Mourinho v Wenger

[Sid]

This one is big news today.

Apparently there is not much love lost between these two - and the dislike is not an affectation.

On the one hand you have the charismatic overstated articulate self-admiring showman that is the Chelsea boss; on the other you have the studious, somewhat mumbling, self-effacing Arsenal tactician, whose English is as fractured now as it was when he arrived.

My question is this: which of them do you prefer?

Further to that, if you were to spend an evening in the company of one of them, which would it be?

Would you give the same answer to both questions?

I suppose I should attempt my own question before signing off.

Well, I prefer Wenger because I think he's less likely to say things just for effect

but

I'd spend my evening with Mourinho because I think he's a riveting conversationalist.

Perhaps if we get 20 or more responses to this we could do a head count. 

[PTID1862]

Jose on both counts for me

[Cobby]

I'd chip in a quid to get Jose as our manager  He can seem a bit of a buffoon at times, but to have achieved the success he has achieved, you can't exactly be a bad manager

[Chris]

It's like comparing wine or a game system, totally different.

I'd probably end up (your choice of word) Jose if he's anything like he appears in the media, I'm not a fan of the special one. Wenger gets grumper by the season but I'd prefer to spend time with him, he see's the importance of not throwing silly money on players and bringing youngsters into the first team. He also doesn't shy a way of British talent, so for these reasons an evening with him could make fun discussion(s).

The special one probably would talk about himself, though some might like that.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I think Jose would make for a very interesting evening so that would be my choice but i wouldn't say I prefer either both are excellent managers.

[liampie]

whats wrong with shaun derry?

i dont like either managers, i would rather spend the day with a politician than either of these. neither but thank you for the offer! lol 

[Fan of Big Tone]

A r*d supporting friend of mine told me he hated Wenger so I asked him why and he said it was because he was a frog (derogatory word for a Frenchman). This was a person who had never met a French person and had never visited the country yet he "hated frogs" why are some people so bigoted.

[Feral Fox]

Two differing styles imo. Wenger has relied on the slow and steady, but lets be honest. Where has it got him?

Jose is a showman. And why not to be fair. He has produced the goods more than most in his career. The move back to Chelsea will come good. Even if its not this year he will win the league again.

[super_ram]

I'm sure Jose's public persona is different to his normal self and the same goes for Wenger.I'd like to see what they're like together in private,away from the media and TV cameras..

[william1984]

i like jose mourinho and have alot of respect for what hes done for chelsea as other managers have struggled with them, on the other hand i bloody well hate wenger all he ever does is moan about how teams cheat and are 2 physical moan moan moan typical french guy i hope they croak it this season and chelsea or liverpool win the league sorry for the bad frog joke.

[Fan of Big Tone]

i like jose mourinho and have alot of respect for what hes done for chelsea as other managers have struggled with them, on the other hand i bloody well hate wenger all he ever does is moan about how teams cheat and are 2 physical moan moan moan typical french guy i hope they croak it this season and chelsea or liverpool win the league sorry for the bad frog joke.

Hi William

When you say he's a typical French guy because he moans is this based on your experience of French people? Do you know any? Have you ever been to France?

I have spent a lot of time in France and I have found them to be very pleasant, very welcoming and friendly. So let's hear your experiences I'm genuinely interested to hear why you have a bad opinion of them.

[GrannyPie]

Every nationality has the same differing traits.There are good and bad people everywhere but it's the bad ones we usually remember and it's those people that give the rest of their country/region a bad name.

[william1984]

Hi William

When you say he's a typical French guy because he moans is this based on your experience of French people? Do you know any? Have you ever been to France?

I have spent a lot of time in France and I have found them to be very pleasant, very welcoming and friendly. So let's hear your experiences I'm genuinely interested to hear why you have a bad opinion of them.

 

yes ive been france went with school and when i did they was rude and ignorant when i went 2 market where we was they paid more attention 2 serving there own people then who was actually next in cue i was stood at one market stall for bout 10 mins while this store owner served everyone else then dealt with serving us from my school so on my experience in france they are rude.

[super_ram]

I don't like French politicians but then again I don't like politicians in general.I was put off France by the french teacher at school who was real francophile.She was always comparing Britain with France and berating everything British. As Granny says there are good and bad people everywhere,black/ white/yellow,young or old ,male or female and whatever religion.and of course whichever football team they support.

[Fan of Big Tone]

That's a very good point that @GrannyPie has made, it doesn't matter where you go you will find people that are unfriendly, Perhaps @william1984 it was because you were schoolchildren, although that shouldn't make a difference I know but perhaps the stallholder was more intent on serving the grown up's first. Maybe if you go back as an adult you will have a different impression.

 

Sorry this is going off topic a bit. I will tell you two stories about our time in France one bad experience and one good experience.

 

Bad experience

Picture the scene, we are in our campervan just pulling out of a campsite onto a B road and being English I am concentrating on driving on the right and at the same time fiddling with my sat nav to try and get our next location on the screen. Admittedly I should have done this before we set off but we all make mistakes. So there we are tootling along while I am fiddling with the sat nav and I failed to notice that out of nowhere a huge truck was hurtling upon us from behind, I was going too slow admittedly but the French truck driver completely over reacted as he overtook us and blaring his horn he tried to force us off the road, frightening us half to death in the process, I managed to keep control of the van and he vanished into the distance. "Thank God for that" I thought, "that's the last we'll see of him", I was wrong because a couple of miles down the road there was an island and the truck was skewed across the road blocking it so we couldn't get past. I stopped about 100 yards from the island and the irate French driver got out of his cab and started walking across to our van, as you can imagine by this time we were really frightened, Mrs. H was just about having a heart attack, we couldn't turn round, we were trapped so I locked the doors, he came over and shouted what I assume was abuse at us in French, I tried to say I was sorry but I thought he was going too fast in any case as he came out of nowhere. He immediately seemed to calm down after he had said his piece, he politely said "Au Revior, Monsieur" got back in his lorry and drove off. We were left shaking. It was an awful experience but it hasn't made me tar all Frenchmen with the same brush.

 

Good experience

We were staying on a campsite in a mobile home when we somehow lost the keys to our caravan and couldn't get in we had to go to the campsite owners to explain, we thought we would be in trouble but far from it, he invited us all (me, Mrs. H. and two kids) into his house which was situated at the back of the campsite reception. Sent his son off on his bike to get replacement keys from the nearest town, fetched his best wine out of the cellar and proceeded to let me and Mrs. H. sample all the different types, while his wife fed the kids, we were there several hours until we could get the keys and go back to our mobile home by which time we were quite drunk. Rather than charge us for the replacement keys (as we expected) he showed us some wonderful hospitality. This is just one story of kindness which went beyond the call of duty, I have experienced many more.