The China Mail - Mourinho expects more Newcastle silverware after League Cup triumph

The veteran Portuguese boss has a great fondness for the Magpies given it was the club supported -- and was subsequently coached -- by the late Bobby Robson, his managerial mentor at Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.

Asked how former England manager Robson would have responded to last season's League Cup final win over Liverpool, which ended a 70-year wait for Newcastle, one of the best-supported clubs in England, to win a major domestic trophy, Mourinho replied Monday: "Sir Bobby is a legend here and in England if you're a legend, there are many reasons to be a legend."

Mourinho, speaking ahead of Portuguese giants Benfica's Champions League tie away to Newcastle on Tuesday, added: "He loved this club, he gave everything to this club. Of course he would be so happy with that victory in the (League) Cup. I was so happy with that victory.

"I know that it is not the target. I know that Newcastle and all the Geordies want a reward that is bigger than the League Cup, but the League Cup is the beginning.

"To play in the Champions League is another very important step and I think the club goes in the right direction."

Mourinho was intially Robson's interpreter at Sporting, a position that set him on the road to a hugely successful career in football management.

"He put a lot of trust in me and I consider that very important for my career. I tried to pay him back with everything I gave," Mourinho said.

- 'Legendary' Bobby Robson -

"I don't know if I ever did, but I tried to give him everything that I had. That for me is enough."

The 62-year-old added: "I worked with Sir Bobby for two, four, six years and there was not a single day he did not show his passion for Newcastle, the city, the region and the football club, the pride and the passion he felt for it.

"Even when I was the manager of other English clubs, I've never hidden how dear Newcastle is to me because of the influence of a legendary person at this club."

Benfica are pointless after their opening two fixtures in this season's Champions League and have been told to expect a difficult encounter at St James' Park, although one which Mourinho insists they should relish.

"I told them that it's beautiful, absolutely beautiful," he said. "Even as an opponent, it's beautiful."

Earlier, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said he was looking forward to facing a managerial great in Mourinho.

The much-travelled Mourinho's 26 major trophies in his exceptional managerial career includes a tally of three Premier League titles, four League Cups, an FA Cup and the Europa League during his spells with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Howe, asked during his pre-match press conference if former Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss Mourinho should be classed as an all-time great, replied: "I think you have to. Look what he did.

"I'm not just saying that because we are playing them tomorrow, I genuinely believe it.

"The impact he made initially was incredible, really," added the 47-year-old Englishman.

"He had an aura around him and his teams. His teams were always very difficult to beat."

V.Fan--ThChM