The Departure of the Special One: One Year On

It was a year ago yesterday that Jose Mourinho shocked the footballing world and left Stamford Bridge.

Below is an article I wrote the day after Mourinho left.

Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot? Every person over the age of say 60, can give you an answer to that question.

And now every football fan (certainly every Chelsea fan) will be able to recall where they were, what they were doing when they heard the news that Jose Mourinho had left Chelsea.

Me? I was asleep when the news broke in a club statement at 1.45am on the morning of Thursday 20th September. I was woken up by my mum at around 6.30am for college.

“Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea” she said, laughing, and then left the room (she doesn’t follow football but seeing as her brothers are Charlton fans she likes to wind me, my dad, and my brother up about Chelsea).

At first I thought she was joking, that she was just saying something shocking that would wake me up and get my attention.

I headed downstairs and turned on Sky Sports News and I saw the news. I was shocked and speechless. I left for college dumbfounded, buying copies of The Guardian and The Times on the way to see what they had written about Jose leaving.

Upon arriving at college I was greeted by delighted Man Utd and Arsenal fans and saw my mate (a Chelsea fan) who had a dumbfounded look on his face, like me he was shocked at the decision.

Jibes of ‘Going down! going down! going down!” were thrown in my direction and I took it in good nature.

As the story developed, I couldn’t believe we were appointing Avram Grant as our new manager, and as it turns out, on a "permanent" basis. Grant is a guy who has no experience in the major European leagues and has only a few games experience in the Champions League. Hopefully his appointment isn’t too permanent and we get someone like Hiddink in next summer, or whenever he becomes available.

Of course Grant could surprise just about everyone and carve out a successful, trophy peppered career at the club. After all, not many people had heard of Arsene Wenger when he took over at Arsenal in 1996.

“Arsene who??” was the cry, not anymore.

The timing of Mourinho’s departure couldn’t have been worse, either. I’m writing this on Friday evening (21st) and we have Manchester United on Sunday in one of our biggest games of the season. All money now must be on Man Utd piling more misery on us and beating us.

Grant and Steve Clarke don’t have long to get the players to recover and focus on the game.

In the statement the club released, they said that Jose and the club had agreed to part company by mutual consent, a view which I don’t prescribe to. In my view Jose was forced out of the club he loves by Abramovich, who wanted the club to play better football.

Inevitably, Chelsea fans have been looking back fondly on some of the highlights of the Mourinho era. The 4-2 win over Barcelona, winning the league at Bolton, winning back to back titles by beating Man U 3-0, the domestic double in his final full season in charge.

Jose leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. Of course he had his flaws, who doesn’t? Nobody is perfect. But with Jose, the good easily outweighed the bad. He was willing to take Ferguson and Wenger on and was never afraid to speak his mind.

We may never know the full story as to why he left (if Jose released a book it would be explosive), but I cant help feel he was pushed and didn’t jump.

In three years Jose brought us six trophies: two league titles, two Carling Cups, one FA Cup and one Community Shield. He is the most successful manager in our history and him leaving is a disaster for the club. He has left a mark on English football that will never be erased. You only have to listen to what Premiership managers have had to say about his departure to realise the effect he had.

He really was the Special One.

No one is bigger than the club and we will go on, but it will take a while to get over the departure of our greatest ever manager who brought us so many quotes, memorable matches and unforgettable success.

Jose Mourinho, thank you.

A Year Later

Reading back over these words, the memories and feelings come rushing back into my mind. My feelings about Grant being a stop gap appointment were proven correct by subsequent events, and a more illustrious name was appointed during the summer—Luiz Felipe Scolari.

In a way I’ve managed to get over it, time is a healer. Nobody is bigger than the club, not even such a magnanimous personality as Jose Mourinho.

Sometimes I think back to those three glorious years, and it does bring a smile to my face.

But, at the end of the day, you just have to move on and look towards the future, and under Luiz Felipe Scolari, that future looks very bright indeed.