On June 3, Jose Mourinho was officially announced as the new Chelsea manager for the upcoming 2013/14 season. There was a lot of speculation regarding who will replace Rafa Benitez at Chelsea after his announcement on February that he will not continue this job [
Sky Sports]. Pep Guardiola was the initial favorites to take up the reins at Stamford Bridge; however, this rumor shattered after he chose Bayern over Chelsea [
Daily Mail]. Fans pressured the officials of Chelsea by expressing public remarks to re-sign Jose Mourinho. The former Chelsea boss (2004-2007) was unveiled to the media on June 10. Will his second stint at Chelsea prove yet another successful spell?
In honor of Jose Mourinho's return, I'm compiling a short list of managers who returned to a club they have previously managed.
1. Jose Mourinho (Chelsea 2004-2007, 2013-present):
Well, let's start off with the man in the spotlight. Mourinho was first announced as Chelsea's manager in June 2, 2004. After winning the Portuguese league and Champions League with FC Porto, Mourinho was enticed away from his home country to supervise the new rising club. After dubbing himself as "the Special One" in the press conference, he launched a campaign to live up to the expectations. In his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho won the Premier League twice, a League Cup trophy, and the FA Community Shield, making him the most successful Chelsea manager in a short period of time. (Well okay, I was bias in writing this but hey, stats don't lie!)
His reason for departure is still hazy, though the media claimed his relationship with owner Abramovich fell apart. Mourinho denied this claim stating that the separation between the two parties was by "mutual consent". The only honor still missing in Mourinho's Chelsea project was the Champions League, which Roberto Di Matteo won in 2012. Now, Mourinho is back and only time will tell how his second spell would turn out...
2. Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth 2002-2004, 2005-2008):
Harry Redknapp, relative to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard and father to media pundit Jamie Redknapp, led Portsmouth to promotion into the Premier League in his second season with the club. A disagreement between manager and chairman led to his departure.
Portsmouth recalled Redknapp in December of 2005 as the club was fearing a relegation from the top flight. Redknapp not only held the club in the Premier League, but led them to the most coveted cup in English football: the FA Cup. After winning the 2008 FA Cup, Redknapp left Portsmouth to manage domestic opponents Tottenham Hotspurs.
3. Tony Pulis (Stoke City 2002-2005, 2006-2013):
Tony Pulis was appointed as Stoke City manager when the club was in the second tier of English football. The club was in danger of being relegated to the third tier but Pulis managed to barely survive relegation. Disputes over the lack of transfer funds with the club's owners led him away from the Britannia Stadium.
His second spell proved to be Stoke's recent best as he led the team to promotion. The 2008/09 season saw Stoke playing in the Premier League once again after 23 years. However, Pulis failed to win anything with the club, achieving only runners-up position in both the 2007/08 Championship and 2010/11 FA Cup. At the end of the 2012/13 season, Tony Pulis was relieved of his duties at Stoke City.
4. Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich 1987-1991, 2009, 2011-13):
Yes, three stints at one club although he was just an interim at 2009.
Honestly, I like Bayern Munich as a club. Their style of play is the epitome of fundamental football. If Bayern was playing in the Premier League, I would definitely be their hardcore fan. But that's beside the point...
Jupp Heynckes' first spell as Bayern's manager could be described as a 'warm-up' to his later stints. His first season was not that impressive as they were just runners-up to the Bundesliga champions. The 1988/89 and 1989/90 marked a back-to-back title championships for the club. His last full season resulted in another runners-up spot to the league title. In the European level, Heynckes was only able to take the team to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and European Cup before losing to the eventual champions.
After getting off the season to a slow start, Heynckes was sacked in October of 1991. It was all downhill for Bayern for the remaining games of that season. The club finished barely above relegation that year. The decision to fire Heynckes was later described as the "biggest mistake" of the general manager.
Heynckes took up the caretaker's job at Bayern in 2009 left by Jurgen Klinsmann (the current coach of the US National team). Bayern finished second place again with Heynckes.
His latest spell at Bayern was the most successful. His first season marked an impressive number for the team's statistics. The team, however, did not win any major trophies for the season losing the domestic honors to Dortmund and the Champions League final to Di Matteo's Chelsea in their own home.
Bayern avenged their losses in the following season by achieving an dramatic Treble with outstanding performances on the field. Heynckes's side broke numerous records in this latest season including being crowned the earliest Bundesliga champions. Bayern faced a wavering Barcelona side in the Champions League semi-finals in which they thrashed Barca 7-0 on aggregate. The finals was between Bayern and domestic rivals Dortmund. Bayern displayed a solid performance and won the European glory with a 2-1 victory. They completed their Treble by winning the domestic cup against Stuttgart, thus achieving the honor of being the first German club to complete this Treble.
Know anymore interesting second comings? Just comment,
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Thank you for reading!
