FOOTY FAIR

Pokemon GO? Not on Mourinho's Watch

2016-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pokemon Go, the augmented reality game for smart phones that sweeping the planet and causing some chuckleheads to walk onto train tracks has been one of the biggest stories of the summer.

People from all walks of life have bought into the game, even professional footballers and it's easy to see the attraction.

According to sources within Manchester United though, new manager Jose Mourinho isn't a big fan of the game and has warned his players that it's an unnecessary distraction in the build-up to matches.

Therefore the Portuguese boss has told the players that they have to abstain from any Pokemon Go hi-jinks for at least 48 hours before a match. He would prefer that they concentrate on the tactics the squad has been working on.

Mourinho isn't a complete technophobe though, as he regularly updates his own Instagram with updates about his job and life away from the training pitch, but he'd better not find out that Phil Jones has walked straight into a brick wall while trying to catch a Pikachu.

Three Managers That Jose Mourinho is About to Renew Hostilities With

2016-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

With Sky Sports reporting on Thursday that Jose Mourinho had signed a contract to become the next manager of Manchester United, Reds and fans of their rivals alike were lighting up social media with differing views on the man himself.

Love him or hate him, Mourinho has certainly collected his share of trophies over his career and he has the type of personality that won't be overwhelmed by the size of the job he's taking on at Old Trafford.

While rebuilding United, Mourinho will also renew hostilities with a few of his old sparring partners, including the following:

Arsene Wenger

When Mourinho first came into English football with Chelsea in 2004, Arsenal were the reigning champions and the self-styled 'Special One' didn't waste much time in getting under the skin of their manager Arsene Wenger. With the Frenchman constantly complaining about Mourinho's conduct incessently in the press, Mourinho famously said: "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea. He should be worried about [Arsenal]. He's worried about us, he's always talking about us. It's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea."

On his return to Chelsea in 2013-2014 he labelled Wenger "a specialist in failure" after gleefully making note of Arsenal going eight years without a trophy. The lead up to first meeting between the Gunners and United in the coming season should be interesting.

Pep Guardiola

After masterminding Inter's unlikely victory over Pep Guardiola's all conquering Barcelona side in the 2010 Champions League Semi-Final, Mourinho made the move to the Catalan club's greatest rivals, Real Madrid, to face off against the former Spanish international on a more regular basis.

During Mourinho's three seasons in Madrid, the rivalry between the two sides was arguably cranked up another notch as Mourinho tried, largely, in vain to get under the skin of the Barca boss.

Despite Barcelona being largely in the ascendance, Mourinho's Madrid did manage to win the 2011-2012 La Liga title, the only league crown Madrid has captured in the past eight years.

Guardiola left Barcelona following that season, and yet despite the two men no longer facing off against one another Mourinho couldn't help but take another dig at him in September 2014 when he cracked:

"When you enjoy what you do, you don't lose your hair, and Guardiola is bald. He doesn't enjoy football."

The two will resume their rivalry in Manchester next season, with Guardiola heading over to City.

Claudio Ranieri

Even kindly current Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri fell afoul of Mourinho, with the two having run-ins during the Portuguese bosses time at Inter.

Ranieri dared to suggest that Mourinho was showing Italian football a lack of respect by not showing up for news conferences early on in his time in Milan. Not being the type of person who enjoys being talked about in other than glowing terms, the new United boss retorted:

"I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans. Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say 'Good morning' and 'Good afternoon.' Who is he to tell me what to do?"

As the manager of the current English champions, I think it's safe to assume that Ranieri will be hearing more from Jose in the coming season.

The Pros and Cons of the Three Men Who Could Be in Charge of Manchester United Next Season

2016-03-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

Needless to say, it's been a rough three seasons for Manchester United after the retirement of their legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

After the failure of Ferguson's hand picked successor David Moyes, who oversaw the club's tumble from Premier League champions to a seventh place finish in his lone season in charge, the Old Trafford hierarchy went for top level experience in the form of Louis van Gaal as his replacement.

The Dutch boss though hasn't exactly lived up to expectations, as a huge transfer outlay has only seen the club finish fourth last term and struggle to match even that this season.

Despite rumours of his impending demise doing the rounds since Christmas, Van Gaal has somehow survived and, to the chagrin of many United supporters, may still be roaming the training ground at Carrington next season.

If Van Gaal were to be given the boot though, the two other names that have been mooted as taking over the first team duties are Jose Mourinho and Ryan Giggs.

Including the current boss, here are the merits and drawbacks of each of the three men who could be in charge of the club next season:

Louis van Gaal

Pros: Van Gaal's continued stewardship would bring a stability to the club that has been absent since Ferguson's departure. His willingness to bring through youngsters has also been welcomed by even some of the most vocal critics of his reign.

Cons: The current United boss hasn't only failed to get the results the club's supporters expect, but the football his side has served up has been turgid. Either the players haven't bought into his much bandied about philosophy or modern tactics have passed him by. His record in the transfer for record hasn't been great, with the notable exception of the electric Anthony Martial, and the vast majority of supporters are counting the days until his exit. If he does return next season, expect a dip in season ticket renewals.

Ryan Giggs

Pros: Like Van Gaal, Ryan Giggs would bring a sense of stability and has seemingly been groomed for the role over the past few seasons. The former winger is a club legend and some supporters will welcome "one of their own" taking up the reigns and hopefully getting back to playing "the United way" with attacking wing play.

Cons: The biggest knock on Giggs is a lack of experience and United can not afford to give him an on the job learning experience after these three largely disastrous seasons. He also has the knock on him now of being involved with two failed regimes.

Jose Mourinho

Pros: Jose Mourinho is a serial winner who has scooped up league titles in four different countries, along with capturing two Champions League titles. He would almost certainly want to overhaul the playing squad and return the swagger to a jaded club. The fact that he has come out on top in the past with rivals Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola and seems to actually despise Liverpool will stand him in good stead with United supporters.

Cons: Historically, Mourinho has a shelf life of about three years before things go horribly wrong and he leaves a club under a storm cloud. He has had numerous run-ins over the years with officials, other mangers and players that has reportedly left some in the Old Trafford hierarchy uncomfortable about the prospect of his appointment. That said, it's not as if Sir Alex Ferguson was exactly a saint.

10 Most Memorable Football Quotes of 2015

2015-12-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

This has been one heck of a year in football. Sure, there hasn't been a men's World Cup but that doesn't mean that there hasn't been plenty of memorable incidents.

From Barcelona's brilliance in club football, to surprise Euro 2016 qualifiers and American dominance at the Women's World Cup there has been plenty to fill column inches and YouTube highlight reels this year.

There have also been some incredible quotes, cracks and outbursts in 2015 and here are ten of the best:

1.) Jürgen Klinsmann

"I had a very severe word with Fabian Johnson, and I sent him home today. He can rethink his approach about his team." - Jürgen Klinsmann after USMNT fullback Fabian Johnson faked an injury during their match against Mexico in October.

2.) Don Garber

"There’s a development gap between the knowledge of our fan base and, in some cases, our broadcasters and the way the game has developed." - Don Garber on fan and media criticism of MLS referees.

3.) Jose Mourinho

"The lady is a bit confused, with all respect. I’m not laughing, because her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti. The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time. And for her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time, and if she takes care of her husband’s diet she will have less time to speak about me." - Jose Mourinho, eloquently responding to comments made by Rafa Benitez's wife Montse.

4.) Jürgen Klopp

"I’m am not going to call myself anything. I am a normal guy from the Black Forest. My mother is watching this press conference at home. If you are going to call me anything, call me the normal one." - Jürgen Klopp goes out of his way at his first press conference to let the press know that he isn't Jose Mourinho.

5.) Jamie Vardy

"Chat Shit, get banged" - OK, Jamie Vardy actually tweeted this a few years ago, but that was before anyone besides his mom knew who he was.

6.) John Carver

"I am a positive guy. I still think I am the best coach in the Premier League." - John Carver goes into a dellusional meltdown while in temporary charge of Newcastle.

7.) Sam Allardyce

"All this tippy tappy stuff everybody keeps going on about as the right way to play football is all a load of bollocks." - "Big" Sam Allardyce calls it like he sees it.

8.) Sepp Blatter

"I'll be back." - Ban or no ban, FIFA supreme villain in chief Sepp Blatter promises to return.

9.) Michael O'Neill

"I wouldn’t like to comment on that. We may have rehydration issues." - When asked how his players were doing, Northern Ireland Michael O’Neill manager hints that they may have enjoyed a drink or two after qualifying for Euro 2016.

10.) Roy Keane

"Yes, why wouldn’t he be? He didn’t have the baby. Unless he’s breastfeeding he should be all right." - Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane still expected striker Robbie Keane to be available to face Germany despite the arrival of his second son.

In Conversation With An Angry Chelsea Fan

2015-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

After the worset start to a season by a defending champion in Premier League history, Chelsea parted company with Jose Mourinho on Thursday splitting opinion among their supporters.

On one hand the results have been truly dreadful, and something had to be done to arrest the slide, but on the other hand a case could be made that the board didn't back Mourinho in the transfer window last summer and shouldn't have responded like this to the apparent discord in the dressing room. It appears that the club backed the under-performing players, rather than their manager.

Instead of penning yet another think piece on the goings on at Stamford Bridge, a club I don't have any allegiance to, I thought it best to talk to a friend of mine named Sonny Parmar who is a massive Chelsea supporter and get his take on the situation in SW6.

Warning - This interview contains strong language, so reader discretion is advised.

Should Mourinho have been fired?

No and (Club Technical Director, Michael) Emenalo has admitted to backing the players on Chelsea TV.

Motherfuckers admitted that the transfer policy the club had in the summer was flawed and we should have picked up players, players Mourinho said we needed. Now they backtrack and admit they are backing the players. The cunt should be packing up his office yet his doing TV spots, asshole.

What's next for Chelsea?

What's next? Same old bullshit, that's what! When they hired Mourinho this time around it was for the long term, longevity, stability. They further backed that by extending him for another 4 years. First sign of trouble and they revert to their old ways. Back to the revolving door leading in and out of the office of the Chelsea FC Manager.

It's all speculation, but do you think some of the players willfully didn't give 100% to sabotage Mourinho?

Absolutely, I think Diego Costa, Eden Hazard for sure didn't give 100%. Motherfuckers played like their usual selves in the Euro Qualifiers but then come back to the club and play like shit? Cesc Fabregas I thought could have been one of those, but the last match when he came off the bench he showed shades of last year. The consensus was that he may no longer be suited as a starter.

By sheer body language, Costa and Hazard led the charge (against Mourinho), I have no doubts about that.

Now Hazard's brother and father are doing interviews saying, "Oh no, he loves the manager." Fuck off.

Who will the club bring in to replace Mourinho?

Guus Hiddink as interim is the word I'm hearing. Long term? No clue. Keeping the usual suspects of Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone. Pep won't touch our clubs with a ten foot pole. And the last time I checked, Simeone still has a job at a place he loves; unless he is willing to leave on his own to come to our shirt show of club board how can he even be considered? Fuck, would you go to Chelsea right now to manage? I sure as fuck wouldn't.

How long will it take to fix the problems at the club?

Players have to be sent packing and new players will have to be brought in hopefully with some of our youth mixed in. We'll be shit for a couple of years, I think, no doubt. But "the mess" at the club will always be there as long as our board have their heads up their asses and the players never get held accountable.

I still think Roman Abramovich had to be persuaded by the board to pull the trigger now on Mourinho. The old Abramovich would have done this long ago. There will never be stability in the manager's role or any sort of "dynasty" at the Bridge.

Thanks for your time, Sonny!

Jose Mourinho Sounds Off on His Slacker Players

2015-12-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

With Chelsea crashing to another defeat on Monday night to Leicester last year's champions now sit only one point above the relegation zone.
Although it's unusual to see a side falter this dramatically only a year after bringing home the title, the normal order of business when a big club falls down the table so dramatically is that the manager is quickly sacked, but so far Jose Mourinho is staying put on the Stamford Bridge touchline.

Whether or not you agree with the club's stance on the matter is one thing, but Mourinho for his part hasn't taken the club's slide lying down and after yesterday's setback he tore into his under-performing players with gusto:

“I know one of my best qualities is to read the game for my players, is to read the opponent, is to identify every detail about the opponent. And these two goals ... are two goals very difficult to accept, a big frustration to accept. Because it’s like, I feel that my work was betrayed, if that’s the right word.”

“It’s difficult for us to score goals when you have some players that are not in their best level and it’s obvious and everybody knows that. And when you have some players, especially in some crucial positions, that they don’t go to the normal level is difficult.”

"Day by day in training I have no complaints with [players]. But is it frustrating to see what they are doing in training and what they do in matches."

"We can't finish top four, but we can still finish top six because so many teams are dropping points. At the moment we are in a zone."

Interesting times at the Bridge, as the club and a lot of the supporters are still behind the manager despite the results. In the end though something will have to give.

Watch this space.

Throwback Thursdays: Monaco 8 - Deportivo de La Coruña 3 "The Evening of Madness"

2015-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Back in the first few seasons of the 21st Century, Deportivo de La Coruña perennially competed with Europe's finest in the UEFA Champions League.

Although they were never able to reach a final, they certainly weren't a push over in the competition and could be counted on to be tough opponents for whoever drew them.

So their humiliating defeat on 5 November 2003 to Monaco at Stade Louis II is a result that jumps out not so much as a giant pummeling a first time minnow in the competition, but as a day when everything went right for one side while everything went disastrously wrong for another.

With Deportivo winning the first meeting between the two group stage opponents 1-0 on 21 October, with a goal by Diego Tristán in the 83rd minute, another tight encounter was expected in November.

Any thoughts of that were quickly put to bed in a brutal first half that saw goals from Monaco midfielders Jérôme Rothen (2') and Ludovic Giuly (11'), plus a brace from striker Miladin "Dado" Pršo (25', 29'), celebrating his birthday, which staked the principality side to a shock 4-0 lead.

Trying to force their way back into a match that seemed over by the 30th minute, Deportivo got goals through Tristán (39') and wingback Lionel Scaloni (44') to bring the score to 4-2 just before the break.

But before the Spanish side could head to the dressing room with thoughts of turning the match completely around, that man Pršo found the net again in stoppage time to put Monaco up by three.

After the break, Monaco kept coming as a 47th-minute goal from midfielder Jaroslav Plašil made it 6-2, before Pršo tucked away his fourth goal two minutes later.

Diego Tristán scored his second in the 52nd minute to make the score 7-3, but Monaco midfielder Édouard Cissé found the net in the 67th minute to restore the 5-goal lead and round out an astonishing 8-3 score line.

To this day this is still the highest scoring Champions League match since the competition was reorganized in 1992.

Despite this humiliation, Deportivo would recover to finish second in the group behind Monaco and would advance all the way to the semi-final before losing to Porto.

As for Monaco, they would go all the way to the final before they themselves were defeated by the Portuguese side.

Porto's manager by the way was a young brash character by the name of Jose Mourinho. The football world would be hearing a bit more from him over the coming decade.

5 Strange Things That Football Managers Banned

2015-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

With Jose Mourinho seemingly hanging onto his job by a thread at Chelsea following another defeat this weekend and Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal's "philosophy" starting to wear thin on many of the club's supporters both are in need of a change of fortunes.

Besides squad rotation, another thing managers have done over the years is to try and reassert their authority on a club in times of crisis.

One method is to start banning the squad from doing or certain things. Here is a list of five odd things managers have banned over the years:

1. David Moyes - Chips

One of the many complaints Rio Ferdinand, and several of the Manchester United squad, had about the ultimately doomed successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, was that David Moyes banned their tradition of eating low fat chips the night before a match.

2. Paul Le Guen - Monster Munch

Speaking of potatoes, the hugely unpopular former Rangers boss Paul Le Guen caused a bust up in the Ibrox dressing room when he banned his captain Barry Ferguson from eating Monster Munch crisps.

3. Arsene Wenger - Mars Bars

Upon taking over at Arsenal in 1996, one of the first thing Arsene Wenger did was crack down on the notorious drinking culture at the club and overhaul the shabby diet most of the squad enjoyed. One of the big things off the menu was a pre-match Mars bar.

4. Raymond Domenech - Scorpios

Bizarre former French national team boss Raymond Domenech had a thing for astrology and after a run of unfavourable results he decided that the problem was with Scorpios and thus declined to pick anyone with that birth sign.

5. Paulo Di Canio - You Name It

Paulo Di Canio stamped down his unique brand of authority on Sunderland by banning the following:

tomato ketchup
mobile phones
coffee
mayonnaise
carbonated soft drinks
ice
joking
gossiping
singing in the showers

Carlo Ancelotti: Chelsea or Star Trek?!?

2015-10-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

With Chelsea tumbling to another defeat on Saturday, this time a 2-1 away reverse to West Ham, rumours of manager Jose Mourinho's possible demise began to do the rounds again.

While many Chelsea supporters are still firmly behind the man who led them to the title last season, there is growing disquiet among some of the club's support as they currently sit 15th in the table.

But if the axe were to swing on the self styled "Special One" who exactly would be in line to replace him?

All of the big name managers in football are currently employed and it would be unlikely if they were to drop out of their contracts to join Chelsea mid-season, so the club would likely have to look to someone either looking to move up to a bigger club or someone out of work.

One familiar name to the Stamford Bridge faithful that did pop up in conversation across the always reliable realm of social media yesterday was the man with the magic eyebrows, Carlo Ancelotti.

After leading the club to a league and cup double in 2009-2010, Ancelotti was unceremoniously dumped at the end of the next campaign when the club finished the season without a trophy.

Ancelotti, for his part, has said that he would like to manage in the Premier League again, but it would still come as a shock if the currently unemployed Italian manager reemerged at Chelsea.

In the meantime though the job is still Mourinho's for the time being and Ancelotti has another project on the works.

Far removed from the world of football, Ancelotti is set to appear in a cameo role in the next Star Trek film.

Thanks to his friendship with actress Zoe Saldana, the Champions League winning boss has reportedly already filmed a scene in Vancouver for Star Trek Beyond.

Whether or not his quizzical eyebrow will be a key plot point remains to be seen.

Star Trek Beyond is due for release in the summer of 2016.

Mourinho + Wenger Love Relationship - The Best Video You'll Watch Today

2015-09-16T18:36:00.001-04:00

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal bench-boss Arsene Wenger have had their differences on the sidelines, but the new video edited by the people at Sun Dream Team brings a new perspective to the heated relationship in this hilarious edited video of the two managers "talking about their explicit relationship".

Three Seasons and Out for Mourinho?

2015-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Needless to say the English champions Chelsea are not off to a good start this season.

Taking only four points from their first four matches, the champions are reeling. Following today's disappointing 2-1 loss to an excellent Crystal Palace side, manager Jose Mourinho tore into his players.

“I cannot say I had 11 players at the same time performing,” Mourinho said. “Two or three of them, their individual performance were far from good. I blame myself for not changing one of them. I kept him in the game for 90 minutes and when I made the third change I realised I needed a fourth.

“I’m not happy because for me a performance is a collective performance, of 11 players at the same time. At this level, when opponents are good and well organised with nothing to lose, when you have this type of matches at this level you need people to perform.”

“If a player is not performing there are two ways to look at it. The first one is I trust so much the player that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait and wait and maybe it comes or doesn't come. Or even while you are trusting the players arrives a moment when you think I have to change. And I can go both ways.”

While ruling out any further transfer business things continue to take an ominous tone at Stamford Bridge, even though it is still very early in this young season.

With Mourinho though the magic number seems to be three seasons and then he appears to either peak, tail off or fall out with the powers that be at a club.

After leaving Porto in 2004, after two and a half seasons of unprecedented success domestically and in Europe, he led Chelsea to their first league championship in fifty years and followed it off with an even more dominant performance from his side the following season as they repeated as champions.

But in 2006/2007 things went awry at Chelsea as rumours of a rift between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich, and a power struggle with sporting director Frank Arnesen, emerged. The signing of Andriy Shevchenko was not made by Mourinho, but rather than owner himself and pressure that was put on the Portuguese boss to include the misfiring Ukrainian in the squad worsened things.

Manchester United would win the title that season and by the opening month of the following term, Mourinho was gone.

At his next posting in Italy with Inter Milan he fell out with the Italian media and feuded with seemingly half the opposition managers in the league.

Despite a rocky time in Serie A he led the club to two league titles and in 2009/2010 romped home with a treble of a league championship, Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Champions League crown.

This attracted the attention of Spanish giants Real Madrid who paid Inter to get Mourinho out of his contract with the club and bring him to the Spanish capital.

What followed were three rocky seasons that saw Mourinho battle the media, the Spanish football authorities, his own players and Real Madrid's hierarchy. He did manage to win a league title in his second season in Spain, but was never truly able to dethrone Barcelona as the top side in La Liga and, crucially, wasn't able to win the Champions League for Madrid.

Sacked in 2013 he returned to Chelsea after seemingly being snubbed for the Manchester United job that he had coveted and after a third place finish in his first year he led the club to another title last season.

But after only four matches he's already exiled the Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro for the sin of coming onto the pitch under the referee's orders to attend to Eden Hazard, blasted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger again, just for something to do, and had more than a few choice words for his struggling players.

It all seems to be setting up for another exit from Mourinho.

5 Times That Jose Mourinho Has Acted Like a Jackass

2015-08-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons again this week after his classless treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro after she rushed on the pitch, with physiotherapist Jon Fearn to tend to an injuries Eden Hazard in the closing stages of the Blues draw with Swansea.

Carneiro had seemingly been summoned onto the pitch by the referee Michael Oliver, was blasted by Mourinho for reducing his side to nine men and has been told she will no longer have a place on the bench for future Chelsea matches.

It seemed, for the outside looking in, to be a bout of childish anger by the Special One. With Mourinho, you are almost certainly guaranteed results but another thing you can count on with the Portuguese boss is a few bust ups along the way.

The following are a few examples of when he's acted liked an utter jackass:

The Anders Frisk Incident

During an explosive first leg encounter at Camp Nou between Chelsea and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 in 2005, referee Anders Frisk sent off striker Didier Drogba after two book able offences. The home side dispatched Chelsea 2-1 and afterwards Jose Mourinho claimed that referee Anders Frisk had met with then Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard at halftime to decide the outcome. It was a baseless accusation, but Frisk received a number of death threats from irate Blues fans and decided to end his career in officiating as a result. Mourinho was later branded an "enemy of football" by UEFA referee chief Volker Roth.

Gouging Tito's Eyes

During the 2011 Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona a bust up on the sidelines culminated in Mourinho gouging Barca assistant Tito Vilanova's eyes. He later claimed to not know who Vilanova even was.

Arsene Wenger vs The Special One

Besides his long running feud with Barcelona, Mourinho's career has been marked with his many run ins with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Besides a pushing match earlier this year and then snubbing each other after the season opening Community Shield, Mourinho has called Wenger "a voyeur who likes to watch other people", he's also labelled him "an expert in failure", and he was famously fined for an illegal approach to Arsenal's then left back Ashley Cole back in 2006.

Jose Still Hates Pep

While Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid the rivalry between his side and Barcelona was perhaps nastier than any other time in recent history. Much of that was fuelled by Mourinho casting an envious eye at Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola's all conquering side. Unlike his battles with Wenger though, the Portuguese manager was never able to really get under Pep's skin. Despite them not having managed against each other in several seasons, with Pep eventually moving on to Bayern Munich, Mourinho couldn't help but be a dick when he said:

"When you enjoy what you do, you don't lose your hair, and Guardiola is bald," Mourinho said in September 2014. "He doesn't enjoy football."

Mourinho Giving Rafa Benitez's Wife Some Advice

"Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached," Montserrat Seara Benitez reportedly said in an interview earlier this summer, before adding: "We tidy up his messes."

In fairness she was probably out of line with that comment in the first place, but the Chelsea boss could have been professional and brushed this off, but this is Mourinho after all.

He blasted in response: "The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time," Mourinho said. "For her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time, and if she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me."

5 Jose Mourinho Quotes About His Old Enemy Arsene Wenger

2015-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend's Community Shield saw yet another chapter in the long running feud between Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger.

Following Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the traditional English season opener at Wembley Stadium, the two managers made absolutely no effort to shake hands with each other after the match, as they both stormed off without a glance at their respective enemy.

The approach both managers have to their jobs is in stark contrast. While Wenger tries to set his sides out to play football a certain way, and can be very pleasing on the eye when everything is working out as he planned, Mourinho is all about results no matter how they're achieved and his sides can even adopted the 'darker arts' if necessary.

It also doesn't help that Mourinho is motivated by feuds with rival managers and has started numerous fights over the years with the likes of Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, and Rafa Benitez to go along with his long running beef with Wenger.

The following are five incendiary quotes that Mourinho has fired in Wenger's direction:

On Wenger's criticism of Chelsea's tactics:

“Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England a voyeur. He is someone who likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. Wenger must be one of them – it is a sickness. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea.”

Even while he was in Italy at Inter, Mourinho couldn't resist in taking this shot at Wenger in 2008:

“The English like statistics a lot. Do they know that Arsene Wenger has only 50 per cent of wins in the English league?”

Mourinho wasn't happy when Wenger said his rival was playing down Chelsea's title chances in 2014 over "a fear of failure";

“Am I afraid of failure? He is a specialist in failure. I’m not. So if one supposes he’s right and I’m afraid of failure, it’s because I don’t fail many times. So maybe he’s right. I’m not used to failing. But the reality is he’s a specialist because, eight years without a piece of silverware, that’s failure.”

On continuing criticism from the Arsenal boss over Chelsea's playing style:

"You know, boring I think is 10 years without a title. That's very boring. You support the club and you're waiting, waiting, waiting for so many years without a Premier League title, so that's very boring. But maybe they aren't singing to us."

On Wenger's supposed lack of spending:

"If you add up the amounts clubs have spent in the last three or four years I think maybe you will find a surprise. If you put Ozil plus Alexis Sanchez, plus Chambers, plus Debuchy, you will find a surprise. Get a calculator. That is the easiest thing, it leaves no space for speculation. If you want to be honest, objective and pragmatic it is the easiest job for a manager to do."

Photo Friday: José Mourinho

2015-06-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

The month of June marks the anniversary of when Portuguese bench-boss José Mourinho left his position at Spanish giants Real Madrid to embark on his 2nd stint with London side Chelsea and eventually secure the EPL title again this past May.

The animated manager who is never shy for words has had many memorable moments throughout his managerial career. Here are some interesting photographs of the one that calls himself the "Special One".

That Mourinho is a Work of Art (Gallery)

2015-04-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

With Chelsea's win earlier this weekend nearly sealing the Blues' title win, it's pretty fair to say that even with the club's ownership's deep pockets Portuguese manager Mourinho has been an integral part in their title wins both in his first and second stints in charge of the club. As such, we decided to feature some artwork of the former Porto and Real Madrid bench-boss.

The Round Table: Is Manchester City's Poor Season Pellegrini's Fault?

2015-04-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

Every weekend we go beyond the headlines and talk to real football fans about current topics or issues in the football world.

Today the group discussed Manuel Pellegrini's uncertain future after Manchester City's poor form in recent months.

On the round table today we were joined by:

Bramble
Parmar
Juanito
Adrian
Wes
Luka
Iain (me)

Manchester City are currently 9 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand, crashed out of the FA Cup and the Champions League early, and have lost seven of 14 matches since January 10. Is Manuel Pellegrini to blame?

Juanito:
I don't think so. I'm not sure how much control he has over transfers, but this club buys talent for the sake of buying talent. Their core is starting to age and the core of Kompany and Toure is starting to show it's age.

He's also a nice guy, like a fun grandpa, and he's not English, which means he gets crucified by the press.

Parmar:
(Laughing out loud) Straight away, who cares they suck ass and I want it to stay that way!

Now on a serious note. Yes. It's his fault. He's the manager and he's the one that buys and sells players. He's let his squad get old without injecting enough youth or younger players into the team. They don't develop any of their own players through their joke youth system. So ya. It's his fault.

Juanito:
Again, who controls transfers at City? It may be a case that he's a good manager, but a poor scout. He had no control over transfers at Villareal, Real Madrid, or Málaga.

Wes:
I agree with Parmar. The manager is definitely responsible. I'll admit the players have a hand in it too, but the Managers job is to get the best out of those lads.

Sonny:

Well if he has no buying input why the fuck would he take the job? You think Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola would ever take a job that would limit their control over the club? I mean Jose has to go to the board with his plan, and who and what he wants to spend, but he's never been told no.

Luka:

It's never one person's fault but Pellegrini has to be the one held accountable rightly or wrongly, that's just the way it is.

Juanito:

You're so English, Parmar.

Parmar:

Fuck off. (Laughs)

Juanito:

Footie on the continent is different. The manager usually has to answer to a Director of Football who has ultimate control of transfers.

Parmar:

There is a Director of Football at Chelsea too. At the end of the day he's the manager, the man charged with getting the best out of the squad he has at his disposal. He hasn't and he should and will pay the price.

Bramble:

I don't think it's his fault. The players are all mercenaries with no love for the club. They REALLY wouldn't even be there if there was a rich team with more prestige behind its name that came along. This is a classic case of players screwing the manager. Like the Chelsea players did to like EVERYONE. They were so determined to get Mourinho back that even winning the CL wasn't enough to gain their respect.

Parmar:

(Laughs) They ran Rafa Benitez out of town. Di Matteo, Big Phil and Carlo Ancelotti were all victims of the Russian.

Bramble:

Di Matteo did what the Russian wanted most though, and that was he won the Champions League.

Parmar:

But then they had a slow start the next season and Robbie got the gas pipe.

Bramble:

Then Rafa came and won the Europa League but it wasn't good enough.

Parmar:

Don't forget, when Rafa made those comments about Chelsea and the supporters, John Terry and Frank Lampard were on the team. They have/had a lot of influence on the squad and players listened to them. So you know the fat fuck waiter was doomed from the get go.

Adrian:

I don't watch a lot of English football, but oddly enough Manchester City is the team I have seen the most of considering we've played them in the group stage of the Champions League 3 of the past 4 years. They've beaten us 3 of the 6 matches but on each of those occasions a) Bayern dominated the matches for long periods of time and b) we'd already qualified for the knockout round. I guess I am always underwhelmed whenever I see City play. Is that the fault of the manager? Hard to tell...however I do think the players on the squad are hugely overrated.

Iain:

City built a club completely full of Mercs and it is an issue. Where Chelsea differed is that you had a good core of pre-Abramovich money players there like Frank Lampard and John Terry who formed the core of that team. From then on they simply made smarter buys than City. City seem like a team without an identity, whereas Chelsea are shaped in Mourinho's mould, even in the years he wasn't there. I really think Pellegrini could have bought better last summer, you always need to strengthen after winning the league and not rest on your laurels. The fact that he didn't adequately strengthen in key areas is his fault.

In Conclusion:

The majority of The Round Table agrees that Pellegrini has made some costly errors this season, and although the players have underperformed, a lot of City's problems fall on his doorstep. It's difficult to see him at Manchester City next season. Then we segwayed into a discussion on Chelsea, for which I blame Parmar for.

Thanks for checking out this week's Round Table.

Any Given Sunday: Three Wise Men

2015-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Many men claim to be at the top of the food chain when it comes to the Premier League, but currently there are three managers that have an undeniable wisdom when it comes to the league and what it takes to be successful.

These are the three wise men of British football.

Jose Mourinho

You can’t make any list about almost any topic and not include the Special One. What he has accomplished in the Premier League and with Chelsea will stand the tests of time, and without a doubt he will go down as one of the greatest managers of all time.

The only title he hasn’t won with Chelsea is the Champions League, and I believe that he will not find rest or be able to move on until he is able to bring that trophy to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea won it with Di Matteo, but Mourinho knows that more than the trophy is the legacy. Winning the domestic title and cups are important, but winning that title could be the crowning achievement of his illustrious time in charge of Chelsea.

Arsene Wenger

The Frenchman has been at Arsenal since 1996 and it is hard to picture Arsenal without Wenger. He has become such a huge part of the club. Considering the lack of success of the last ten years it is impressive that he has been able to remain in charge of the London club. Many others have come and gone with far better records, but Wenger remains the man leading the Gunners.

His knowledge of the Premier League is substantial, and his ability to use analytics is well documented. He was one of the first to bring analytics and metrics to how he put a team together and how he decided to spend money in the transfer market.

It isn’t a surprise that since Chelsea and Manchester City grew into prominence his Arsenal has never been able to win the domestic title. I don’t think Wenger has lost his step, but the rules of engagement changed and he wasn’t able to adapt to them.

His approached is more sustainable for club and owners but not sure if this Premier League dinosaur will survive possible extinction.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Nearly two years since he decided to retire and leave Manchester United. In that span United hired two new managers in Moyes and van Gaal. Two years without a title, one of them without Champions League football, and what we have is a very different United from the one Sir Alex Ferguson had us used to.

I don’t think the demise or at least downfall of United can’t be completely related to the departure of Ferguson. I think his presence and knowledge of the game and league helped United even in season’s where the team was not as strong.

On paper, United currently have one of the strongest teams but they still have failed to produce. All this does is give more credits and glory to the greatest United manager in history, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Any Given Sunday: EPL Managers vs GOT

2015-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Who doesn’t follow Premier League football? Probably, the same amount of people as the ones not watching Game of Thrones.

Being a huge fan of both it is hard not to look at some managers and associate them with characters in Game of Thrones, either due to physical attributes or personality traits.

I have picked five Premier League managers and have decided to give them a Game of Thrones character, and explain why in my mind they are the equivalent of that character in English football.

Jose Mourinho = Petyr Baelish (Little Finger)

If Mourinho had a devious moustache you could almost say that they had been separated at birth.

Mourinho is the “Little Finger” of English football. Always playing mind games, working behind the scenes and not letting anyone know the cards he holds before the time comes when he has to play them.

Sure he doesn’t own brothels in London, but he does own the media and always seem to be plotting something and using the ones around him for his own gain.

Arsene Wenger = Eddard Stark

A man of convictions that will not waiver in his views even if that means dying by the sword.

Arsene Wenger is the Ned Stark of the Premier League, having said that he has been able to keep his head above his shoulders for all these years even if no major trophies have been won. I guess Arsenal is more forgiving than Joffrey.

Manuel Pellegrini = Tywin Lannister

The Manchester City boss comes across as a very cold and calculative person, and I guess you have to be when you are managing so many egos.

His stature, persona, and demeanor make him the Tywin Lannister of English football.

I don’t believe he will be involved in the overtaking of any throne or sending the league into a war of words any time soon, but his calm and collective appearance, mixed in with his cold persona make him a very dangerous person to deal with.

Much like Tywin Lannister, you never know what card he has hiding under his sleeve and when he will play it.

Brendan Rogers = Tyrion Lannister

He may look like a fool but he is not an idiot. Much like Tyrion, don’t let his appearance fool you.

Brendan Rogers is a very intelligent and astute man, what he has done with Liverpool can only be compared to what Tyrion did in the “Battle of the Blackwater”.

If there is one less you can take from Brendan Rogers and Tyrion Lannister is never to judge a book by its cover.

Louis van Gaal = Joffrey Baratheon

Both have the face of someone you would just love to slap. Both come across as arrogant, pompous and spoiled. Both took over a group a man, but failed to truly lead them. Both will end up sharing also the fact that they weren’t in charge for too long.

When I look at all Premier League managers, nobody is a better villain, and someone you love to hate more than Louis van Gaal.

Joffrey lasted four seasons in power, I don’t think van Gaal will “live” that long in Manchester.

Not Arrogant, Just Better

2015-02-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

There's a popular slogan you see on the flags of some Manchester United supporters that says the club is "Not Arrogant, Just Better".

This wonderful, tongue planted firmly in cheek, phrase came to mind this week as Southampton boss Ronald Koeman essentially called United manager, and bitter rival, Louis van Gaal arrogant during an interview with the Daily Mirror.

According to Koeman, "When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality, but you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything and that will cause clashes."

There was in fact a bit of controversy this week after Van Gaal was outright labelled an "Arrogant bastard" by Swansea director John van Zweden after his side defeated United 2-1.

But is Van Gaal arrogant or just extremely confident? And is this a bad thing to have if you're a manager at a top club?

Certainly, Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes could have benefitted from having a dash of arrogance as he led a slumping side to seventh in the league last season, while offering up Lilly Livered doozies like "We aspire to be like Manchester City."

While Van Gaal's tactics and transfer policy during his brief stint at Old Trafford could already be questioned, there's no fear that he'll bow down, publicly or otherwise, to one of United's rivals.

Outside of United, another manager who has often been described as arrogant is Chelsea's Jose Mourinho. But after league title and domestic cup wins in four countries, and not to mention the small matter of two UEFA Champions League wins, doesn't he have the right to be a little sure of himself?

With Mourinho you feel that although part of it is indeed arrogance, a good deal of what he comes out with is for the purpose of messing with the opposition, referees or the English FA.

Like another former United boss in Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho is a master manipulator who plays the media as well as anyone.

Another comparison could be made with legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, who led the relatively small provincial side to a League title and back-to-back European Cup's in the late 1970's, despite his perceived arrogance Mourinho is able to get the best out of his players, by winning their loyalty in part by fostering an "us against the world" mentality. Like Clough, Mourinho's arrogance takes pressure off of his players. Although I'm sure Cloughie would have loved some of the transfer budgets Mourinho has enjoyed since leaving Porto in 2004.

The arrogant approach, if you will, is often celebrated by an English media hungry for quotes, particularly if the manager in question is successful, but this attitude is often misunderstood or disliked in other leagues. Mourinho seemingly fell out with most of the Real Madrid dressing room towards the end of his time in Spain, simply by being himself. The media also never warmed to him as, unlike in England where the juicy quote or sound bite is king, they were looking for tactical analysis or discussions on his team selections.

If a perceived arrogant manager fails, like Luiz Felipe Scolari at this summer's World Cup, or struggles to a degree as Van Gaal is after a summer outlay of £150 million, people are always going to be ready to jump on them.

The key isn't rocket science really. Just win, and win in style, and then you can act however you want. But lose and everyone will question if your attitude is negatively affecting the team.

Winning solves everything, doesn't it?

FFN - Hangovers to Blame for Chelsea's Loss to Spurs

2015-01-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Many of us enjoy a few light alcoholic beverages on New Years Eve, some more than others really, but modern professional footballers are supposed to refrain from such indulgences.
Sadly that doesn't appear to be the case for several Chelsea players who were laid low after a stunning defeat to Tottenham on New Years day.

Although Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is staying quiet on the matter, sources from within the club have reported that a number of players were up until the early hours of January 1, pounding back shots of whiskey and Jägermeister.

Mourinho was aware of the situation upon walking into the dressing room to meet the players on Thursday, but due to the number of players involved in the drunken hijinks, coupled with injuries in the reserves he had no choice but to play them.

As several players fell asleep through the manager's team talk, the trainer responded by chucking ice water over them and was the victim of horrific verbal abuse as a result. One unnamed player, a veteran defender, said he would be paying the trainers "wife a visit for a post match shag, if he ever pulled something like that again".

As Mourinho raged at the players over their unprofessionalism, one player reportedly said to the manager, "We're only playing Spurs, so we figured 'fuck it' lets go out on the lash and enjoy our New Years."

Another player, who slid in for an early tackle was reported to have shit himself and required a quick shower and change at half time, while several of the subs are reported to have vomited multiple times on the bench.

It's also been suggested that the referee was on the verge of calling the match to a halt when one player, who was still obviously drunk, called him Cheryl and tried to seduce him while waiting for a corner to come in.

As Chelsea's furious Portuguese boss stormed off down the tunnel at halftime, before waiting for his players to leave the pitch, most assumed it was out frustration over Spurs storming into a 3-1 lead, but instead it was anger over his players sluggish display that had led to some comic defending.

The second half went little better for the hungover Blues, as although they clawed back two goals, they gave up another two and slumped to one of the more bizarre defeats of the season.

The Chelsea players condition did not go unnoticed by the Spurs side, as Harry Kane effortlessly held the ball up during one attack he had to fight back tears of laughter, as one defender for the Stamford Bridge side had clearly pissed his shorts.

An enraged Mourinho kept the team in for two hours after the match, forcing them to watch video replays of the embarrassing display and has ordered double training sessions this week.

If it wasn't for some of them being on £150K a week, you would almost feel bad for them.

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Thank you for reading FootyFair's Friday Fake News. Please note that none of the above is true.

Fergie: It's Unfair Really. Mourinho is So Good Looking

2014-12-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have had a few feuds with rival managers during their respective careers, but despite often coming up against each other in the battle for honours before Ferguson's retirement the two men continue to enjoy a warm relationship.

When Mourinho's Porto side knocked Ferguson's Manchester United out of the Champions League with a last minute goal at Old Trafford in 2004, and the Portuguese manager danced down the sidelines most observers would have expected him to end up in the Glaswegian legends cross-hairs, but Sir Alex has been nothing but respectful towards the man who later came to England and led Chelsea to great success.

Mourinho, who gives the appearance of being able to start an argument in an empty house, has also shown nothing but admiration for Ferguson as well and in fact it was expected that he would follow him into the United hot seat when Sir Alex stepped decided to retire in 2013.

Although his club decided to go in a different direction, Ferguson again praised Mourinho this week during the filming of a BT Sport documentary.

"It is unfair really,

"He’s good looking, he’s got that sort of George Clooney bit in his hair now. But I think he is a great example, he can speak five languages or whatever he can.

"He goes and becomes an interpreter for Bobby Robson, follows him to Barcelona, works under Louis Van Gaal; he is learning all the time.

"He [Mourinho] has got a determination, he wants to be a coach.

"He never played the game, by the way – you tell me how many presidents would give a manager a job who has never played the game? None. But he has done it.

"Then he goes and manages a small team in Portugal, then goes to Porto and wins the league, wins the Uefa Cup, wins the European Cup, goes to Chelsea and wins the league. Goes to Inter Milan.

"That is an example to anyone who wants to do well, you shouldn’t let the barriers get in your way if you want to get there."

This is well put by Ferguson, as Mourinho's achievements have been even more impressive considering he didn't take a traditional route into football management. He also looks on course to add another league title to his CV this season as well.

Mourinho for his part recalled this week that when their sides first met at Stamford Bridge, shortly after he took over at Chelsea, that the wine he was expected to share with Ferguson wasn't up to scratch.

"It was Chelsea Football Club catering that bought the wine, and obviously the wine was not the top quality that the boss deserves. It was quite funny but disappointing.

"So the next time we play against each other, I called a friend and I told him, the best I want the best.

"And from that moment always the same bottle when I play against the boss."

When asked what made Ferguson so special, Mourinho replied:

"Everything, his talent, the time he put his talent at the service of Manchester United and football in general.

The passion that he has put in to everything, and after that in private moments, obviously, a good friend, a good person, a fantastic sense of humour. I like him very, very much.

Now and again I've had questions to put to him and the way he has answered to me was always magnificent and a great support."

Dortmund's Walking Wounded

2014-11-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund, suffering through one of their worst season in years, were dealt a terrible blow on Sunday during their draw with Bundesliga newcomers Paderborn when Marco Reus went down with an injury.

The German international will miss the remainder of 2014 and adds to the list of woes for the struggling side.

The Dortmund playmaker, whose campaign has already been blighted with injury, picked up his latest knock when Paderborn's Marvin Bakalorz clattered into him during Saturday's 2-2 draw.

Jurgen Klopp bemoaned his side's performance in the second half and although he said he respected the work being done in Paderborn he was obviously annoyed with the nature of Reus' injury.

This Wednesday, Dortmund take on Arsenal in the Champions League with Marco Reus, Sven Bender, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Mats Hummels and Nuri Sahin all either missing through injury or doubtful to start.

With Dortmund sitting on a perfect twelve points from four matches in Group D, the concern may be more about turning around their league form and climbing out of fifteenth spot than their Champions League progress.

One possible piece of good news emerged on Monday though when Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho waved away suggestions that the West London side will be pursuing Reus' signature.

"We don't want Marco Reus," he said Monday. "The market is closed and the player belongs to Borussia. We have top players in this position.

"We are not interested, not at all."

Now whether or not Bayern Munich will come calling next summer is another matter entirely.

FFN - Jose Mourinho Releases a Book of Life Advice

2014-11-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

Jose Mourinho is one of the most successful, and outspoken, football managers of the past decade.

With multiple titles in Portugal, England and Spain, to go along with success in the UEFA Champions League, Mourinho is rightly lauded for his accomplishments.

Hoping to transfer his success from football management over to the literary world, Mourinho has taken an unusual first step though.

Rather than a typical ghost written autobiography that goes into painstaking detail about his working relationship with Deco, the Chelsea boss will be releasing a book on his philosophy on life. The book is not football-centric, but rather contains lessons for anyone looking to be more successful and assertive in their careers or life in general.

Here are a few excerpts from his new book "Be Champions":

Be the Special One

One of the secrets to my success is to always exude confidence. Walk into a meeting at work and own the room. Immediately tell everyone that you're special, your opinion is the only valid one and that they simply have to follow your lead. You can try this at home as well, but the success of this approach will be entirely dependent upon the character of your spouse, of course.

Develop a Siege Mentality

Everyone might not be against you, but it's better if you and more importantly your colleagues believe that people are lining up to knock you down. It's not paranoia, it's good psychology that will keep you on edge and ready for anything an opponent, be it a former girlfriend, work rival, or parking enforcement officer has to throw at you.

Middle Management Can't Be Trusted

There can be no layer between you and the person who controls the budget. It's simply unacceptable to have a top heavy management structure that is wrapped up with red tape. If you're a manager at your place of work, your first priority is to undermine your director and any other upper management layers between you and the CEO. It has to be the Owner, CEO, or President and you, with no one in between. When I want a new player or you want a new colour printer, neither of us want to go through channels to get the money we need, do we?

Sometimes Insults Work

It may seem a bit like you're reverting back to school yard with this behaviour, but a well placed insult can seriously undermine a sensitive opponent. Calling someone who has a history of coming up short at work "an expert in failure" is both hurtful and yet effective. Again, this technique can be used in the home but exercise extreme caution, particularly if the person you're insulting typically prepares your food.

Thank you for reading FootyFair's Friday Fake News. Please note that none of the above is true.

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5 Interesting Manager Facts - José Mourinho

2014-11-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

José Mourinho is a colorful character in the world of football so pin-pointing 5 specific interesting facts about the current Chelsea bench-boss is quite hard. Nonetheless, here are the 5 facts we put together for what may be just the first part of many in the 5 Interesting Manager Facts - José Mourinho series.

9 years without a home loss

The title is not wrong, José Mourinho went 9 years as manager having not lost a single home match with any of his clubs during that time in league play. In February of 2002 Mourinho's FC Porto side lost a home league meeting to Beira-Mar by a final score of 3-2. The Portuguese manager would be on his third job since being in charge at Porto, when his Real Madrid side suffered a 1-0 home league loss to Sporting Gijon in April of 2011.

A day in business school

When Mourinho was 23 years old his playing career came to end due to lack of skill more than anything else. Mourinho's mother wished for her son to become a businessman and she signed him up for business classes. José Mourinho spent exactly a single day in the course before quitting and deciding to concentrate on sports instead.

Quote of the day

José Mourinho is well known in the football world for his sometimes outragous comments and interview replies. But of the endless amount of incredible Mourinho quotes, one of his earliest is also one of the most arrogant and funny ones of all time:

(José Mourinho talks about coach Jesualdo Ferreira who was most recently the manager of Braga)

"One is a coach with a 30-year career, the other with a three-year one. The one with 30 years has never won anything; the one with three years has won a lot. The one with a 30-year career will be forgotten when he ends it; the one with three could end it right now and he could never be erased from history. This could be the story of a donkey who worked for 30 years but never became a horse."

In his father's footsteps

José Mourinho's father Felix was also a footballer and football manager later in his career. His time as a professional player was spent between Vitória Setúbal and Belenenses, while picking up a single cap for Portugal's national team. José Mourinho also played for Belenenses (while his father coached there) although the two have never managed the same club, with José's list a much more impressive one.

Once below par

To date José Mourinho has managed 7 clubs, including his current second stint with Chelsea. Only with one of those clubs the 'Special One' managed to have a competitive record in which his squad had not won more matches than they drew and lost combined. With União de Leiria (Mourinho's 2nd club in charge) the bench-boss' record was 9 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses. So while still considered a winning record because he had more wins than losses, with every other club he had managed the amount of wins for his club surpasses that of their losses and draws when added up.

Mid-Week Rants: Mourinho is Right to Challenge Atmosphere at The Bridge

2014-11-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

In recent days Chelsea FC bench-boss Jose Mourinho has complained about the atmosphere created by Chelsea supporters during home matches at Stamford Bridge. But the criticism was not welcomed by all Blues fans and the Portuguese manager had to quickly explain himself in front of the Chelsea faithful, saying that he only said what he did because he 'cares so much'.

Perhaps comparing Chelsea's home atmosphere to that of a match held in an empty stadium is a bit much, but Mourinho has every right to critisize the home fans if he wants.

Let's face it, Stamford Bridge is not the loudest in the English Premier League and while it's no Emirates (I apologize to all the Arsenal fans out there, but it's true) the atmosphere at the Bridge can get quite dull at times. Mourinho is probably just fed-up with having to travel to places like Britannia and realize that the fans there that have never seen much success can be a lot more enthusiastic than the ones he brought so much glory to.

And where does Stamford Bridge rank when it comes to stadium atmosphere in the EPL?

If we take just the top tier in England into account, there are at least 5-6 stadiums that are louder and more passionate than Chelsea's ground. As mentioned above, Stoke City's Britannia Stadium, Anfield, St. James' Park and White Hart Lane are just some that come to mind being a lot more 'electric' than the venue in South East London. And if we take into account stadiums from all across the leagues in the country, with places such as Elland Road and even Fratton Park a few years back, Stamford Bridge will fall right out of any sort of contention for being a loud home for a football club.

There's also the fact that the Portuguese manager was able to win 6 major trophies while in charge of The Blues, and should be allowed to criticize the home fans if he chooses to do so when the atmosphere they create is not up to par. After all, they would sure critisize his management skills if their beloved club wasn't doing as well as it is.

Mourinho compares crowd to the floodlight operator...who took twenty minutes to turn the lights on: