Why Jose Mourinho’s time has gone and what his ‘bad smell’ comments reveal about his fall from grace, writes SIMON JORDAN

I was and still want to be an admirer of Jose Mourinho. I want to see that charismatic manager who once attracted so much attention for all the right reasons.

I don’t like the Mourinho who only makes noise out of controversy and not out of performance.

It’s a sad reflection on a once great operator who turns from an enigmatic, unique individual into a sharp critic of everything and everyone.

His latest targets this week have been VAR official Atilla Karaogla and all of Turkish football, both of whom apparently ‘smell bad’ according to the 61-year-old Fenerbahçe manager.

It is similar to last year when England referee Anthony Taylor and his family were harassed at Budapest airport after Mourinho confronted him and swore after Roma’s defeat in the Europa League final.

But the Fenerbahce manager has a penchant for making referees the target of his ire

There were ugly scenes between then Roma boss Mourinho and Anthony Taylor at the 2023 Europa League final

Even for someone who likes his managers to have some grit and be able to put people in their place, like Mourinho, you can’t justify such bad behavior. And while I have the desire to see the old Jose emerge again, unfortunately I don’t think we will.

I’m no expert on the standards of Turkish civil service, but given Mourinho’s past, the real frustration he feels may be the deterioration of his own career. You don’t end up at Fenerbahce, with all due respect to them, because you are a winning elite manager.

This is a man who has won major trophies for Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester United. He is not on the rise now. The attention he receives is because of what he has achieved in the past. His actions in the present are minor.

I was always a supporter and advocate for him. He is, or was, a breath of fresh air. He has always had a narcissistic, dark and destructive streak, but this is becoming more common now, with no solutions offered.

His tantrum about the ‘system’ after beating Trabzonspor 3-2 – he was angry that they conceded two penalties – is ultimately disrespectful to the people he works for and the country he leads.

Referees may not be flawless, but there is a way to express yourself. They are easy targets. Imagine Jose’s reaction if they had responded and called him a manager’s child; rude, distasteful and tries to bully people into his way of thinking.

I’ll say this again: Jose’s presence in football over the past twenty years has been fundamentally strengthening and enlightening. But there comes a point when you have to turn around and say this is a waning force. An empty barrel that starts making a lot of noise. Or a lot of noise that starts to become an empty vessel.

During the early years of his time in the dugout, Mourinho was more effusive than mean-spirited (pictured during his second spell as Chelsea manager)

But now that his prospects have diminished, his dark side is emerging more and more

The economics of football gives its key participants freedom of expression without fear of consequences. Yet Jose is not a club owner and has no influence or authority over anyone except the players. So if he steps outside that mandate and focuses on the structure in which he works, I don’t know what that says.

To make the comment that the only person in London who watches Turkish football is his son, what does that say about him going to Istanbul to manage there? Perhaps he feels he needs to make this kind of noise to make himself relevant in a relative corner of domestic football.

Once upon a time you brought in Jose Mourinho and won things. Fener has finished second in the league six times since the last Turkish champion in 2014. Where are they currently? Third, five points behind leaders Galatasaray.

I’m sure he would like to return to England – and perhaps this ‘outrage’ is part of an escape plan – but it’s hard to make a case for that.

If you are a top six club, you don’t take Jose Mourinho with you anymore. If you’re a mid-tier club you’re inviting trouble because he’s a ‘give him what he wants, when he wants it’ manager, which you can’t do financially. And if you’re on the bottom tier, Mourinho doesn’t go there. He is now in his own personal Bermuda Triangle!

Mourinho arrived in Turkey on a wave of positivity but has since hinted at a possible return to the Premier League

Everton is an interesting idea considering the club’s potential with a new stadium and new owners who could make it a real force again. But while I know football is a strange business, why would likely new buyer Daniel Friedkin re-hire Jose at Everton after releasing him from his services at Roma?

Sometimes you don’t want complete harmony at a club because you need people, but most of the time you also need some kind of stability and I’m not sure that makes Jose any better. In fact, it’s getting worse. He played at Roma for two and a half years until he was sacked in January. It was a job full of challenges, but even taking that into account, Mourinho was divisive and confrontational in equal measure.

If you are going to bring in an impact manager, as Mourinho usually is, you have to evaluate what that impact will be.

To paraphrase his latest soundbite, the current Mourinho seems to be more about noise than performance – and leaving a bad smell.

I am impressed by the open-hearted Postecoglou

We usually see Ange Postecoglou looking at the ground during television interviews, but on his behalf I felt like saying ‘up yours!’ to shout. for those questioning the Tottenham manager’s decision to sign captain Son Heung-min during Sunday’s 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

An expert asked: ‘What is he thinking?’ when the substitution was made at 1-1 and they would have fallen foul of the Spurs manager had it not worked out.

It turns out Ange’s intention was to destroy Villa, and he was more than right for a brave decision, even if Son’s reaction to his withdrawal didn’t help.

I’ve always loved Antipodeans. They are straight speakers. Postecoglou – I won’t call him Big Ange because he’s hardly Steve Evans – doesn’t take cover.

He risks a backlash by making bold statements such as not having a glass ceiling or always winning trophies in his second season.

Ange Postecoglou’s decisive decision during Tottenham’s thrashing of Tottenham was more evidence of his can-do Aussie mentality

He doesn’t seem concerned about the consequences. It’s likely a byproduct of his other journey to the upper echelons of the game. He didn’t end up in top positions, he had to earn it.

Spurs have a realistic chance of winning something for the first time since 2008. They are also favorites for the Europa League in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Ange has a strange style, doesn’t engage with the camera and seems to hate being asked certain questions. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a means of communication, but he has an Australian mentality.

Win, lose or draw, Ange’s team is going for it. Perhaps when he raises his first cup, he will flash a deafening grin and wave two fingers at his critics, in a victory salute of course!