OPINION
There are some names in football that transcend the confines of the game as an entity and become emblematic of entire epochs in the sport. Since the mid-2000s, one man who has defined world football, and occasionally redefined it too, has been Jose Mourinho. The self-proclaimed “special one”, a walking enigma who has won trophies wherever he has pitched himself, and who has garnered adoration and fascination in equal measure. In recent years, however, is star has faded somewhat. First came that disastrous season at Chelsea that saw him leave the club for a second time with his defending champions languishing somewhere in mid-table obscurity. That was followed by a tumultuous tenure at Manchester United that also ended on relatively poor terms. Ever since then, Mourinho has enjoyed something of a sabbatical, only breaking from his reclusiveness to offer an opinion or two on some Middle Eastern sports broadcast service or other. But on Sunday, Jose appeared on Sky Sports to provide punditry on the clash between his two former English darlings. United ran out 4-0 winners, but from Mourinho’s perspective, his appearance was brilliant. He was relaxed, charming, affable, and above all, effortlessly masterful in his analysis. While many will have seen this as an opportunity for him to speak on the game he loves in esteemed company, Stan Collymore took a much more cynical view of things, suggesting that the Portuguese boss was putting himself in the shop window for prospective suitors to offer him a job, as posted to his personal Twitter. One club he mentioned as a prospective destination for the 56-year-old was West Ham, and it’s fair to say that a lot of fans are loving the idea of him taking over in east London. Whether it will ever happen is another thing entirely, of course, but at least the Hammers can dream. For now, however, they should be happy with their lot in Manuel Pellegrini.
Forever West Ham have gathered some of the best tweets below:
