Jose: Rumours and doubts are not good
FOOTBALL managers have been dragged into the mud. But the biggest one of them all has hit back at the rumours and Chinese whispers circling round the game.
Jose Mourinho was saddened to see the departure of Sam Allardyce as England manager following newspaper revelations.
But he is downright angry about how further allegations hang in the air over eight more unnamed Premier League bosses.
In the eyes of the Manchester United manager, it is tarnishing his whole profession and he wants an end to it.
Mourinho is calling for the FA to investigate the issue and root out any wrong-doers, so the damaging rumours can stop.
“I feel sorry for Sam,” he says. “But anyone in our job has big responsibilities. If anyone makes mistakes, he has to pay for them.
“I’m not saying that Sam did, as I don’t know the process. I’m just saying that any one of us as managers has a big responsibility.
“What I do not like – to be honest I hate and don’t accept it – is the rumour.
“You cannot make fun with rumours. This subject is too serious to listen to rumours.
“You find a person, you prove a person guilty and yes, the world has to know. Then you don’t have to hide anything.
“But these rumours are not good. The doubts are not good. That is the only thing I say.
“In relation to Sam specifically, I feel sorry as I know that was his dream job. But if him and the Football Association realise it was a mistake, he has to pay for the mistake.”
Following Allardyce’s departure, Gareth Southgate has been placed in charge of England’s next four matches, and he has been given unequivocal support by Mourinho.
“Gareth doesn’t just have 100% respect from me, he has 200% if I can give that to him,” acknowledged the United chief.
“Any decision that he has with my players, I always respect and support.
“Gareth always has my support as Sam had, as Sven Goran Eriksson had and all the ones in the FA in my time as Chelsea or Manchester United manager.
“They will always have my support and never a criticism or any kind of pressure.”
One of Southgate’s first jobs was to confirm that Wayne Rooney would remain as captain for those four games, a move which has delighted Jose.
The Portuguese may have taken Rooney out of the firing line for United’s last two games, but he still values his skipper’s contribution very highly.
He states: “Wayne is the captain, no matter what. It doesn’t matter whether he is on or off the pitch.
“He is my captain, the captain of the club and the captain of the players. It is difficult to be the captain of everyone.
“So he has all the respect and support. He is a Manchester United man, a great professional and he wants to win.
“He is our man. He will score goals for us and he will work hard for us – I have no doubts about it.”