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He’s worked at some of the biggest clubs in European, if not world football and managed some of the biggest stars ever to grace a football pitch and yet Jose Mourinho still manages to divide opinion among supporters and the media.

An outspoken and controversial figure, the “Special One” has led FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid to all kinds of honours and picked teams involving the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder and Frank Lampard – to name just a few. However, he never seems to stay around at one club for more than a few years – an average of just 1.64 years in fact, as this infographic from The Soccer Store shows. Continue reading Mourinho Magic

Manchester United manager David Moyes has revealed that he has no intentions of selling star striker Wayne Rooney before the end of the transfer window. Rooney has been linked with a move to several clubs across Europe including PSG and Barcelona. However, it is believed that Chelsea are extremely close to making an official offer for the 27-year-old England international. Moyes, though, has said that he wants Rooney in his team because he sees him as the ideal substitute for Robin van Persie. This is likely not going to go down well with the Rooney camp, who are keen on moving away from Old Trafford.

Rooney handed a transfer request – his second of his Manchester United career – at the end of last season. Even though former manager Sir Alex Ferguson categorically stated that Rooney will not be sold, it now appears that the club may have to give into the wishes of the players after the latest statement from Moyes. Rooney will especially not want to be a substitute with the World Cup coming in less than one year. The 27-year-old only has two years left on his contract and United will certainly not one to see him in the final 12 months of this deal still wanting to get out of Old Trafford.

“Overall, my thought on Wayne is, if for any reasons we had an injury to Robin van Persie, we’ll need him. Wayne can play up on his own, he can play dropped in. It’s going to be a time to see how I work with Wayne. Manchester United isn’t about Wayne Rooney. Manchester United is about the team – the club. I won’t allow Wayne Rooney to become more important than the football club and the football team, because that’s the heart of it,” said Moyes.

Robin van Persie, who has been a major reason for Manchester United winning the title this season, has said that he wanted to scoring the injury time of the match against West Brom in order to give manager Sir Alex Ferguson a perfect send off. This was the 1500th and final match as a manager for Ferguson, who announced his retirement after 26 years in charge of the club, but United could only manage a draw with West Brom. However, it was just not a normal game after West Brom managed to come back from being three goals down twice in the match.

The score finished 5-5 at the end much to the disappointment of Ferguson. Van Persie, who has finished the season as the top scorer in the division, has said that he always believed during the match that United would get the winner in the injury time, which is usually referred to as the ‘Fergie time’. United have secured several late winners during Ferguson’s time at the club, but there was not to be a high finish for the manager. Van Persie has said that he is extremely delighted to have been part of a Ferguson team for at least one season.

“I was waiting for some Fergie time at the end. It didn’t happen but to score 10 goals was good fun for everyone, so I think the fans are pleased. After 26 and a half years at United and, before that, at Aberdeen, Sir Alex deserved it. He’s unbelievable and what the West Brom fans did was a nice touch. It’s right to show respect. It doesn’t always happen in football but today it did and I’m glad. Of course, we get a new manager next year and everybody is looking forward to that,” said the striker.

The new Blackpool manager Paul Ince has said that he is happy to have a slow start to his Blackpool career. The former Manchester United, Liverpool, and West Ham United midfielder has been unable to find work for the last 22 months. However, he was recently appointed as the Blackpool manager on a rolling contract. He got the first win as a Blackpool manager in the 2-1 victory over Watford during the weekend. It was a surprise result given that Watford are challenging for the automatic promotion spots, while Blackpool’s chances of finishing in the play-off appear to be slim.

However, this away victory gives Ince his first win as the Blackpool manager in the last five matches. Ince has revealed that he is extremely frustrated with his managerial career so far because people have not been giving him a chance despite his win ratio of more than 40%. He has admitted that he made mistakes during his managerial career, but he is learning along the way as well. He has said that he is extremely grateful to get the opportunity to manage a club like Blackpool. The winger Matt Phillips has praised the manager by saying that the new manager was a player of real quality, and he is willing to help the current players.

“I have been frustrated. There have been jobs that have come up that I fancied, but someone else got them. I could not understand why, because a victory ratio of 43 per cent as a manager is pretty good. I made mistakes along the way, as you do, because you’re always learning. But to have this chance to manage Blackpool is a real honour,” said the 45-year-old, who has played 53 matches for the England national team. He is one of the few black managers in the league.