The BBC is reporting that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has left the club by mutual consent. Mourinho was hired in the summer of 2004 and led Chelsea to Premiership titles in his first two seasons in charge at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea also won two League Cups, the FA Cup, and a Community Shield during the Mourinho era.

The only missing piece of silverware was the Champions League title. The Blues twice made it to the semi-final stage, only to lose out to Liverpool on both occasions. Chelsea also made the Champions League semi-finals the year before Mourinho arrived, losing to Monaco with Claudio Ranieri in charge.

In the three plus seasons with Mourinho as manager, Chelsea never lost a home Premiership match, a record span for an English club. Mourinho's departure comes after a surprise draw to Norwegian club Rosenborg in the Champions League group stage. Before that, Chelsea were held by Blackburn and lost at Aston Villa. But the Blues were without Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in all those matches, and the poor performances could hardly be interpreted as failing by Mourinho. Therefore it comes as a huge surprise to learn that the special one has left Chelsea, especially in light of the fact that chief executive Peter Kenyon had recently claimed that Mourinho was key to glory for Chelsea.

Despite Kenyon's claims, there has been apparent tension between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich over the past year. Supposedly, Mourinho was not too keen on the signings of Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, and Abramovich wanted a more attacking style of play. In any event, Chelsea will be fortunate to find another manager that can equal Mourinho's success at the club. Six trophies in three years sets the bar pretty high.

Chelsea's official website confirmed the news with this brief statement:

"Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today (Thursday) by mutual consent."