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On the second of June, 2004,Jose Mourinho was appointed Manager of Chelsea Football Club. In just three seasons, the self-proclaimed 'special one' proved to us that he was truly special.The statistics speak for themselves-two Premier League Trophies, two Carling Cups and one F.A. Cup in less than four years. Even the most ardent critics of the Portuguese maestro cannot deny that the man knows his onions.

Suddenly,on September 19, 2007,we hear that Jose Mourinho has left the club for which he has achieved so much.Enter Avram Grant, a 52 year old Jew and former Director of Football at Chelsea. Now, I have been a football fan for a number of years and I consider myself a jaded and seen-it-all kind of person.However,to say that I was shocked by Mourinho's exit is a massive understatement.

Chelsea will definitely feel Mourinho's absence and that is stating the obvious.The question is how will Chelsea cope without Mourinho? This is the question that this writer intends to answer as this article progresses.

First, let us take a walk down memory lane.Sometime in 2003/2004,Real Madrid Football Club sacked Vincente Del Bosque.In the four years following Del Bosque's exit,Madrid has not been able to find the magic formula yet.They have tried out a handful of coaches including Jose Antonio Camacho,Carlos Quieroz, Vanderley Luxemburgo,Fabio Capello and the present coach,Bernd Schuster. But the fact remains that Real Madrid is no longer the all conquering team they used to be.

On the contrary, teams like Arsenal and Manchester United have been able to do great things consistently.Why? The reason is an open secret.Both teams have had something that Madrid has lacked over the years-stability in their coaching department.

So, back to the nitty-gritty.Chelsea without Mourinho will never be the same and you can take that to the bank.This new guy, Avram Grant, will have to start from scratch.He will have to impose his own ethos on the Chelsea team and this will definitely take some doing.

To be sure the appointment of Henk Ten Cate is a step in the right direction.The rebuilding process at Chelsea has begun.Already,the team is playing good football which is what Mr. Roman Abramovich always wanted from Jose Mourinho.

As I write,Chelsea occupies the fourth position on the Premier League Table and leads their Champions League group, but don't let that fool you.Football is a marathon and not a sprint. During Mourinho's tenure at Chelsea,he presided over 185 games, won 124, drew 40 and lost only 21 games.He was also voted the Premier League Manager of the year in 2005 and 2006.

This is the man whose shoes Avram Grant is going to wear.According to Milan Mandaric,Chairman of Leicester City,'I don't think there are many people who can step into Jose Mourinho's shoes'.That makes two of us Mr. Mandaric.

I may be wrong but I think that in letting the special one go, Roman Abramovich may have made an all time error of judgment.

Learn more about this author, Emmanuel Osondu.
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