A statement on the Chelsea website has announced that: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."
My first reaction was shock, but when you look at it, I'm actually not THAT surprised. Sure, if you looked at the pre-season betting odds on the first premiership manager to get the sack, you may have seen one of the newly promoted teams' manager there, or someone like Sammy Lee. But I'm sure Jose's name would've probably featured fairly high up, certainly top of the 'big four'.
It is hardly surprising when you think of the millions that have been ploughed into the club since Abramovich has taken over, that winning the league is not enough. Champions League success was what Mourinho is judged on, and although he was only given one game in that competition this year (an unconvincing draw with the 1000-1 outsiders for the competition, Rosenburg) he has also had a poor start to the Premiership.
It will be interesting to see how Grant fairs as manager, and the role that Abramovich will play in the management of the team. The rift between Mourinho and Abramovich widely documented last season, however Grant and he are reported to be 'close friends'.
Oh, and Chris... I wouldn't pay too much attention to Liz's ribbings on your blog yesterday - when I told her that Mourinho had been sacked she said in a panicked voice... "He's not in my fantasy football team is he!?" He he he
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment