Mourinho parts company with Chelsea
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Article summary
José Mourinho has parted company with Chelsea FC by mutal consent after more than three years of success at Stamford Bridge including two Premier League titles.
Article body
José Mourinho has parted company with Chelsea FC by mutual consent after more than three years in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Short statement
The London club confirmed the news in a short statement in the early hours of this morning. It read: "Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent." There is no news yet on who will succeed the 44-year-old with Chelsea next in action on Sunday against Manchester United FC at Old Trafford.
Glittering success
The Portuguese coach took over at Chelsea in June 2004 having enjoyed a glittering period of success at FC Porto, winning the UEFA Champions League that year to add to the UEFA Cup that had been secured in 2003. Mourinho, who also landed two Portuguese Liga titles and a domestic cup with Porto, translated his success to English football, ending Chelsea's 50-year wait for a league title in his first season in charge and repeating the feat in 2005/06. Mourinho also presided over a remarkable run of unbeaten home games at Chelsea, with the 3-2 win against Birmingham City FC on the opening day of the Premier League season last month setting a record in surpassing Liverpool's 63-match streak which was set between 1978 and 1981. Chelsea are now unbeaten in 66 league games at Stamford Bridge.
Champions League losses
He was unable to deliver success in the UEFA Champions League, however, as Chelsea lost to Liverpool FC in the semi-finals in both 2005 and 2007, and they also conceded the Premier League title to United in May. Despite glory in the FA Cup, which concluded with a final victory against United, and an English League Cup triumph – the second time Chelsea had won the trophy under Mourinho – rumours of tensions at Stamford Bridge continued to circulate and Chelsea began the new season in slow fashion, losing at Aston Villa FC in their fifth fixture and also dropping points against Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers FC to lie fifth after six games. The new UEFA Champions League season began in similarly underwhelming fashion with a 1-1 home draw against Norwegian champions Rosenborg BK on Tuesday night, a match that proved to be Mourinho's last in charge.
