It would have been an act of madness for Chelsea to part company with José Mourinho, to judge purely from results. It has been less than three years, yet it feels like an eternity since the Portuguese landed on these shores. These days, it is easy to talk about “The Special One”, taking for granted the way that his teams invariably find a way to win.

But it is worth remembering the doubts that accompanied his arrival. True, he won two Portuguese championships, but, given that he did so at FC Porto, a club who had won nine of the previous 13 titles, some would be forgiven for thinking that Jade Goody could have managed that.

And though he won the Champions League, he beat AS Monaco in the final and Manchester United fans will tell you that he came within a disallowed Paul Scholes goal and a Tim Howard spill of going out in the second knockout round.

Then there were his signings. Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho and Tiago at a combined £42 million-plus smacked of “jobs for the boys”. Didier Drogba, at £24 million, was a figure of fun in his first few months at the club. Mateja Kezman remains a figure of fun.

Throw in the natural animosity towards a team trying to “buy success” and the concerns about a Russian oligarch throwing his weight around and you could see how he was set up to fail. Yet he did not. The critics — if not the purists — were won over. Chelsea won titles and set records.

And make no mistake, this year’s campaign is his greatest achievement. The quadruple is alive, but even if the Carling Cup remains the only piece of silverware won, the 2006-07 season will be his finest hour.

To have propelled Chelsea this far with everything that has gone on this year is amazing. The club’s top four summer signings — Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Ashley Cole and Khalid Boulahrouz — have had sub-par seasons. His squad was stretched by a string of injuries to key performers: Petr Cech, John Terry, Joe Cole. Chelsea’s two English icons — Frank Lampard and Terry — locked themselves in endless contract talks. Then there was all the talk of infighting: against Frank Arnesen, against Peter Kenyon, against the world.

This backdrop of uncertainty, injury and poor performance would have rocked any club to the foundations. And it would have had a severe impact on results.

But not at Chelsea. And that is down to Mourinho. Players are generally effusive about their manager in public. Off the record, it is a different story. Since Mourinho’s arrival, I have spoken to 13 players privately. Only one had any criticism for the manager as a person, even though not all were happy at the club. That kind of thing is unprecedented in football or, indeed, in any workplace.

The team ethic, self-belief and single-mindedness that he has infused into his men — many of whom are not impressionable youngsters but seasoned veterans who must have heard it all before — is remarkable and is the key to Chelsea’s success this season.

This is not to say that Mourinho does not make mistakes. The switch to a 4-4-2, some of the dubious signings, the decision to go into the season with only three central defenders were choices that he made freely (more or less).

But the mark of greatness often lies precisely in how you deal with those mistakes. Are you creative enough to find a remedy? Are you wise enough to learn from your errors? Are you charismatic enough that those around you will be awed by your strengths more than they are preoccupied with your weaknesses?

By that measure, whatever happens over the next five weeks, Mourinho will have turned in his finest performance yet. Perhaps this realisation prompted Kenyon’s statement yesterday.

Whether it will be enough to keep Mourinho at the club remains to be seen.

Staying away

- Since buying Chelsea, Roman Abramovich has preferred a hands-on presence on match days. After the games, he would descend from his private box to the dressing-room to congratulate José Mourinho and the players. However, as his relationship with Mourinho soured, this practice stopped.

- Abramovich did not attend for five weeks until reappearing for the 4-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on February 17, but did not visit the home dressing-room afterwards.

- “It is his club,” Mourinho said. “He doesn’t have to give explanations when he comes or when he is not here.”