I'm no dictator: Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has firmly rejected accusations he is a dictator who rules by fear under Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea’s Portuguese coach also insists it is unfair to accuse him of spending Abramovich’s money on bringing the Barclays Premiership crown to Stamford Bridge last season.

Mourinho points to the summer signings of Michael Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier Del Horno costing a net outlay of around £32m (€47m) following income from the sales of Mikael Forssell, Tiago, Scott Parker, Mateja Kezman and Jiri Jarosik.

But while Mourinho is ready to hand Essien his debut tonight, it is his decision to end the simmering feud with Ricardo Carvalho which will be welcomed the most by Chelsea’s fans.

Mourinho has recalled Carvalho to the side for tonight’s clash with West Brom at Stamford Bridge and is desperate to draw a line under the unsavoury events of last week when Carvalho criticised the coach for leaving him out of their first game of the season at Wigan and the Community Shield clash with Arsenal.

Mourinho read the player the riot act during a team meeting prior to the win over Arsenal on Sunday but he now wants to put an end to the matter once and for all.

“I didn’t want an apology from him,” he said. “He went to the office yesterday to see the team selection and when he is selected he knows that the matter is over. He knows from my actions it is over, he doesn’t need me to tell him so.”

But Mourinho’s firm stance on players speaking out against his rotational policy merely serves to underline his leadership qualities. However, he vehemently resents the accusation that he is a dictator – even a benevolent one.

Mourinho added: “They know there are rules and they know I can laugh one day and another day I am not happy and show that. But they know I try to be fair. Maybe I am not every time, but I try.

“Leading the group is something natural. You have to go day-by-day, case-after-case, feeling-after-feeling and try to be fair. Try to kill the mistakes but try to use the mistake to improve the relations and the group.

“You must show personal things don’t interfere with their future. It is important to show that if you have a problem with a player, the problem is solved and is over.

“I don’t see it as being a dictator. I just see that you have to be a leader and be a little bit flexible. It is natural. I don’t hold a grudge. You have to go face-to-face and solve things. I cannot read what Ricardo said and do nothing or wait.

“When something is happening you have to act. Players must come to me and express their feelings. You cannot be with your wife, father, brother, mother and not looking at them face-to-face if there is a problem. You have to solve things.

“It doesn’t matter to me if the players don’t like me. What matters is they work for me, they work for the club, they respect the rules and they respect who established the rules. That’s my case. They have to respect the manager and each other. They have to enjoy their work, that is very important.

“They have to enjoy playing for me and Chelsea but they don’t have to be in love with me.”

Mourinho’s sterner side is counter balanced with an astute financial brain which appears to be in tune with that of chief executive Peter Kenyon.

Even though it is not his money, Mourinho shares Kenyon’s vision of making the club self financing inside five years.

But Mourinho is more angered by accusations that he bought the title with the money made available by Abramovich and goes to great lengths to say otherwise.

The Chelsea chief said: “I don’t like the image that I bought the title because it is not a fair one. Mr Abramovich spent the money in the club when I was not here. You cannot speak about Wayne Bridge, Glen Johnson, Juan Sebastian Veron, Hernan Crespo, Geremi – you cannot speak about these players as my signings.

“I would like the club to be breaking even in five years. I have to care about the money because I don’t see my job independent of other areas of the club.

“I am very happy because the club is beating records with the sales of new shirts. I don’t sell shirts but there a relation between shirt sales and the performance of the team. If we perform well they sell more shirts.”