Mourinho should bite his tongue and start to show more respect to their rival neighbours - Stephen Tudor “You f***ing show respect! Who are you?” These were reportedly the words spat out by Jose Mourinho to Manchester City keeper Ederson in the aftermath of the Manchester derby amidst an entirely predictable fracas staged at the away team’s dressing room door. It was entirely predictable because the man with a forked tongue in a world of soup had just seen his team dominated and diminished by a hated rival, bossed by a hated rival. With spin and lies futile now against a humiliating reality witnessed by millions, Mourinho had nowhere to go but to his default setting. It is a core utterly vile and corrosive, capable of eye-gouging and disparaging a distinguished peer as a pervert. Strip away the fascination and charisma that is erroneously projected onto his character due to his sustained success and headline-grabbing outspokenness and what you have is a sociopathic and thoroughly disgusting human being. There is nothing pantomime about his villainy. This is the man Manchester United actively sought in desperation as they flailed in a crisis of identity eighteen months ago. They knew what they were getting and knew what he would bring and they openly celebrated the prospect of both at his securement. With the lowest possession at Old Trafford since such data has been recorded, a team fearful of self-expression, and a manager in undignified meltdown – they reaped what they sown. But have no sympathy for a club that was willing to sell its very soul for an increased chance of silverware. As for the behind-the-scenes commotion that resulted in Mikel Arteta nursing a head wound and Mourinho incensed at what he perceived to be overly boisterous revelry by the visiting neighbours it only detracts from the bigger picture; the harsher truths. Those words though: “You f***ing show respect. Who are you?” It is simply not possible for nine syllables to better reflect a man’s capacity for delusion and hypocrisy. In the build-up to the 175th derby, Mourinho thought nothing of calling City cheats, an accusation based only on his own skewed conjecture. Additionally, and entirely true to type, he attempted to influence the referee by questioning City’s propensity to commit ‘tactical fouls’ (a preposterously transparent and counter-productive strategy that was only ever going to solidify Michael Oliver into not following orders). Then, moments after a manager of Manchester United stormed a visiting side’s dressing room because he had the hump at being bested, the ‘Bitter One’ ungraciously attributed their record-breaking season of fantastical football to nothing more than good fortune. On the nature of his grievance – that City were deemed to be disrespectful in their celebration of a derby victory – let’s refer back to United’s post-match party following their Europa League success in May. Two days earlier 22 innocent lives were lost in the Manchester Arena bombing so it followed that United’s victory over Ajax was accompanied by a rare break-out of solidarity in Manchester by a city united in grief. City’s official Twitter account tweeted their congratulations hashtagged with ‘ACITYUNITED’ while countless Blues temporarily dropped a long-standing but ultimately petty football rivalry to post their own best wishes. How did the United team celebrate in their dressing room on Mourinho’s watch? By singing ‘Why don’t City f*** off home’. That really was a time to show some f***ing respect. The latter three words of the Portuguese super-brat’s admonishment of Ederson meanwhile also clang with meaning. For here is a man fading fast into yesterday addressing a future giant of the game. Then there’s the entitlement. Oh where do you begin with the spurious entitlement? In the intervening years since Manchester City walloped their former superiors 6-1 on their own turf back in 2011 there has been a multitude of pseudo-reasoning that it was a landmark moment. It was on this date, so it’s been said, that the power shift took full affect with City emerging from their neighbour’s long shadow and becoming the top dogs of the city. Yet as brilliant as the Blues were that day - and as eye-opening as the result undoubtedly was – the theory discounts the fact that United eventually came within a hair’s breadth of winning the league that season and went on to rubberstamp a thirteenth title the following year. Can anyone realistically see them closing the considerable gap this time out? Indeed in broader terms can anyone see them competing as City’s equal again anytime soon? Yesterday may not have been decided by a startling score-line but what it did show-case was one team reactive and scared who used to be fearless being utterly swamped by a rival merely in third gear. Only one team wanted to win it and that team wanted to win it with imagination and style. The other resorted to hoofball. The other, once intimidating and thrilling and great, were in truth beaten before the opening whistle. Yesterday was a perfect encapsulation of where both teams reside at present. They are lightyears apart. So perhaps it would be beholden on the home manager to show a little respect. Whoever he once was.
Were we just talking about the De Bruyne that Mourinho didn't think was good enough to be given a shot at Chelsea? Perhaps we need a better judge of players as manager, rather than one that until now has always inherited successful teams?
You are right, he didn't inherit a successful team this time but he went and won two trophies in his first season with it. Pep on the other hand won nothing.
That settles it then. Whilst Jose was busy winning the second rate Europa League and League Cup, Pep was flapping about in the knockout stage of the Champions League and finishing ahead of United in the league. Hmmm...
And winning **** all I take it you would have preferred us not to win the "second rate" Europa league?
I'd have preferred qualifying for the Champions League with a top four league finish above Liverpool and City.
Plain nonsense. Top 4 finish only had meaning because of the cl. The Europa was always a prized European trophy albeit second to the cl and now even more valuable with the Cl. City won **** all last season.
Personally it makes me sick that City have finished above us every season (and Liverpool twice) since Fergie retired and some second tier European pot doesn't make up for it. Each to their own I guess.
You know it is nonsense and you may well be wumming for all I know. Winning the Europa (something not won by United before) is seen by a United fan as winning a second rate trophy? This statement would not surprise me if coming from an RS fan. (Isn't strange you speak like skylarker or the collider these RS ******s!) Of course finishing below the RS is never nice but did they win anything? Yes, they got CL but so did United.
I'm not calling the Europa League "second tier" to be derogatory. It's just what it is - a competition for teams who haven't done well enough to be amongst the elite of the Champions League. I don't buy the "completing the jigsaw" talk that came from United's media relations. We won the competition in the past when it was the Cup Winners' Cup and had more prestige. It's like saying we've never won the Championship since its inception in 2004 - it doesn't mean I want to go there. And how I laughed at my Liverpool supporting mates for their Thursday night, Channel 5 football! I'd be a hypocrite to jump up and down about winning it now. Perhaps I'm in a minority but there are more bragging rights in the Premier League standings to me.
Aye, I agree with you to a degree. Winning all three of the European trophies is like being Preston North End - the only club to have won all four divisions in England. Nice achievement, but everyone would rather win four top division titles than one from every division. That said, you can only win the comps you are in for a given season. Given that Moyes and LVG turned us into a Europa League club for their three seasons, I won't sniff at winning it. Any trophy is worth winning, no way would I choose not to win one above winning one. We don't want to go to the Championship, but if we somehow ended up there then we would want to win it. It's not going to be remembered as one of our greatest achievements, but I would rather win something than not win it. And ultimately, if you aren't in a genuine challenge for the title (i.e. still in with a good chance in May), your final PL position is little to boast about imo. It's only qualifying for the CL that matters, and given we did that anyway I care little for us finishing fourth, fifth, sixth or whatever.
I'd say you are probably a younger fan? Mid 20's? Not saying it's a bad thing just that I've noticed that attitude in younger fans, older fans seem to still want to win trophies, younger and it's all about CL.
