Off The Post supports Chelsea. Since this is a column, that — thankfully — is allowed. Separately, Off The Post has always liked Jose Mourinho, even when he coached other teams.And not so much for the beauty of his on-field product (his tactics often absolutely kill games), but more so for his off-field antics, which can range from amusing to the downright bemusing. When hegets it right, it can trick you into thinking he is a perfectly rational, level-headed guy — the kind you might enjoy grabbing a drink with. But when he gets it wrong — or in the case that follows,really wrong — you find yourself thinking: maybe this guy needs to see a psychiatrist?

Prior to becoming a full-time fan of the beautiful game, OTP had a background in marketing andadvertising — and anyone who has worked in that industry knows a thing or two about PR. Which brings us to our question for today: who is running PR for Chelsea Football Club these days? Or rather:who is letting Jose Mourinho run PR for CFC?

On Monday, the club published an article on its official Web site entitled “Penalty Puzzle,” which attempts to highlight and analyze the reasons why the Blues have only receivedtwo penalty kicks in the Premier League so far this season. For example, last season, when Chelsea finished third, it received seven spot kicks. The season before, when Chelsea finished third again,it received 11. In 2011-12, the club received five; in 2010/11, eight, and finally, in 2009-10 — the last time CFC won the league — it received 12. Do you see a pattern here?

Neither doesOTP.

Referees get penalty decisions wrong all the time, and having watched nearly every Chelsea game in the league this season, it is true that several clear-cut penalties have been deniedCFC, but to take this gripe — which any other team in the league could also make 00 and turn it into a PR campaign, is, well, embarrassing. Indeed, OTP is so embarrassed by this, that he issimultaneously going public with both his allegiance to Chelsea and his embarrassment with the club’s actions.

Jose Mourinho, who is notorious for fostering an “Us vs. Them”mentality in his teams, really has gone too far this time. He has taken this idea of a “campaign” against Chelsea, which he was already fined for, by the way, and given it the kind ofugly permanence that a sad piece of club propaganda simply doesn’t need. It’s one thing to complain relentlessly about officiating. It’s another thing to turn it into your owncampaign.

Sure, the referees in England have been poor this season. But they have been poor for everyone, Jose. And your Chelsea propaganda piece will likely only encourage them to give fewer– not more — penalties to CFC.

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2 Comments

  2. You are wrong here. It’s not because of Mourinho’s comments. It’s because of the reputation of diving that Chelsea’s players have developed this season. The referees are less likely to give PK to a player or a team that dives a lot. The same thing happened last year when Luis Suarez was denied many legitimate PKs because of his reputation as a diver.

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