At long last, the news all us
United fans have been desperately waiting for is here – Jose Mourinho is a
Manchester United Manager. The news has been teased about since the end of last
year and at times it reached a point where we wondered if it would ever happen.
The last six 6 days have been a
whirlwind for all connected with club, from the euphoria of winning the FA cup
after over a decade to the much awaited end of the LVG era and now to the
arrival of our very own “Special One”. We have been glued to our smartphones
since the story broke on Saturday - awaiting confirmation from the club. (While,
rival fans have been irritated at the focused global coverage the whole story
has received. Guess, this should remind them we are and always will be the
biggest club in the world!)
Any United fan who has
witnessed the LVG era was in need of therapy and that has come in the form of
Jose Mourinho. Big clubs are built by big names and they don’t come any bigger
than Mourinho. He has already shown a winning mentality in his first interview
and what a difference that is from the LVG and Moyes defeatist mentality. Historically,
Mourinho treats most clubs with contempt but not United. He has referred to
United as a Super Big club and you genuinely feel like he means it. He looked
like a lifelong fan when speaking to MUTV post his appointment - no arrogance, just
excitement and an air of disbelief that his dream had come true. United truly bring
out a different side in him.
A common similarity between
the club and Mourinho is that both are “Hated, Adored, But Never Ignored”. That
is true, but there is also one common reality that these two face as they join
hands –both are fighting their own extinction. Mourinho’s credibility has no
doubt been dented by events at Chelsea last season. While, United have been a
fading force since Sir Alex left. For Mourinho, there won’t be a bigger stage
than Old Trafford to reclaim his crown as the best manager in the world and
failure to do so would severely hurt his standing in the modern game. For
United, you have to wonder if the biggest name in management, i.e, Mourinho
fails to deliver – then would any lesser mortals be able to bring back the
glory days.
MUFC and Mourinho are a
devilish match indeed, but in many ways they are each other’s last shot at
redemption. Failure simply is not an option and as Jose said “let’s forget the
last 3 years, let’s start winning again”. Because, let’s face it - this is the
Last Chance Saloon for both the club and its new charismatic manager.
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