I watched The Damned United again last night and couldn’t get something out of my head.
Footballers, managers and celebrities in general are always so afraid to speak their mind to the media. And why would they when it could cost them a major dip in popularity or affect their bulging brand. Cash is king these days and image is everything, but that doesn’t make it right. Or does it?
Even with the power of social media, the moment a person in the public eye Tweets something that is deemed uncouth, the apologists appear in abundance. It was a little different back in the day.
Engrossed in my second viewing of The Damned United, I started to ask the same question over and over again. Would the historic interview on Yorkshire Television between Brian Clough and Don Revie happen in today’s football world? Absolutely not. And then it hit me like a bolt of lightning.
How interesting would that format of interview be today with every Chelsea manager Roman Abramovich has sacked? That’s right. How fascinating would it be to have Ranieri, Mourinho (left by mutual consent means sacked), Grant, Scolari and Ancelotti on a panel going back-and-forth about relationships with players, the owner, transfer dealings and life at the Bridge overall? Could you imagine the skeletons that would come out of the Chelsea closet? Football fans would definitely give hard earned dollars to watch that type of Pay Per View event.
Yes everyone has multi-million and billion dollar brands to protect. But aren’t we all tired of the superficial explanations and excuses from managers, players and executives? Aren’t we all tired of the usual sound bites furnished to the media when something controversial happens professionally or personally for someone in the public eye? There are times when the truth will set you free. Just ask Andy Petite of the New York Yankees who simply admitted to using steroids and was left alone by the media, unlike his hero Roger Clemens who denied, denied, denied and faced perjury charges.
Clough was fearless with the media. He was unlike anything anyone had seen before. And the closest thing I believe we have to him in the modern game is Mourinho. The more I watched the film unfold the more I thought about Mourinho and how at least he has the balls to say what he thinks, regardless of the consequences. Sometimes I understand one needs to massage the truth. But isn’t it best to be as honest as you can be, especially with fans? We will respect you more for it.
I wish more managers and professionals would follow the Clough model to some degree. Sure he could be an arse and unnecessarily controversial. But he was mostly like a teddy bear with a shotgun and when he pulled the trigger at least you weren’t covered in bullshit bullets. Roy Keane would vouch for that. That’s why today’s game needs Mourinho. His character is what makes him The Special One. And like Clough, he just so happens to be an exceptionally talented manager too.
Surely it’s time to let the honest voices sing, or the game will be damned. Don’t we all want the truth? Or was Colonel Jessop right all along? Maybe the masses can’t handle the truth…
When Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho, we all knew he would come back to haunt them as coach of an opposing team. On his much hyped return to London with Inter Milan, things went very well for the man from Portugal.
The Champions League is proving to be really weird this year people. Barcelona struggled to beat a team that sounds like a really delicious sandwich. Liverpool need to get their prayer mats out and hope for a miracle. Bayern Munich do not look like German giants. Inter Milan are not so special. Real Madrid really need Ronaldo back. And Manchester United should look into cloning Rooney 10 times, despite moving closer to the knockout stages.
The Sun and other media outlets are reporting today that Patrick Viera is about to make a shock return to Arsenal. I couldn’t believe it when I read the headline. I think this could be more shocking than Michael Owen going to Manchester United. Don’t you think so? Nobody was expecting this were they?
Liverpool jumped into the transfer hot tub and closed the deal for Glen Johnson. They had to fend-off the advances of Chelsea and Manchester City , but eventually they got their man for 17 million pounds. Johnson will now need to find ways to spend his whooping 80,000 squids a week. Be sure to save a little a month Glen. You never know what can happen!
Not that I want this to become a Chelsea blog…but news is news people! Carlo Ancelotti was today named as the successor to Guus Hiddink. Do you think Chelsea hired Ancelotti because he looks a little like Guus? Check out the picture of Guus with the F.A. Cup below and judge for yourselves. Perhaps the owner and executive team hired the Italian master so the players can feel “comfortable” with a familiar face in the dressing room! 
Chelski won the F.A. Cup. It’s a painful result for every neutral fan as the world wanted to see Everton win! And after Louis Saha scored the fastest goal in the history of an F.A. Cup Final, it seemed Everton were ready to derail Chelsea from their mission to win their first major trophy since the departure of Jose Mourinho. But it wasn’t to be for the Toffees. 
Chelsea have sacked Phil Scolari as their manager. After only seven months in the job, the big Brazlian is out and I for one am not surprised. This time, Roman Abramovich has got it right. Managing in the Premier League is very different to being an international manager. The job comes with such intense pressure and the daily grind is tough, tough, tough, even for a coach from Brazil. I laughed when Scolari said in a press conference, “you think this is pressure. No this is not pressure. This is such a small country, there is no pressure. Brazil is pressure.” Really Phil?