NO – Fiona Tomas
If Mourinho is to become the latest victim of the ‘come and go’ managerial culture that English football has so tediously become a slave to, it would be, as they say in Portuguese, “cereja em cima do bolo” – or the icing on the cake.
There is something wholly detestable about this latest footballing philosophy that has toxically manifested itself in the minds of club chairmen. Massimo Cellino is a fine example of this – and who knows how long poor Steve Evans will have at Leeds United before the next guinea pig is brought in. If Mourinho becomes another Brendan Rogers or Tim Sherwood, surely alarm bells will start ringing?
As far as Mourinho is concerned, they already are ringing. The Portuguese has always relished being in the limelight. But this season, after an unprecedented six defeats out of eleven Premier League matches for his Chelsea side, he’s loathing it. This statistic is Mourinho’s most recent record, a far cry from the one set when his side stormed to their first top-flight title since 1955 and with it set a new record points total of 95.
Not all Chelsea fans, it seems, want to call the final whistle on the Portuguese. He was clearly backed by noisy home fans in their 2-1 victory over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night in an encouraging display by his side, where support was voiced from every corner of Stamford Bridge.
And they are right to do so. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Mourinho has character. Everyone was raving about him upon his return to the Premier League two seasons ago, with critics saying that it had truly missed one of its greatest gaffers. Although his occasional arrogance more often than not makes him appear rude and arguably overshadows his managerial success, Eva Carneiro might not need a boss, but Chelsea do.
Mourinho loves Chelsea – he wouldn’t have returned to the Premier League for any other team, not least one that would fire him. Some Chelsea fans, including Abramovich, might have the blues, but so does ‘‘The Special One’’, too.
YES – Nancy Gillen
THIS side of the debate may be a rather biased one, as it is in my Gooner DNA to hate Jose Mourinho. However, no matter who you support, it’s clear that Mourinho must go.
The job of a manager is to get results. This season, Chelsea has recorded loss after loss, having won only three league games since August. They lie in the unfamiliar position of 15th. However, they deserve their mid-table placing at the moment, with their play lacking creativity, energy and determination. . If the performance of a manager is assessed purely on results, then Mourinho must go.
However, it doesn’t just come down to results, especially with Jose Mourinho. Many Chelsea fans would see it as a betrayal to sack “The Special One”, who in all fairness has brought the club up to the dizzying heights from which it is now tumbling. They argue that his record with other clubs such as Real Madrid and Inter suggests his recent performance must surely be an aberration. How can a manager who won at least one trophy every year between 2003 and 2012 suddenly lose his magic touch?
However I don’t think it’s a case of Mourinho losing his touch, rather one of his reputation and ego getting the better of him, and this is starting to affect the club. The incident with Eva Carneiro was disgraceful and must have had its repercussions within the team as well as among the public. It is hard to see the Chelsea players not losing respect for Mourinho, as he openly criticised a qualified doctor.
His behaviour during post-match interviews shows his arrogance and his belief that nothing is his fault. Though probably just an act for the media, Mourinho cannot take responsibility for his failures and instead challenges the officiating, and due to this has now been banned from the touchline for Chelsea’s next game.
In short, I think Mourinho’s behaviour is damaging Chelsea. Results aren’t going their way, and the Portuguese manager is simply a negative influence at the moment. If Chelsea can get rid of the overpowering idea that Mourinho is ‘‘The Special One”, they would do well to start afresh.
Featured image: eplsscouts.com