Jose Mourinho’s Sacking in 2007–08 Left Chelsea Players in Tears: Club Legend John Terry Recalls ‘Special’ Relationship With ‘Father Figure’

Former Chelsea captain John Terry has admitted that most members in the Chelsea dressing room broke down in tears after hearing of Jose Mourinho’s sacking in 2007. Mourinho, who replaced Claudio Ranieri at Stamford Bridge in 2004, guided the club to consecutive Premier League titles setting record number of clean sheets and making the home ground a fortress in his three years in London. But a poor start to Chelsea’s season and a speculated fallout with club owner Roman Abramovich over transfers saw the Portuguese depart from the club in 2007-08. And Terry recalled how many in the dressing room, he included, were emotional and crying when news first broke that Mourinho was sacked. Philippe Coutinho Transfer Update: Chelsea Close In on Signing of the Brazilian Midfielder.

Mourinho arrived at Chelsea having just led Portuguese side, FC Porto, to an unprecedented 2003-04 UEFA Champions League and the Primeira Liga title in a single season. Mourinho dubbed himself the ‘special one’ in his very first press conference for Chelsea and proved his word by leading Chelsea to consecutive league titles, two League Cups and also a FA Cup while also setting a record for points tally at Chelsea.

But Mourinho’s tenure at Chelsea drew to an abrupt end following a fallout with owner Roman Abramovich at the start of the 2007-08 season. And recalling the time when Mourinho announced to the players that he had been sacked, Terry recalled being overcome with emotions after hearing about Mourinho leaving.

"We were all in tears. It was one of those moments where there were whispers going around, we weren’t performing as well, we weren’t doing as well in the league, and then he came in and said: ‘That’s it, I’ve been sacked," Terry was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. "He went around and gave everyone a hug and a cuddle. Full-grown men crying their eyes out. We were thinking: ‘Where do we go from here?’ We had someone like a father figure, guiding us.

"We actually spoke to the board and said: ‘Listen, we want him to stay, can we not bring him back? It’s a rash decision, he’s the best we’ve worked with.’ Unfortunately, they’d made their decision. But yes, there were full-grown men in absolute tears,” Terry, Chelsea’s record appearance maker said. “He was so demanding on the group, and he pushed us to our limits at times. It’s not until you finish playing that you realise why he did what he did."

Terry further added that such has been Mourinho’s relationship with the Chelsea squad that he still calls and enquires about the players and their families. "You’d be sitting there at 8pm at night, and you’d get a message from him: ‘How’s Toni and the kids? Tell Georgie and Summer I love them! How is school going?’ I thought, my God, I’ve never had that from a manager.

“I’d get in and sit next to Lamps and say: ‘Lamps I got a message from the manager last night,’ thinking I’m the special one. Lamps would say: ‘Yeah, so did I’, and Didier would say the same! Every now and again I’ll get a message or a picture or a video from him, just saying hello to the kids. My kids absolutely idolise him. And that’s because of the connect he has, that people probably don’t see from the outside world."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2020 04:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).