ON the night when Chelsea's entire squad attended the premiere performance of the new Blue Revolution documentary, the man carrying out the lead role was in the process of turning his back on Stamford Bridge.

When the DVD goes on sale on Monday, the self-proclaimed Special One will appear centrally in unique footage that illustrates the success he has delivered over the last three years.

Given the turn of events over the last 48 hours, however, the feature film should now be renamed A Tribute to Jose Mourinho: The Most Successful Manager in Chelsea's History.

Since his summer 2004 appointment, the Blues have won two Premier League titles, two Carling Cups and the FA Cup. The supporters down the King's Road have never known it so good.

And the departure of the often controversial, yet colourful, figure has not only robbed those fans of Chelsea a top-class manager it also means the English game has lost one of its greats.

His arrogance from the moment he arrived was refreshing. And, even if there were a number of occasions when his remarks and actions went too far, Mourinho has remained adored by football enthusiasts across the country.

Despite his astonishing record, the security Mourinho - who incredibly leaves without ever losing a Premier League fixture on home soil - had enjoyed has gradually waned since the back end of 2006.

It was at that stage when Manchester United took control in the race to wrestle the Premier League crown back to Old Trafford. And owner Roman Abramovich has chipped away at him ever since.

And, after Tuesday night's insipid 1-1 draw with unfancied Norwegians Rosenborg in front of a half-empty Stamford Bridge, Abramovich aired his grievances towards the Portuguese once too often.

Whether he walked or was pushed during that crisis meeting, which followed the trip to the cinema on Fulham Broadway, will remain a mystery.

Parted by mutual consent tends to mean a code of silence has been agreed so that the severance package - Mourinho still had three years left on his contract worth £6.5m - will be paid.

But the former Porto man, who has failed to win the Champions League since his days in Portugal, has never been afraid to speak out and he is likely to do so again, in time.

If there will be one regret he has from his time with Chelsea it will be his failure to win the European Cup, having been twice thwarted at the semi-final stage by Liverpool.

And it was his failure to do so, along with heavy criticism from Abramovich that his demands for winning in style were not fulfilled, which proved to be the most damaging to the pair's relationship.

Despite spending over £200m of the Russian billionaire's cash, Mourinho will not be short of offers. If Steve McClaren fails to lead England to the European Championships, the national team could be one.

But while the man from Setubal will have the world's top clubs eyeing up his managerial talent, Abramovich faces a much more unenviable task.

Israeli Avram Grant will have the first opportunity to stake a claim, with the trip to champions Manchester United just three days away.

Chelsea, however, must realise the importance of drafting in a manager determined to make his own decisions, rather than a man who will bow easily to Abramovich's demands.

It was the club's mega-rich owner who wanted to spend £30m on Andriy Shevchenko and it was Mourinho who rarely wanted to field him.

And while situations like that led to confrontation, Chelsea can't afford to appoint a manager not strong enough to fight his corner.

Otherwise the former Premier League double champions could end up going the same way as Hearts - where Lithuanian owner Roman Romanov rules the roost on team affairs.

But while the debates will now centre on who will be the next permanent manager at Stamford Bridge, let's not forget the man that has departed. Jose Mourinho.

A breath of fresh air when he arrived declaring himself the 'Special One' and a character Chelsea fans and the rest of the Premier League will struggle to forget.

But if there is anyone fearing Mourinho's time in the game has come to a close, they will be very much mistaken. He will be back and, who knows, that could be to the detriment of Chelsea