Paul Merson’s opinion about Tottenham’s Mourinho couldn’t be more wrong
By Gary Pearson
Paul Merson, in his latest rant via the Standard, says that Jose Mourinho looks like he regrets becoming Tottenham manager, a claim rife with absurdity.
But what did we expect from the renowned Spurs hater? He spouts his venomous words based on pure bias, prejudice that has absolutely no merit or value whatsoever. He says Mourinho is back to his old, grumpy and stoic self. But that’s part and parcel of Mourinho’s charm.
Nobody ever believed the Portuguese gaffer would maintain perpetually the sunny disposition he joined the club with. But Mourinho has handled well the cards he was dealt, and is impacting the side in his own unique way.
He has signed two excellent players and has put Spurs in a position to hunt down a top four spot with just 13 matches to play. Struck by a litany of injuries, including long-term setbacks to the club captain, English captain, one of his primary left backs and Moussa Sissoko – a rock in midfield, Mourinho has forged forward, battling through a period filled with adversity.
In Alex Young’s piece in the Evening Standard, Merson goes on with his familiar word vomit, to spout the following infuriating, outrageous words:
"“But it’s not really working, is it? Chelsea are in the driving seat to finish fourth and I can’t see Spurs catching them right now.“They are a very lucky football team at the moment because they’ve been ripped to shreds in their last two matches but still managed to win.”"
Tottenham are just four points adrift of Chelsea in the race for a top four spot. Saying he can’t see Spurs catching Chelsea is a statement fuelled by his dislike for the Lilywhites.
His close-minded viewpoints are a blight on football punditry and shouldn’t be condoned. But in the end, the Standard is trying, like every other online news outlet, to garner as many clicks as possible.
The ex-Arsenal figure spearheads debate, animosity and, most of all, controversy, exactly what the Standard looks for.
Mourinho took the helm at Spurs because he believes in the cause, he believes in the spirit of the team and understands what the club is capable of. He is in it for the right reasons, and for all his faults that should never be questioned.
Mauricio Pochettino once famously said that he’d like to “kick” Merson, as seen at 1:43 into the below footage.
I’m pretty confident in saying every single Spurs supporter on the planet shares their former manager’s sentiment.