SPECIAL REPORT
José Mourinho’s early years were something. A domestic double and Big Vase in his first full season as head coach of Porto, he led them to a shock Big Cup the following season. At Chelsea, the ‘Special One’ did what Claudio Ranieri could not: turn a disjointed team into a winning machine; in the era of Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and a Europe-toppling Liverpool, no less. Two Premier League titles, three Fizzy Cups and one FA Cup in three years at Stamford Bridge. Ridiculous. His Inter spell was another triumph, culminating in a famous treble; where he sank That Barcelona team on their way to another Grand Cup. Things didn’t get much better for Barça upon arrival at the Bernabéu, as Real Madrid won La Liga and Pep Guardiola was run out of town.
If Mourinho had hung up his whiteboard after those days in Madrid, he would have seriously shouted that he was possibly the best manager to ever sit in a dugout. Maybe not in terms of total silverware, or club legend, but from 2002 to 2012, no football manager has ever had a better decade. Winning major cups with Porto and even an aging Inter side was outrageous behaviour. Ferguson, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs could only watch as Chelsea romped to back-to-back Premier League titles. And possibly beat the best Barcelona team ever the biggest club team ever assembled – winning the Spanish title with a record 100 points and 121 goals is absolutely wild.
However, José has let the good ship sail in the intervening twelve years, and things have slowed down a bit. Another Premier League title followed upon his return to Chelsea, but then threads started to pull in his luxurious wool coat. More European trophies followed at Manchester United, Tottenham (just kidding) and Roma, but these quickly became flaws, and the flaws became holes. By the end of Mourinho’s spell at Roma, José was in fact a professional vibesman, a tragic thespian, pulling faces for the cameras, inventing new ways to be the center of attention on the sidelines and the members of the crowd blamed for his mistakes. On Tuesday, with Roma in ninth place and another home season in mediocrity, Mourinho was quietly ushered out of a back door called Do One and a new era was born.
Only Maximus Decimus Meridius, the Pope and Francesco Totti have more influence in Rome than Daniele De Rossi, and despite a disappointing managerial spell at Spal, the former gladiators midfielder was ushered into the hot seat in a three-bed semi with the enthusiasm of Dion Dublin . “I know no other way than dedication, daily sacrifices and giving everything I have to face the challenges that await us,” De Rossi roared. “The excitement of being able to sit on our couch is indescribable. Everyone knows what Roma means to me. However, the work that awaits us all has already been prioritized.” But what now for José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix? The show must go on. Newcastle, Saudi Arabia and even Porto have all been mentioned as possible landing pads. Mourinho has been a pain in people’s backs and eyes for a while now, but he will definitely give us another nod. Another knee slide. One more cup of ear to heaven. Never before has there been a manager so determined to end things on his terms. This won’t be the end.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Of course I would accept it, that has been my dream. There would be a lot of good football players.” After revealing he would have loved to coach Liverpool in his lifetime, Sven-Göran Eriksson says he would jump at the chance to manage a legendary team at Anfield after Reds fans put plans in motion to make it happen . The Swedish former England manager announced last week that he has terminal cancer and “at best” has a year to live.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
It’s a nice story to blame the Football League for what’s going on in Reading (yesterday’s Football Daily), but it’s wrong. As long as a potential owner passes the owners and directors test (no relevant convictions, big money) the EFL cannot stop the purchase of a club. As a membership organization, it only knows the rules that the members have agreed on. Those are the club owners. The EFL is run quite well under Trevor Birch. I’m not sure if that was so true under Shaun Harvey, but I doubt rules will stop someone who simply runs a club terribly. Unless you have an NFL-like system where every owner has to be approved and there is no relegation, some bad owners will slip through. Good luck getting the 72 current CEOs to vote for a system that would allow the EFL to take over a club from its owners and sell it. Blaming the EFL for enforcing its rules and not enforcing rules it doesn’t have just seems perverse. I’m not saying the rules are great, but they are what they are. It is also worth pointing out that the EFL attempted to ban Dai Yongge from football for 12 months, which might not have forced a sale but would have helped, but was rejected by an independent disciplinary committee. It’s hard to see what else it can do” – Matt Robb.
Reading about Reading and the name of their ‘owner’ reminded me of the time I received a bicycle for Christmas one year as a youngster. The bike itself was very nice, but I have to say that ‘Dai Yung’, the tire brand on it, did not give me any confidence when I set out” – Greg Wynn.
On Troy Deeney’s trials at Forest Green (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition). I have found it strange that the genteel commune of Nailsworth, having built a club in the Cotswolds on wood, tofu and dissolvable socks (I may not have kept track exactly), has recently sought managers exclusively from the ‘handful in the sky ‘. makes himself aware, doesn’t mind in his centre-forward. First Duncan Ferguson; Now anyone who enjoys a nice sherry better hope it works out well for Troy, or maybe it’s the next Billy Whitehurst” – Jon Millard.
Did you know that Manchester City has been a good choice for Crystal Palace? In the 2022/23 season, when Palace had the ball, they fouled the ball every 1.7 minutes, home and away. And yet in the same season they played the derby against United on home ground and made a mistake while only having the ball once in 13.8 minutes. These types of fair playing times (FPTs) need to be reported more often” – David Rose.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. The winner of today’s newsletter is… Jon Millard, who will receive a copy of The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament, published by Pitch Publishing. Visit their football bookstore here.