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Liverpool's Glen Johnson Blasts Mourinho's Ethics At Chelsea
Liverpool's shiniest left-back has a thing or two to say about his old boss.
Jul 11, 2009 6:04:26 PM
Liverpool's most expensive signing of the summer so far, Glen Johnson, has said that, during his time with Chelsea, then manager Jose Mourinho was less than honorable with the sought-after left-back.
Asserting that the Portuguese gaffer told him 'a lot of things that weren’t true', Johnson cited one particular incident that happened during the games prior to the Blues facing Barcelona in the Champions League.
“We had a couple of games to play before the Barcelona match. Mourinho picked me for a game and told me in front of five witnesses that if I played well, I would keep the shirt,” The Times quote Johnson as saying.
“I immediately told my agent that it didn’t matter how well I played, I would be dropped because Mourinho wouldn’t want me anywhere near the team for the Barcelona game. Sure enough I was voted man of the match — and I was dropped from the squad.
"You would have to ask Mourinho what his reasons were, but I know it was because he didn’t want to see me play well and be forced to pick me for Barcelona. That was the day I knew I had to leave Chelsea. Managers have to stick to their word. You have to be able to trust them.”
Johnson went on to say that he harbors no ill feelings towards his old boss and claims that his performances now speak for themselves.
“It gives me a lift when I wonder what Mourinho thinks about what’s happened to me since I left Chelsea. He never spoke to me about why I wasn’t playing. He probably thought I would go to Portsmouth, fade away, disappear and not do anything in the game — and probably 70% of football fans thought the same," he went on.
"I think I’ve proved my point as far as Mourinho is concerned. People, even Jose Mourinho, make mistakes.”
Stephen Crawford, Goal.com
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Asserting that the Portuguese gaffer told him 'a lot of things that weren’t true', Johnson cited one particular incident that happened during the games prior to the Blues facing Barcelona in the Champions League.
“We had a couple of games to play before the Barcelona match. Mourinho picked me for a game and told me in front of five witnesses that if I played well, I would keep the shirt,” The Times quote Johnson as saying.
“I immediately told my agent that it didn’t matter how well I played, I would be dropped because Mourinho wouldn’t want me anywhere near the team for the Barcelona game. Sure enough I was voted man of the match — and I was dropped from the squad.
"You would have to ask Mourinho what his reasons were, but I know it was because he didn’t want to see me play well and be forced to pick me for Barcelona. That was the day I knew I had to leave Chelsea. Managers have to stick to their word. You have to be able to trust them.”
Johnson went on to say that he harbors no ill feelings towards his old boss and claims that his performances now speak for themselves.
“It gives me a lift when I wonder what Mourinho thinks about what’s happened to me since I left Chelsea. He never spoke to me about why I wasn’t playing. He probably thought I would go to Portsmouth, fade away, disappear and not do anything in the game — and probably 70% of football fans thought the same," he went on.
"I think I’ve proved my point as far as Mourinho is concerned. People, even Jose Mourinho, make mistakes.”
Stephen Crawford, Goal.com
Get the latest from the world of Transfers by following Transfer LIVE! Join the chat and see all the news on a minute-by-minute basis here
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