Tribute to JM

What can we say? In 3 years JM won every football trophy in England, then left at age 44 with his reputation intact. Guess what they'll be singing in the stands... Jose Mourinho! Jose Mourinho!!

5! YEARS! OF! STERLING! PERFORMANCE!

PRE-CHELSEA

2002 - Replaces Octavio Machado as FC Porto manager mid-season
2002 - Finishes 3rd in SuperLiga 15W 2D 2L
2003 - Winner Portuguese Superliga 27W 5D 2L (82 points out of 102,
new Portuguese record)
2003 - Winner SuperCup Cândido de Oliveira
2003 - Winner Cup of Portugal
2003 - Winner UEFA Cup
2004 - Winner Portuguese Superliga (perfect home record - all wins,
unbeaten run almost till end of season, won title 5 weeks to end)
2005 - Winner UEFA Champions League

CHELSEA

2 Jun 2004 - Appointed manager
15 Aug 2004 - Marks Premiership debut and signals intent with 1-0 win over Man Utd
27 Feb 2005 - Wins Carling Cup 3-2 v Liverpool
30 Apr 2005 - Beats Bolton 2-0 to win Premiership title (95 points out of 114, new English record)
4 May 2005 - Signs new five-year contract
7 Aug 2005 - Beats Arsenal 2-1 to win Community Shield
29 Apr 2006 - Beats Man Utd 3-0 to win Premiership again
27 Feb 2007 - Beats Arsenal 2-1 to win Carling Cup
19 May 2007 - Beats Man Utd 1-0 at new Wembley to win FA Cup
19 Sep 2007 - Leaves Stamford Bridge having never been defeated there in his 3 year tenure

Whilst still at FCP, Mourinho was linked with several top European clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea. Mourinho publicly stated his preference for the Liverpool job over the Chelsea one.

He said: "Liverpool are a team that interests everyone and Chelsea does not interest me so much because it is a new project with lots of money invested in it. I think it is a project which, if the club fail to win everything, then Abramovich could retire and take the money out of the club. It's an uncertain project. It is interesting for a coach to have the money to hire quality players but you never know if a project like this will bring success." However, Mourinho is currently the most successful manager in Chelsea's history having won 6 trophies for Chelsea in three years.

With Jose in charge Chelsea broke numerous records. In 2004/2005 alone they smashed the record for the highest points total ever in English league football (95 out of 114), the fewest goals conceded during a league season (15), the most consecutive clean sheets during a league season (10), the highest number of Premier League victories in a season (29) and the highest number of clean sheets overall in a Premier League season (25).

Chelsea now also hold the record for the most consecutive clean sheets from the start of a league season (6) (2005–06) and the longest unbeaten home run in the history of English football (67 matches since 20 Mar 2004). On May 19, 2007, they became the first team to win the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium, having also been the last to win it at the old Wembley.

Former England manager Graham Taylor believes the beginning of the end came when Michael Ballack and Shevchenko were brought in, reportedly against Mourinho's wishes. Taylor told 5Live: "Once you take away the authority the manager has in signing players, you're on a slippery slope.

"What I would say about Mourinho is his record is with underachieving players and when Shevchenko and Ballack came in [Galacticos], it disturbed the balance. They've never looked as fluid and that's because the manager probably did not himself believe that is the way they should be playing."

The BBC understands the impasse between Mourinho and Abramovich came to a head after their 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month. Mourinho has been at loggerheads with the Russian since their disagreement over the lack of funds to sign players during last January's transfer window.

Mourinho's reluctance to play Ukraine international Andriy Shevchenko, brought in by Abramovich at a cost of £31m, and the Russian billionaire's desire to bring in Grant from Portsmouth to work with the misfiring striker only served to heighten the tension.

Grant was recruited in the summer as director of football and Mourinho is understood to have simmered ever since. Former Chelsea player Pat Nevin says that behind the scenes movements were key to Mourinho's departure. "He's a very individual man and he thinks he should be the power at the club," Nevin told 5live.

"If you put someone of that ego, and I say that in a likeable way, in charge and then you tell him you're not quite in charge, then I think it was a recipe for disaster."

Radio 5live football correspondent Legard agreed Mourinho's relationship with Abramovich would break down at some point. BBC sport editor Mihir Bose added: "It's clear this relationship has been breaking up for a long time." Mourinho still had three years left on his contract, worth reputedly around £5m a year, after agreeing a new deal in May 2005.

At the time he signed that deal, he said: "My heart is with Chelsea and the fantastic group of players that I have but the vision of the owner and the board for the future of Chelsea is also one I want to be a part of. I cannot imagine another situation or another club where I could be happier. I am totally behind this project."

But the Chelsea board are thought to have become increasingly unhappy over the team's form at the beginning of the campaign. Mourinho, who has reportedly been given a £10m pay-off by the Blues, will not be short of job offers. Of the 185 games he was in charge of Chelsea, they won 124, drew 40 and lost 21, a record that includes a 60-match unbeaten run in Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge.

The statistics go some way towards justifying Mourinho's famous description of himself as "a special one", made during his first press conference as Chelsea boss. "If I wanted to have an easy job... I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the UEFA Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me."

Mourinho has publicly stated that he wishes to run the Portuguese national team at some point in his career. At the match that gave him his second title with Chelsea, Mourinho wore a Portugal scarf and at the press conference said: "It means I am Portuguese. I wouldn't put on the scarf of another country. I can smell, feel in my country, there are still a few rats waiting to celebrate my mistakes. But when I think of the other 10.5 million Portuguese working all over the world I know what I mean to them. I know they are proud of what I am doing."

No, we haven't heard the last of my favourite over-achieving megalomaniac in the world, Jose Mario Felix Dos Santos Mourinho.