Jose Mourinho News Archives

What do two (well, technically three) straight Serie A championships buy you? Not job security, if you’re Roberto Mancini.

For all of the recent success that Inter Milan have had domestically, such success eluded them continentally in the Mancini regime, and in many before him.

Not bringing home the titles on the biggest stage is a good ticket to the ‘little brother’ complex, and for many others, a veritable revolving door of managers, when your biggest rival - who you not only share a city with, but a stadium as well - has two in this decade and five since your last one, before quite a few of SL’s readers (or parents, for some) were born.

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The Serie A fixture list was released last week, and the first match day of the campaign offers up the chance for an early look at how the races for the scudetto and European places could take shape.

Jose Mourinho may say he doesn’t care about the fixture list, but it certainly has handed him a tough debut, as Inter Milan will open their title defense with a trip to Sampdoria. Inter only managed a 1-1 draw in their league tie at Sampdoria last season, and if they can only get a point right out of the gate, it could put them in an early hole behind some of their fellow title challengers.

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Even if Jose Mourinho wins FA in his Inter tenure, one thing is guaranteed - he will raise Chelsea’s Inter’s profile through the press in an astronomical way.

Whether he baits the media and opposition managers and players with the same ‘hate me if you can’ approach or whether he shows us a different side with charm and loving oozing from his pores still remains to be seen, but Mourinho will make Inter more of a global brand thanks to his own notoriety.

This brings us to the reason Mourinho was brought onboard - helping Inter win the Champions League and continue their domestic domination. And of course, the chance of grabbing a few of his old friends from Chelsea.

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Reports in Italy say that Jose Mourinho has given the Inter board a deadline should they wish to hire him. That deadline was rumoured to be midnight tonight, but as the clock is ticking in Italy, nothing has been announced so far.

Still, Portuguese newspaper A Bola has announced that a deal has in fact been done between the former Chelsea boss and the Inter board. Mourinho is rumoured to earn about €9 million per season for the duration of his three year contract. That should be enough to feed his family good omelets.

Should the Mourinho deal go through, current Inter manager, Roberto Mancini will be left without a job. The Italian is thought to be interested in filling the vacancy at Chelsea, according to Football Italia. However Abramovich seems to be reluctant to let Mancini take over from Avram Grant as they look to bring in a manager with great man-management, at least that is what The Guardian thinks.

The same A Bola that thinks the Mourinho deal is almost done has also reported that Luis Figo’s future at the Milan club could depend on who is manager at Inter next season. The Portuguese veteran has declared that he will leave if Mancini stays and this should put extra pressure on Massimo Moratti to make a decision about who will manage his team next year.

[Sources: A Bola, Football Italia, The Guardian]

For Doncaster and Leeds United supporters, Sunday was an eventful day. For everybody else it was a complete bore from a football perspective. It was so bad that English tabloids, otherwise known for their integrity and professionalism, had to resort to outrageous transfer speculation to fill their pages.

Luckily, Monday morning has made up for yesterday’s lack of activity. So, apart from the League One playoff final, there are some other stories to report as well. Iraq makes football headlines as does Mourinho (surprise!), the first major transfer of the summer is finally announced and Capello is delusional.

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There is some news from the weekend to get caught up on, but first, there’s an actual signing to report.

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On Wednesday, 9 April, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reached his fifth Champions League semifinal after his club progressed at the expense of AS Roma.

Only Carlo Ancelotti has reached so many semifinals as head coach in this competition. What’s interesting to note here is both Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez have made it to 3 semi-finals each, and at their (relatively) young age it’s quite likely that they will get to a few more semi-finals, assuming that they go in the upward trajectory that their career paths have suggested till now.

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There’s been a lot of criticism for Avram Grant, most of it undeserved (he’s NOT the best manager in the world, and sometimes his players just don’t play well enough). But if there’s one arena Grant definitely lacks in, it’s the ability to deal with other managers.

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Update: Jose Mourinho has denied any meeting with Inter. In an official statement:

“I say categorically that it is not true that I went to Milan, that I met with Massimo Moratti (the Inter president), who I do not have the pleasure of knowing personally.

It is false to say that I am on the point of signing a contract with Inter Milan.”

So much for that…

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Now think about that headline for a second - doesn’t it make you curious? Doesn’t it jump out at you as a paradox - regardless of the terms (and they were not as bad or acrimonious as the media would like you to believe) Mourinho left Chelsea on, for him to say something like this to the fans and players he loves? So crude and so violent - it’s almost as if you’re dreaming.

Except you’re not, and the headline is a play on what Mourinho said - less vicious but equally interesting and superbly calculated.

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Congratulations to Matthew Upson and David Bentley on their deserved call-ups to Fabio Capello’s England squad. It cannot have been easy to rebuild their confidence after having their dreams of making it at Arsenal crushed by a perceived anti-English bias from the manager.

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Here are some notable quotes made during the past year. Each was stated by the named individual; however, my responses were created, and are not meant to represent the views of the individuals. Nor libel them in any way. This is both a factual and (hopefully) a light-hearted article.

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For those who, during these times of holiday cheer, are hoping for the quick return of their favorite Portuguese manager (hidden perhaps, in the gift bag of Santa Claus… not much of a stretch from laundry baskets), rejoice! The ‘Special One’ is back!

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While Don Fabio has been more or less confirmed as the next England gaffer, has the FA made the right choice or is it another instance of going with the second best. The idea is to dispassionately look at statistics and evaluate the various contenders for the England post.

We look at the club and the country record of Don Fabio, Marcelo Lippi, Jose “Special One” Mourinho, Martin O’Neill, Jurgen Klinsmann, Luis Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink. Just to compare we also have the statistics on Sven “Iceman” Eriksson and Steve “I-can-do-it” McLaren.

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The footballing merry-go-round appears to be in full swing and all the circus seems to have one man at the centre: one Jose Mourinho.

Since his departure by mutual assent from Chelsea, Mourinho has been the hotly chased, rather the hotly contested, manager in Europe. Reports are riff that the Portuguese is England’s first choice and some have even suggested that the English FA has already help talks with the former Porto and Chelsea boss.

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So is Jose Mourinho the final choice? If the BBC is to be believed, then it’s certainly so. It has reported that the English FA have made an approach to the former FC Porto and Chelsea FC manager.

That Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes has been approached by the FA is confirmed (or so say the Guardian). But he would be among a few. At the moment the FA is still uncertain to whom to hand the baton to take England to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and it is this uncertainly that is at the heart of a plethora of allegations making the rounds in English and European press.

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Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Michel Platini, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Fabio Capello, Franz Beckenbauer…… Take you pick, it’s free for all at the moment. But what if the captain of England is asked to make his choice? Whom would he like to be entrusted with the most difficult job in football, that is, taking the role of the England coach?

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I’d love to believe all I read in the papers, but I have a cynical disposition when it comes to the managerial merry-go-round which has been busily whirling for the last eight weeks in England.

It started with José Mourinho parting from one job and it could end, albeit temporarily as far as the back page agenda is concerned, with the triumphant return of the same man at Soho Square. However, while the ‘Special One’ smiles enigmatically and answers in riddles on being doorstepped in Portugal, his pals and confidants are adamant the two-time Premiership title winner is willing to consider taking the highest managerial office in the English game.

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They’re a fickle sort, the Football Association. 18 games into a four-year contract, Steve McLaren was dismissed following his failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

While fickle, I have to say I totally agree with the FA’s decision. This time. The fact is that McLaren never should have been appointed in the first place. A fine number two he may be, but the amount of times he looked entirely out of his depth tactically and his total failure to control the immense egos of some of the side’s supposed superstars made England rather hilarious to watch at times.

Unless of course, you’re an England fan. As a Scot, I have to say I feel sorry for the Auld Enemy. Scotland’s last two managers have done such a good job that big club sides have came knocking and stolen them away. England’s last two managers have been terminated after a series of failures, or in Sven Goran Eriksson’s case, apparent failures. Personally I think three consecutive quarter-finals appearances is not a bad record - especially compared to McLaren’s.

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The sacking of McLaren on Thursday came as no surprise. To be honest, even if England had qualified, McLaren would have been unemployed next summer. Another thing that was not surprising was Mourinho’s emergence as most fans’ favourite to take the England job. With an amazing record at Chelsea and Porto in the past several years, an attitude which makes him hated by all of his opponents and his ability to keep even the most pretentious player in check it sounds reasonable to think that he would really be the perfect man. But would he really be as good most think he will be? I think not.

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The names tied to Steve McLaren’s succession as England manager are flocking, both in the British press as well as abroad. The job divides opinion: some consider it one of the top international posts, while others see it as a poisoned chalice, but either way the English FA should be making a decision within the next week. So meanwhile while we wait, let’s have a look at the potential candidates.
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Chelsea Football Club was shocked by the departure of Jose Mourinho on 20th September, and after their 2-0 loss to Manchester United in Avram Grant’s first game fans would have hoped that it could only improve.

Now, however, with the news that Ten Cate has confirmed that he will become Chelsea’s assistant coach, it looks like Roman Abramovich will finally get some semblance of the attacking football he so desires. Henk Ten Cate signed a three year deal worth around £1.8 million a year, and will co-operate with Steve Clarke under Grant to try and make Chelsea fight their way back into the title race.

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This article is a submission for the Soccerlens Football Writing Competition; to participate, please read the details here.

Written by Franky.

When Roman Abrahamovich months ago already, in May decided that Jose Mourinho had to leave Chelsea F.C, after having missed out on the UCL finale once more, there were only little options. Options as in possible managers for the toy club of the billionaire. Actually there were only two managers worthy enough for Roman’s dreams.

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Back in May we put up a Jose Mourinho page on Soccerlens, full of the (former) Chelsea manager’s greatest quotes.

After the Special One’s departure, it only seems right to update what is the most complete list of Jose Mourinho quotes online.

Here you go guys:

The Jose Mourinho Page.

Give it up for the Special One, he will be missed. Let’s hope he turns up somewhere soon - the Premier League is worse off without him, Rafa’s gripes notwithstanding.

From the Guardian: The many faces of Jose Mourinho

Martin Jol thinks that no one - NO ONE! - could have done better than him at Tottenham in the time that he’s been there.

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Chelsea fans should be worried.

The man that brought Chelsea at least one of every major domestic title has finally left the club. I can’t say I am surprised, as the clashes between Jose Mourinho and billionaire owner Roman Abramovich have been widely covered. The Russian finally won out, and Chelsea is left with an interim manager who isn’t half of what Jose was.

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Before anyone condemns this article, I’m not trying to say that USA National Team Coach Bob Bradley is doing a bad job. That’s not what this is about. This is about an opportunity. If US Soccer really wants to become a world power, then it needs to finally do what every other major national team has done. Hire a major international coach to handle things for the team.

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Mourinho’s shocking departure has left one of the hottest managerial seats in football unoccupied. As the quality of Chelsea’s squad is immense and Abramovich’s chequebook is thicker than the latest Harry Potter book, it should come as no surprise if managers will form a queue to apply for the job at The Bridge.

So this naturally opens the door for a ton of speculation, but realistically speaking, who could actually take the job with immediate effect? Avram Grant has been named as manager for the time being but Abramovich will most likely look for a manager with credentials (Ed: And the desire to win playing ’stylish football’, apparently..

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Update: Avram Grant (the director of football brought in from Pompey) is set to takeover at Chelsea. My bet is that he’s going to be there till January or May max, when Chelsea are going to poach either Ramos or Rijkaard (and Ronaldinho as well).

I’ll leave the debate on why Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea (the departure has been confirmed by Chelsea FC, and the official word is that he left by mutual consenst) - my opinion on this won’t change facts and at the end of they day we’ll find out soon once Jose Mourinho decides to speak to the press.

Chelsea’s future is one of concern, albeit on a personal level not as much of a concern as that of Jose Mourinho’s future. Let’s look at the different possibilities for each (and I’m not kidding or baiting with Tottenham there, just bear with me on this).

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Will he or won’t he?

With wonderkid Wayne Rooney itching to get back to first-team action there were rumours that he could be brought back, in some role, for the Manchester United v Everton game. Highly unlikely that something like this would happen, what with World Cup 2006 still fresh in SAF’s mind.

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