04 03 2006 Please be more gentlemanly Jose
So, having been to the match I decided to watch Match of the Day.
Yet again, for the third time as far as I am aware, Jose refused to shake the hand of an opposition manager - this time
Bryan Robson. Stuff like this ires me, as instead of talking about unjust decisions that went against Chelsea, we are now
talking about some petty spat between two managers who should know better. We have gone from the extreme of
having previous managers who sat on the fence so much that I am surprised their arses aren't permanently scarred, to a
manager who can go way over the top on some occasions.
I saw on the replays that Robson was mouthing off and swearing at Mourinho. But just as normal players forget their
differences when the final whistle goes, so should Jose. He should show some class. He doesn't have to invite Robson
over for dinner but those few seconds can show that you are above any goading from muppets like the West Brom
manager. I don't care less what other fans think of Chelsea - our manager should do this for us so we can be proud of
our team.
As a result, questions were not asked such as why Wallwork was only booked for his challenge on Makelele when
Robben was sent off for a similar challenge, and why Diomansy Kamara was not booked for diving in the box to try and
win a penalty. I guarantee I know which incidents they will replay on Sky! It also took the shine off what was an excellent
second half display from Chelsea, despite being down to ten men when the score was 1-0.
And on another subject, Drogba has to stop his rolling around on the floor antics. It's embarrassing to watch. Yes, he
was fouled, but we are fed up with this act. It's not a wise thing to do - especially when many Chelsea fans are yet to be
convinced if he deserves his place in the team despite otherwise putting on a good performance today.
Going back to the original subject, I love Jose as a man manager. Occasionally his off the field comments are
unnecessary, but on the whole amusing. He has a bee in his bonnet and I would not be surprised if it is from several
crucial decisions that have gone against Chelsea in the past couple of seasons, in particular in the Champions League.
Of course, he uses many of his comments to deflect pressure off the players. He is very clever with the press. But there
is a time to draw the line and be more mature about things, even if Robson has to resort to calling him a "fucking faggot".
Having said all that, I would not swap Jose for any manager in the world at the moment. He hardly ever makes any
tactical errors and brings the best out of his players, plying them with confidence. I could try and compare his antics
today with petty incidents from other, "respected" managers such as Wenger, who never seems to see a controversial
incident unless it is a decision against his own team, or Ferguson who has so much class that he doesn't want to do
Match of the Day interviews after one sarky comment from Beeb. Jose has by far the upper hand in these "mind games"
with these managers anyway, so it's almost unfair to put all three in the same category.
As for other fans moaning about Jose - perhaps they should concentrate more on the failings of their own teams who
are getting spanked by Chelsea in the league. Listening to 606 today it was interesting to see that the biggest critics of
Liverpool had no Scouse accents, nor did any "Chelsea fan" that was let on seem to have a Southern accent! People
calling up radio stations pretending to be Chelsea fans? How pathetic!
Finally, imagine if there was no Mourinho - TalkSport and Radio 5 would have to concentrate solely on discussing
matters that occur on the pitch - now that would make a refreshing change, and surely what these football shows'
mandates should be in the first place instead of resorting to all this Chelsea bashing!