A view of Davy Fitzgerald and Jose Mourinho and why they shouldn't change for anyone.

Davy Fitzgerald and Jose Mourinho, the personalities, controversies and successful characters and why they shouldn’t change for anyone.

By Steven Kelly

16/11/2020

Despite coming from completely different worlds, Wexford hurling boss and Clare legend Davy Fitzgerald and Spurs and Portuguese native Jose Mourinho, have a similar way of expressing their emotions and love for their teams. Win, lose or draw the pairs controversial comments leave the public intrigued on more than one level. The public has a loving admiration for both men and this needs to be looked at closely.  Their actions on the sideline, always seem to grab headlines and we can’t get enough of it. Jose Mourinho is considered one of the most decorated and colourful characters in the world of football. Mourinho first came into the limelight when his Porto side knocked a star-studded Manchester United side out of the champions league in Old Trafford, back in 2004. His antics on the sideline when his team equalized is something which many people will never forget. Francisco Costinha’s 90th-minute strike sent Mourinho sliding down the line and he also hushed the Old Trafford faithful. This is an example of where Mourinho gets on peoples radar, whether good or bad. He is a bit like marmite, you either love him or you hate him. He divides opinion to this day and in the words of the man himself “people look at me with different eyes.” 

Much like Jose Mourinho, Davy Fitzgerald shares that equal love and passion for management. The bannerman mirrors a colourful character on the sideline. Like Mourinho, Davy sometimes lets his animation get the better of him. In 2017, during a league game between his Wexford side and Tipperary, Fitzgerald came on the pitch to remonstrate with Cork referee Diarmuid Kirwin over a goal given to the Premier county. As if that wasn’t enough, he later got involved with corner forward Jason Forde in a scuffle and was given an 8-week ban for misconduct. Fitzgerald later apologized and admitted, “that I won’t be doing that again.” 

However, both men have been in the spotlight for more than just their sideline antics. Maybe this explains why their actions are highlighted more and more. Mourinho himself has called out referee’s on many occasions over the years and at times is reluctant to take personal responsibilities for his sides defeats. There is an air of the man feeling victimized and pointing the blame at others, instead of himself. In 2005, he infuriated Manchester United fans when he called the team “a bunch of cheats and claimed the team where diving and play-acting” after his Chelsea team were beaten in a league cup tie at Old Trafford. Similarly to Fitzgerald, he was later fined and if anything shows the struggles the man has in keeping his comments to himself. As a football fan, you sometimes relate to his frustration at losing a game, but Mourinho’s filter with words tends to be lacking. Sometimes his personality overshadows the team and results.

Davy Fitzgerald equally has hit out at refereeing decisions over the years. In his time in charge of Clare, Fitzgerald blamed many a ref for poor performances. One example that springs to mind were in 2012, during a league meeting with Kilkenny. He called out the Referee Alan Kelly claiming “ he and his team were being targeted.” Continuing he believed “that the referees in hurling were like those in the premier league and were too afraid to make the big decisions against the bigger sides.” It’s almost as if these controversial views are what people think, the difference being that both Fitzgerald and Mourinho are in the public domain. 

Despite their faults, both Mourinho and Fitzgerald are born winners, which sometimes fails to be acknowledged. Mourinho has won numerous league titles around Europe in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England. He has also won the Champions League 3 times. Davy Fitzgerald is also a serial achiever. As a player, he was part of the Clare team to win 2 All Ireland titles in both 1995 and 1997. At a management level, he has won a national league title with Clare to go along with their All- Ireland success in 2013. With Waterford, he guided them to an All -Ireland appearance in 2008 against Kilkenny. In 2019, he masterminded a Wexford win over Kilkenny in the Leinster Final. These achievements speak for themselves. It can be argued that the focus should be more on their achievements rather than the sideshow, as it were. In terms of Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers the current Leicester City boss recently defended the Portuguese coach. Rodgers, a former staff member under Mourinho at Chelsea, believes “Jose is a world-class manager. He has up to this point been and will continue to be. Jose is a master at getting his teams organised, difficult to beat and winning. There are different philosophies and identities as managers and there’s no right or wrong.” Why is the microscope focused so much on the behaviour of Mourinho and Fitzgerald? It may be because many opposition managers feel envious of their success and are trying to find faults that aren’t important.

The way the media has conveyed Fitzgerald also maybe pretentious. Are we allowed to know the really Davy? There are many sides to his personality. The competitive one we all know and love. However, there is a softer version which we struggle to accept and celebrate. Fitzgerald is also a man of love and a man of class. In 2013 he was training the Clare team in preparation for the sides All Ireland Semi-final again Limerick. There was a woman by the name of Shelia Considine, who turned up to watch a training session. She was wheelchair-bound and Fitzgerald made a great amount of time for her, even giving her his hurley from the 1995 All-Ireland. She later passed away. Her mum Biddy admits that she was left “ frustrated and disappointed when Davy would receive abuse. You don’t know the man at all, he has a heart of gold.” Davy maybe an animated figure on the sideline but there is more than meets the eye. Mourinho may be overly passionate, may say something in the heat of the moment, but the man has built his career on wearing his heart on his sleeve. Respect must be granted on that alone.

To this day both Mourinho and Fitzgerald continue to implement themselves in their styles of management. They continue to succeed at the top of their disciplines and the way they both conduct themselves and their teams are something which shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. For sports fans its something that is secretly loved and will be seen for some time to come. Davy and Jose aren’t going to change for anyone.