What next for the Special One?
Jose Mourinho has proved before that he isn’t untouchable at Chelsea. After a while in the job, the brand new suit of armour he always brings with him begins to show signs of rust, before completely crumbling to dust, (or should that be iron filings?)
After short spells at clubs, where he has invariably been successful, he has tended to move on to a different challenge. Having won the Champions League in two different countries his main ambition now is to win a third. He would prefer that to be with Chelsea but, should that not be possible, don’t be surprised to see him at another English club.
He seems to crave longevity now, probably as he gets older the wanderlust isn’t as strong as it once was. Also he has achieved lot of what he set out to achieve, so the idea of actually settling down somewhere for a while must be quite appealing.
Wherever he ends up plying his trade he would do well to remember that the standard of refereeing in England is regarded as one of the highest in the world, although sometimes that says more about other countries than our own. He is unlikely to have a more peaceful life should he decide to move to Italy, Germany, Spain or France.
What he is certainly finding is that success both at Chelsea and elsewhere is no guarantee of job retention, particularly with Roman Abramovich. He seems to have an ethic about how the club is portrayed and I get the feeling that he thinks Mourinho crosses that line occasionally.
Unlike his great friend, Sir Alex Ferguson who, because he had spent so long at one club and brought them massive success, could get away with a lot more than Jose ever could. United would forgive Ferguson almost anything, Mourinho is likely to find out, again, that this is not the case at Chelsea.
Even Louis van Gaal, one of the most successful club managers around is having to take some stick at United.
There are calls for his head from some United fans. Mainly because of the boring football being played but there is a growing feeling that his stubborn refusal to drop his worst player, i.e. Rooney, will actually cause more problems than the style of football. I doubt it will reach the stage whereby van Gaal loses his job as his results don’t merit that course of action. He also only has a three year contract and is now into his second year so the United board, barring a calamity, are likely to stick with him for the duration.
One manager who has been advised to look for alternative employment is “Tactics” Tim Sherwood. Always a press friendly chap with an honest opinion and truthful assessment, this trait did not stand him in good stead at Tottenham, where Daniel Levy preferred his managers to appear boring, whether or not they actually were.
It would seem that this has also done for him at Aston Villa. I feel that, although results were awful, he would have been given longer had he not been quite so honest and truthful. Spending £50 million then blaming somebody else when it goes wrong may be factual, but it isn’t perceived as democratic within the club.
In my humble opinion, Sherwood is one of those managers who needs to learn the trade starting in a lower division. I have no doubt that he could be a really good manager but he has started at too high a level.
So the managerial merry-go-round continues apace. Jurgen Klopp is discovering that running around a lot more than they used to is turning Liverpool defeats into Liverpool draws and Steve Evans is now in a job where he will lose weight…..and hair……and teeth. Not to worry because, on the other hand, he will gain……wrinkles…….grey in the hair he has left…… and worry lines.
Good luck to them all because, although they are very well paid, luck is something they cannot buy.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 