SOCCER:Jose Mourinho had a rant yesterday, which is probably not front-page news, but it was entertaining in its own way. Mourinho firstly complained about a "conspiracy" to deprive Chelsea of penalties, while Manchester United can allegedly foul all-comers in their penalty area and not be punished.

Then in a statement that had the Kremlinologists of Stamford Bridge furrowing their brows, Mourinho was apparently straightforward, though opaque, on his fears of a conspiracy where he retains his job only because Roman Abramovich cannot find a suitable replacement such as Jurgen Klinsmann.

"I'm suggesting nothing," said Mourinho when asked if he was serious about the idea there is a pro-Old Trafford bias. "I'm speaking just facts - it looks like it is forbidden to give a penalty against them (Manchester United). But if I speak about a conspiracy then I have to prove the conspiracy. Because if I don't prove it I'm punished; but if I speak about facts then it's the end of democracy. Or I don't speak, then I'm blind and I need big glasses. My facts are facts, be pragmatic."

It was not exactly on the Kevin Keegan scale of outbursts but it will set tongues wagging. They have done since the day Mourinho walked into English football, of course, so yesterday was no different.

It all began over breakfast in Newcastle, Mourinho being able to read the latest instalment in Get Klinsmann in the papers. This involved a delegation from Chelsea pitching up in Los Angeles to try to woo the former Germany manager, but the fresh detail was that the Chelsea contingent was led by their chief executive, Peter Kenyon.

With the theme of Mourinho's comments afterwards being the games within games, it is worth recording that at the end of a soliloquy about Chelsea, Mourinho said: "I like the club, I like the players very, very much, I like the way I work with Peter Kenyon, he's top. The way we work together pleases me very much."

Bearing in mind that it was Kenyon, on Friday, who released the statement of "support" for Mourinho and declared that the Portuguese will not be sacked at the end of the season, the chief executive's position looks delicate and Mourinho will surely have observed the contradiction prior to sitting down to speak at the St James' Park press conference. In the circumstances Mourinho's "top" remark felt sarcastic, though it was delivered straight-faced.

But then perhaps - at least until the end of the season is reached - Mourinho has taken a personal stance to be, in that other word he used repeatedly, "pragmatic". It would be no surprise, pragmatism has been the faint praise with which his Chelsea have been damned.

And it would be understandable and smart, with the European Cup final to come. While this goalless draw meant that Chelsea did not milk Middlesbrough's point at Old Trafford on Saturday, the quadruple is still on, a remarkable concept in itself as April comes to a close. Almost regardless of the destination of trophies, by May 23th Mourinho will be a manager with a reputation enhanced. In 30 days' time he will be in demand throughout Europe. Should he choose to he could walk away from Stamford Bridge with silverware under his arm and a smirk on his face. The size of Mourinho's contractual compensation is so large, however, it cannot be ignored, especially by his agent, and must play some part in the Portugese's present thought process.

But for public consumption Mourinho was saying that he is pleased with Kenyon and the board's message of support, yet how a man who is peacock proud of his achievements at Porto as well as at Chelsea can stomach revelations of the discussions with Klinsmann and before him, Guus Hiddink, plus the ongoing Avram Grant-Frank Arnesen scenario, is strange.

Mourinho must feel like exploding and yet when asked directly here about alternative candidates, he said: "You cannot ask me that. If you have the chance you have to ask them. All I can say is I want to stay, they want me to stay, I am staying."

But did he not feel at least undermined by the pursuit of Klinsmann? "For me, a board is a board," said Mourinho, "they can do what they want. I was telling for a long time I want to stay and they have the right to give their statement when they want. If they decided to do it at the end of the season, that was their right. If they decide at the end of the season to sack me, it was their right to do it. In this moment what matters for me is that they want me to stay. I was not thinking much about my future or another club, I was not thinking much about it. At this moment I think nothing about it, now I know I will be at Chelsea."

Mourinho said that he fully intends to be at work at Stamford Bridge when the club gathers after its summer break - "on July 9". In the hours after that Chelsea leave London for Los Angeles.