Jose's still using his grey matter

Jose Mourinho was just talking about how happy he was when his Birmingham opposite number walked past.

"Well done, top man," smiled Steve Bruce, "but the grey hair, it's coming!"

Mourinho smiled. "No chance, no chance," he said but Bruce was right. The Chelsea manager's thick hair has a salt and pepper look about it these days.

Mourinho has had his fair share of stress over the last few weeks, some self-induced but most of it caused by what he sees as a case of rank injustice and his club's over-conciliatory response to UEFA.

Now though, Mourinho insists that everything in the Stamford Bridge garden is rosy.

Chelsea may have slipped up just a little with the 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham but it remains only a matter of time before they collect the Premiership trophy to add to the Carling Cup.

Tomorrow night, Mourinho's players take a 4-2 lead over Bayern Munich into the cavernous Olympic Stadium as they attempt to reach the semi-final of the Champions League for the second successive season. As for the manager himself, a new contract, worth around £5 million will be waiting for him to sign when everything is done and dusted in May.

He said: "The only reason I am not happy is that we did not get the three points against Birmingham.

"Apart from that I am very happy. I have a fantastic group, this is a fantastic club with a fantastic project and we are going in the right direction. Maybe the season is better than anyone could dream, including me. I always thought we would win the League but 11 points in front with one month left is better than anyone could have expected."

The rumours of discontent rumble on. Mourinho was apparently furious that the club failed to back him in an appeal against his touchline ban. And UEFA's insistence that nothing untoward took place between referee Anders Frisk and Bareclona coach Frank Rijkaard in the Nou Camp has since been blown right out of the water.

The Chelsea manager would also much prefer to be down on the touchline in Munich tomorrow night.

"It's difficult, very difficult," he said. "For the first leg we had enough days before the match to prepare well. You give everything, you prepare the team for every situation, you have to coach the team, the assistants, the coaches, everybody around you. That part is enjoyable but not to be directly involved, is difficult.

"I will be in the stadium though. In the stand, in a box, I don't know where - but I will be there."

Mourinho described the first half of the 1-1 draw with Birmingham as "a friendly in August" but was more satisfied with the second half, after bringing on substitutes Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba.

Walter Pandiani gave Birmingham the lead but Chelsea salvaged a point through Drogba.