The Mourinho Thread

[iseah100 5,612]

Form is temporary Class is permanent.

The way some of our fans treat our legend with no respect like this proof that We may deserve no Class.

And anyone that think he wasn't our legend was totally should disgrace yourself.

I wanted him to stay. Fuck The Board.

[Muzchap 8,966]

Why you guys make him going to United a terrible thing? Yes it will hurt that he's managing another PL club, but United will be in a position of "one step forward, two steps back".

Mourinho can only provide them short-term success. That's it. What happened here in Chelsea and Madrid will happen with United if they get him. Then they'll soon be in the same position as we are today. United will also be on a manager merry-go-round.

He'll also destroy any youth development that is happening there. United fans don't want him there as well because he's no different to Van Gaal with dull defensive football.

If United are smart, they should know Mourinho isn't the answer to fix their problems.

P.S - Imagine Chelsea playing against Mourinho's United at the Bridge, as they park the bus playing for a 0-0 draw. Will we call United cowards? I'm sure United fans will be angry themselves too.

I guess it depends on which Mou they get

If they get Mk2 - I agree

If Mk1 reappears - I will be apoplectic and will probably self combust into a ball of shame

[iseah100 5,612]

Why you guys make him going to United a terrible thing? Yes it will hurt that he's managing another PL club, but United will be in a position of "one step forward, two steps back".

Mourinho can only provide them short-term success. That's it. What happened here in Chelsea and Madrid will happen with United if they get him. Then they'll soon be in the same position as we are today. United will also be on a manager merry-go-round.

He'll also destroy any youth development that is happening there. United fans don't want him there as well because he's no different to Van Gaal with dull defensive football.

If United are smart, they should know Mourinho isn't the answer to fix their problems.

P.S - Imagine Chelsea playing against Mourinho's United at the Bridge, as they park the bus playing for a 0-0 draw. Will we call United cowards? [emoji38] I'm sure United fans will be angry themselves too.

All United fans I've seen have said they'd welcome him.

[Muzchap 8,966]

All United fans I've seen have said they'd welcome him.

Is that supposed to be factual?

There you go - all square, one critique each...

[iseah100 5,612]

Is that supposed to be factual?

There you go - all square, one critique each...

ALL United fans I'VE seen.

[emoji106]

[The Chels 2,502]

About the 'I'd rather lose for Mourinho than win for him' quote that surfaced earlier in the season, Garry Richardson (who revealed the quote) elaborated on BBC 5 Live yesterday.

According to him it was said in the heat of the moment as a response to 'Come on, you can win this game for us.' He goes on to say that a couple of days afterwards, Mourinho said there were a 'couple of bad apples causing me lots of problems and it's a very difficult situation to handle.' Assuming the quote is genuine and that it's from someone who can 'win the game for us' then that would surely narrow it down to a couple. I would guess Costa and given the whole bib incident, it wouldn't be surprising if he was one of the 'bad apples' Mourinho was referring to.

(You can listen to Garry at around minute 50 on the 'Chelsea sack Mourinho' segment if you navigate through the 'live coverage' bit on http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/34413864)

[Muzchap 8,966]

About the 'I'd rather lose for Mourinho than win for him' quote that surfaced earlier in the season, Garry Richardson (who revealed the quote) elaborated on BBC 5 Live yesterday.

According to him it was said in the heat of the moment as a response to 'Come on, you can win this game for us.' He goes on to say that a couple of days afterwards, Mourinho said there were a 'couple of bad apples causing me lots of problems and it's a very difficult situation to handle'. Assuming the quote is genuine and that it's from someone who can 'win the game for us' I would guess Costa. Given the whole bib incident, it wouldn't be surprising if he was one of the 'bad apples' Mourinho was referring to.

(You can listen to Garry at around minute 50 on the 'Chelsea sack Mourinho' segment if you navigate through the 'live coverage' bit on http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/34413864)

If true, even in the heat of the moment - thats probably an irreversible comment and the player should be shown the door.

If not, it sets a bad precedent.

Fergie would not have tolerated that, neither should we.

[iseah100 5,612]

What the fuck is a bib? Like the thing babies use to keep shit from getting all over their clothes?

[Muzchap 8,966]

What the fuck is a bib? Like the thing babies use to keep shit from getting all over their clothes?

Bib is the fluorescent thing the players wear over their training tops. The one Diego got mad with and flung in Mourinho's direction

Yes, it also refers to the thing a baby wears to stop food and sick ruining their clothes

[iseah100 5,612]

Bib is the fluorescent thing the players wear over their training tops. The one Diego got mad with and flung in Mourinho's direction

Yes, it also refers to the thing a baby wears to stop food and sick ruining their clothes

Like a training vest? Why call it a bib? He threw it at Jose? Eesh. I have been gone too long.

This is a bib (look at what Costa is wearing)

Thanks man!

[bellion 170]

Well I lost a few days I think celebrating.

He didn't have to be a nomad. He needed to find a home and he probably felt he had until the summer.

Fuck me....we sacked one of us. Never felt so disgusted in this club.

Nothing to suggest that he wishes to find a permanent home.

On the contrary, it was the Real Madrid fiascos Mk II that was repeating itself at the Bridge.

So are you going to support the club from now onwards?

[bellion 170]

All United fans I've seen have said they'd welcome him.

I suggest you take a look at RedCafe.com which is by far the biggest online gathering of Man Utd fans and read for yourself how many (or few) reds fans would welcome him.

[nullabletype 987]

Why you guys make him going to United a terrible thing? Yes it will hurt that he's managing another PL club, but United will be in a position of "one step forward, two steps back".

Mourinho can only provide them short-term success. That's it. What happened here in Chelsea and Madrid will happen with United if they get him. Then they'll soon be in the same position as we are today. United will also be on a manager merry-go-round.

He'll also destroy any youth development that is happening there. United fans don't want him there as well because he's no different to Van Gaal with dull defensive football.

If United are smart, they should know Mourinho isn't the answer to fix their problems.

P.S - Imagine Chelsea playing against Mourinho's United at the Bridge, as they park the bus playing for a 0-0 draw. Will we call United cowards? I'm sure United fans will be angry themselves too.

Truly incredibly that an individual with such undeniable clairvoyence such as yourself is wasted on this forum. United could save themselves a lot of money and hassle if they just run any potential José shaped decisions past yourself first.

Two steps back...

Destroy -- what a strong term -- any youth development...

You've got the inside track on what United fans want too!

P.S. If he goes to United and grinds out a 0-0 at the Bridge which ultimately wins them a trophy, then he's done is job and it won't matter a damn what we call them, be it cowards or any other such nonsense.

[iseah100 5,612]

I suggest you take a look at RedCafe.com which is by far the biggest online gathering of Man Utd fans and read for yourself how many (or few) reds fans would welcome him.

Fair enough. I was just saying from what I've seen on twitter.

[Henrique 9,133]

Well, I'm glad its finally over. I was heading to Star Wars movie and was shocked by the news. I was strangely sad by the news, by now I have hope for a batter future.

I was never happy when Mourinho returned. I was convinced he was not what the club needed back in 2013 and was convinced the club was making a huge step back bringing back a manager that was sacked in 2007. Mourinho was not the manager needed at the time. The squad was 100% unMourinho. I always believed the club had to move away from Mourinho's shadow. I thought that winning PL in 2010 breaking goal record and winning UCL in 2012 was enough to the club create its own legend, but then one year later Mourinho came back, and I remember in one of his first interviews he more or less said he had something to do with the success the club had even after he left. Many in England always saw Chelsea success as Mourinho's success, and in my opinion that was not a good thing for the club to be associated as an institute that relies in one messianic character.

I've been a big critic of Mourinho since I realized huge problems in his methods and ideas back in 2013, and I remember in this forum many saw those opinions as some kind of heresy.

2012/2013 season it clear Mourinho MkII was pretty limited in terms of tactics. When he arrived instead of using the best he had at his disposal, he just decided the team would be playing a 4-2-3-1, because "it was the ideal system". We saw Juan Mata asked to play as a stupid winger, then soon he became an useless player. After some bad results, he dropped Luiz and Cole, and tried a quick fix, the infamous notsoworldclass back four: Azpi, Cahill, Terry, Ivanovic. Guys, come on, 12/13 season we had 4 CB fighting for the 2 places: Luiz, Ivanovic, Cahill and Terry. Under Mourinho, Ivanovic became a untouchable RB (I can't even remember a single game where he played as a CB), Luiz was called useless, and became a DM, and then Cahill and Terry, both who were 3rd and 4th choices for past 2 seasons, became the untouchable ones and Mourinho were praising both game after game. There was a talk about back four being amazing, but this talk is absurd, actually the team was way too conservative, so its easy to concede few goals when a player like William was playing as a second full back for most part of the game, instead of trying to create chances and score goals. The team ended the season with a pretty average RB playing out of positions, as a LB...

Despite those problems, the team had pretty solid games, and Mourinho really showed he was still special, and I can remember some great matches, like both matches against Liverpool and that solid away victory against City. To other side, I realized Mourinho's ways hasn't changed during UCL semi-finals against Atlético. They were during a special season, but Jose's tactics during first game were pathetic at best. The team refused to play football. Atletico was a team that was solid, but they were not a possession based team, but the team parked the bus during 90 minutes. In the 2nd leg Simeone showed Mourinho how its done.

I had few expectations for 2014/15 season, and I was not happy when I realized the likes of David Luiz, Lukaku, KDB and Juan Mata left, and the team was buying a Barcelona reject in Fabregas as he was any kind of big deal. Costa and Luis were great additions, though. Its really hard to explain how Chelsea won the league during that season, because despite the press using the word "impressive" to call the team performances, they were lackluster for most part of the season, with the team relying too much on individual brilliance from players like Hazard. Low point of the season was UCL clash against PSG. The french side overplayed Mourinho's team all over the field even if they were down to 10 men. I understood there that Mourinho was the exactly manager he was years before, but now pretty outdated, a man whose fear of losing is bigger than the desire to win. There was a reason why despite being stronger than Liverpool, Chelsea failed to beat them in 2 UCL semi-finals, but managed to do that in the same opportunity without Mourinho.

14/15 season was really shocking, because Jose kept the same back four, and even Felipe Luis was relegated to a squad player role, and left after one single season, despinte being considered when of the best in the world in that position. It was even more shocking when I realized the team was starting 15/16 season with the same back four, that was insanity. The quality of this squad has deteriorated season after season since Jose Special One Mourinho returned. His market moves were pathetic, and typical Mourinho moves. In his first tenure, he bought Jarosik in winter market in 2005 only to sell him months later. Next year he bought Maniche in 2006 winter market, only to sell him before the start of 07/08 season. Salah and Cuadrado?

But I do believe this post is getting too long, I've been vocal on problems in Mourinho's tactics and methods for the past 2 years, so no use in keep singing the game song, all I can say is that sacking Mourinho was spot on and the right thing to do. He getting the axe for a 2nd time means he won't manage Chelsea ever again, so its time to finally move on from this subject and discuss the future. The saddest part is that a squad who looked exciting in 2013 now is no more than a broken team that lack depth and dynamism.

[Kostas 1,468]

Nah, bullshit lol. Don't kid yourself mate. How many times have we said that over the last decade? Scolari, Ancelotti, Villas-Boas, we all said the same thing about 'fresh start' and all that rhetoric. We're either in 'transition' or 'starting fresh', but neither project ever comes to fruition. The project is flawed. I call it a project, ya'll call it 'identity'.

Nothing changes. But is that so wrong? I mean our current model keeps us successful lol. New managers bring fresh ideas, agreed, but the same people are being put in charge of recruitment and failing considerably.

Mourinho shoulders blame, but you're naive if you think our Board has learned anything. Roman, himself, decided on Villas-Boas and soon abandoned that project. He then had a personal interest in bringing Mourinho back and that project was abandoned.

As will project Guardiola, Simeone, etc.

Thank you! This is along very similar lines to the ones I've been thinking. The perpetual relapse and search for a new project and associated Mesiah seems to indicate a larger dynamic.

I'm beginning to wonder whether, aside from the obvious innumerable failings of our club, the idea of a project (manifested in that long-term manager we never had) is really now a false thing to believe in (or even aspire to?).

Whether that's due to the ever increased professionalization of the sport or the money in it now, your guess is as good as mine but you can't deny that attachment to long-lasting managers is really the exception rather than the rule.

As much as I hate the revisioning of Mourinho's time at Real, the most sycophantic thing about it is how those who blame him for being a short-term solution willfully ignore that he's alongside DelBosque the only manager to have survived 3 seasons in decades. Bayern haven't had a manager who stayed over 3 seasons in 11 years. In the PL, aside from unambitious clubs like Arsenal (seen any sane Arsenal fan around recently?) and Everton in the Moyes years the trend has been the same.

ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?

Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?

Edit: Came across similar charts from the FT

[LDN Blue 7,903]

ManUtd under Fergie is the model but they've been erratic at best since he retired, they may very well be on the market alongside us in May. ManCity have been underperforming relative to their investment and squad and are coming near the end of a circle, their parting with Mancini was still much more peaceful than what we usually experience. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea have all had hot managerial prospects, but their light shined for a season max. Was there a more promising manager when we hired AVB? Was there a more correct decision than getting rid of him?

Put it another way, do the other top clubs go through quasi-existential crises when they sack managers, or do we blow the issue out of proportion?

Precisely.

I was discussing this with my friends before and I said once Wenger goes, that's it for this longevity myth. Even they will struggle to keep to the 'one manager a decade' philosophy.. For now it's a case of ignorance is bliss.

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

I did not participate in the blame game JOse vs the players vs the board. Pretty sure everyone is accountable for our lack of success this season to some extent.

But accusing Mourinho of not having any attacking tactics in his locker or the players for performing badly on purpose is just nonsense. You don't become such a decorated manager without having any plan on how to implement attacking football whilst you dont become a professional footballer by playing to lose. In some cases the most obvious answer is the right one, so I'll quote the unforgettable Didier Drogba on this one again:

"Things often come in three-year cycles - we'd arrived at the end of such a cycle [in 2007]. By the start of the fourth season that Jose had been in charge, I think we had started to reach a point where it was harder for his message to get through."

"We wanted to hear it, we tried but somehow we had lost a little bit of what made us special."

The lack of confidence, complacency because of lack of signings and just having won the Premier League, the inability to process Jose's messages as a consequence of that, the lack of sharpness at the beginning of the season, tactical mistakes by Jose himself.... all little reasons that can make the difference between top 4 and bottom 5 in such a competitive league. No need to single out anyone for this. In the end when someone has to get sacked it will always be the manager because it is the most straightforward and easiest thing to do. Is this fair? Probably not. But it is harder to change those structures in football than to accept them. The managers, the fans always know this before.

Just as in the Lampard to City and Arsenal to Cech cases we should stop lamenting over spilled milk and not discredit ourselves by heaping blame on a legend of the cub, which Jose still is. Gratitude for what he has done for the club and a honorable discharge are what he deserves. If we all move on, we'll sleep better. It is almost 6 in the morning here, so I will surely try to do so. KTBFFH