In a beat of the heart: September 2007

I can't say I was that shocked when the news broke that Jose Mourinho had left Chelsea.
I did think it might have happened in the summer or at the end of the season because of all the talk that's been going on for a while, but I don't think anyone would have been overly surprised.
But the timing of it? Five games into the season, with Manchester United coming up? That was the biggest shock.
Something has clearly gone on since the draw with Rosenborg on Tuesday, even if relations between Mourinho and Roman Abramovich have not been that great for some time.
And it is very, very strange, because after all Abramovich was the man who appointed him.
Like the rest of us, I have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes.
Maybe it is a case of the club not being big enough for two big egos, but from the outside at least, Abramovich has kept himself to himself and not courted publicity or craved the television cameras. Whether or not that is the case privately, we none of us know.
The timing is also strange because it leaves the club in limbo. Lists of possible successors are always drawn up immediately, but right now no suitable and available replacement really springs to mind.
And don't forget, Jose Mourinho won two back-to-back titles in his first two years at a club that had not won the league for 50 years.
Spot-on
I don't know who Chelsea have in mind to succeed him, but I can guarantee one thing - the new man will not come in and win two Premier League titles in his first two seasons.
People might say those titles were bought a little bit, but Mourinho still had to pick the right team, get his tactics spot-on and beat Arsenal, Liverpool and in particular Manchester United.
Now, if they think there's another guy out there that can match that, then the only place they are going to find him is at Old Trafford or The Emirates.
Much has been made of Abramovich wanting Chelsea to play with so-called style as well, but people have short memories. I remember them setting records in Mourinho's first season for the most number of wins and most number of goals. You don't do that playing boring football.
Maybe there has been a slight shift in the way they play and their personnel, but I would love to know just how much interference in that there has been from elsewhere in the club.
I would also love to know just whose decision it was to buy certain players, because I don't think for a minute Jose went to the board and demanded 'I want Andriy Shevchenko, I want Michael Ballack'.
He has of course brought plenty of players to the club and there is no doubt he was very, very close to his squad. If you were part of the Mourinho fold you got his 100 per cent support and backing, publicly as well as privately.
Wondering
His departure will have an affect on senior pros like John Terry and Frank Lampard, as well as those he has brought into the club like Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba. But they cannot afford to sulk at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho never paid their wages, Chelsea Football Club did. Their only loyalty is to those Chelsea fans who are, like the rest of us, wondering what has gone on behind the scenes. That is the bottom line.
I don't want to hear any excuses, or anyone saying 'what did you expect when you sack the manager?'.
As for where the 'Special One' turns up next, your guess is as good as mine. I would love to see him back in the Premier League though, because he has been great for our game.
I'll admit he borders on the arrogant and he has made mistakes, as we all have, in any walk of life. He is still a new manager after all.
But what he did was come in and ruffle the feathers of the top boys in the Premier League, which they probably needed. He was always entertaining in the press and was always good for a soundbite - even right to the last with his eggs and omelettes.
Say what you like about him, but Jose Mourinho never disappointed.