José Mourinho Chelsea Return: Returning Managers' Successes And Failures

Should José Have Gone Back?
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Chelsea are often accused of lacking history, but exactly nine years and one day after they unveiled José Mourinho as their manager the Blues have announced the return of the self-proclaimed "special one".

In 2004, Mourinho was, as he told the assembled media "a European champion", a "top manager" and "not one of the bottle". He won five major trophies in three seasons with Chelsea, as his predecessor, Rafael Benítez, thwarted the Portuguese's Champions League assaults with Liverpool in 2005 and 2007.

The Champions League remains something of an elusive crown for Roman Abramovich. The fortuitous 2012 triumph, however remarkable, glorious and delightful, seems somehow tainted by the manner in which it was secured. Abramovich's reluctance to appoint Roberto di Matteo exposed his dissatisfaction and after Pep Guardiola rejected Chelsea last year he has returned to Mourinho.

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Yet they say never go back in football and, in the English game, it is testament to the mantra that Tony Pulis and Harry Redknapp are the outstanding managers to have succeeded when returning.

Sir Alex Ferguson retired not four weeks ago, but his spiritual predecessor Sir Matt Busby returned to the role of Manchester United manager in 1970. Wilf McGuinness, a disastrous and ill-advised in-house appointment, was dwarfed by Busby's shadow as the Scot kept the manager's office at Old Trafford despite being a director. Busby returned in December 1970 as caretaker manager, with McGuinness demoted to reserve team boss, before steering United to eighth and stepping down in 1971.

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Another Scot, Kenny Dalglish, preceded over one of the most risible seasons in Liverpool's recent history when he replaced Roy Hodgson in January 2011. Fans' calls for Dalglish's second came as early as November 2010, with a notable statement made in Hodgson's final match, when Liverpool's away section at Blackburn was just two-thirds full.

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Dalglish led Liverpool to three titles and two FA Cup triumphs during his first spell at Anfield between 1985 and 1991, but was caught in a time-warp during his second tenure. He guided the club to their first trophy in six years with the 2012 League Cup, however the club's campaign was blighted by Dalglish's bizarre behaviour, notably his staunch defence of Luis Suárez despite the Uruguayan being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra. He was sacked after the Reds lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup final and finished eighth in the Premier League.

Across Stanley Park, Everton welcomed back Howard Kendall not once, but twice during their 90s slump. Under Kendall, they won the title in 1985 and 1987, the FA Cup in 1984 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985.

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He left the Toffees for Athletic Bilbao before returning to Goodison Park in 1990, a fruitless era which ended in 1993. His third spell at the club was the dreadful 1997-98 campaign, when Everton avoided relegation on the final day amid allegations about Kendall's well-being.

Kevin Keegan lasted eight embarrassing months back at Newcastle in 2008. He failed to win any of his first eight matches and left less than a month into the 2008-09 season after falling out with the board, purportedly over the transfer of James Milner to Aston Villa.

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Between 1992-97, Keegan was in charge of Newcastle's 1993 promotion to the Premier League, where they finished in the top six in four successive seasons, narrowly missing out on the title in 1996 having held a 12-point advantage over Manchester United in January.

As for the success... Redknapp enjoyed two distinguished periods with Portsmouth, managing the club to promotion in 2003 and consolidating their status as a Premier League club the following season before leaving in late 2004 for arch-rivals Southampton. After the Saints were relegated, Redknapp returned to Pompey, who he helped keep up before winning the FA Cup in 2008, their first major honour in 53 years.

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Pulis is the other British-based manager to have enhanced his reputation when going back. He first arrived at Stoke in 2002 and prevented their demotion to the third tier and stayed on for a further three seasons.

Following a year at Plymouth Argyle he returned to the Potters, who he managed back to the top-tier of English football for the first time in 23 years in 2008, and into their first ever FA Cup final in 2011.

The advantage Mourinho has is there are few caveats. Keegan and Dalglish were blinkered, fan-driven appointments destined to be short-lived and although Mourinho is the most revered Chelsea coach in modern times, he has been coaching and winning for the past decade. His last campaign with Madrid was his first trophyless term in 11 years.