GettyImagesJose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson developed a firm friendship during the former's time at Chelsea

"He has the look of the young Clough about him". Those were the words of Brian Clough when he first laid eyes on Jose Mourinho, then manager of Porto. Charisma and self-confidence were evident when Mourinho first strutted across the Old Trafford sidelines and they have had us all transfixed ever since.

Football managers are not normal people. The qualities needed to manage highly-paid young men, many of whom have behavioural issues, all whilst facing the scrutiny of an army of journalists, is an interesting mix. Certainly, the best managers have obsessive traits, many could be diagnosed as psychotic, all of them are gluttons for punishment. Combustibility and determination come as standard.

There is no such thing as a managerial career that passes without incident. Even the double-European Cup winning Clough endured a dreadful 40-day stint at Leeds United. It was an ill-fated appointment that bears worthy comparison with Rafael Benitez's current plight at Chelsea.

Surely the former Liverpool manager can't continue at Chelsea much longer. To be jeered by four sections of a ground, even those supposed to be on your side, must be tough to deal with. Sympathy for Chelsea and their interim manager is in pretty slim supply, but this is shaping up to be one of the greatest debacles in living memory. Benitez's prior success seemingly means nothing to the Chelsea fans.

The same could be said for Arsene Wenger, and he is still at the same club. The Frenchman is one of the best managers in world football and has dragged Arsenal's playing culture forward from the dark ages during his tenure. Do the fans who chant to get "their Arsenal back" remember the reign of George Graham - a man who possibly defined the word 'dour'?.

This week, the noises coming from Spain strongly suggest that Jose Mourinho's reign at Real Madrid is drawing to a close. Reports in Marca suggest that Jose's relationship with Madrid president Florentino Perez is beyond repair and he will leave at the end of the season, giving him one final shot at the European Cup. Cue stories about his suitability for the United job when Fergie retires. The situation has been escalated by a documentary on Mourinho, screened on British TV on Monday night, in which Fergie spoke of Mourinho's ability to succeed anywhere.

The 'who will succeed Sir Alex' article gets approximately an annual dust down for football journalists. This has been the case since he reversed his initial decision to retire in 2002. This season, the rumour mill has produced three sustained 'Fergie to retire' periods already. It is only November.

Sir Alex is over 70 now and has always claimed his health would make the decision for him. He had a pacemaker fitted almost a decade ago and underwent further heart surgery in the past 12 months. He was strongly rumoured to have spoken to Pep Guardiola in New York recently, and now Jose.

To this correspondent, the most compelling evidence this could be the Scot's final season is found in the signing of Robin van Persie. If Fergie had privately decided this were to be his last campaign he would want to go out in a blaze of glory, playing 'the Manchester United way'. Therefore, he bought the world's best striker and ignored the defensive problems. The football from United this year has certainly been entertaining.

Real Madrid have also been terrific to watch. But that doesn't seem to be enough to save Jose in Spain. Many of the Spanish giant's fans are unhappy with Jose’s ability to attract controversy and find him a touch unsavoury at times. United fans may find the same if he arrives at Old Trafford in June 2013.

Follow Mark on www.twitter.com/markjpayne

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