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It is strange how fiction can become fact and visa versa, but some time ago, on the 26th of May 2015, we published an article, see below http://www.westhamfans.org/content/europe-ahoy-and-really-weird-and-wild..., featuring an after hours chat with Chelsea's 'the special one' Jose Mourinho, which admittedly might have initially been a bit of a spoof due to the dubious nature of it's source, relating to the impending appointment of Slaven Billic as West Ham United's new manager. Fast forward to Sky's coverage of 'it's' Barclays Premier League managers, and you will notice a certain bias towards the 'footballing lounge lizard' that is Slaven Billic! When Mourinho arrived he had a budget that could blow anyone out the water at the time, Billic does not have that asset, but what he does have is wit, humour and pragmatism. Billic's "park the bus without the hand brake on,and "Just like going into a bar full of girls" has already endeared him to the press and public alike.
Mourinho's press conferences have gone from being a pedestal to amplify his achievements, to being an edgy post-mortem of everyone around him and their failure excluding his, compared with Billic's laid back and laconic "third in the Premier League is't bad is it?" when asked by a match of the day numpty how he thought his team were doing!
Billic may have less hair, 'but boy can he play guitar'! - Ed

Here was the article date 26th May 2015:
{The season is going to start really early for the incoming manager of West Ham United, the club have just been declared top of the fair play league in England, and as such have obtained entry for a Europa League qualifying place along with Liverpool, Tottenham and either Aston Villa or Southampton. As fair play qualifiers Hammers will have to play their first match on July 2nd, in order to enter the competition 'proper' they will have to play a further three matches. A tall order for a team that is currently without a manager following Sam 'Arraldite's' departure, but on the positive front, following a bizarre accidental meeting courtesy of Chelsea fans occupying the Fulham Road and it's surrounding area for their Barclays Premier League title celebration, a rather worse for wear Jose Mourinho endorsed Slaven Bilic's credentials as a manager.
"Slaven is a good man, a strong man, but intelligent. He knows how to see a game, he is, how do you say? not a Luddite, unlike others, I think you know who I am talking about. He will be a breath of fresh air, and at last there will be someone able to take the weight off doing vaguely interesting and witty press conferences from my shoulders!"
And with that, the great one collapsed in a heap before being 'shoed in', by a rather large man with dark glasses, to a waiting limousine driven by an even larger man with dark glasses!
Bilic's odds were 1-4 on, what price now? -Ed}