Nothing Special

Saturday 29th April 2006 at Stamford Bridge. A jubilant Chelsea side has just clinched back to back titles with a satisfyingly comfortable win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United – the club that once seemed to rule the Premiership.

It is time for the Champions to parade before their adoring fans, one by one. First the backroom staff, then the players and finally the manager, Jose Mourinho. He enters briskly to tumultuous applause, pauses to shake hands with every one of the scarlet coated guard of Chelsea pensioners and then moves on to the presentation. A winner’s medal is placed around his neck, but he quickly removes it and in what seems a matter of moments he is seen marching off towards one section of the massed ranks of Chelsea supporters. He takes off his jacket with the Chelsea crest, rolls it up and flings it towards them and there is a gasp as almost immediately he despatches his medal into the throng.

According to reports, some kind official found a replacement medal for the Chelsea manager, which it is said he received courteously and promptly disposed of in much the same way as the first.

What did he do it for? To generate publicity? To devalue the medal? To increase his popularity rating? To demonstrate his narcissism? To keep Ebay busy?

Whatever the motive, the irony is that on Chelsea’s most special day, this really was nothing special at all