"Today, tomorrow and forever, Barcelona in my heart" - Mourinho

che wrote:mourinho is a turncoat who desperately sucks up to fans of whatever team he happens to be coaching atm, making them fall in love with him and think of him as the victim when he gets mistreated in the slightest way

discuss

Alan Pardew will be back on familiar territory when his Newcastle United players arrive at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. A few years ago he developed something of a fixation with José Mourinho, the then Chelsea manager, and spent part of his free time shadowing the "Special One".

"I know Chelsea well," said Pardew. "Before I got this job and moved north, Chelsea was perhaps the team I visited most. I did a big study of Mourinho, how he played and how he got that unbeaten record at home."

Along the way Mourinho, now coaching Real Madrid, invited him behind the scenes. "I took in Chelsea's training ground a couple of times," said the Newcastle manager, whose family home in Surrey is handily placed for that facility while also being a relatively easy commute from Stamford Bridge.

"I just wanted to get my head round their incredible record at home under Mourinho. They must have gone two-and-a-half seasons without losing at home and José had done that at Porto before that. It wasn't just about great players, there was obviously something else going on. I came away with a couple of things."

Many of Roberto Di Matteo's squad are familiar faces. "I know Chelsea's players very well," Pardew said. "They're re-motivated now. The fact that it was reported they needed to be replaced because they lacked legs has now worked on the other side of the coin. They're proving everybody wrong, that's what great players do."

Di Matteo's Champions League finalists are sixth, one point behind the fifth‑placed Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur, who visit Bolton Wanderers night standing fourth, courtesy of superior goal difference.

"It's going to be a big night for Champions League qualification, there's no getting away from that," said Pardew. "After Chelsea we've still got two more games left where things can change again but Wednesday will be significant."

His Newcastle team ended a run of six successive wins with a 4-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic on Saturday and, on returning to training, the players were greeted by the chilling sight of a mobile cryotherapy unit parked at their weekday headquarters.

It was filled with individual ice baths in which Pardew's first‑teamers plunged to hasten their physical recovery from the Wigan game, while perhaps also imbuing them with an extra mental edge.

"I don't think there'll be any problem with the psychology of our team now," he said. "It has to be a bad time to play Chelsea but we're looking for a big reaction."

Pardew accepts Newcastle may yet end up in the Europa League and is duly anxious to finish at least fifth rather than sixth, which would shorten the summer break by requiring involvement in early qualifying rounds. "If we can't strive for fourth, it's important we strive for fifth."

Zealous wrote:Better than getting your fans and players to hate your guts. Emery

che wrote:

Zealous wrote:Better than getting your fans and players to hate your guts. Emery

i don't know what you're trying to prove to yourself but you won't get me riled up by taking jabs at emery

Baraa992 wrote:

Zealous wrote:Agent Mou was infiltrating Barca for years, now he has come back to finish them

beating their as**s at the camp mou, winning la liga right in front of their faces and causes pep to "take a break".

My point is, he already finished them zeal

Giggity5313 wrote:

Baraa992 wrote:

Zealous wrote:Agent Mou was infiltrating Barca for years, now he has come back to finish them

beating their as**s at the camp mou, winning la liga right in front of their faces and causes pep to "take a break".

My point is, he already finished them zeal

TBH, pep really needed a break lol, I read an article that he would be up all night usually working for the club, it hurt his health. I mean his hair is half gray already.

EarlyPrototype wrote:

harhar11 wrote:

EarlyPrototype wrote:

wow thats really classless from the real madrid fan....

Se7en wrote:she doesn't deserve anything... lmao, if anyone is mad over her changing club he needs to get his brain checked.

of course as a girlfriend you support the club your boyfriend plays in

but it's still a joke, shakira is a famous singer, that could have been angelina jolie aswell, but i know it's becouse she is piques girlfriend... what i'm trying to say is that she's famous and people usually likes to joke about that stuff. you don't see people joking over puyols girlfriend or messi's, for example

S32TABLANCA wrote:

Se7en wrote:she doesn't deserve anything... lmao, if anyone is mad over her changing club he needs to get his brain checked.

of course as a girlfriend you support the club your boyfriend plays in

but it's still a joke, shakira is a famous singer, that could have been angelina jolie aswell, but i know it's becouse she is piques girlfriend... what i'm trying to say is that she's famous and people usually likes to joke about that stuff. you don't see people joking over puyols girlfriend or messi's, for example

You're wrong. Sara is still an Atleti fan. WTF is this, the middle ages where boyfriends impose their club upon their gfs?

Se7en wrote:
if my son played for barcelona, i'd not hesitate to support barcelona

S32TABLANCA wrote:

Se7en wrote:
if my son played for barcelona, i'd not hesitate to support barcelona