José Mourinho – English Football's Greatest Heel – Is Finally Ready for His Last Premier League Act
By Chris Deeley
24 hours ago, the worst case scenario for Mauricio Pochettino was that he might get unceremoniously chucked by the end of the calendar year.
Remember that?
At time of writing, Mauricio Pochettino's seat at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been cold for less than 12 hours, and there's a new bum in it. A Portuguese bum. If you would, the Special Bum.
Yeah, it's José Mourinho. You're reading a football website, you know the news, you know that. José Mourinho is the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, the first time he's taken over a team on any title drought even approaching half a decade since he came to England for the very first time, to Chelsea in 2004.
Argue all you want about what Mourinho has done in the last 15 seasons (six league titles, three national Cups and a Champions League plus shrapnel, if you're counting) but he's won things. He's turned soft-bellied teams ruthless. Regardless of how much a fanbase dislikes him – and a lot of them dislike him – they'll admit one thing. José Mourinho cares about winning.
It is easy to forget that José Mourinho wasn't the first Chelsea manager of the Abramovich era - Claudio Ranieri came first and money had already been spent. But it was Mourinho who galvanised the squad, made astute signings, made them winners and brought home the trophies. While things may eventually turn sour, the antagonistic boss has the experience and the ability to do the same in north London.
Krishan Davis, Chelsea Supporter
What Mourinho will do, without doubt, is change Spurs. 'The Tottenham Way' has been a byword for progress without spending, for improvement without success, for the last five years. And Spurs have improved, they've been in a Champions League place for four years running now.
This season, they've stalled. Hell, at the end of last season, Spurs' form stalled and fans knew it. The bottom dropped out of the league campaign and the Champions League ties against City and Ajax hung on the tightest of margins.
Spurs fans didn't care. They were COMPLETELY RIGHT not to care. Glory is winning the close games, is squeaking the tiny margins, is making it through to the big game when everyone is telling you that you don't have the players, the history, the talent, the balls.
This might sound a bit mad, but Jose Mourinho actually made Manchester United fun again. He made me believe. He'll be criticised for his football, criticised for what he says, but there's nobody like him. He's box office. Spurs fans, you're on a ride that'll inevitably crash and burn, but there won't ever be a dull moment.
Scott Saunders, Manchester United Supporter
The 2018/19 Champions League run lived and di----no, just lived on those moments. Ask Chelsea fans, if there's one manager who can deliver that exact feeling of striving against the odds in an all-or-nothing game, it's José Mourinho. Even now, past his theoretical prime (and by the way, football, there's a second act to come because the man isn't close to 60), nobody does a do-or-die game like José Mourinho.
It's been 15 years since he took Porto the most improbably European Cup win of the century. On squad, talent, experience and tactical nous, there's no reason he can't finally surpass that feat with Spurs.