Soccerphile Editorial - March 2010
Why English football would welcome the return of Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge as manager of Inter Milan evoked memories of the not too distant past, not only for Chelsea fans but football supporters in England as a whole on Tuesday night.
Love him or hate him, the Portuguese boss is the closest thing we've had in England to Brian Clough since Old Big 'Ead passed away in 2004.
"Egotistical, cynical and brilliant," were the words used by The Times journalist Matt Dickinson to describe Mourinho this week. Words which could so easily have applied to Mr Clough too.
Mourinho is not a man of half measures. He arrived in the UK announcing himself as 'the special one' and two successive Premiership titles with Chelsea in 2005 and 2006 proved his self-professed title was warranted. It's more than just the trophy wins that make you stand up and take notice of the Setubal-born manager though.
The real appeal of Mourinho is his personality - his unpredictability, his ego and his passion. In a country where a national manager once stood lifeless with a umbrella in the pouring rain for nearly 90 minutes as England failed to qualify for a major national championships, such values are greatly appreciated.
Mourinho first sprung to attention in England in 2004 as manager of Porto. When Costinha scored a famous equaliser for the Portuguese side at Old Trafford, thus knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League, the boss ran half the length of the touchline before sliding along the surface on his knees. To some that behaviour could have been classed as pure and unnecessary indulgence.
To English fans it was just nice to see a manager for whom the game mattered as much to him as it did to them.
It's rare that such a shameless egotist, who's self worth borders on the fringes of arrogance has been accepted into the hearts of the people here. In the three years Mourinho has been away in Italy, everyone has realised life is far more dull without him though.
The press loved Mourinho because he provided them with lyrical gold. No press conference with the Portuguese boss would ever involve dull clichés or 'game at a time' type remarks. He was perfect TV too. His facial expressions and gesticulations on the touchline spoke a million words and his dress sense was well-suited to Kings Road near to where he took charge of Chelsea.
His power to surprise was emphasised throwing both his league title medals into the crowd at Stamford Bridge in 2006. Unfortunately it was to prove a fleeting farewell gift to the Chelsea faithful too, with Mourinho's uncompromising personality proving too much for certain individuals at the club. While he's unlikely to ever take the helm at Chelsea again, few would rule out a return to these shores in the near future.
Mourinho has been repeatedly quoted since leaving Chelsea regarding his love for English culture and football. The manager kept the door ajar for a return to the Premiership after the match this week too.
"I have, as I said before, three things to do in my career - one is to come back to English football; another thing is to win the Spanish championship, because no one has won Italian, English and Spanish titles; and another one, when I'm old, is to coach my national team. But, for now, I would like to keep winning with Inter."
Speculation is already rife regarding a future destination for Jose. Some view him as a natural successor for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, while others wonder whether he could offer similar powers of resurrection to Liverpool as he brought to Stamford Bridge. Manchester City would be in the position to offer him near unlimited resources, if he fancied piecing a side together.
For most fans, the choice of future destination is irrelevant, as long as he's heading back to England. Jose Mourinho is a man that brings a certain sparkle to the game here and his return, whether it be with United, City, Liverpool or anyone else, would be the greater for it.
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