The Mourinho Thread

[Polo7 3,496]

What do people expect Terry to say? Does anyone really think he's gonna come out and say "Yeah, he's completely lost the dressing room, and it's obvious he can't get us out of this mess. The earlier he leaves the better."

His words to the press mean very little about what the mood is in the dressing room.

He could say nothing.

[Stingray 9,441]

That is not stability, this is not true.

Stability cannot be attributed to players or managers... They have a relatively short football life-span while clubs last for many generations. For instance, Mourinho coaches for a tad more than 10 years while the club exist for more than 100 years. Players and managers come and go and their profiles change just as regularly. How can such unstable elements bring stability to an entity that out-life them ? They do not and they cannot.

Stability is not human flesh, this is a concept. A concept that transcends players, managers and even presidents. Actually, stability is none other than a clearly identified identity. Barcelona is the perfect example. In ten years they had four managers : Pep, Tito, Tata, Enrique. The players have also changed : only Iniesta, Messi, Alves and Piqué are remaining from Pep's first season. Despite the changes in players, in managers and in presidents, during all these years Barça enjoyed success — aside of Tata's season (where he still was not that far away from winning the league). And they did so while playing with the same identity. Of course their game changed a little bit from year to year. Yet its identity remained the same, i.e. an offensive and good-looking game based upon a highly technical group of players where the collective is greater than the individuality and a desire to do their game no matter the opposition. This clearly identified identity is a major aspect of their constant succes in the last decade, because this identity is shared from the academy to the first team players, and from the supporters to the presidents. That is stability.

Another example : Arsenal and Wenger. During the last decade of his management at Arsenal, the club went from the Invincibles, to a group of teenagers trying to emulate Barcelona, to the actual group of mediocre mid-twenty players that pride itself in finishing fourth. That is not stability. That is a roller-coaster in terms of identity and in terms of results.

Let's go back to Chelsea. Where is the stability ? Where is the identity ? We went from an "ok" game, to a delightful game, to an ugly game, to.... The 16th place. It has also been — and still is — a roller-coaster. If there was no stability since Roman took over, that is not because he sacked managers every new moon. That is because we hired managers that had nothing to do with each other and because we bought players for the sake of it, without any policy. In other words, we were unstable because we did not have any identity. And funnily enough, since the Torres debacle we are trying to build an identity (we mainly bought young, dynamic and up-coming players that are at least decent with the ball)... but it is all going up into smoke as we are speaking.

Right now, the only stable element at the club — in regards to the sportive side — is Ivanovic's starting spot. Sacking Mourinho will only make one thing unstable : Ivanovic's starting spot.

This. Identity is key

[Jase 43,479]

He could say nothing.

The interview was with Chelsea TV, I think. Don't think he could just ignore it. Could have certainly said less than he did though.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

He could say nothing.

I don't think "Pass" is an option really when a journo is asking him a question

[lucio 5,418]

Functional basics , powerful midfield , 433 , width , fullbacks.

Mourinho often says football can be simple. Prove it then.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

Three months ago we were on the bus with the cups, so it’s time for all of us to be together now at the bottom of the league.

Relegation party

And I think, in December, January, February we will be top four.

I don't think it will be that easy.

[manpe 10,861]

was never afraid of responsibility. One of the changes I am going to do, because he is the one that is ready, is Ruben."

Did he actually say it? Well, if there is a slight chance of this happening, then RLC will most likely replace Matic, not the one who needs to be replaced. We will keep on struggling and RLC will look bad in the pivot with Cesc. Maybe I am a bit too pessimistic, but this is what I can see happening.

I want to see Ramires, Matic/Mikel and RLC midfield in a 4-3-3. Pls Jose Fuck all the fancy pussy playmakers, go back to the roots and try to emulate a Essien, Lampard, Ballack midfield. I'm sick and tired of watching us try and miserably fail in playing beautiful football, it's so unnatural to us that even though we theoretically have the players for it, we still can't do it. Just stop trying please and let's fall back to what made us one of the most feared teams in Europe 10 years ago.

[Tomo 21,751]

Mourinho should have gone today - how he survived that fucking meeting I will never know.

But he now knows the writings on the wall.

You're never going to change the minds of Jose fan boys - so I don't even bother anymore. I just want what's best for Chelsea FC and this 'toxic' dude is not it. What happened to the happy one? The I will play 'youth' one.

The season is now fucked - so what have we got to lose - change the fucking formation, start playing the players with form and start playing attacking football.

But we all know what's coming. More boring defending (or lack of it), more blame on the referee, medical staff, gardener or maybe the lighting! Last year it was the fans... My how that escalated quickly...

Well regarding the youth, if Pellegrino gave City youth the game time so far Jose has given Kennedy andRLC the English footy thread would be full of posts praising him.

And 're "fanboys" I mean its one thing the trolls going down this route but I'm disappointed you, lionsden and a few others go down that route to say the least, its one thing thinking he's not the right man to take us forward but its another thing not respecting the fact there will be supporters with the emotional attatchementthat can't let go that easy.

Like I said yesterday, and for aslong as the fanboy route is used I'll keep repeating this, Liverpool fans were divided with Kenny in 2012, some thought he was lost in the modern game and wanted him to step down, others couldn't let go because of the impact he made for the club, but I was on an all footy forum at the time and the former group always remained respectful to the latter group, if they off all people can manage that, why manage it?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

The question about Jose's future with the club is not that of sentiment or loyalty. It's a single question: Do you believe he can get us to beat all of Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton, Southampton...etc. to fourth place?

That is really all that matters in the league right now. Because not making the UCL would be a disaster for a club like us.

[Jase 43,479]

The question about Jose's future with the club is not that of sentiment or loyalty. It's a single question: Do you believe he can get us to beat all of Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton, Southampton...etc. to fourth place?

That is really all that matters in the league right now. Because not making the UCL would be a disaster for a club like us.

Well, we can always win the Europa League.

[The Mak 4,459]

[MefiX19 1,092]

Well, we can always win the Europa League.

Or even UCL!

[xPetrCechx 13,573]

Relegation party

I don't think it will be that easy.

Yes but we have a better squad than all this teams combined...

let's see if next game we will see RLC/Baba/Kenedy...

[Amblève. 4,995]

Yes but we have a better squad than all this teams combined...

let's see if next game we will see RLC/Baba/Kenedy...

That was true for the first 8 PL games as well and it means fuck all.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

Yes but we have a better squad than all this teams combined...

let's see if next game we will see RLC/Baba/Kenedy...

What have any of those 3 shown you that makes you think they are better than members of those other squads?

[Blue Armour 4,448]

How is "keep mourinho in charge" crowd,derogatory?. You are just clutching at straws and you know it. That statement is no different than saying those who are in favor of the club keeping jose as manager but carry on.

BTW we are still waiting for a solid counter argument to blue color sky and peace posts.

What is one supposed to say about Peace's post though?

He says stability is established by the club having an identity in terms of playing style and then he goes on to use Barcelona as an example.

In my opinion, the two worst examples to use in football are Barcelona and Alex Ferguson, because there's nothing like them.

[BXL70 396]

The first part of Jose's 7 minutes rant is a parody of him. Now we know guys: we lost to Southampton because of the referee! Fact is that Southampton fully deserved its win. And the score could have easily been worse.

More fundamentally, I think that the transfer policy has been disastrous. Mourinho made it clear a couple of month ago that he needed a world-class defender, midfielder, and attacker. And he got nothing (I do not count Falcao: he is a ghost since the was seriously injured 2 years ago, everyone with basic football knowledge has seen his dreadful performance at Moncao and next at ManU).

On top of this, some players are largely over-rated. Hazard is a case in point. He used to compared himself to Messi and Ronaldo (in the Belgian newspapers at least). Isn't it time for him to go back to earth? Fabregas is another example. He was bought by Chelsea because ... he was kicked out by Barca. And why in the first place have been taken Falcao on loan?

Of course, Mourinho has lost the dressing room, at least with some players. But he was right in the second part of his interview: for a decade, Chelsea players got the message from the board that if the team under-performs, it is all down to the manager. And the managers were sacked. They were subordinated to the rule of the players.

This must change. Mourinho made mistakes. He got it wrong with the medical staff. He got it wrong with Ivan. He got it wrong with the medias and the referees. He does not take responsibility. But he cannot be charged for that disastrous transfer policy. And yes, Chelsea needs stability, we cannot longer tolerate that the players take the decision. Abramovich got it right to keep him. I would keep him as well. The season is lost anyway, and I doubt we will finish in the top four.

And in January, and all the players that are still under-performing are kicking out.

[BXL70 396]

What have any of those 3 shown you that makes you think they are better than members of those other squads?

RLC, Baba, Kennedy?

How could they be worst than Ivan or Falcao? Impossible.

[zolayes 14,489]

The first part of Jose's 7 minutes rant is a parody of him. Now we know guys: we lost to Southampton because of the referee! Fact is that Southampton fully deserved its win. And the score could have easily been worse.

More fundamentally, I think that the transfer policy has been disastrous. Mourinho made it clear a couple of month ago that he needed a world-class defender, midfielder, and attacker. And he got nothing (I do not count Falcao: he is a ghost since the was seriously injured 2 years ago, everyone with basic football knowledge has seen his dreadful performance at Moncao and next at ManU).

On top of this, some players are largely over-rated. Hazard is a case in point. He used to compared himself to Messi and Ronaldo (in the Belgian newspapers at least). Isn't it time for him to go back to earth? Fabregas is another example. He was bought by Chelsea because ... he was kicked out by Barca.

Of course, Mourinho has lost the dressing room, at least with some players. But he was right in the second part of his interview: for a decade, Chelsea players got the message from the board that if the team under-performs, it is all down to the manager. And the managers were sacked. They were subordinated to the rule of the players.

This must change. Mourinho made mistakes. He got it wrong with the medical staff. He got it wrong with Ivan. He got it wrong with the medias and the referees. He does take responsibility. But he cannot be charged for that disastrous transfer policy. And yes, Chelsea needs stability, we cannot longer tolerate that the players take the decision. Abramovich got it right to keep him. I would keep him as well. The season is lost anyway, and I doubt we will finish in the top four.

And in January, and all the players that are still under-performing are kicking out.

welcome but you will get abuse for merely being Belgian ,.,, dont worry some of us English quite like both you and your players .. I miss Hamilton so much one of the best informed

posters we had ..

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

RLC, Baba, Kennedy?

How could they be worst than Ivan or Falcao? Impossible.

I mean than the other squads that finished in 5th that started 8 matches with 8 points.