and Liam Plunkett, who are part of Englands one-day squad, as well as Gary Ballance who will tour with the Test side.But at a time when the future of the domestic game is being shaped

When youre as wealthy as Roman Abramovich its not uncommon to splash the cash and treat yourself when say 40th birthdays and significant anniversaries appear on the horizon. In June 2003 Abramovich secured a majority stake in Chelsea. We now know what he got himself to celebrate 10-years at Stamford Bridge: A return engagement from manager Jose Mourinho. A “Special 1 Mark 2,” if you will. Estimated show room price on the four-year lease? A rather cool 40 million pounds ($63 million Canadian). Chelsea released a statement just before noon on Monday confirming Mourinho was returning to the Stamford Bridge fold. The Blues did not simply issue a statement inviting the media to attend a press conference. Instead, their 11-word-long statement doubled up as an invitation to apply for accreditation to attend June 10ths unveiling. An unveiling which will be staged in one of the more luxurious corporate suites that litter Stamford Bridge - where theres likely not going to be a dry eye in the house - for what is sure to be the most entertaining press conference of the off season. If the events around Stamford Bridge on Monday afternoon were anything to go by - where even CNN pitched up with a cameraman and a reporter following the news Mourinho was officially back in town – the unveiling will most certainly draw a record standing-room-only crowd. Say what you like about Mourinho or his methods but theres no player in world football who charms and strokes the ego in equal measures as the 50-year-old who has taken the old adage ‘all publicity, is good publicity to levels not previously imaginable. Let there be no doubt the media who cover the Barclays Premier League up and down the country have not ever properly recovered from Mourinhos shock Chelsea departure just a month into the 2007-08 season. Things had not got off to the best of starts in a season that ultimately culminated in Chelseas first appearance in a Champions League Final. However, Mourinhos firing was not down to a lack of success or silverware. The previous season Chelsea had finished in the runners up position after securing back-to-back BPL titles in Mourinhos first two seasons. The seeds were sown the previous summer when in July 2006 Chelsea announced the signing of Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan when it was younger, hungrier players Mourinho was looking to bring in. The Special One was looking to build on retaining the title in a season that included a Champions League Round-of-16 exit at the hands of a majestic Barcelona. Then the ominous shadow of Avram Grant pitched up as Chelseas Director of Football exactly a year later in July 2007. Grant knew Abramovich from his days as manager of the nation hosting this springs UEFA Under-21 Finals; Israel. Those who know Grant and those that know Mourinho knew the appointment meant one thing: Stamford Bridge wasnt big enough for both of them. Abramovich had no designs like last fall when Roberto Di Matteo was let go and an outsider was appointed as interim head coach. He already had his guy. One who had spent the previous two months soaking up Mourinho and his training methods, building key player relationships as he went. Grant eventually took that side of Mourinhos to Moscow, the site of the 2008 Champions League Final. Beaten by Manchester United who had pipped Chelsea to the BPL title on the final day of the season shortly after the Moscow meltdown, Grant became the first of seven managers who have come and gone in the five-plus seasons Mourinho has been away. In late February of 2012 Mourinho used the smokescreen of an England friendly to tip off the media he would be arriving into London on the eve of what was a crucial Euro 2012 warm up match against Holland at Wembley. Mourinho wasnt letting the media know he was attending Wembley. He had far better things to be doing whilst in London like going house hunting a mere stones throw away from Stamford Bridge. The England theme revisited itself this past Saturday. The England players were likely going through their final paces at the Maracana, the venue of next summers World Cup final, on Saturday ahead of their friendly against Brazil when Mourinho let a Spanish TV show know he was travelling to London on Monday and that by the end of the week he would be appointed Chelseas manager. Those critical of Mourinhos appointment point to his so-called ‘spotty record in his three seasons with Real Madrid at the Santiago Barnebeau and they back their theory up with ‘its never the same the second time round. Yes, in the history of the BPL and its predecessor the English First Division there is a laundry list of managers who have had matters end in tears when they return to the scene of their greatest managerial accomplishments. Prime examples are Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool and Howard Kendall at Everton. What they had in common was that the game had moved on from them and their styles of management. Mourinho devours styles and systems for breakfast and for good measure senior club executives for dessert. It was Mourinho that likely had the greatest influence in the U-Turn performed so embarrassingly by the Chelsea hierarchy towards the end of last season. They finally saw sense in re-signing a player who sits atop the clubs all-time BPL scoring chart, Frank Lampard, who received his final Chelsea contract after receiving the backing and praise of the incoming gaffer. Whether or not Mourinhos agent Jorge Mendes managed to get Abramovich to vastly overpay in the same manner Sir Alex Ferguson did when he had nothing but fluttering eyelids for Bébé‎ only time will tell. We wont though have long to find out. Chelseas pre-season training camp is set to get under way in just over three weeks. The first match under “Special 1 Mark 2” is less than six weeks, when Chelsea kick off their three-match Malaysian tour on July 17. Before that is Mondays unveiling. Bring some tissues. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoelBlack Vans Old Skool Sale . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Vans Sk8 Hi Sale Mens .Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. http://www.cheapoldskoolwholesale.com/ . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Authentic Vans Old Skool . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Cheap Vans Sk8 Hi Shoes .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.Yorkshire have expressed their anger at the ECB for not allowing Jonny Bairstow to play in the County Championship decider against Middlesex at Lords. In what is proving a fraught build-up to the match, it also emerged that Adil Rashid will not be available, having requested to be rested ahead of Englands winter.The club issued a lengthy statement which said that Bairstow had confirmed he wanted to play and questioned the reasoning of not making Bairstow available despite it being more than two weeks since he last played.The Yorkshire County Cricket Club would like to express its disappointment after the ECB refused the clubs request for Jonny Bairstow to participate in the final Specsavers County Championship fixture of the season, the statement said.Yorkshire members, supporters and other stakeholders in the game will wonder why this permission has been refused. Having been rested for 16 days since he last played for England, Bairstow said he felt refreshed and wanted to play for Yorkshire against Middlesex at Lords, where the club has the opportunity of winning three successive County Championships, a feat last achieved almost 50 years ago.They made much briefer comment about Rashid who was included in both Englands squads for the Bangladesh tour and will be expected to tour India as well. Adil Rashid has requested to be rested ahead of a busy winter schedule with England, a team-news statement said.Jason Gillespie, preparing for his final match as Yorkshire coach, told ESPNcricinfo: Im obviously frustrated about Rash and I said to him I hope he doesnt regret the decision he has made. But I fully respect his decision. He has played a lot of cricket and he feels he needs a rest.However, in a pointed tweet, Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale, who has been known to let his emotions show, posted: Yes, he wants to rest. Thats his decision. Ill take 11 lads on the field who will give everything to win.Yorkshire have to win to retain hopes of a hat-trick of titles following their defeat against Somerset last week. Even a victory would not be enough, however, if Somerset win against Nottinghamshire and gain one more point than Yorkshire in the process.Bairstow, meanwhile, is not a centrally contracted player - although he will gain a central contract under the new batch announced at the end of the month - but Yorkshire needed the ECBs permission to play him. When Martyn Moxon, Yorkshires director of cricket, approached England coach Trevor Bayliss annd director of cricket Andrew Strauss, the request was declined.ddddddddddddMoxon works closely with England due to the fact that six players from Yorkshire have represented their country regularly over the last 12 months. Bayliss approach has been to see how the player feels, and this was respected when Bairstow said that he needed a rest after the Royal London One-Day Series.To put matters into context, other centrally contracted players who are soon to tour Bangladesh and India with England, have been allowed to represent their county in critical matches. Bairstow has played five days of cricket in five weeks since the Kia Oval Test match, which finished on Sunday August 14.Bairstow would have been the ideal replacement for Jake Lehmann who has been recalled by South Australia to prepare for their domestic season. He is part of the one-day and Test squads for the Bangladesh tour and is likely to play seven consecutive Tests from mid-October to the end of the India leg shortly before Christmas.Yorkshire have been supportive of Englands rest policy in the case of Joe Root, who is another absentee from the Middlesex clash. The decision to rest Root for the rest of the season was happily accepted in recognition of his weight of cricket across all formats and, even when he was left out of Englands one-day series in Bangladesh, the county made no attempt to persuade the ECB or the player himself that he should play at Lords.Yorkshires 13-man squad does include David Willey and Liam Plunkett, who are part of Englands one-day squad, as well as Gary Ballance who will tour with the Test side.But at a time when the future of the domestic game is being shaped the absence of a star England player for a rare televised Championship match with the title at stake, and the decision of another to opt out despite the importance of the fixture, will lead to further debate about the standing of the competition.Rashids absence means Yorkshires spin for the crunch Championship match will be in the hands of Azeem Rafiq. Rashid has taken 32 wickets at 33.84 in 10 Championship games this season.Middlesex, who are set to have Steven Finn available, have also been boosted by the availability of Tim Murtagh after Cricket Ireland allowed him to remain with the county instead of flying out with the rest of the Ireland squad to South Africa. ' ' '