The Mourinho Thread

[Leif 6,006]

Secondly, how old are you? If you feel people are trying to personally bring you down on a FORUM, then maybe you need to grow up

This isn't the case at all, but do you believe in cyber bullying? Or do you believe it's a myth? If you think you can't be brought down on a forum, well, that's your opinion so i'm not going to question your age for it am i?

[Viper22 2,418]

You're touching on 2 different things, without adding anything to what I said, or what the topic is about, or what anyone in here is talking about. Don't fish for likes. Message me if you have a question.

I'm addressing you because every thread in this forum I see your posts. And they all come across as incredibly self righteous and negative.

If I was fishing for likes I'd have called out TheBlueGuy by now for or posted some insulting comment towards Lionsden (they would both be pretty popular I wager) or even quoted my positive posts from before the match.

My question about whether you support the team at all is because following a match (arguably one of the most important of our season so far) against one of our biggest rivals no less, we won with a clean sheet and without being truly troubled at any time. I'm not going to insult your intelligence by suggesting that you don't understand how good of a tactical display that was considering that while Utd had so much possession it was almost all in their own half or curtailed into cul-de-sacs that they couldn't get through which resulted in (barring a few mistakes from Matic, Ivan and Zouma) Utd having no control of the game, no clear cut chances and maybe 1 or 2 half chances if that.

So on the back of all of that (coupled with one of our players having contributed to 15 goals in the last 17 games) and the fact that we have we have essentially won the Premier League and Cup double the only thing some people can do is come on here and moan. Why? Seriously, why? To me someone who supports a team would want them to win and would celebrate when they do, but I have the horrible feeling that The Skipper (or was it Special Juan?) is right, I can only imagine that there were some people going into the last few minutes in that game begging for Utd to score so they could have fuel for their agenda.

I'm not saying you (or anyone else) did that but with the way some people (you included) act sometimes I wouldn't be surprised. I find it incredibly worrying that people almost want to feel like there's something to moan about and I just want you to feel a bit happier about what is a fantastic result for the club and so by extension its fans.

[Leif 6,006]

My question about whether you support the team at all is because following a match (arguably one of the most important of our season so far) against one of our biggest rivals no less, we won with a clean sheet and without being truly troubled at any time. I'm not going to insult your intelligence by suggesting that you don't understand how good of a tactical display that was considering that while Utd had so much possession it was almost all in their own half or curtailed into cul-de-sacs that they couldn't get through which resulted in (barring a few mistakes from Matic, Ivan and Zouma) Utd having no control of the game, no clear cut chances and maybe 1 or 2 half chances if that. So on the back of all of that (coupled with one of our players having contributed to 15 goals in the last 17 games) and the fact that we have we have essentially won the Premier League and Cup double the only thing some people can do is come on here and moan. Why? Seriously, why? To me someone who supports a team would want them to win and would celebrate when they do, but I have the horrible feeling that The Skipper (or was it Special Juan?) is right, I can only imagine that there were some people going into the last few minutes in that game begging for Utd to score so they could have fuel for their agenda. I'm not saying you (or anyone else) did that but with the way some people (you included) act sometimes I wouldn't be surprised. I find it incredibly worrying that people almost want to feel like there's something to moan about and I just want you to feel a bit happier about what is a fantastic result for the club and so by extension its fans.

I WASN'T EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE GAME, WHY ARE YOU INSULTING ME OVER MY SUPPOSED LACK OF ENTHUSIASM OVER A WIN? WHY ARE YOU INSINUATING I DONT UNDERSTAND TACTICS? I WAS ELATED WITH OUR WIN WITH NOT TOO MANY QUALMS OVER THE TACTICS DEPLOYED LOL. YOU ARE LOST? WHY ARE YOU SAYING ALL THIS? IM NOT A TRUE SUPPORTER BECAUSE IM FED UP OF MOCKERY ON A FORUM????

If your reply isn't in a PM i'm reporting you for spam LOL. You're having a very random discussion that is nothing to do with what i'm talking about, and continuing this will only make people laugh and wish the conversation ended sooner.

[Viper22 2,418]

I WASN'T EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE GAME, WHY ARE YOU INSULTING ME OVER MY SUPPOSED LACK OF ENTHUSIASM OVER A WIN? I WAS ELATED WITH OUR WIN WITH NOT TOO MANY QUALMS OVER THE TACTICS DEPLOYED LOL. YOU ARE LOST? WHY ARE YOU SAYING ALL THIS?

"So on the back of all of that (coupled with one of our players having contributed to 15 goals in the last 17 games) and the fact that we have we have essentially won the Premier League and Cup double the only thing some people can do is come on here and moan. Why? Seriously, why? To me someone who supports a team would want them to win and would celebrate when they do, but I have the horrible feeling that The Skipper (or was it Special Juan?) is right, I can only imagine that there were some people going into the last few minutes in that game begging for Utd to score so they could have fuel for their agenda.".

My point was that you could have talked about any of the things I mentioned previously, but you chose to come on and have a dig at the people teasing the 'negativity brigade' with posts like "Rafa In" or "Mou Out". You chose to moan about something rather than mention that you appreciated the tactics or are happy with the win. That was my issue.

[Reddish-Blue 2,355]

Hope Mourinho doesn't leave Chelsea anytime soon

[Leif 6,006]

but you chose to come on and have a dig at the people teasing the 'negativity brigade' with posts like "Rafa In" or "Mou Out". You chose to moan about something rather than mention that you appreciated the tactics or are happy with the win. That was my issue.

I'm not having a dig. I'm highlighting an actual concern about the forum. I'll edit my post into the Feedback thread.

[Barbara 15,149]

Today "park the bus" was acceptable but against QPR or Hull . NO......... Brana managed to make Young and Shaw look like Best and Roberto Carlos

but people should be able to tell parking the pass and allowing possession as two different things.

We gave them the ball, but we limited their actions with it. We had average of 30% of possession, but I read Seb saying in his twitter account that most of our possession was in their half... the same place where the outstanding majority of their possession was: in their own field. So while we had the ball we were mostly in the attack while they were passing backwards and to the sides because we limited them. No bus was parked, it was a tactical plan that worked very well even if we didn't look amazing.

Also I think Ivanovic had a very good match defensively... I don't know how he made those players look above their level.

The title is the only thing that matters now, if people are patient enough, better football will come with time because it needs to be nurtured, you just don't set up a team from night to day, especially if you have long term domination as a goal.

[LAM09 6,782]

He knows how to set up a team to get the job done. It mightn't be pretty sometimes, but the result is what truly matters.

[Thor 2,435]

I'm stoked about the win, but some of you are over the top with praise.

"Set up perfectly" and "know how to win" are so over played... He set the team up the exact same way we've been playing recently. Overly defensively without much thought for penetration or attack, and on one of our few presses forward we did happen to score. Nothing too special about this performance apart from the points and opponent.

We're becoming a one trick pony. People know how we're going to set up before the game. I hope it is due to anxiousness and the desire of wanting to finally win again in the league again, and only that. That way, maybe we'll open up again and play some more free flowing football again, which is actually far more suited to us then sitting back with the players we have.

[iseah100 5,612]

Don't care. We won.

[Thor 2,435]

Don't care. We won.

That is good, and true, but some of us care about building a base, and general style of play which can eventually transform and build onto dominance.

Playing like this, will never prepare us for greater things, and push us to build on anything against far better teams than current Manchester United. I for one, want us to become a team in the same realm as Real, Bayern and Barca, where no matter where they go, they play their game. All those teams tweak things going to opposition home grounds at times, and at times playing slightly more defensively, etc, but not to the extent where they give up their identity.

We have all the tools and pieces to do that in the EPL. I never said that is something we should do in the Champions League yet, against Real, Bayern or Barca, but we should still have been able to do it against a team like PSG.

We had that going for us from 2005-2009ish. We went anywhere and played our game. At times, eased back, at times we pressed hard. Not close to the case now, yet you could argue our team is further in front in terms of balance and the gap between our opposition.

[DDA 9,691]

That is good, and true, but some of us care about building a base, and general style of play which can eventually transform and build onto dominance.

Playing like this, will never prepare us for greater things, and push us to build on anything against far better teams than current Manchester United. I for one, want us to become a team in the same realm as Real, Bayern and Barca, where no matter where they go, they play their game. All those teams tweak things going to opposition home grounds at times, and at times playing slightly more defensively, etc, but not to the extent where they give up their identity.

We have all the tools and pieces to do that in the EPL. I never said that is something we should do in the Champions League yet, against Real, Bayern or Barca, but we should still have been able to do it against a team like PSG.

We had that going for us from 2005-2009ish. We went anywhere and played our game. At times, eased back, at times we pressed hard. Not close to the case now, yet you could argue our team is further in front in terms of balance and the gap between our opposition.

Bravo

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

We had that going for us from 2005-2009ish. We went anywhere and played our game. At times, eased back, at times we pressed hard. Not close to the case now, yet you could argue our team is further in front in terms of balance and the gap between our opposition.

Revisionist and untrue, although fashionably revisionist I grant you. We were equally unloved in that period for the way we played as we are now. We were as frequently clunky then as we are now and, we are told, Jose was eventually sacked for it.

I've read several times in the last 12 hours that, with this squad, we should be doing better but I simply do not agree. In terms of playing proactive football, both Arsenal and Manchester City have better squads than we do. Fortunately we have a manager who is prepared to cut his cloth and knows how to do it. As a result, few neutrals will now bet on either of those clubs catching us.

We are not going to succeed consistently playing on the front foot when our squad is littered with players for whom basic continuity passing is a problem. It only takes one piece of miss-control, one wayward pass, one-second's worth of indecisiveness to turn potent, exciting football, into slow, ineffective aimlessness.

We have some building blocks around which a squad can be assembled to provide the kind of football we all want but there is work to do before we get there. Meanwhile Stamford Bridge rocked yesterday watching its team trying to win the league. I loved it, all of us who were there loved it. Sorry about that.

[mikeholiday 209]

I've read several times in the last 12 hours that, with this squad, we should be doing better but I simply do not agree. In terms of playing proactive football, both Arsenal and Manchester City have better squads

Totally agree. Out of the current squad, I think only Hazard will start over anybody ahead of the 2005 Chelsea squad. Perhaps over Duff, but im not even 100% sure.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

Agreed, Tomo with the bolded. And I do love and support Mourinho for what he has done, even if I might not show it as zealously as some other posters. I supported him and followed his career intently when he wasn't even a Chelsea manager for god's sake. I love the geezer. I have never known any Chelsea staff member who has defended this club in public more than Mourinho has. I appreciate Mourinho for what he will win for the club this season, a league and cup double. I'm sure I'll be celebrating like a madman when we win the league.. But I also know we are a big enough club to expect both titles and entertaining football. This team is more than strong enough to do it, that's a cheap excuse. The brutal fact is, there is no big team in Europe this sort of football. Remember, Jose was not the favourite or even the 2nd favourite to get the Chelsea job. A proper Chelsea legend not being the favourite? Ever asked yourself why? I can also run a list of other top European clubs who won't want Mourinho as manager because of primarily his team plays football but I won't go there.

I don't believe Mourinho is the right manager for this group of players. I'm sure that I will be vindicated sometime in the future, regardless of how unpopular it might make me on a Chelsea forum. I hope the man stays forever, but I know in my heart of hearts the football he knows best to play is not sustainable long-term for a big club. UNLESS, Mourinho gets an attacking coach to help with the side of football he is so clearly not strong at. He will be a better manager for it.

Right now, I'm sure he knows he hasn't been good enough in Europe because of his weakness. 4-1 to Dortmund (though they won the 2nd leg 2-0 tbf), 3-1 to Atletico Madrid and worst of all, losing to 10 man PSG at home. Anyone who wants to see the weaknesses in Mourinho as a manager, re-watch both legs carefully. It's not simply about signing world class players and relying on their individual brilliance to win matches. What about when they come up against other teams with equally good players? All of a sudden, what do we do?

Mourinho's Chelsea is not even that solid defensively anymore. In his first spell, when he set up his teams to defend, Petr barely had any saves to make. Now, the opposition are working Courtois left, right and centre, hitting the post and we are getting lucky breaks. The reason is the players we have now (Hazard's, Oscar's, Fabregas', Willian's) are being told to play a brand of football that is foreign to them and we've been found out vs Europe's elite.

Anyway, I don't want to labour my points any further and frustrate any other posters by bringing up uncomfortable issues and repeating the same stuff over and over. It's too easy to get along with everyone here by just being smiley-happy and going for the ride. I know it will make me unpopular, but I'm more concerned about the long term success of the club.

I want the love story between Chelsea and Jose Mourinho to be unbreakable and last for as long as he goes on to manage Portugal in his sixties or whatever, but Mourinho and by extension, Chelsea, needs a strong attacking coach. It's not about Marco Reus or Paul Pogba. I read rumours of Zola on twitter about a week ago, but i'm not sure he is up for that job.

What a great, well-headed post you just wrote here :clap:

Do you think that we'll ever come of our shell against good opponents ? We play with inferior team mentality not only now but during those 2 years. As you wrote, it's probably not about Reus or Pogba. We were in a very good form early in the season, playing well, players in top physical conditions, yet as soon as Man City game arrived Jose gave up football, tried to create a deadlock and even when we played against 10 men 1 goal up we still were retreated in our shells.

And now Jose as usually praises every player to death, calling them monsters, animals with ridiculous attitude to fight. Going forward that's for me indication of bad than positive thing. Even though we couldn't string 3 passes together, didn't create a second chance, were outplayed by Manchester United at home, having only 29% of possession and completed 400 (!!!) passes less than them he still seems as happy about this as ever. wtf. A few pages ago I posted his interview when he clearly said that "He wants to play football where people will know that this time is not about result but about quality of our game" yet he praises such a shit performance from quality point of view. That's not good indication for the future.

What is the indication however that again, he thrives with quick fix solutions and playing as an inferior team is his comfort zone through and through. And now we're going forward when we obligatory have to play with quality and aggressiveness, no matter who we play against. In 2016/17 we will have the turnover close to 550m€, the same as Real had in 2012/13. That's an obligation of open, dominant play. During those 2 years I simply don't get the conviction that something will change going forward, in let's say 2 years time, even when the team will be supposedly complete. There's every big chance that we always are going to play like this when we entertain a master race and have to take a big bow in front of them.

So far quick fixes are working, though I still don't know how we earned 30/39 points since January, the play is worth maybe slightly more than half of that (9 out of 10 seasons we would drop far many point but the title is ours just like the Champions League was in 2012).

But the ultimate goal will be Champions League and playing dominant football and up to today there's no indication we will impose ourself eventually. Jose has small team mentality just deep down there in his head I'm afraid unfortunately, it needs a big turn to change that. Van Gaal could play with Januzaj, McNair and Blackett and Jose couldn't even give a damn minute for Solanke. That's the indication he gives a damn worry of the future ? If there was no Jose in the next season then our new manager would have to literally start from ground zero, starting with very basic thing of learning those players how to press because Jose seems doesn't bother about it a one bit, yet it is basic thing, the start of every dominant play.

Like you said, those 2 season are no indication of long term project. 10 years ? You having a laugh, there's no way that those quick solutions are going to survive that long. We'll see how 3rd season will look like but eventually he has to start to build some platform here, right ?

[Styles 9,790]

I'm stoked about the win, but some of you are over the top with praise.

"Set up perfectly" and "know how to win" are so over played... He set the team up the exact same way we've been playing recently. Overly defensively without much thought for penetration or attack, and on one of our few presses forward we did happen to score. Nothing too special about this performance apart from the points and opponent.

We're becoming a one trick pony. People know how we're going to set up before the game. I hope it is due to anxiousness and the desire of wanting to finally win again in the league again, and only that. That way, maybe we'll open up again and play some more free flowing football again, which is actually far more suited to us then sitting back with the players we have.

People are only happy with these tactics when we win.

They see it for what it really is if we lose or draw.

These same tactics saw us outplayed and humiliated at home by 10 man PSG. I don't remember seeing many 'set up perfectly' comments then.

There was a moment in the game yesterday where Fabregas was pleading with the defence to push up higher and engage the opposition further up the field. I have seen Costa do this numerous times in games.

These tactics have a short life.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

'We were very well prepared for them. We were able to make some of their important players disappear. Nobody saw them.' - Jose

10 pounds, he's talking about TalkChelsea and not the United players.

"We want to play football where people will know that this time is not about result but about quality of our game" - Jose

Again, only praising nullifying stuff and how awesome we were containing the master race players That's comedy gold. 400 passes less than fucking United with Fellaini, Young, Smalling, Valencia, McNair, Blackett, at our home. I wonder if beyond this season he's going to pretend that we're such an inferior team that we have to take huge a bow in front of them and play like Stoke with money.

Wow, the amount of reference in such posts to 'moaners' is an indication for me that thankfully you all see that we play shit. When you have to go to the forum and said that you don't give a fuck that we play like an inferior side with 400 (!!!111!) passes less than an opponent at our home.

Small team mentality, only being cared about result. And how many of you were calling cunts the likes of Aston Villa, Sunderland or Crystal Palace supporters last season because they were celebrating like mad against us. It's the same and it has to change, lol, we're no midtable club anymore.

[Blue Colored Sky 1,807]

There was a moment in the game yesterday where Fabregas was pleading with the defence to push up higher and engage the opposition further up the field. I have seen Costa do this numerous times in games.

These tactics have a short life.

You just reminded me of this situation. Yes, the pressing is the very basic thing of any dominant side. I'm worried that during 2 years Jose doesn't learn this side to have proper pressing system. Our players try to win the ball by themself, not as a team. It doesn't help that so many of our players are not athletic and has retreat mentality from old years rooted in their heads though.