Friday, January 27, 2006
I inspired Terry and Lampard: Mourinho.
LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho insisted that it was his arrival at the Premiership side that inspired the development of England pair John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Lampard and Terry helped Chelsea end a 50-year wait for the Premiership title last season during Mourinho's first year at Stamford Bridge.
And the Portuguese coach believes he was the inspiration for their success.
Mourinho told BBC Radio Five Live: "When I knew I had the opportunity to come here I saw videos to try to make the right choices.
"Even with videos you can get a feeling of the players' personality, because there is a level of personality in what they do on the pitch.
"So I knew they were hard workers, they are people who try to win but I knew I could push them from that moment to people with ambition. At that time they were big players but not winners.
"These players must also be winners because if not, when they finish their careers, no-one will remember what they did.
"I gave them that bit of ambition and they became two important players in our dressing room."
Mourinho inherited Terry and Lampard but has not been short of money to bring in players due to the vast wealth of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.
His three major signings of last summer, Michael Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier del Horno, alone cost a combined 53 million pounds.
Mourinho insists, however, it was not the promise of almost limitless funds that tempted him to the club but the ambition of Abramovich to win trophies.
"The first contract I signed at Chelsea was not a big, big, big contract in relation to what I had before," he said.
"I was not persuaded by any economical offer, I was persuaded by the club project. They wanted to win things, not tomorrow - the project was not win tomorrow or win the next thing. The project was build a club. It was more than build a team - build a club."
Lampard and Terry helped Chelsea end a 50-year wait for the Premiership title last season during Mourinho's first year at Stamford Bridge.
And the Portuguese coach believes he was the inspiration for their success.
Mourinho told BBC Radio Five Live: "When I knew I had the opportunity to come here I saw videos to try to make the right choices.
"Even with videos you can get a feeling of the players' personality, because there is a level of personality in what they do on the pitch.
"So I knew they were hard workers, they are people who try to win but I knew I could push them from that moment to people with ambition. At that time they were big players but not winners.
"These players must also be winners because if not, when they finish their careers, no-one will remember what they did.
"I gave them that bit of ambition and they became two important players in our dressing room."
Mourinho inherited Terry and Lampard but has not been short of money to bring in players due to the vast wealth of billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.
His three major signings of last summer, Michael Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier del Horno, alone cost a combined 53 million pounds.
Mourinho insists, however, it was not the promise of almost limitless funds that tempted him to the club but the ambition of Abramovich to win trophies.
"The first contract I signed at Chelsea was not a big, big, big contract in relation to what I had before," he said.
"I was not persuaded by any economical offer, I was persuaded by the club project. They wanted to win things, not tomorrow - the project was not win tomorrow or win the next thing. The project was build a club. It was more than build a team - build a club."
