Chelsea thread

[G-O-D]

Jose didn't win only one Champions League Cup.

He also won the UEFA Cup, and has led Porto to several domestic honors.

And knocking out teams like Manchester United with a smaller team is not entirely based on luck. You have got to have a certain amount of tactical acumen to achieve that.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

And a disallowed Paul Scholes goal.

[FLiam]

Well, I think Wenger and Fergie are the better managers.

Yeh, Mourinho won the Champion's League with lots of luck, for example the last gasp goal at Old Trafford thanks to a goalkeeping error.

Wenger and Ferguson did build teams without all this cash, well you could say Fergie had a lot, but not crazy money like Mourinho has. And with all that money, you would expect the team to do well because spending £300m odd in 2 summers is a fucking lot of money. Man Utd and Arsenal in that time spent about £40m together.

I would like to see how each manager would do if they were in charge of teams with no money. I bet Mourinho would do the worst.

Edited February 7, 2005 by Gooner4Life

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Yeah and let's not forget when he won the CL with Porto, they had the easiest draw possible through the entire knock out stages, minus the United game. Then the United game they played was pretty much a lucky win, with the Scholes goal not being allowed and the keeper blunder. After that I wouldn't say they drew any real big guns, so yeah it's not like he did the impossible and had Porto eliminated United, Madrid, Juventus and Milan is it?

So what if he led Porto to a few more cups? It's not like United and Arsenal haven't done that. You look at Ferguson now and realise how great he is as a manager, just imagine how better he could be with an extra billion pound. It's not all that hard to do what Jose is doing with the amount of cash he has. Sure he's a good manager and knows what he's doing, doesn't make him as amazing as everyone makes him out to be. When you've got the cash to buy world class players, you don't need to be all that great a manager to take a side to the top.

[Malenko]

First of all, you're clearly letting your hatred towards chelsea to influence your judgement here.

Mourinho has done a lot in clubs with really low budget. I understand you may not know it cause he only started to build a worldwide reputation with the uefa-cup and champions league wins. He's very ambitious and the way he left some clubs before joining porto sure wasn't the most ethical, but as a manager he's very talented. The teams he manages play his style of game which proves to be very effective. Of course he has lots of money to build the team in Chelsea and we will never know how he would do if he didn't, but at least he did the right thing, which was asking for players for what they're worth (or what he thinks they're worth), and not for their "names", not ruining the team thanks to the players egos (unlike real madrid). All this to say Mourinho is a great manager and will be for as long as he keeps sane. If he's the best or not is arguable and depends on each one's opinion. I personally don't think i've ever seen a manager as good as Cruyff was in Barcelona (the style of football was supperb there) so that ruins the "best since i watch football" possibility in my opinion, and i don't think he's better than fabio capello either (for what he's done in milan, madrid, roma, juve,...) so that also eliminates the chance of being the best currently (once again... my opinion). But then again, both these managers had a lot to work with.

As for porto's european wins, i don't know if you have watched any other match besides the manchester united one, but apart from manchester united's away leg (which was really lucky) and real madrid's away game in the groups phase, porto was dominant and consistant in the rest (including the first leg vs man utd which could have been a lot worse for man utd). So it's not like it was all luck. I agree with the fact that porto avoided most of the best teams throughout all the competition. Some of the most dangerous teams in the knockout phases of both the uefa cup and champions league were not in the best of form when meeting porto and that has helped them (e.g. fading Lazio in the uefa cup, and deportivo, which had been in the top 3 in the spanish league for the previous 3 seasons, but was out of form when they meet porto last season).

I'll end this saying that i'm not defending Chelsea or Porto cause i really don't care if they win or not. The only team i care about lost 3-0 this weekend and is now 12th on the equivalent to a English division 1 in Portugal.

Edited February 7, 2005 by Malenko

[Summers]

You people fucking cream over the guy as if he's the greatest manager to ever grace football.

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Actually, no. I don't actually like the guy, but I know he's a good manager. I wouldn't dare say he's the greatest manager ever, either.

[FLiam]

Just for the record, does anyone have a list of teams Porto faced in the Champion's League last season?

All I remember is Monaco and Utd, I have a terrible memory.

[Malenko]

Just for the record, does anyone have a list of teams Porto faced in the Champion's League last season?

All I remember is Monaco and Utd, I have a terrible memory.

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[fineintent]

Mourinho is a quality manager, end of conversation.

Man Utd and Arsenal have lost to Fenerbache, Leverkusen and Mallorca over the past few campaigns; these are hardly quality teams. Mourinho, with a club (Porto) who, whilst having talented players, were vastly inferior to United and Arsenal in both playing staff and off the field resources, won the Champions League - something Ferguson has done once in 20 years and something Wenger has never done, and probably will never do. Now that is the mark of a good manager, add to the fact that he's been a breath of fresh air into our stagnating Arsenal/Man Utd based league.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Once again, that doesn't make him better than either manager.

When he sticks with Chelsea and wins a good seven premiership titles, I'll believe he is the great manager you say. Right now though, he's overrated whatever you say. When papers and people around the world say he's the best manager, it has to be said they're talking bollocks.

[botchedpiledriver]

Once again, that doesn't make him better than either manager.

When he sticks with Chelsea and wins a good seven premiership titles, I'll believe he is the great manager you say.

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[Malenko]

Once again, that doesn't make him better than either manager.

When he sticks with Chelsea and wins a good seven premiership titles, I'll believe he is the great manager you say.

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I doubt that will ever happen. Mourinho has said several times that he plans to manage one of the big Italian teams or manage Portugal in the not so distant future. Although hes still relatively young, I can't see him sticking around at Chelsea for the same amount of time that Ferguson or Wenger have spent at there club.

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[botchedpiledriver]

Mourinho has talked about managing a big Italian team plenty times. I beleive he talked about just before the Champions League knock out stage draw. I can see him as Juventus manager for some reason.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Well you're wrong. He'll never be managering Juventus and if it did happen I'd be more pissed than ever. I don't personally think he's a touch on Capello either. Not to mention Capello only joined us at the start of the season and he'll be going nowhere anytime soon. Hopefully Jose doesn't get a chance with Milan, Inter or Roma either. I don't want him involved in Italian football at all to be honest. I'm already sick of hearing how great he is in English football, I'd rather not have it come over to Italian football too.

Personally I don't see him ever going to a big Italian club. The two big clubs are Milan and Juve and well in my opinion neither will need or ever want him at the club, and good too

[public enemy]

Footballer in drink-drive arrest

Chelsea footballer Eidur Gudjohnsen has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving in Surrey.

Police stopped the Icelandic striker in the early hours of Sunday morning on the A3 near Esher.

A spokesman said the 26-year-old's BMW car was stopped because of the way it was being driven. He was breath-tested and arrested.

He was taken to a south London police station and has since been bailed to return at the end of March.

Newspaper reports suggested Gudjohnsen had been out celebrating his winning goal in Chelsea's 1-0 win away at Everton on Saturday.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "At 5.20am on Sunday on the A3 southbound near Esher, officers stopped a car due to the way it was being driven.

"The driver, a 26-year-old man, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol."

[G-O-D]

Let's hope Gudijohnson doesn't get into much trouble with Mourinho for this. He has always been a class act and has done well for us.

[botchedpiledriver]

Well you're wrong. He'll never be managering Juventus and if it did happen I'd be more pissed than ever. I don't personally think he's a touch on Capello either. Not to mention Capello only joined us at the start of the season and he'll be going nowhere anytime soon. Hopefully Jose doesn't get a chance with Milan, Inter or Roma either. I don't want him involved in Italian football at all to be honest. I'm already sick of hearing how great he is in English football, I'd rather not have it come over to Italian football too.

Personally I don't see him ever going to a big Italian club. The two big clubs are Milan and Juve and well in my opinion neither will need or ever want him at the club, and good too 

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[G-O-D]

Bridge makes Cole vow

Wayne Bridge insists he is not fazed by talk of a possible Chelsea move for Arsenal's Ashley Cole, and has vowed not to give up his place at Stamford Bridge without a fight.

With a Chelsea delegation reported to have met with Cole last month to sound out The Gunners star about a move across London, question marks had inevitably been raised over Bridge's first-team future.

However, the former Southampton star claims he has not been affected by the speculation, and would not seek a move - whoever Jose Mourinho might choose to sign.

"I've not spoken to Ashley and I've not spoken to the manager about what he might do in the future or if the stories are true," Bridge told the Daily Mirror. "I don't want to know.

"But I do know the gaffer wants two class players for each position. I know he's going to bring someone in and I'll compete with them, whoever it is.

"Even if Ashley did end up coming here - and I haven't a clue about that - I'll stay and fight for my place.

"I'm confident about myself and my game at the moment. I had a few injuries at the start of the season and a few poor performances and was out of the team. But I'm back in now, confident and I want to keep playing.

"Whoever comes in I'm going to compete with them and play as many games as possible.

"I just want to get on with my football and see what happens, but there's nowhere better to be at the moment than Chelsea and I won't be going anywhere."

Meanwhile, Chelsea are reported to be lining up a raid on Bridge's former club, Southampton, for youngster Theo Walcott.

The 15-year-old winger, who plays for England's Under-17 team, caught the eye earlier in the week by scoring the goal that dumped Arsenal out of the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday.

Blues boss Mourinho is understood to have been impressed with the teenager and is plotting a move to lure him to Stamford Bridge, although The Blues are likely to face a hefty compensation fee.

[botchedpiledriver]

Is Wayne Bridge actually anygood? I've never really seen him play properly, maybe some of the Chelsea fans who go to watch them know a bit more about him.

[Malenko]

Is Wayne Bridge actually anygood?  I've never really seen him play properly, maybe some of the Chelsea fans who go to watch them know a bit more about him.

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Edited February 17, 2005 by Malenko