Imfamy

‘Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me’ probably the best thing to come from any Carry on film.  Inadvertently it's almost a perfect summing up of the self proclaimed special one. At complete ease in his role as ringmaster when the sun’s shining and the birds are singing but should the weather take a turn for the worse, he’ll openly mock the very circus he’s created. Maybe that’s just the Mourinho way? ‘He diverts the attention from the players’ folks say ‘He creates a them and us culture’. This is all true but I’m not buying it, these both convenient consequences of his basic intention. The fact is he just absolutely loves a good old row.

He’s a terrible winner, over exuberant and often smug and he’s an even worse loser. Frequently refusing to accept a lost. Sighting goals from the moon or how winning by penalties doesn’t actually count. With all this in mind the over riding feeling should be one of dislike, I mean I’m all for fair play, honesty and integrity. But there’s something inside of me that reject this natural feeling. Unfortunately there’s no way I can say this without sounding like the Prom Queen who has a crush on the school bad boy 'why do I like him so’?

I spend any spare time I have reading the works of early 19th century Russian authors so clearly I’m way too cool to be watching programmes of the ilk of Eastenters and Corrie. But I still have yearning for drama in my life and I think football and Mourinho in particular satisfies this desire for the soup opera. He’s a complete megalomaniac but has a warmth and charm that’s endearing. He’s like the mate who will always let you down but you simply can’t stay mad for reasons you can't quite explain.  Even those who claim to dislike Mourinho are surely still entertained by him in the pantomime villain role that he’ll often portray.

I think Mourinho has a tremendous sense of perspective he knows only to well that the typical footie fan has a short memory and that contradicting himself is seldom a problem. Even those who highlight any anomalies can come off a little smug ala Media watch at footie365. But take the ‘parking the bus’ saga, Mourinho airing his disappointment for the fans that came to watch a festival of football only to be stifled by a team defending deep. How often has Mourinho been the one parking the bus? With much success it has to be said, too many for most I’m sure. The reason I think he gets away with it is because he completely commits to what he saying, call it arrogance or a unabashed confidence he makes people sit up and listen to what he has to say, whether you like it or not. He may have lost his latest battle but I have a feeling he’s going to win the war, even if that war is him verse the four walls in an empty room.