AFII
21-09-07, 09:19 AM
Mutiny
EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL GONE Tearful Drogba leads the revolt at Chelsea after Mourinho's £6M farewell
By John Cross 21/09/2007
Roman Abramovich was last night left facing a backlash from players and fans after the shock departure of Jose Mourinho.
Frank Lampard and tearful Didier Drogba are leading the Chelsea mutiny - and both could now follow the Portuguese boss out of Stamford Bridge.
Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda are also believed to be deeply unhappy about Mourinho's sudden exit and it could leave their longterm futures in doubt.
Chelsea fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge last night in a powerful show of support for their departing manager, whose emotional farewell to the players at the club's training ground earlier in the day reduced star striker Drogba to tears.
And the disillusioned hitman has told friends that he will not play for the club until he is fully recovered from a knee injury - which could take another six weeks - as he makes it clear he is not prepared to push himself. Lampard, out for another three weeks because of a damaged thigh muscle, has less than two years left on his contract.
The England midfielder is also considering his future as Barcelona and Inter Milan watch developments.
Mourinho spent last night negotiating a pay-off on the remaining five years of his £5m-a-year contract. And he agreed a £10m package, of which he will receive £6m with the rest to be split among his departing staff. Avram Grant immediately stepped in as caretaker while Steve Clarke will be his No.2 for Sunday's trip to Manchester United - although Guus Hiddink is the long-term target. Grant wants a proper crack at the job, but Abramovich has long regarded veteran coach Hiddink as the ideal candidate for the Blues.
Abramovich already helps finance the Russian FA, who pay Dutchman Hiddink £1.5m-a-year, but will have to wait to get his man until the end of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign - although that could come as early as next month.
However, Mourinho will be offered a quick return to management in English football - with a sensational switch to their London rivals Tottenham, who would jump at the chance of appointing him to replace Martin Jol.
Mourinho may feel as if he can wait for one of Europe's top clubs, although family friends claim he will take up a role with the Portuguese FA with a view to eventually taking over as manager.
Two of his biggest Chelsea signings, Carvalho and Malouda, last night expressed their shock and hinted at their unrest.
Carvalho said: "He texted players on Wednesday night to tell them he had gone - but when I got an SMS I thought it was a joke.
"It is a very sad day for me and the rest of the team. I had a big offer from Real Madrid, but I stayed at Chelsea because of Mourinho."
Malouda said: "I had big offers to play elsewhere but I joined Chelsea because of Mourinho after our first meeting."
Chelsea said in a statement: "We had all reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down. We believed the breakdown started to impact on the performance of the team and recent results supported this view."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/09/21/mutiny-89520-19823858/
EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL GONE Tearful Drogba leads the revolt at Chelsea after Mourinho's £6M farewell
By John Cross 21/09/2007
Roman Abramovich was last night left facing a backlash from players and fans after the shock departure of Jose Mourinho.
Frank Lampard and tearful Didier Drogba are leading the Chelsea mutiny - and both could now follow the Portuguese boss out of Stamford Bridge.
Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda are also believed to be deeply unhappy about Mourinho's sudden exit and it could leave their longterm futures in doubt.
Chelsea fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge last night in a powerful show of support for their departing manager, whose emotional farewell to the players at the club's training ground earlier in the day reduced star striker Drogba to tears.
And the disillusioned hitman has told friends that he will not play for the club until he is fully recovered from a knee injury - which could take another six weeks - as he makes it clear he is not prepared to push himself. Lampard, out for another three weeks because of a damaged thigh muscle, has less than two years left on his contract.
The England midfielder is also considering his future as Barcelona and Inter Milan watch developments.
Mourinho spent last night negotiating a pay-off on the remaining five years of his £5m-a-year contract. And he agreed a £10m package, of which he will receive £6m with the rest to be split among his departing staff. Avram Grant immediately stepped in as caretaker while Steve Clarke will be his No.2 for Sunday's trip to Manchester United - although Guus Hiddink is the long-term target. Grant wants a proper crack at the job, but Abramovich has long regarded veteran coach Hiddink as the ideal candidate for the Blues.
Abramovich already helps finance the Russian FA, who pay Dutchman Hiddink £1.5m-a-year, but will have to wait to get his man until the end of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign - although that could come as early as next month.
However, Mourinho will be offered a quick return to management in English football - with a sensational switch to their London rivals Tottenham, who would jump at the chance of appointing him to replace Martin Jol.
Mourinho may feel as if he can wait for one of Europe's top clubs, although family friends claim he will take up a role with the Portuguese FA with a view to eventually taking over as manager.
Two of his biggest Chelsea signings, Carvalho and Malouda, last night expressed their shock and hinted at their unrest.
Carvalho said: "He texted players on Wednesday night to tell them he had gone - but when I got an SMS I thought it was a joke.
"It is a very sad day for me and the rest of the team. I had a big offer from Real Madrid, but I stayed at Chelsea because of Mourinho."
Malouda said: "I had big offers to play elsewhere but I joined Chelsea because of Mourinho after our first meeting."
Chelsea said in a statement: "We had all reached a point where the relationship between the club and Jose had broken down. We believed the breakdown started to impact on the performance of the team and recent results supported this view."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/09/21/mutiny-89520-19823858/