Although I am not a Chelsea fan, I am sorry to see Jose Mourinho go. He's certainly the most successful manager Chelsea has ever had. I just wish we could have him as the England manager before someone else snaps him up.

Brian Murray, Preston, Lancs

He is done with the Premiership. This article is an amazingly accurate pshycological analysis of the Man. We will probably coach a club in Turkey.
The beautiful game will be beautiful again. Good riddance.

rabs, paris, france

Well, if just Abramovich would have let Mourinho get on with the job rather than meddling in his affairs Jose would still be there and Chelsea would have been even more succesful than they have been.

Now it is all in tatters - morale is bound to be minimal, the new manager is above his head and soon players will be exiting in droves.

Abramovich's messed up badly but he probably doesn't realise it himself just yet.

Thomas, Copenhagen, Denmark

There is one job open in the Premier League that would demonstrate whether he is a manager worth his salt or not. A club with a fantastic tradition that has no stars and no money. With his Chelsea pay-off he doesn't even need a salary, so that should be no bar. Brian Clough, a man who really could make bricks without straw, took two small clubs to the top and won two European Cups. Can Mourhino do the same?

The club I'm referring to is Bolton Wanderes.

Terry Hamblin, Bournemouth, UK

Not sure that Mr. Barnes has hit the nail on the head with this one. Maybe Mourinho did take the limelight, but I think this was more of a way of protecting players and ensuring focus on the goals set at the beginning of the season.

You say he ultimately failed, but that is too harsh. He really did nothing but succeeded - winning everything except the Champions League, but as we know that is a Cup competition and when you reach the last 4 anything can happen. The only failure was not to play highly entertaining football, but the method he employed for Chelsea was obviously correct - correct because it delivered results quickly which is exactly what Chelsea's chiefs demanded. There was no time for 2nd best, look at Ranieri.

A great manager looks at what he has, what is required and how best to achieve it and I think he did that with the Premiership. Hopefully we'll see a different style when he picks up his new team, appropriate to that league and the resource available to him

A T, Sydney, Australia

Great article. Even though manager's job is important, it is players who deliver. If players believe they are stars (in good sense of this word), they are. If they are constantly told they are second-sort eggs... I believe Roman saved the club by getting rid of Jose. What else may better testify of Roman's long term commitment to CFC?

KKI, Bucharest,

Good piece by Simon Barnes. I believe, too, that it was Mourinho's own frustration at failing to get the power and recognition he craved that ate away at him and ultimately led to his departure. For what is power without recognition from the real power, which is Roman Abramovich?

Keith, Ottawa, Canada

Good article as always from Simon Barnes.

Reminded me of a bar room conversation involving some journalists on a daily paper, with the theatre critic asking the football writer why he always included the manager's and a player's comments: "I don't go round to the stage door and ask Sir Ian McKellen how he thought the performance had gone - why should you ask his footballing equivalent?"

Good point, which wasn't answered. Why don't editors and sports editors ask it too? Then we might get rid of the cult of the manager and back to proper football analysis by the guys who matter - the fans.

Matt Vallance, Ayrshire,

Successful clubs have one man in charge of football policy. Therefore Mourinho was right to want this at Chelsea. Abramovich now looks highly incompetent as a football club owner.

Oliver Chettle, Bedford,

I really enjoyed this thoughtful article which for me had the ring of truth about it. I think that it explains a lot not only about Chelsea but about football in general.

Paul Underwood, Ruislip, Middlesex

I think he’s right in lots of ways but while every fan would love to see their team “play football like Barcelona”, that’s not something even Abramovich’s fortune is capable of delivering on cue. Nor does that sort of improvised brilliance typically deliver the Champion’s League – the one thing missing from the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet. Man U have played a great brand of football under AF for more than 20 years and only won the European Cup once – in injury time at that. Arsenal has been the most beautiful team in English football history and they’ve never won it. You win CL by playing pragmatic football – like AC Milan, like Chelsea (three CL semis in four years) and like Liverpool prior to this year. Abramovich needs to decide whether he wants beautiful football or consistent European glory. You can’t have both. And Avram Grant is capable of delivering neither.

Frank Disclosure, Sydney, Australia

"Petr Cech’s head injury was the single reason Chelsea failed to win the league title last season. "

I would like to pick up on this. As much as enjoyed the piece, I was surprised by Mr. Barnes's decision to attribute Chelsea's dismal time last season to the absence of Cech. I thought that his replacement Hilario was quite efficient in the role even though he appeared somewhat nervous in the first couple of games. Chelsea lost thetitle because Terry was absent for a long time, because they were modest in the Christamas period when they let Manchester United ahead of them, because Jose Mourinho failed to settle a first string throughout the season. Another reason was Manchester United's spirit guided by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo's splendor.

Subhankar Mondal, Bangalore, India

"He didn’t want artists. He didn’t trust them. He liked ordinary talents developed to extraordinary lengths." Similarities with Brian Clough I think, which lead me to suspect that Mourinho might well be tempted to join a "smaller" club and mould it to his personality.

P Johnson, Hampshire, UK

"It really should have occurred to him that a man who had spent 500 million quid to establish the club as a publicity vehicle for himself ..."

Only to the extent I think of trying to ensure no action was taken against him by Putin. He gave himself a higher profile by taking over Chelsea. Otherwise Abramovich has done next to nothing to publicise himself giving virtually no interviews. In fact the only reason we knew he was there was because the cameras were turned on him from time to time and because of his bust-ups with Mourinho.

He bought the club saying he wanted Chelsea to become the next Real Madrid. I don't think he was simply talking about honours but the quality of football they played. As long as Chelsea were winning things Mourinho was tolerated, as soon as the failed to win one of the two biggests trophies his card was marked.

luke neave, london, England

Some cattle on £100, 000 per week. Is playing two games per week(180 minutes of work) the equivalent of hard-labour, freezing and starving in the Gulag? Entertainment, you must be joking, most people go to football matches to shout foul abuse at each other.

joel joseph, Oxford, England.

Simon Barnes, you've got it completely wrong. That is not what I think - thanks goodness. An opinion, well crafted, eloquently written and different to mine - just what I want to read in a newspaper.

Lindsay , London,

Great piece of writing

Sly, London,

rather harsh and distorted version of reality. Ferguson or Wenger are as much control freaks and actuallly have more power in their respective clubs. While taking all the attention on himself Mourinho has let the players bask in relative calm. For this they are actually grateful to him.
Sheva and Ballack are also big egos and no managers want to deal with that. Witness Ferguson on Beckham after he got married and involved in pop, fashion etc. Managers want players that will die for the cause not prima donnas and show offs.
Winners are often difficult, driven characters. Gullit for one, was also criticised for his outspokeness, but if things are ever to change someone has to speak up. Mourinho has shaken English football into life. It is more competative and of a higher standard accross all clubs than it was before him. He has broken the dominance of Man U. and opened up the chances of other teams winning, and we should be thankful for his willingness to call it like it is.

Dan , london, uk

Would love to have him at Man Utd...

Now that Carlos is leaving Man U, he should step in and take them to greater heights :)

Praveen, Chennai,

How about Man utd?
Fergie is on a rolling contract and now would seem an opportune time to hand over the reins.

Bill, town, country

Spot on! All other articles on his departure now rendered irrelevant.

Peter, Wellington, NZ

Your comments on the desire for control can be laid equally at Abramovitch's door. Talking cliches, football is a business and he who pays the piper calls the tune, but having to write down the clap trap from the manager's cliche handbook each week I would have thought the sports hacks loved the breath of fresh air that the plucky Portuguee brought to the club room at the Riverside in Middlesbrough on a cold Sunday in January. Abramovitch and Mourinho are in their ways similar. Both Chauncey Gardners who got lucky. One with how dumb Boris Yeltsin was and how gullible Siberian peasants were to be duped out of their shares and the other with the luck of Porto going all the way. Neither have the right stuff to own or manage but the money helps. Abramovitch has just acted like a thug with his loot and sacked his piper. Mourinho will be found out when he fails to live up to his special status and just gets on with it, hoping for a win like the rest. Plus ca change.

Paolo, Hong Kong,

I dont care where Mourinho goes, as long as he stays away from Arsenal. I really would not like him coaching my team. I'm afraid he would screw up the wonderful team that Wenger has put together. I think that Portugal would be a good fit for Mourinho.

William Griebel, waterloo, Illinois, USA