TERRACE TALK: Be under no illusion — Jose Mourinho's was a sacking engineered by the players

The fact we were ever given a second chance with this genius of a manager was a miracle in itself, but they do say never go back.

Willian

And even when that miracle happened and he returned, I think we all knew, deep down, it would end in tears. But who really could have predicted this?

Wherever he has gone, he has weeded out those he deems superfluous to his needs and the remaining chosen ones all fall under the Mourinho spell of complete devotion and obedience. He in turn protects them, backs them unequivocally and builds their self-esteem and their confidence.

In short, he makes good players great players and turns good teams into champions.

So what happened?

All seemed to be going to plan. A successful settling-in period with a respectable league position and then the title the following year — naturally — as well as the League Cup. Mourinho was telling anyone that cared to listen he wanted to be here forever. We thought we were seeing the beginning of a dynasty, the dynasty we could/should have had the first time round.

This season started in the wrong way with an ill-judged protracted pre-season that saw players have virtually no real break and did nothing but increase fatigue after a hard fought season.

This was a poor decision by the club — not the fault of the manager.

We also saw a number of players return unfit — not the fault of the manager.

The club, against the wishes of Mourinho, decided to sell Petr Cech — and not only to sell him, but to one of our direct rivals. While we saw the likes of United, City and Arsenal bolster their teams with first-class talent, we picked up bargain basement buys. All these factors contributed to our rocky start, but for anyone who watches us regularly, the real issue was the players themselves.

Petr Cech in Arsenal colours

With the exception of Willian, none of these players were playing to their ability. The leaks from the dressing room had developed into a deluge. Hardly a day went by without one Chelsea story or another making the backpage headlines.

On top of this, those who govern the game seemed to have decided to take Chelsea and its manager to task. Those of us that watch the game, and I imagine those that play the game, make the assumption that we are all competing on a level playing field. That quite obviously hasn’t been the case this season. We are the most fouled team in the Premier League, yet we have received not one penalty and we have seen our own players fouled with impunity game after game.

Jose declined to keep his counsel on this. Perhaps the players thought they were paying for Mourinho’s outbursts?

The players were constantly letting Jose down on the pitch, despite the instructions, despite the detailed dossiers, despite the passion and determination of the manager.

Willian

The players continued to under-perform, virtually to a man. Be under no illusion — this was a sacking engineered by the players.

Thierry Henry was very direct about this. That this squad of Chelsea players, no matter what tactics, no matter what formation, no matter what manager, should not be losing these games. This is a man that has played the game at the highest level, saying that these players should be playing for their own pride and self-respect, no matter what was going on with the manager. As a fan, I agree with him.

Those of us who watch this team regularly know what they are capable of and can see that they are not putting in the effort required, are not following instructions, are demonstrating no passion and no desire. You don’t need a manager to tell you to give it your all — especially if you are a professional sportsman. That team has not only let the manager down, but the fans too. The players’ attitude was shocking.

Mourinho had never found himself professionally in such dire straits, and it showed. He has struggled to deal with it all and has made a few mistakes (who hasn’t?) but he did not deserve the betrayal by his team.

Of course the sad reality is he had to go. No club in history has sacrificed an entire team for a manager, although had I been in charge and had Roman’s wealth, I would have considered it.

This team will be remembered (by me at least) as one who wilfully destroyed what could have been a glorious, and unrivalled, successful period in our history. A squad that forced a man of Mourinho’s stature out of a club he genuinely loved. A team which hopefully will soon be broken up so I do not have to look at faces who do not know the meaning of loyalty.

As for Jose, I imagine his phone is already ringing off the hook with job offers. He’ll need some time to lick his wounds, get over the betrayal. Then we will have to watch as he will inevitably weaves his sensationally successful magic at a club that isn’t Chelsea.

Thank you Jose, for everything. The fans will never forget you.

And sorry for the way it ended — you deserved so much more.