The Only One - Jose Mourinho

Anyone else actually going to miss Mourinho? I know he wasn't exactly likable, however the fact that he stayed for 3 years (not common) and he was really controversial. Just got used to him.

I'll miss him but even I am glad we're starting fresh again.

It was either Mou or Iker and honestly there was only ever going to be one winner there.

@Zealous - Have to say 9 out of 10 times you post the exact same thoughts I have. Of course you put them out very well.

@Yohan - I will miss him at Madrid and but happy at the same time as everybody needed a change. I esp. liked the way Perez put things in perspective so did Arbeloa.

As Zealous rightly asked to mark his words - Special One will come back.

Mourinho on Casillas:

Jose Mourinho has explained why Iker Casillas did not feature in his plans at Real Madrid and on how the club are now in a better state for the next Coach.

Mourinho has reflected this week in an extensive interview with Punto Pelota on his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, which has now come to an end after three mixed years.

On from yesterday asserting Cristiano Ronaldo’s issue with taking criticism, the 50-year-old has looked to clarify why Iker Casillas did not play for him in the final six months of their time together at Madrid.

“He is a player and for me, they are all equal. Perhaps here they are not prepared for everyone to be equal,” Mourinho commented.

“I am the Coach who employs a meritocracy system. I must play who I think is the best. Without looking at status or past, you play as you train. This is normal.

“It was normal when I left Marco Materazzi on the bench at Inter when he was a legendary player, or when Rafa Benitez this season left John Terry on the bench at Chelsea.

“People may thing that Iker is better than Diego Lopez. I can accept that, but I am the Coach.

“If players change how they act depending on whether or not they play, that is their problem. As a Coach, I try to do things based on merit.

“I’d rather have problems with people, the Press or the city than have problems with myself. I would have an issue if I picked players who did not deserve to play.”

Mourinho was both cheered and jeered by sections of the Santiago Bernabeu at his final home game with the club.

“Football depends on the results. And we won an incredible League [in 2011-12], not only winning it but also convincing at our rival’s ground and setting a new record for goals scored.

“Furthermore, we did so at a time when Madrid was behind their opponent. Obviously people thought this team and this Coach had done something fantastic. So they chanted my name. This season we were close to achieve something great.

“In my farewell statement, I thanked the public for the support given to me and the full respect I have for those who didn’t. I wish happiness to Real Madrid.

“I leave with good feeling. It is best to stick with the good things in life. I will remember more the League of records and the fantastic relationships with many people and the memories of the people I worked with at Valdebebas.”

Carlo Ancelotti is expected to come in as Mourinho’s replacement.

“The Coach that arrives will do so in a situation different to the one I found the club in. Now we are psychologically stronger than our rivals.

“Besides that, the President will make two good signings. From London I will be wishing the best to Los Blancos.

“Health and happiness and that Madrid win. And one day I will return to Madrid to play a Champions League game.”

That's the one thing i respect about Mou... he plays who he feels is the best for his team and he doesn't care what anyone thinks. You have to respect that about him.

Are we supposed to conveniently forget that Iker was dropped for Adan and not Lopez?. Very few people complained about continuing with Lopez, he was playing well and it made little sense to drop him in the middle of the season. Yet Mourinhio is putting him at the middle of this at every turn,hiding behind his form.

Pathetic.

The Adan thing was ridiculous. That was a power play because we sucked the entire year up until that point... i think Mou wanted to either get fired or be made emperor. He didn't get either .

But he does play whoever he wants and doesn't care about anything else, whether you agree with him or not.

@sportsczy - Agree. He thought he could pull off a SAF, but he got his location services wrong (Bernabeu for Old Trafford)

Miss him  

will he able to do the same with madrid fans?

Jose Mourinho the winner

(inspired by the celebration at Chelsea vs City)



Probably the most controversial man in football, a fan favorite wherever he goes, and a media favorite as he always gives them something to write the next morning. He may also be many things, but one thing’s for sure, HE IS A WINNER.

When Florentino Perez was re-elected for the third time in 2009, taking over Calderon, he promised to sign great players, a great coach and play planet’s best football. And as he promised he bought Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Alonso amongst other players, as a coach he hired Manuel Pellegrini who at the time had great success with Villarreal and was a coach with attacking mentality, just the guy that we needed.

But things didn’t go as planned, FC Barcelona was still dominating the league, we had a shameful exit in Copa del Rey against Alcorcon(agg 1-4), and in the Champions League we had the same fate as we had in the previous five seasons in that competition, an early last 16 exit caused by Lyon(agg 1-2). There is something that we missed that season, a charm, luck, or was it just that we lacked a winner’s mentality.

The season ended and Real Madrid hired a new coach, and who had a better winning mentality then Jose Mourinho who signed for Real Madrid the next day after he had won the Champions League with Inter Milan, not to mention a treble(League title, League cup, and Champions League).

We signed the man that stopped Barcelona in course to winning Inters first Champions League since 1965, a proven coach in two leagues(Italy and England). Few players were brought to accommodate his style of play.
He made is authoritative presence clear, as with the first month of him being in charge, we saw less of the president interfering with the media and the team, also somehow managed to break free from the Sport’s Director Jorge Valdano, meaning he(Mourinho) would be in charge of everything, being the clubs first manager, doing the coaching, transfers and everything related to the squad.

His first season with us ended not as expected by many, especially that ‘Manita’ in Camp Nou, a heavy by the hands of your eternal enemy. But we managed to fix the 6 year long jinx in the Champions League, in which we reached the semis, and a controversial exit caused by Barcelona. But maybe all this was due to the fact that players were adapting to Mourinhos mentality, a mentality that means ‘to kill’ for a win, to give 130% each game, to take one for the team. He wanted an aggressive team to sweat and bleed on the field, something he got in the 1-0 win after extra time in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, a fine header by Ronaldo, insuring Mourinho of his first title in Madrid and our first league cup in 18 years.

His winner’s mentality was proven in the second season where everything went his way, and when it didn’t he would take one for the team, confront the media and blame nothing but himself(and sometimes the refereeing) all in all to take the pressure off of his players, even if that meant damaging his reputation. He was the brain to the season we managed to win La Liga with 100 points and scoring 121 goals.

His third season came along with many problems, the most notable was losing the control over the dressing room, getting into verbal fights with his players, during or after the match. We all witnessed that cold atmosphere in Mourinhos eyes, and one thing was for sure, come the end of the season Mourinho was going to leave Real Madrid, and in my opinion it was probably for the best as he lost the control over the dressing room.

But one thing was for sure, he removed that inferiority complex we had when we were facing Barcelona, as we weren’t he ones that were playing under immense pressure, panicked and scared. On the contrary we played as calm as possible and winning most of the matches against them, few of them with ease. Mourinho managed to remove that complex we had for several seasons and made a winning side with fighting mentality, a give it all you got team. One thing probably bugged Mourinho during his 3 year stint with Real Madrid, the fans. The Bernabeu Stadium is more of a theatre than a stadium where fans come to shout their lungs for the team. The fans there cheer when you win and jeer you when you lose. Mourinho intended to make The Bernabeu a fortress for Real Madrid and a hell for its opposition, but the fans let him down big time.

I’m sure that what Mourinho did with Real Madrid couldn’t be done by any other man. He turned the cubs into lions, and he may not win you matches with great attacking football, with beauty, but certainly will grind a win one way or another . Even players he coached in different teams have said that they would ‘die’ while playing under his command and that he was like their second father to them. Jose Mourinho is the best coach Real Madrid had since Del Bosque and I am sure that most of the fans would take him back in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for his last year’s incidents with the squad.

The truth is that he fought for the club.

Even without Mourinho, it was inevitable that we'd end up beating Barca after playing them like 100 times a year.

Plus some of the games we won was when they had no coach.

Mourinho deserves credit for actually doing it, however his football was one dimensional and we weren't getting anywhere. Ancelotti's shortcomings doesn't mean Mourinho is needed back.

ya, as if mourinho would have been allowed to stay after a trophy-less and turmoil filled season

exactly lol

there was no chance he would stay. Nobody listened to him towards the end. yh right he left on his own accord

Happy 51st birthday, champion !

belated

Who actually wants him back at madrid?

Not many me thinks. Personally I like Rafa and I hope he succeeds, but if the players don't support him then no chance

I don't think there's a single Madrid fan who wants Mou back. Here's another fun fact: most Madrid fans, including myself, would rather have Rafa than Mou.

Mou has always struck me as a guy who goes through three main phases with any club he manages:

Phase one - The Littlefinger phase: insanely smart and a master of the mind games. Has it all under control. Doesn't snap, doesn't complain, always calm and is generally respectful of everybody. Success comes in abundance in this phase.

Phase two - the Joffrey Baratheon phase: He still wins games but his troops begin to question his methods, and he starts making more enemies than friends. Few rifts begin to break within the ranks of the club's hierarchy.

Phase three - The Mad King Phase: Doesn't trust anybody and feels like everybody wants his head. He loses control of the dressing room, the support of the crowd and the respect of his closest friends. He becomes well-aware that his death is near so he begins benching star players, insulting Wenger and insinuating that there's a conspiracy against him. All ends with him losing his head.


So to the fans of his next victim club, let me tell you something: you will enjoy a period of success under him. But you should prepare yourselves for the worst, because sooner or later, that man will burn your beloved club to the ground.

My opinion in 2010:

My Opinion in 2015:

There are probably many who'd want him back but those (like Perez) are probably limited to people who don't know jack.

Can you imagine if Flo actually brings back Mou...  that would be the final straw for me  That would push Flo into the same category as Ronaldo.  Namely, people that are so driven by their own ego that they are completely oblivious to the most obvious truths surrounding them.