Ideas fell victim to fighting among managers with competing agendas, he said, or were rejected as too costly, risky or insignificant for a global market leader.
Yet after all the sneering - about the exchanging of hurled wine glasses with Paddy Maloney, sacking his musicians, fighting with managers, being slung down stairs, standing people up, getting drunk, writing about little girls, letting journalists down (now there's a hanging offence) - there is the one unavoidable, awkward truth: the music.
On the one hand, he is a western-trained manager fighting for the interests of all shareholders.
"We're fighting for the manager and trying to get results to turn this around," Rooney, 30, told Sky Sports News.
"That kind of stuff always brings energy, to see the manager fighting for the team," Canó said.
If I'm a fan I want to see my manager fighting for my team and doing everything to win.
There has also been suggestion that Mourinho has lost the dressing room, we obviously don't know if that's true but the way the Chelsea players started the second half proved that they were still fighting for their manager and their personal pride.
I come out fighting as a manager and my staff and players are the same".
"If I am a fan I want to see the manager fighting for my club.
He was suspended for ten games for fighting Pittsburg Pirates manager Fred Clarke in May 1902, and finished the 1902 season with the second most sacrifice hits (29) in the majors, to go along with a.315 average.
