Is Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho Really in Danger of Being Sacked?

Pressure is mounting on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho following Saturday's latest Premier League defeat,

a 2-1 reversal at West Ham United. But is it realistic to say Mourinho's job is in jeopardy just five months removed from winning the league title?
As unbelievable as it might sound, the latest indications are that Mourinho is indeed on the hot seat. With the Blues struggling through a disappointing campaign filled with defensive issues and controversy, Saturday's undisciplined performance has thrown Mourinho's future into doubt.
Perhaps most importantly, though, it's important to remember who owns Chelsea. During his 12-year tenure in control of the club, Roman Abramovich has gone through no fewer than 10 different managers. History has shown that Abramovich will not hesitate to sack a manager, and Mourinho might be no exception.
So, is Mourinho in trouble?

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

In fairness, he received the club's backing in the recent past. Just three weeks ago, Chelsea released a terse statement that read:

The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support.
As Jose has said himself, results have not been good enough and the team's performances must improve. However, we believe that we have the right manager to turn this season around and that he has the squad with which to do it.

But after a fifth Premier League defeat in 10 games, the British papers are full of speculation about Mourinho's future.
According to Neil McLeman at the Daily Mirror, Chelsea could dismiss Mourinho if the Blues lose to Liverpool on Saturday. At the Daily Telegraph, Matt Law reports that "intermediaries" are trying to determine whether Guardiola is interested in coming to Stamford Bridge when his contract with Bayern runs out at the end of the current campaign.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

At the Independent, Simon Rice has outlined potential replacements for the 52-year-old, a list that includes Guardiola. Rather vaguely, Rice writes: "There is a sense that Mourinho is now fighting for his job at Stamford Bridge." Meanwhile, Sami Mokbel has compiled a similar list for the Daily Mail, tossing in the names of former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink. According to Mokbel, Mourinho's status "is back under review by the Blues board."
It's not hard to understand why. On Saturday, Chelsea didn't just slump to another poor result. The Blues lost their discipline, both on and off the pitch. After Nemanja Matic drew a red card for his second yellow shortly before halftime, two teammates drew bookings for dissent. Assistant Silvino Louro was dismissed for his protestations with the fourth official, and Mourinho was sent to the stands following an incident at halftime.
With six players seeing yellow on the day, Chelsea will face a mandatory fine, according to Jacob Steinberg at the Guardian. In addition, the FA likely will sanction Mourinho for his refusal to speak to the media following the match.
The match also underlined Chelsea's defensive problems this season, with the Blues conceding two goals for the eighth time in 10 league matches. Mourinho's men have already allowed 19 goals, well over half of their total of 32 through 38 games last term.
The team's decline has been sudden and stunning. Loads of talent remains in the squad, but the performances have not been anywhere near the levels of a year ago.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

"Not many words are being said at the moment. I’m sure we’ll reflect in next day or so," defender Gary Cahill told PremierLeague.com. "We worked really hard at 10 men and had the majority of the play in the second half. It’s a summary of our season at the minute."
Off the pitch, controversy has followed Mourinho and Chelsea, from the Eva Carneiro situation to Mourinho's £50,000 fine (h/t BBC Sport) for crticizing referee Robert Madley earlier this month. The mood at Stamford Bridge is undeniably dour, and Mourinho can't seem to turn it around—at least not at the moment.
Even so, B/R's Garry Hayes has argued that Abramovich should persevere with Mourinho, writing:

If Chelsea are serious about changing the culture of the club in an attempt to create a moment in history that will stand strong in English football, they need to stand by Mourinho.
It's only as a collective that Chelsea will turn things around. That doesn't mean this season will end in glory of any sort, but surely the time has come when Abramovich looks beyond the temporary.

Hayes' argument has plenty of merit, and I don't disagree with it. In the right situation, stability provides the foundation for sustained success. Look at Manchester United's period of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson, or, to a lesser extent, Arsenal's success under Arsene Wenger.
Sacking Mourinho now would throw the club into further turmoil. If the situation seems bad now, a sudden managerial change would only make it worse. Abramovich and the board would do well to remember that Mourinho has a brilliant record with Chelsea, leading the club to three Premier League titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup over two spells in west London.
When he boasted earlier this month (h/t Dominic Fifield at the Guardian) that "Chelsea cannot have a better manager than me," Mourinho had the trophies to back that statement.

Sergei Chuzavkov/Associated Press

What's more, it's not clear that a change would improve results. It's fair to ask: Which available managers would do better with Chelsea's squad than Mourinho? The Daily Mail reports that Guardiola and Atletico's Diego Simeone are Chelsea's top targets, but neither will be available until next summer at the earliest.
Dismissing Mourinho would not make much sense for Chelsea at the moment. But anyone who has followed the Blues under Abramovich knows that the Russian owner does not always act circumspectly.
Previous Chelsea managers have gone in similar situations. Despite all he's done for the club, history tells us that Mourinho might just be next.