Jose Mourinho ‘among best in world’ but ‘bad headlines’ must stop, says Gary Neville

Gary Neville wants to see Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho stay put – but warned the “bad headlines” have to stop.

The Premier League champions have endured a dire start to the season and lost their fifth league match on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 at West Ham.

Mourinho was sent to the stands during the defeat and then refused to speak to the media afterwards.

“The snowball started rolling down the hill two or three months ago, even as far back as the Charity Shield defeat,” said Neville on the Gary Neville Podcast.

“Then there was the (Eva Carneiro) doctor situation, the ill-discipline, not doing press conferences, somehow it’s almost as if the players have lost belief and confidence.

“Mourinho is a fantastic manager – one of the best in the world – and I have an enormous amount of time and respect for him, but the bad headlines need to stop quickly.

Steve Bates says that yesterday’s defeat to West Ham United summed up Chelsea’s season in a few minutes of madness

“The trust we had in them has gone and they look like an ordinary team, when they are not an ordinary team, they are a fantastic side who won the league a few months ago.”

Defeat at Upton Park has left the Blues 15th in the Premier League with just 11 points from 10 games.

Neville says it is up to Mourinho to get the club back up the table and hopes the Portuguese does not leave Stamford Bridge.

“He has got to pull it round, he’s got to intervene and do something,” Neville added. “He’s been one of the best managers over the past 10-12 years in terms of intervening in football matches, now he’s got to intervene off the pitch.

“He’s got to be statesman-like, he’s got to take the lead.

“I want to see him at Chelsea, I want to see him in the Premier League. I don’t want to see him leave, he brings too much good to the league.

“I want to see it settle down but it’s rolling and rolling and getting more traction week by week.  He is putting more fuel on the fire and so are the club and players.”

Chelsea travel to Stoke in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday before hosting Liverpool in the Premier League next weekend.