Chelsea would be foolish to sack Mourinho - Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson says Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
would be "foolish" to sack Jose Mourinho, hailing him as one
of the best coaches the game has ever seen.

The reigning Premier League champions have been in
abysmal form this term, with Saturday's 1-0 defeat to
newly-promoted Bournemouth the latest disappointing
result.

Mourinho's men have picked up just four points from their
last six league games, leaving them sitting just two points
above the relegation zone after 15 matches.

Speculation over the Portuguese coach's future continues to
increase, but former Manchester United manager Ferguson
feels the club should stick by him.

"Abramovich has sacked so many coaches in the last 10
years that I am sure he has learned from it," the Scotsman
is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

"He has to trust and have confidence that Jose can turn it
around.

“There is no point in sacking one of the best coaches of all
time, he’s won the European Cup twice, he’s won the league
in each country he’s managed in, he’s won the big trophies.

"It would be foolish to take that step to sack him. That would
be bad management. It’s not leadership, that."

The 73-year-old pointed out that Chelsea's current
predicament is the first time Mourinho has ever really
struggled in his career, but he has backed him to turn the
situation around.

“I’ve been watching Jose and I’ve spoken to him a couple of
times. It’s the first time he’s been confronted with non-
success.

"If you look at his whole career it’s been nothing but a rise
all the time, so for the first time in his life he’s had to deal
with bad publicity, adversity, and thats a challenge but there
are signs he is getting back to a balanced level even though
they lost on Saturday.

“For Jose, all good leaders will eventually find a solution. He
will find a solution and I think he will get back to normal. It’s
not looking great at the moment, but I know the guy and
work he has done in football and I can’t see it lasting long.

"There are not many teams who can continue that, for
instance Manchester City won the League and then lost it
the next year, Chelsea won the league and are now having a
bad spell.

"It is very difficult to maintain and continue success for five,
six, seven years, very, very difficult.

“The key is to avid complacency."