Jose Mourinho sacked: How he fell out of love with his Chelsea players

From silverware in May, to feeling "ashamed" in December, the story of Mourinho's season was not a happy one

All too often in these modern times, a relationship breakdown is played out across social media for everyone to gawp at and gossip about.

For Jose Mourinho, this was a very public end to his second Chelsea love affair. 'The Happy One' became a man "betrayed".

But where did it all go wrong this season? What were the tell-tale signs? Could we have predicted this might happen?

With the help of social media, BBC Sport charts what former Arsenal defender Martin Keown described as "a campaign where he fell out of love with his players".

2 August - Community Shield

Victory over Mourinho (second left) was Wenger's first in 14 attempts

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger - famously branded a "specialist in failure" by Mourinho - claims an early season victory over Chelsea as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scores the only goal of a dull Community Shield.

Most are still backing the Blues to be lifting silverware come May, but the big question ringing round Wembley is who snubbed who, after Wenger and Mourinho appear to avoid shaking hands after the final whistle.

The Chelsea boss goes on throw his medal into the crowd on his way down the tunnel. Nothing to see here, folks...

Burnley midfielder Joey Barton sees the non-handshake as evidence Mourinho still has the edge on Wenger

The official Chelsea Twitter account frankly explains that their manager just doesn't do second best

Despite the antics it was in many ways business as usual, as AFP's Tom Williams points out

7 August - Four-year contract - but not everyone convinced

Ah, those halcyon days of summer...

"I am very happy to know I will be staying here for a long time." Oh Jose.

Time makes fools of us all and the four-year deal that seems like a renewal of vows between Mourinho and Chelsea is soon to be the basis for divvying up the post-split spoils.

The Guardian's Barry Glendenning has a psychic turn. Did anyone take him up on the bet?

8 August - Swansea draw and Carneiro debacle

Carneiro would go on to leave the club six weeks later - with Mourinho to be the subject of individual legal action

The champions open their title defence with a 2-2 draw against Swansea, but Twitter users wince at his barb that female club doctor Eva Carneiro and head physio Jon Fearn are "naive" about the game after they run on to treat Eden Hazard with the Blues down to 10 men.

Is it an early sign not all is well at the club?

The Women in Football organisation reacts to Carneiro's Facebook post during the row with Mourinho

BBC Radio 5 live's Simon Clancy is scathing in his judgement of Mourinho's actions

16 August - 3-0 defeat by Man City

Mourinho confirms afterwards that his captain Terry was not carrying an injury

A 3-0 walloping at one of your chief title rivals is bad enough, but when it comes with a half-time hooking for club captain John Terry, it hints at something amiss behind the scenes.

Chelsea's only significant summer signing so far is goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

The Mail's Oliver Holt sees the controversial replacement of Terry as a message for the Chelsea hierarchy

Although Robbie Savage feels it was a sign of Terry's decline - maybe this is where the bad blood started?

3 October - Defeat by Southampton

Chelsea's fourth defeat of the season left them 16th in the league table

Eight games into the Premier League season and just eight points gained.

Mourinho follows his side's 3-1 home defeat by Southampton by telling Roman Abramovich the owner will have to sack him if he wants rid of him. Russian billionaires are perhaps not the type to deliver ultimatums to.

The Telegraph's Sam Wallace reports how Mourinho almost dared Abramovich to sack him

Yet to many, including James Ducker of the Times, Mourinho's actions still feel like a deliberate way of distracting attention from his players

The Mail's Mike Keegan ponders whether Mourinho is just trying to make things more interesting

24 October - Sent off v West Ham

"Someone's got a slight hump on" is how actor Danny Dyer put it...

Chelsea's season continues to flat-line as they come a cropper away to London rivals West Ham.

And to add the slightly bizarre to insult and injury, Eastenders actor Danny Dyer films the Chelsea manager from his new perch in the executive boxes.

Pundit Rodney Marsh suggests an easier way for Mourinho to pay the fines he is racking up this season

The tone shifts to wondering if Mourinho actually wants to leave

The Telegraph's Paul Hayward starts to see a darker twist to Mourinho's behaviour

31 October - Liverpool defeat

Klopp (left) seems more stunned than Jose here...

This one stings. Liverpool, led by 'Normal One' Jurgen Klopp, run out comfortable winners despite going behind after three minutes.

The home fans sing Mourinho's name in support of their man, but the away contingent warn him he will be sacked in the morning.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker points out the contrasting attitudes around the two clubs

The possibility of open warfare between Chelsea's players and manager is on the table

Comedian Josh Widdicombe extends his sympathy to the trick and treaters on Mourinho's street on a miserable Halloween for the Portuguese

7 November - Stadium ban for defeat by Stoke

No, it's not him. He doesn't wear glasses

Mourinho remains at the luxurious Crewe Hall Hotel rather than joining his team on the trip to the Britannia Stadium as he serves a one-match stadium ban for his outburst at referee Jon Moss at Upton Park.

He will have needed a stress-relieving visit to the spa after watching a team of his lose seven league matches in a single campaign for the first time. And it is only early November.

Twitter users guess what Mourinho was up to in his hotel room - including this suggestion from the Telegraph's Sam Wallace

Though Mourinho is by now more of a soldier of misfortune

14 December - Defeat by Leicester

Will the fact the defeat came against a Claudio Ranieri side have made it harder to bear?

A week after the champions lose to Premier League new boys Bournemouth, the toys come out of the pram in defeat by Leicester.

Mourinho accuses his players of "betraying his work" and seems unimpressed by the extent of the injury that forces Eden Hazard off the pitch during the first half.

He says he feels "ashamed" of being 16th, just two places and a couple of points above the relegation zone. He won't be given the chance to make amends.

The Guardian's Barney Ronay discusses Chelsea's approach to their relegation battle

The Sun's Martin Lipton hints Mourinho may have killed the dressing room, let alone lost it

17 December - Sacked

From 2pm until midnight on Thursday, there were 940,000 tweets using the word Mourinho - with peaks of 16,000 in two minutes when the BBC broke the story and 17,000 when Chelsea confirmed it

Mourinho is shown the door and the third-season theory - that his methods deliver short-term success but are ultimately doomed to fail - is strengthened.

Technical director Michael Emenalo confirms the worst-kept secret in football, saying there had been "a palpable discord" between the players and manager.

The once parked bus has lost control and run over Mourinho, according to presenter Georgie Bingham

The Manchester Evening News' James Robson doesn't hold out hope for United fans should Louis van Gaal leave next summer

Portugal star Luis Figo expresses solidarity with his countryman

Claudio Ranieri is not a vengeful man... though revenge would be sweet if he was, says BT Sport's Archie Rhind-Tutt

BBC Sport chief writer Tom Fordyce points out there may be plenty of 'Fergie time' to Mourinho's career yet

Who are the two Joey is referring to? Pep? Carlo? Pardew?

The Mirror's John Cross makes Mourinho's words about Wenger come back to bite him

Bournemouth striker Glenn Murray lends a welcome if somewhat unexpected word of support to Mourinho. Eddie Howe is safe though surely Glenn?

The Times' Oliver Kay spots a pattern in Mourinho's management history

The Guardian's Daniel Taylor reflects that Monday's outburst was just pre-emptive

Comedian Omid Djalili provides an interesting suggestion. Any other takers Chelsea fans?

Former Norway player Jan Aage Fjortoft is confident this is not the end of the affair