http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2008/01/11/mourinho-could-give-united-fans-the-success-they-crave-61634-20338851/
Sam Allardyce’s departure has led to the usual flurry of speculation about who is going to replace him. Luke Edwards believes there is only one outstanding candidate for the job, but can Newcastle United land him?
IF Mike Ashley does not already have an idea of who he wants to replace Sam Allardyce as Newcastle United’s manager, he should do. For all of the speculation about who should succeed Big Sam, for all of those who might be interested in the challenge, there is only one truly outstanding candidate for the job. His name is Jose Mourinho.
If the challenge for a manager at St James’s Park is unique, if the pressure and expectancy which engulfs you from the moment you accept the Magpies’ hotseat is special, it surely needs the self-professed “Special One” to take it on.
If Ashley and his chairman Chris Mort want to employ the manager best equipped to end more than five decades of under-achievement on Tyneside, if they want to recruit the man with the best track record to succeed where so many big names and astute minds have failed in the past, and if they want the person who will unite everyone behind his leadership, they must look to Mourinho.
It should not be a question of whether Newcastle are interested in the former Chelsea manager, the only question should be whether Mourinho is willing to listen to their offer or has he already looked away with a shrug of disinterest?
This is a manager whose achievements at Porto and Chelsea make him the outstanding candidate for virtually every job at every major club in European football. Newcastle might be an intriguing proposition, a chance to prove his remarkable talents by succeeding where so many others – including his mentor Sir Bobby Robson – could not.
Get things right at Newcastle and Mourinho will not only upset English football’s established order, gatecrash the Champions League party and become a legend on Tyneside, he will go down as one of the all-time greats, a man whose name will be mentioned alongside the likes of Busby, Chapman, Clough, Ferguson, Paisley, Shankly and Wenger.
It is a mouth-watering prospect, but has it tantalised his taste buds? Or have the Portuguese’s eyes already lit up at the chance of testing himself in one of European football’s other major leagues.
Newcastle United play in black and white stripes, but they are not Juventus. Neither, for that matter, are they one of the other European heavyweights of AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, all of whom have been linked with an interest in the 44-year-old. There is, however, another complication, the fact it is widely understood Mourinho agreed, as part of the generous compensation package he received when he was removed as Chelsea manager last September, that he would not takeover at another Premier League club until next season at the earliest.
After Allardyce’s sudden departure, Newcastle need their new man sooner rather than later, unless they are going to appoint Nigel Pearson as caretaker manager until the end of the season, which would appear to be an unlikely scenario. Just because Mourinho is the outstanding candidate does not mean Newcastle will get him and there was a predictable avalanche of speculation regarding the identity of the man who will succeed Allardyce in English football’s toughest job yesterday.
Given the fate that has awaited those who have followed Kevin Keegan as Newcastle manager, it would be understandable if few people wanted to accept the offer if it came. But there is still something irresistible about the challenge which means there will be plenty of people vying for Ashley and Mort’s attention. Harry Redknapp remains the favourite, despite distancing himself from reports he is interested in an offer to move to the North-East from Portsmouth.
Blackburn’s Mark Hughes and former Tottenham boss Martin Jol have also been mentioned alongside the obvious candidate Alan Shearer. There were also plenty of rumours yesterday that Keegan had been seen in the city, while the credentials of the Italian Marcello Lippi and the German Ottmar Hitzfeld were also debated in pubs, restaurants and living rooms across the region last night.
It would be helpful to have a clear idea of Ashley’s thinking, but Newcastle’s billionaire owner does not speak to the media and the best we can hope for is an indication of his plan which came from his close friend and former Spurs director Paul Kemsley.
“I will not comment on if anyone is lined up, but I know Mike well enough to know that he does not make decisions brashly,” said Kemsley. “He is a very considered guy. He will know where he is going with this. He will stick with the plan and deliver what he believes will please the Newcastle fans. Mike isn’t a loser. This is a guy who made a billion just after 41st birthday. He is one of the most successful entrepreneurs this country has delivered.”
Being a successful businessman doesn’t guarantee being a successful football club owner, in the same way that being a great player doesn’t ensure you will be a successful manager. But Kemsley – who is credited with starting the campaign to replace Martin Jol as Spurs boss last season – is confident his friend is not only dedicated to bringing success to Newcastle, he has the ability to do just that. He added: “He along with everyone else at Newcastle wants to see good quality football. It is always a difficult decision to get rid of any manager. He thought about it and thought it was in the best interests for Newcastle to sack Sam.
“People have to realise Sam was not Mike’s choice. Sam was already there. Expectations are much higher than Bolton, and quite rightly so. Mike took the view of saying, ‘Okay, let’s see if he can deliver what I want – good quality, attacking football – and win games’. He gave him time, but he has put £250m in the club and will invest more in the transfer window and in the summer. So he wants to do that with his own man in charge and his own team.”
