You must have read my introduction to my career in football management. Let me take you through what happened further. I’ve got the job and there are massive expectations on me!

Predictably, in the game . . . I’m Jose Mourinho. Everyone has a favourite player, favourite manager, favourite ground etc. As you know, my favourite manager is Jose Mourinho, so I set up my profile in the game as JM. I chose my favourite club Chelsea as the one I want to manage. On 15-July-2007, Chelsea FC formally announced that 29-year old Jose Mourinho (that’s meeeee!) takes over the charge as the Chelsea manager. Roman Abramovich gives me a warm welcome (to show his boot later on) and says that he expects me to take the club to new heights while he sets out the targets for me - to win the premier league, to reach the finals of Champions League, FA Cup and the League Cup. That’s a little short of a quadruple. Very nice indeed. I’m confident I can do a decent job but to win the league and to reach all finals looked like something that he conspired especially to sack me in May or in September. Also he gives me a transfer budget of 40.8 million pounds which is about 159.2 million less than I expected ;-) This is the team I started with.

There are about three weeks to go for the first competitive match of the season (Community Shield against Man Utd). Until then there some half a dozen friendly matches. Though I have an option of leaving the friendlies to Steve Clarke (you’re right, that’s my assistant), I took control to see who’s sharp and who’s not. Also, I need to try out some new formations and tactics, right? The first friendly match is about week later. Meanwhile, let me see what’s happening in the transfer market. It’s only mid-July but I need to conclude who I should sell and who I want. With 40.8 million pounds and some decent player sales, I need to buy some good players who would suit my formation and tactics.

So, here I am with the chequebook and a 40.8 million bank balance. Is there anyone who is young, hungry and versatile, who wants to play for me and Chelsea FC? Here I come to storm the transfer market. I started with the squad that Chelsea had at the beginning of the 07-08 season. I had a few weeks to go for the transfer window closure. I don’t think I’m going to exhaust that 40.8 million pounds by August. I looked at my squad to see which areas I would need players.

My first decision was to conclude that I’m going to use less of 4-3-3 and more of 4-4-2 and 3-5-2. That’s why I did not go around for new wingers. Quaresma and the like, please stay where you are. I don’t need you. So, I’m more keen about a striker and an attacking midfielder. I have Drogba and Sheva as strikers but they don’t have decent subs in Kalou and Pizarro. So I went in for a few strikers - Villa, Huntelaar and Bojan too. Also I thought I should get a quality attacking midfielder who need not play alongside Lampard but replace him. That does not mean I’m planning to replace Lampard. I’d like to play 4-4-2, with two of Essien, Lampard, Ballack and the new guy. Anyway, I need lot of good players as Roman has set me a target of quadruple, or almost.

I’m going to start bidding for the right players, and left too:-)

More to come . . .