The Debate: Grant's reign has made the Mourinho years look quite sane

There is a growing feeling that Avram Grant will not be in charge at Chelsea next season. If he is sacked, however, the word is that he will then be moved upstairs by Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner and his friend.

To what end? Where is the worth in employing a man who has previously failed at the most important job at Stamford Bridge to oversee the work of his successor? Abramovich has Frank Arnesen running interference in his role as chief scout and director of youth development. Why does he need another pretend boss, another set of views?

This was Grant’s chance to shine. He was put in the driving seat and so far there has been little to suggest that the club have advanced under his stewardship. What would then qualify him for a further executive role, apart from his relationship with the owner? And is that any way to run a successful club?

Show me chaos and I will show you a director of football. As Chelsea’s policies are so often dictated by the personal relationships of Abramovich anyway, a potential fiasco is never far away. Indeed, despite the Portuguese’s fractious manner, the Mourinho years are increasingly looking like a little ray of sanity at Stamford Bridge. Before his arrival, the club were in thrall to Abramovich’s powerful advisers, including Pini Zahavi, the “super-agent”, and the squad was stuffed with frenziedly purchased rubbish.

After Mourinho left, Abramovich placed the most expensively assembled squad in world football in the hands of a relative novice, since when Chelsea have floundered against the best opposition.

Mourinho did not need a Greek chorus of advisers blowing in Abramovich’s ear. No good manager does. If Grant is not the man to steer, he is not the man to read maps, either.

What do you think the future holds for Avram Grant at Chelsea?

Comments

[Brian James]

Why do Man U fans feel it necessary to comment on Chelsea and other clubs, issues?. Chelsea as Martin has identified will never do any good, whilst the club is run by friends of friends.They got rid of the only Manager who is able to motivate millionaire footballer's.

[Joop Aelbrecht]

From Day 1 Grant gave the impression of looking out of his depth and keeping up appearances. Even more so now he really has to deliver and be the general that leads this stars-infested army to the Elysean heights expected by his benefactor Roman the Emperor. The Emperor's Clothes indeed. What does this hanger-on actually know about coaching a team at this level? There's no recognizable playing style, no logical approach to team selection, and during the game, on the sideline he cuts a lonely and passive figure, involved with nothing and nobody. In the press and in tv-interviews he talks the talk of business coaches. Not a word about football, no tactics, no evaluations, no insights. His future? Coaching the Maccabi basketball team, the volleyball team maybe?

[Mr David Roberts]

Avram Grant was never going to be Mourinho's full time replacement and was always going to be a stop gap until someone else was going to be linked with the job anyway.I think Roberto Mancinni of Inter Milan will be on his way next season to breath new life into Chelsea.He will be coming to Chelsea with 3 Championships and have the Class of man management to maje them champions again in the Premier League.

[Bear C]

Grant = pimp. Stop hating on him

[Dermot]

The backlash in the media has come about as a result of Grant losing favour amongst the Chelsea players. His plan to drop Terry and Lampard for the Carling Cup Final may have been understandable given how well Chelsea performed whilst the aforementioned duo were injured. However, he didn't bargain for the fact that those players would be unlikely to take such a step with good grace, nor could he have considered that they would use their chums in the media (Martin Samuel is, after all, very friendly with Lampard) in order to undermine Grant.

Following the defeat against Spurs - in a game in which both Terry and Lampard eventually featured - the media reaction against Grant was over the top. It looks less of an overreaction following the defeat against Barnsley, but by then the manager had already been undermined.

I would suggest that just as the manner in which the Spurs board pre-emptively undermined the position of Martin Jol, leading to results suffering and his position thereby becoming untenable, certain factions at Chelsea are attempting a similar ploy with Avram Grant. At least Grant has one, very significant, friend on his side in Mr Abramovich. Reports today even suggesting that Roman will order a mass summer clearout of the dissenting players rather than get rid of his mate!

In any case, as a United fan I'm not overly fussed.

[MACS]

You guys have forgotten something! it is obvious we dont have a coach since the departure of the "SPECIAL ONE". The games we have worn were as a result of common sense approach adopted by players! Avram's presence is equivalent to his absence. He has just been occupying space since. If i were to be him i will get rid of myself before someone else does! Indeed it looks like commmon sence is really not common.

[Rod]

Chelsea should get rid of Avram "Toad of Toad Hall" Grant and send him back to the Wind in the Willows.

He ain't fit to lace Mourinho's shoes...

[mo]

It always amazes me how quickly people (or newspapers for that matter) can flipflop. i quote an article from this website of jan, 31st:
"Avram Grant may dress like an undertaker, but the manner in which he has breathed fresh life into Chelsea’s title challenge suggests that he could easily retrain as a paramedic."
it goes on like that.
i mean sure, it's been over a month since then and we all know that's like it was decades ago, but hey, it still funny to see...

[Blake-Ezra Cole]

Whatever we think about Avram Grant, there is a fundamental issue which I can't see discussed in these comments. That is the players, who with the exception of one or two are an absolute disgrace.

People are saying how Grant put out a 'weakened' team and shouldn't have done. If Chelsea fans believe that Malouda, Bridge, Belletti, Wright-Phillips, Ballack and Essien are not good enough to beat Barnsley then Mourinho shouldn't have spent so much of Abramovitch's money signing them.

Grant put out a team of international stars who are too cosseted and well-paid to truly display any real desire. THEY are under-performing. Grant is not doing a terrible job, his players need to regain their desire to play for Chelsea, and not for Mourinho. If Chelsea were still a 'real' club with true identity and tradition, not a superficial plaything, then this could remain a possibility.

[John]

There is a corollary to this in American football. The Dallas Cowboys had rebuilt a squad and an organization with a new, rich owner. 2 Super Bowl titles, and a young, star studded squad, and a demanding, tactically astute, overly competitive controlling manager. Then the owner decides that anyone can coach the team, brings in his old college friend to coach the team. Result? A loss in the playoffs the next year highlighted by questionable coaching, and a loss of control in the NFC Championship game. They did win another title the next year with the stars driving the team, but the Cowboys are now on a 13 year titleless streak. Not only that, they haven't won a playoff game ib years. Overpriced, older, troublemaking, me-first stars and other questionable personnel decisions abound. The great players of that era bemoan the loss of their driving force, the head coach Jimmy Johnson. Put in Mourinho for Johnson, and chelsea for the cowboys, etc. Sound familiar?

[Charles de Freitas]

Hey, I'm a Tottenham fan and as such you might consider me biased, but for what it's worth I always considered Chelsea to be a "fun" club, and always worth going to.
More so during the Ken Bates years than lately though.

[Roy]

You are only as good as your last game, saying that makes Grant very average. When it has really counted he has failed! simple as that. Many people thought that any tom dick and harry would manage chelsea given the players and money they have in abundance, they have been proved wrong. There has not been any progress since Jose left its just total chaos, Martin u r spot on!

[Hugh]

LEVKO what planet are you on. Anyone who has watched Sheva the last 18 months knows that his legs have gone. Chelsea fans wish he was the Sheva of 5 years ago but even Roman can't turn back time for his mate. When he has played he hasn't performed or scored like Drogba and they certainly haven't showed any ability to play together on numerous occasions. Grant has to get the Drogba spirit back if he is to have a potent forward. Unfortunately Avram couldn't manage our youth side at present let alone a full squad and overblown backroom staff appointed by his pal Roman. Ten Cate in charge of first team tactics! what does Avram do? Pick the team and motivate. QED.

[Levko]

It's criminal what Grant has done to Shevchenko, it seems personal at this point and Anelka is getting far more latitude than Sheva. Drogba is overrated, and Sheva is much more of a competitor than Anelka and Drogba combined. Out with Grant and let's play some offense with Sheva as the primary striker, with Drogba playing behind him and off to the side.

[Keyser Soze]

'typical comments from ungrateful Chelsea fans! what god given right do you think your team has in winning everything in sight? Dont forget where you lot were before RA handed over the blank cheque.'

Typical stock tabloid statement there Volkan. Why shouldn't Chelsea fans want to win every competition that our club enters and is involved in? Isn't winning trophies the idea behind this game after all?

Oh, and as for 'where you lot were before RA handed over the blank cheque', in the seven seasons before Roman arrived at Chelsea we won two FA Cups, a League Cup, a Cup Winners Cup and a Super Cup. A trophy haul that most clubs would have been proud of. Still, don't let the facts get in the way of your completely spurious argument!

[Julius Blumfeld]

"Here's to hoping we DON'T win the Champions League or the Premiership. Short-term I'll be disappointed, long-term it'll be the best thing that'll happen to Chelsea Football Club right now."

Hmm. So you don't want us to win the CL and/or Prem, so that we can get rid of the manager and then get a manager who might be able to win us the CL and/or Prem?

If winning the prem and/or CL would not be enough for Grant to earn your support, what WOULD he have to do?

[Volkan]

typical comments from ungrateful Chelsea fans! what god given right do you think your team has in winning everything in sight? Dont forget where you lot were before RA handed over the blank cheque.

unbelievable.

[Tim]

There can't be many Chelsea fans in the Grant camp today. But it's hardly his fault that he has a billionaire friend and owner who wanted to give him a big toy to play with. Frankly if Roman was my mate and offered me a fraction of what Avram is on I would have taken it. Grant may be deluded about his competence. RA might have even greater delusions. But it all misses the point. CFC is not a true club anymore - just a plaything. Those who fear the worst have probably got it about right. Those of us who are long-term supporters are already getting the maps out to see how to get Farsley Forest Green and Droylesdon!

[Hugh Dickson]

I worry very much that CFC is on the verge of meltdown. The castle which Jose constructed is gradually being eroded and what will we have left to replace it? Misguided leadership at all levels of the club from the inexperienced owner, through the boastful and arrogant Chief Executive, down through the haughty and distant PR people and on to the coaching staff. Jose was difficult and times but he was a maestro at pulling this club through to success. I really can't see anyone doing the same again. Not unless RA admits he knows nothing about high level football and buys real, quality expertise. What chance of that? He didn't like Jose individual nature, but that's exactly what is required. Honestly, I think we are doomed to mediocrity and regular humiliation. Only chance is for Poyet/Zola coaching partnership and for RA to appoint someone who really understands Chelsea to run the club.

[C Savvas]

Here's to hoping we DON'T win the Champions League or the Premiership. Short-term I'll be disappointed, long-term it'll be the best thing that'll happen to Chelsea Football Club right now.

Get rid of Arnesen, Ten Cate and Grant for good. What do they actually do?

Get a new manager in-Hiddink or Rjkaard-and get some stability back to our club!

[Costa Pereira]

Bring the Special One back

[Alan Cracknell]

Absolutely right, Martin. It now leaves Chelsea fans in the awkward position of half-hoping they don't win the champions league or premeiership should it mean the end of Grant. A champions league fluke would mean another season or two of slow decline under a man totally and obviously out of his depth.

I think Chelsea fans would even admit that Barnsley have a better manager than us - and that bizarre statement sums up how ridiculous the crony appointment of Grant was by Abramovich.

[DazzlaG]

I think, as usual, people are jumping the gun and quick to point the finger. Grant has a sterling job at Chelsea since he took ove a club that was hiding many problems under a huge facade. Yes Chelsea lost to Spurs, and yes Sat wasnt pretty, but the Blues are dtill in the hunt for the title; the dark horses. Champions league glory is round the corner too. For once let a manager have an opportunity to shine.

[Johnwg]

This shows the problems of appointing "mates" instead of selecting the best person for the job. So Mourino and the boss did not get on well, but the results were pretty good and at least some silverware found its way to the cupboard at the Bridge each year - this year it looks as though the cupboard will be bare. Grant should go - he should not have been placed in the oposition of coach in the first place.

[Bill]

Should they? Who knows? The problem is that attempting to debate rationally or logically what is best for Chelsea pre-supposes that Chelsea is run on logical or rational lines. And clearly it isn't. CFC is no more, no less, than a very expensive play thing; a toy, a distraction if you will. And, like any spoilt child, its owner will do with it as he likes - even if that means breaking it.

[Danny Coldwell]

I think Grant will be gone in the summer. I was at Oakwell and the humiliation was excruciating. Barnsley played well, but anyway you cut it, they should've been beaten. Mourinho just didn't lose the big games (with the notable exception of the Champions' League). Time for the powers that be to admit their mistake, not in dismissing Mourinho, but in appointing Grant. He doesn't come up with the goods when it really matters and at this very demanding level, that's the difference between winning titles and losing them.

[David Summers]

Yes keep him,extend his contract,please - Arsenal and Man utd fans love him - please stay at Chelsea Avram, we love you. David.S Vancouver

[S K Lin]

Would GRANT have made coach at Stamford Bridge if not for Roman Abrahmovich? There is NO FUTURE for a novice in the World's Best Football League.

[Adam K]

I don't think Grant has done much wrong. Other than the loss to Barnsley, Chelsea are third in the EPL and slowly seem to be gaining on the top 2. They are still in Europe and got through quite comfortably. Sure they aren't winning, but you can't expect any team to win everything every season.

[pizarrosbetterthanhelooks]

I normally disagree with everything Martin says about Chelsea. On this occasion I agree with every word. Too many worthless sycophants hanging around Abramovich's pockets - leading to the most atrocious waste of money in football history. Turf out Grant now and put Steve Clarke in charge until the rest of the season and we might have a chance in the League and ECL still.

[Rick]

He must go and it should be immediately. Let Steve Clarke run the team until we can get a replacement with the credentials to manage a top premiership side. Why rest Lampard? Mourinho played him each game and he thrived on it. If Drogba was on the bench, we might have at least forced a replay. Are Chelsea going to become another Liverpool and become a laughing stock for picking second rate teams? The Carling Cup and FA Cup were lost by not showing the opposition any respect. Do the current squad respect Grant? Surely not. Will potential signings be encouraged by the prospect of playing for him? Definitiely not. Action must be taken.

[Gabriel Casey]

You are absolutely right. Grant has nothing to offer as a manager at this level, and those who would point to Chelsea's pretty good run of results in the first few months of the season as evidence to the contrary are, for me, just pointing to the momentum of Jose Mourinho's fantastic tenure as manager. Now that the season is coming down to the wire Chelsea need active leadership and Grant is not supplying it. He is hopeless. If they move him upstairs as 'Director of Football', it will turn off quality managers from coming to Chelsea in the future, and it will make life very uncomfortable for whichever 'real' manager takes over next season. Given Abramovich's ego though, it seems the only option - simply sacking Grant would be an admission by the Russian that, actually, he doesn't know much about football. So personally I think less damage would be done to Chelsea in the long term if Grant stayed in his position as manager for at least another season or two so that Abramovich can save face, then dismissed for good. As terrible as that would be, I think it would be a thousand times better than making his presence at Chelsea permanent. He really is rubbish.

[David Watts]

I can imagine that if you have spent 100´s of millions of pounds on a club and a squad of players, and are used to being heavily involved in every decision in every other aspect of life, it might quite be frustrating to be forced to sit on your hands all the time. I believe Grant was brought in precisely because he did not carry with him the reputation - or more importantly, ego - to withstand RA´s desire to be more involved. Is it possible that RA thought that any half decent manager would be able to succeed given his resources and is only now begining to learn that the Manager has fantastically crucial importance to the success of a team? One obvious contrast between the two is that Mourinho was meticulous in his planning for a game and would have had his big guns on the bench in emergency even if he intially put out a weakened side. Neither was he backwards in taking a player off or changing tactics within minutes. Grant failed miserably on this score and on both occasions in the Carling and FA cups, has demonstrated that he does not appear to have a clue. I suspect that it did not even occur to him that the side he had selected might struggle. Not only did he not have a plan C - he didn´t even seem to have a plan B! I believe RA will already understand this and will replace him sooner rather than later - unless there is a rapid improvement.

[David McKittrick]

As a Chelsea fan, I was gutted when Morhino left, but was willing to give Grant a chance. He's failed his test. We're not interested in doing well, in finishing near the top, in giving anyone a "run." We're interested in winning trophies, and we have both the owner and Jose to thank for our ambitions. Grant has lost two trophies inside the space of two weeks. We have no realistic propsect of winning the league, nor the CL. He has to go at the end of this season.

[Samuel Lee]

Simply, Avram Grant should never have been involved with Chelsea. His experience was limited to popular teams in a weak league and managing a weak national team (sorry, but nil-nil draws against top opposition doesn't mean you are a great manager.)
Hopefully, the future holds no place for Mr Grant at Chelsea. This is not a real expectation, as he will probably be made a director of football and be in charge of negotiating transfer fees for over-age and under-performing former superstars.

[Bart Baumstark]

Grant should have no future but I am afraid he will, likely as Football Director. Abramovich has spent fortunes on this club and he wants a confidant through whom he may exert direct influence on the day to day workings of his club. This will, of course, limit the club's ability to attract a quality manager in the summer and, in turn, the ability to attract the kind of world class talent to which Chelsea has become accustomed over the past few years. The shelves will need to be restocked, for sure. Drogba, Essien and Carvalho will wish to leave and probably even Lampard. Not easy to fill those boots.

[Oisín K]

I know Grant hasnt done the best job but all this talk of getting rid of him has only come up because of a narrow defeat o Spurs in the Fa Cup Final and hen the 1-0 feat to Barnsley which he team he put out however it wasnt our strongest it should have been srong enough to beat them. I am not a great fan of Grant but those two games that we lst however the wherebad timing we should wait till he end of the season before being so criical of Grant ?

[CC]

Its not Avram grants fault chelsea got beat by Barnsley, Barnsley were the better team at the end of the day, remember this low level club manager had virtually no experience in managing a premiership team and it was the board that employed him, they knew his resume, if they dont like the results then they only have themselves to blame

[Hugo Carreira]

I wouldn't go as far as mentioning sanity in the same sentence with Mourinho (unless to dissociate one from the other). But this talk about Grant's future within the club, Grant's alleged distance towards Arnesen, the suggestion that Ten Cate was asked how he felt about the possibility of eventually working with Gus Hiddink (while Grant was the manager), and a lot more, what it does, besides portraying Chelsea as a wasp's nest, is increase the value of Mourinho's achievement--it's getting more impressive by the day. And the funny thing is, maybe that initial success made things look kind of easy to Abramovich and his gang. Maybe hadn't Mourinho won those two Premier League titles in those first two years and Roman Abramovich would still be in his spot, thinking that there's more to building a successful team than money and a few hours of Football Manager. Who knows?