It is jokingly said that there are two classes of managers/coaches-those who have been sacked and those waiting to be the sacked. The job of a manager is not an easy one.When the going is good,most times, the credit is given to the players, but when the results are not forthcoming, the manager is the first to get the heat.
In situations like tha,t you can predict who the first casualty will be,which, undoubtedly, is the manager.The players most times are untouchables, no matter, how bad they play.From the place where I come from they are seen as the military barracks that remain, even when the soldiers go.
This is the lot of most coaches, taking the blame, being the fall guy, even in some situations when the recruitment of players must have been done without their consent or even before their recruitment.They still bear the brunt of the poor results of their teams.Many of them are used to the unenviable position of the manager or coach being fired any time. As a matter of fact, many of them have resigned to accepting whatever decision the management takes,at any time in the season.
Every manager is said to be as good as his last result.There is no sentiment when it comes to firing any manager,no matter the achievements with the clubs.There has been a number of managers who had been sacked just weeks, or at times, months after winning major trophies for the clubs.
Take the case of Chelsea under impatient Roman Abramovic .In 2012, when Chelsea won their first Champions League with Roberto Di Matteo, a legend of the club, he was sacked at the beginning of the next season just after few weeks.Who would have thought that could happen for a man who won the most treasured trophy in club football for Chelsea, after many years of failed attempts?
Same story also followed Thomas Tuchel with Chelsea.On January 26,2021 he signed an 18months contract with the club with an option of extension,taking over from sacked Frank Lampard . Under six months, he won both the Champions League and Club World Cup, yet was surprisingly sacked just few weeks into the new season.
Ange Postecoglou broke Spurs trophyless 17 year wait, but was still sacked and was replaced by Thomas Frank.Manchester United have faced very challenging times since the exit of legendary Sir Alex Ferguson with as many as six managers having passed through the Old Trafford dugout, yet all got sacked.Despite Jose Mourinho winning United the Europa League and their first major trophy since the exit of Ferguson, yet he was fired.Eric Ten Hag, somehow managed to win both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, despite their troublesome campaigns, while in charge, he was still sacked.
The list of managers who had won trophies this season only to be sacked the nest season are endless, but one man has learnt the act of walking away smiling as against others who walk in with pain. That man is the Special One,Jose Mourinho.He seems to be the smartest manager alive as he had left all clubs he manager financially better that most of his peers, who walk into financial darkness.
Mourinho has just been sacked by Turkish giants Fenerbahce and he is smiling to the bank and is just nine million dollars shy of 100m dollars total earnings from losing his jobs.This figure towers above the total earnings of most managers even currently engaged with either elite clubsides or second tires leagues.
For the records in 2007, Mourinho received 18m pounds from Chelsea after his sack,in 2013 he smiled to the bank with 17m pounds from Real Madrid.In 2015,he returned to Chelsea and when he was fired again he walked away with12.5m pounds.Manchester United coughed out 19.5m pounds for asking him to go,while Spurs learnt the hard way with 16m pounds when they sacked him.
In Italy, AS Roma parted with 3m pounds while Turkish club, Fenerbahce coughed out 13m pounds to thank him to go.In total, Mourinho has reaped 99.1m pounds from just being sacked,excluding the salaries he earned while on the job.The man, truly, is not a feeding bottle coach, but the Special One or the Happy One and if you decide to call him the Evil Genius, you won.t be wrong. Which club is next?
