Mourinho praises Stamford Bridge crowd

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says the unwavering support of the Stamford Bridge crowd has helped him achieve great things with the club.

From 2002 to 2011, Mourinho did not lose a league game at home in an incredible 150-match run that included his time at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid.

Of those 150 matches, 60 came at Chelsea, with the Portuguese seeing his side win 46 of those and draw the remaining 14.

And when Mourinho – who was re-appointed as Chelsea boss in June – was asked to reflect on his superb Stamford Bridge record by the club’s official magazine, he said the consistent support his decisions received played a big part.

“I know in my record at Chelsea – also at Inter and Madrid – that I made many decisions that helped my teams with this record, but you feel more comfortable with risky decisions when you have that empathy,” said Mourinho, who guided Chelsea to Premier League successes in 2005 and 2006.

“If I gamble, as you sometimes call it in England, with a very risky decision, it can go the wrong way.

“How many times did I play here with three defenders? I remember against West Ham (in April 2006), we were losing 1-0 and we were playing with 10 men after Maniche got a red card early in the game.

“I still gambled because I wanted to win with 10 men – and we did win, 4-1.

“It can go the wrong way. Maybe one day you are losing 1-0 and you end up losing 4-0, but you are not afraid to make decisions again if people accept that you are doing these things for the right reasons.

“The owner knows the way I think, so do the fans, and this is all about empathy.

“We know that three years without a defeat at home in the league is almost impossible to achieve, but we have to have the natural tendency that, at home, we are very strong.”

Mourinho’s Chelsea will begin their Premier League campaign with a home fixture against newly promoted Hull City.