Mourinho Mad as Hell

Jose Mourinho challenged Chelsea to stick with him or sack him after the capitulation against Southampton.

Captain John Terry was restored but Saints exposed the now familiar failings in the defence which just five months ago formed the foundation for winning the title, with goals from Steven Davis, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle earning a first win at Stamford Bridge since January 2002.

The Blues, who had taken the lead through Willian's free-kick, were booed off after a fourth loss in eight Premier League games left them 16th in the table, one place below newly-promoted Bournemouth.

In a seven-minute outburst to Sky Sports, Mourinho said: "If the club want to sack me, they have to sack me because I'm not running away from my responsibility and my team.

"This is a crucial moment in the history of this club because if the club sacks me, they sack the best manager this club had and the message is: bad results and the manager is guilty."

He later added in his post-match media conference: "No way I resign. No way. Why? Because Chelsea cannot have a better manager than me.

"I want the best for my club and the best for my club is for me to stay."

Mourinho felt aggrieved Chelsea were not awarded a penalty in the second half at Stamford Bridge when Radamel Falcao appeared to be brought down by Saints 'keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Southampton took the lead three minutes after referee Robert Madley's decision through Sadio Mane, and Mourinho felt it was an indication referees were afraid to give decisions to the Blues.

He added: "When we are at the top I understand that there is quite a big pleasure on putting us down.

"But when you are down you need to be a bit honest and to make clear that the referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea.

"The result [was] 1-1, there is a huge penalty and, once more, we don't get. A penalty is a crucial moment in the game with the result 1-1.

"I repeat, if the FA want to punish me, they can punish me, they don't punish other managers, they punish me - it's not a problem for me.

"But I want to repeat because I think my players deserve it, I think our fans deserve it and I am a Chelsea fan too. I want to say it again: referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea.

"Why? Because if they give there is always a question mark from you, there is always a question, there is always a critic, we are always punished."

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Henry Retires to Sky Sports

Thierry Henry has announced his retirement from football and that he will return to London to take up a role in the media.

The 37-year-old former Arsenal striker left the New York Red Bulls at the start of the month after they were knocked out of the MLS play-offs but there was speculation he might choose to play on at another club – with a return to Arsenalmooted.

However, the former France international and World Cup winner has instead called time on a trophy-laden career, which has included spells with Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and the Red Bulls.

In a statement, Henry said: “After 20 years in the game I have decided to retire from professional football. It has been an incredible journey and I would like to thank all the fans, team mates and individuals involved with Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, the New York Red Bulls and of course the French National team that have made my time in the game so special.

“It is now time for a different career path and I am pleased to say that I will be returning to London and joining Sky Sports. I will hopefully share some of the insights, observations and experiences I have learnt over the years with you guys. I have had some amazing memories (mostly good) and a wonderful experience. I hope you have enjoyed watching as much as I have enjoyed taking part. See you on the other side …”

When asked if he had thought about another stint in north London, Henry told Sky Sports: “You kind of never leave Arsenal. How many comebacks do you make? At one point it will turn out to be a bad movie. We all love the first Rocky but I’m not too sure about the last one.”

Henry will always be most closely associated with Arsenal, where he is the all-time leading goalscorer with 228 goals in 377 games across two different spells.

Arsène Wenger, who had known him as a young player at Monaco, signed him from Juventus for £11m in 1999 and immediately shifted him from the wing to a central striking position. His blend of pace and power made him one of the most feared forwards in English football, and Henry won the Premier League title twice with Arsenal, as well as the FA Cup three times.

Henry left Arsenal in 2007 and joined Barcelona, where he won the Champions League in 2009. He also added two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercopa, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup to his honours list in three seasons at the Camp Nou.

His medal collection also includes a Ligue 1 title and the Trophée des Champions – the equivalent of the Community Shield – with Monaco, his first professional club.

He spent the final five years of his playing career with the Red Bulls, returning to Arsenal to make four appearances on loan in early 2012.

With France, Henry scored 51 goals in 123 appearances – only Lilian Thuram has more caps with Les Bleus. He was a member of the 1998 World Cup winning squad, while also being a runner-up in 2006. Henry was a European champion in 2000 and was part of the team that won the Confederations Cup in 2003.

The former player will begin his work with Sky from the start of 2015, covering live international, European and domestic football and joining the current pundits Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp and Graeme Souness.

Gary Neville said: “We were blessed in this country to see Thierry playing at his peak, potentially one of the greatest players in the world and even if you supported another team you couldn’t help but enjoy watching him play. It’s always a shame when such a career comes to an end, but it’s very much Sky Sports’ gain and I look forward to working with him.”

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