Antonio Conte as popular among Chelsea fans as Jose Mourinho ever was after 'sweetest' title win

After what Antonio Conte has achieved in his first season at Chelsea, there is a real sense this is the start of a new era at the Bridge.

It’s staggering what he has done, bearing in mind the toxicity of December 2015, when Jose Mourinho went, and how insipid it was when Guus Hiddink saw out the rest of the campaign. It was like the club were wading through treacle.

Even at the beginning of this season there were concerns. There was despondency when the fans left Emirates Stadium following that 3-0 defeat. Everyone was worried it was going to be another season of mediocrity.

So to turn it round on the playing side, to get bit-part players like Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso to be so fantastic, is astonishing.

The thing that impresses me about Conte is that he’s been a breath of fresh air throughout the club. He is clearly a decent guy, he gets the club and the part the supporters play in it. Chelsea fans are aware of how loathed we are by other supporters but there is a real sense that we are not hated as much now — and that’s because of Conte.

The Mourinho ship has sailed. No one is hankering after him any more. Jose was brilliant at winning trophies but, clearly, he was never going to stay for the long-term. I will always be grateful for what he achieved but it is time to move on.

I would say Conte has already reached the popularity level of Mourinho in the space of one season — and that is down to his personality.

A lot of people got very cross with Mourinho for digging out the fanbase for not getting behind the team enough. Conte isn’t like that. He is supportive of the fans in order to get the best support out of them. It is a very different way of handling them.

Unlike Mourinho, Conte was not given a blank cheque to spend on players and had to succeed with largely the resources he inherited.

The titles of 2005 and 2006 were the greatest but this one has been the sweetest. It has been so enjoyable: the atmosphere at the club, the style of play, the vibe in the crowd.

I really hope Roman Abramovich sticks by Conte, whatever happens. With John Terry leaving, there are no more links to that first Mourinho side and now we are at a fork in the road.

Conte is definitely the man to take the club forward and to build another team that can win trophies for another 10 years.

My only concern is this is modern football and people don’t hang around for very long. Conte also strikes me as the kind of guy that if he doesn’t get what he wants, he will go.

But I hope that isn’t the case because he can build something as good here as what we have seen over the last decade.

David Chidgey is a season-ticket holder and host of the Chelsea FanCast