THE Premier League has waved goodbye to a 'great man' in Alex Ferguson and is ready to throw open its arms to welcome back another great 'character' in Jose Mourinho.
Both are widely acclaimed as 'winners', which these days appears to be all that matters when it comes to football.
When Ferguson announced his retirement last month, TV, radio, newspapers, Twitter — every media outlet was swamped with gushing fondness of the most decorated British manager of all time.
Pretty much the whole country went misty-eyed over a grisled, bitter man who won lots of cups but lacked the class necessary to be considered a real winner.
Kicking a boot at David Beckham? How we laughed. Try that on one of your employees in any other business and see where it gets you.
Harassing referees became a hobby for Manchester United on his watch and how everyone chuckled at the phenomenon of 'Fergie Time'.
As for the Press, which free of charge plastered pictures of Manchester United stars complete with sponsors logos in the papers every day, they were held in utter contempt.
I have an A-Level in maths but still managed to lose count of the times this supposed 'great man' would simply ignore my polite request for a post-match interview at every ground in London. Not even an acknowledgement of my presence, not even a "no thanks, son".
And then to be caught out on TV muttering under his breath that he wanted to ban a reporter who dared ask a football-related question about Ryan Giggs after his star winger was caught playing away.
Yet still he is cherished like a cosy grandpa.
As for The Special One and his arrival back at Chelsea, Ferguson is simply passing the baton.
This is the man who accused one of the world's top referees of colluding with the manager of one of the world's top clubs during a match involving Chelsea. What a hoot!
Jose is back, fresh from a £500 fine for eye-gouging an opposition manager during his turbulent two years as boss of Real Madrid.
First time around at Stamford Bridge he was amusing for a while with his outspoken habits and, yes, the Press lapped it up.
By the end, his spiky soundbites were like a broken record and the expectations among journalists are that it won't be long before he is at it again despite claiming to be a changed man.
If being a winner means you have to behave like this, then you know what? I'm delighted to remain a loser.