Chelsea fans angry at Mourinho’s exit, players booed

By William Schomberg and Clare Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) – Jose Mourinho was no longer pacing the touchline at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but the tributes to the self-proclaimed “Special One” rang out for much of Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Sunderland.

Many Chelsea fans, upset over Thursday’s dismissal of the most successful manager in the club’s history, vented their frustrations on some of the players, who they say are really to blame for the English champions’ spectacular slump in form.

“Where were you when we were shit,” supporters sang angrily as Chelsea’s fluid play in the first half contrasted with a string of limp performances that led to Mourinho’s departure.

Each Chelsea goal — from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and a penalty by Oscar — was met with chants of “Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho.” The home fans in the 41,000-strong crowd rose to their feet for a couple of minutes in an ovation to him.

In the stands, a fan summed up the feelings of many others with a banner that read: “Thanks for the memories. You might have lost the players but you’ll never lose the fans.” Another placard said: “Our Jose sacrificed, why?”

When Spain striker Diego Costa’s name was read out prior to kickoff, fans booed. Many booed again when he was substituted, as they did when midfielder Cesc Fabregas was taken off.

Costa has scored only three league goals this season and there were signs of tension with Mourinho when the striker threw a bib towards his former coach when left on the substitutes’ bench in their match against Tottenham Hotspur last month.

The form of Fabregas has been just as poor.

Roger Edgell, a 69 year-old life-long Chelsea fan, was clear in his verdict on Mourinho’s departure.

“It’s some of the players who should have left and we should offload them in January. It’s not a dip in form. It’s deliberate,” he said as he bought a matchday programme outside Stamford Bridge before the game.

“IT WAS ON THE CARDS”

Mourinho was sacked after Chelsea lost nine of their first 16 Premier League matches, one of the most devastating losses of form ever seen in European football.

In May, they won the title by eight points, the third that Mourinho secured in his two spells at the club.

Daniel Siverns, a 20-year-old student, said he feared another period of upheaval, similar to the appointment and dismissal of a string of coaches after Chelsea fired Mourinho for the first time in 2007 only to reappoint him in 2013.

“I can’t see any other manager coming in and staying for more than two seasons, max,” Siverns said.

Shortly before Saturday’s game, Chelsea announced the appointment of former Holland coach Guus Hiddink as interim manager, the second time the club has turned to him to sort out a managerial emergency.

Not everyone was so sympathetic towards Mourinho.

“It was on the cards quite honestly,” said Peter Fletcher, 67, who has been watching Chelsea since the late 1960s.

He said the omens had looked bad ever since Mourinho publicly criticised team doctor Eva Carneiro after their opening game of the season against Swansea City.

Mourinho was later given a one-match stadium ban for one of several outbursts against officials and, after what proved to be his last game in charge, a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City on Monday, he said the players had betrayed him.

“He was up to his antics right from the start of the season and he was pushing his luck,” Fletcher said.

(Reporting by William Schomberg and Clare Lovell; editing by Martyn Herman and Toby Davis)