Mr Sheepskin - as he sees it
Jose has gone, Jose is no longer, Jose has left the Bridge. Which ever way you choose to phrase it one thing is clear – Jose Mourinho has parted company with Chelsea.
Many people think my job is simply to speak (loudly) on things as I see them on a football pitch. I find that laughable. I work in the game, I live it, I breathe it, I hear things, I see dead people. Me and my moustache have been privy to a lot of confidential information in recent seasons. I drink at the bars of every football club and I pick up things - titbits of information, gossip, tittle tattle and occasionally the odd barmaid. One day I hope to get one that doesn’t look quite so odd.
I can give you the inside track on the two questions I have been asked most often today. Namely, “Why did Jose Mourinho leave Chelsea?” and secondly, “What are you doing in my back garden?”
Here you have a classic case of two big egos rubbing up against each other, rather like two women you might see during the late night freeview on the Red Hot channel. The constant rubbing (I’m back talking about egos now) caused growing friction and tension between the two main protagonists at the Bridge. Something had to give. And in my experience whenever you have an argument with someone in a football club, it’s usually the guy who owns that club who comes up on top.
In a battle of popularity on the terraces between Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho there is only one winner. Chelsea fans were firmly in the Mourinho camp, hard though it is to imagine the sharp suited Portugeezer slumming it at the likes of Glastonbury. However that counted for absolutely nothing. Will Chelsea fans now round on their chairman?
After all, what has Roman ever done for Chelsea? Apart from rescuing them from the brink of bankruptcy, pumping in millions of snarlers, winning the Premiership twice, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup. Possibly his finest achievement was getting rid of Ken Bates.
What next for Jose? Well, sources close to me tell me that Mourinho may be on his way back to his old club and that makes perfect sense to me. Any Porto in a storm.
At the end of the day I’m paid to trot out as many clichés as I possibly can during Premier League games. Sometimes though I do have clear and original thoughts. Here’s one I was told earlier: I see the Chelsea era in the Premeirship as being well and truly over.
Why? Well Roman Abramovich has slashed his spending, Jose disciples John Terry and Frank Lampard will soon be on their way out of the club and they now have a guy called Avram at the helm.
Remember, take care of yourself and take care of others as well. But look after number one first.
All the best,
Mr Sheepskin
20th September 2007
