Albion on Saturday proved to be Villas-Boas' final game in charge of the west London outfit. For David Johnstone of the cfcuk Chelsea fanzine, the manager had lost the backing of the fans long before that game.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "It was inevitable he was sacked. Villas-Boas not only lost the players, but he lost the supporters.
"At West Brom a good proportion of Chelsea supporters were joining in the home supporters in chanting 'you're getting sacked in the morning' which everyone will agree was not a very good sign."
Former Chelsea player and assistant first team coach Ray Wilkins believed despite this success, the Premier League's increased competitiveness had come as a shock to Villas-Boas.
"It's been extremely difficult for him, he's been hanging in there," he told Sky Sports News.
"Our football is extremely different to Portugal. No disrespect to Porto, but it can be a breeze winning titles with them. It's not as hard.
"The Premier League is an extremely hard place to be."
Villas-Boas' exit means Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is now searching for his eighth manager in nine years at the helm.
One of these former bosses, Avram Grant, led Chelsea to the Champions League final in 2008 when he replaced Jose Mourinho on a temporary basis.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, the current Partizan Belgrade manager believed Villas-Boas had fallen victim to the Russian billionaire's desire.
He said: "His main ambition was to be the champion of Europe. It's not good enough for a team like Chelsea that they [were] only one time in the Champions League [final].
"He gave you all of the tools you needed to succeed and said do your job. He loves football very, very much and has spent a lot of money to achieve the best.
"[Chelsea has] Unbelievable facilities; the best in the world or one of."
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said that he felt sorry for Villas-Boas, who had not had his task made easier by the attitude of some of his senior players.
"I have a lot of sympathy for him because that is a really, really talented coach we have lost in this country," said the Magpies boss.
"I know he is from Portugal, but he has had to take on a club there with a lot of senior pros and in the background, probably had a very, very difficult job.
"When you are in a transition year like that - and I have been in it because I was at West Ham when I inherited a lot of senior pros who had just been relegated, and it was very, very difficult.
"They made it difficult for me, and one or two of them have apologised since, and so they should."