pluto

Correct. Lets face it though, none of us (including Warnie) know why Mourinho left and unless Roman or Jose choose to tell us that is the way it's going to stay.

Well Mourinho supposedly went because our football was not exciting enough. We all now know that was a crock of made up sh*t by the board because Grant's football is as dire as it gets and apparently Roman still supports the guy. When he leaves Chelsea, I doubt there will be a raft of big name clubs after his signature because they all know that he's not up to the job and just getting results with someone else's team and a support structure that is second to none. Has Grant actually had to do anything pro active yet on his own at the club? And you're right, if Grant went to a club which did not have the support staff and sheer quality and squad depth that Chelsea has he would have been found out for the very average manager he is within the month.

Couldn't agree more, I can't for the life of me understand how people cannot see this when they trot out all the supposedly great stats that compare Mourinho to Grant. In just about every game Grant has had little or no impact on the game, it's a case of sitting on his hands watching events unfold and being carried along with them - good or bad. The players look to the bench and they see - Grant - emotionless, confused, scratching his head or flapping his hands in the air. It's makes you sick with fear to think what would happen if Grant actually broke up this team and tried to rebuild using his own managerial nous. :thumbsdown: This is indeed why despite all the apparently good results the majority of fans would gladly see the back of him this season - no matter what he won us. Grant does not actively manage anything from what I can see at Chelsea - just hangs on to the steering wheel for dear life hoping the will not fall off whilst it's moving.

Yep. I fail to see how this interview makes Avram look good or pulls one over on the media. He's just made an even bigger rod for his own back with them because the didn't like him before this and they will like him even less now. He doesn't have the charisma to carry this kind of thing off so he should have just kept quiet and walked away. I noticed he kept saying "I don't know". That just about sums his managerial reign up for me.

The writing sure was on the wall then and you sense Jose knew it sadly. That barbed comment was so Mourinho, telling you how he felt but semi disguising it at the same time. Miss him and he'll always have a place in my affections for what he did for this club and the sheer passion and vitality he showed whilst doing it. Wont miss Grant when he finally does go and I don't care how much the bast**d may win with us.

Okay so Grant has given him more "freedom" to play but has that really been a good thing for Joe Cole? I would suggest long term - no. Grant in my view has had little to do with any players performance - in fact overall you would argue he has been detrimental in terms of the overall spirit of the squad. Joe had run ins with Jose prior to this but they were runs ins that I felt actually improved Joe as a player and made him see that working for the team was more important than just party tricks and step overs. Because of that firm hand he actually developed as a player. If Grant's legacy is to let him have more freedom to go back to his old ways then for me he will have been doing Joe a grave disservice. Although Joe may feel that Grant is being far more forgiving - I feel Grant's actually not helping him as much as Joe probably thinks he is.

Totally agree about Ballack, he has had as many good games for Grant as he had for Mourinho - he was actually playing well for Jose but was also firstly adapting to the league and secondly he then got injured. Ballack has always been a class act. Same for Joe Cole, under Grant he has not performed better than his overall 3 other seasons under Jose, he played fantastically and consistently well for Jose at points - he has had a very up and down season under Grant actually but as soon as he has one good game of a period of 20 minutes some fans go "well he's playing much better under Grant than he ever did under Jose". He is not, in fact I would say part of his game has in fact regressed in terms of show boating but I would also add that he would still be one of my players of the season to date despite this. These are the same people who say that Sheva is also playing much better under Grant when he has hardly been seen from one month to the next - rubbish. Grant has had little to do with Ballack suddenly becoming a great player again, he always was and as for him now fitting in much better with Lampard, most of the games they have played together were often in those cases against oppositon so weak that their pairing was never under any excessive scrutiny in the first place! Jose was never a God, I'm not sure why some fans think that if you respond to their nit pickings over his regime it means that you automatically worshipped the guy and he could do no wrong. The thing is his "wrongs" were few and far between in comparison to the "wrongs" being inflicted on this team by Grant in terms of man management. He is one lousy man manager and as a tactician I don't think he's much better. Decent man he may be, more media friendly for the club yes again he may be, not responsible for all the club's ills - indeed he is not. But that does't change my views on him - or Mourinho.

Excellent post and I also can't understand why some try to compare Mourinho's excellent record in three years with us to that of a clearly out of his depth, fumbling, bumbling, passionless man such as Grant - and manage to find Mourinho badly wanting. We were 5th when Jose left us actually and two points off the leaders who were Arsenal (how things change!). Man Utd were actually level with us on points as were Liverpool, Man City were just above us I think. In years to come I hope those churlishly nit picking over what Jose apparently got wrong during his tenure (does Fergie, Wenger or Benitez always get things right?) with us will look back on what Mourinho did, how he transformed the entire mentality of the squad, his passion, fire, commitment and charisma and realise that we were blessed with having a truly unique man and brilliant coach at our helm. And we told him to sod off as good as. No Jose was not perfect, yes he made some poor buys, yes he sometimes got his tactics wrong, yes he sometimes said things he should have kept to himself but hell I'd accept all of that in a heartbeat for the security, nous, charisma and team spirit we would regain if he could only return. To try to compare Grant's stewardship of this club with Mourinho's excellence is like comparing the Queen Mary 2 with a canoe.

Ben Haim after a shaky start has not done too badly, he was bought as filler material remember as was Sidwell. Jose left us with Drogba who on his day is about the best striker in the world. Riccy one of the best centre backs in the world. Essien a great presence in midfield and could easily become a world class player. Mikel can become a great player if handled correctly. Belletti has proved a success and so has Alex. He helped develop the games of JT, Joe Cole and Lampard to the point where they are all England team regulars, captain material and one was nominated for FIFA World Player if I'm not mistaken. Yes he made some bad buys but if you brought out Benitez's selections I'm not sure if they would be any better and Fergie has had a few embarrassing flops which no one seems to like to mention. And given the rumours behind the scenes seemingly wanting to stick their nose in and recommending players we really don't have any clear idea if some of the flops you list were Jose buys 100%. So I'm not denying that he bought some bad players but some of the ones he left behind have currently got us to the semi final of the C/L and 2nd in the P/L and if they win something this year whose players will Grant have been relying on mostly? Ones either bought or developed by Jose. When he was at Porto his buying record appeared pretty damn good - there he had no interference in his buys. He had to buy cheap and he found good players who were often total unknowns and turned them into stars or at least good enough to win titles. Makes me wonder if some of the misses at our club were all his doing.

Couldn't agree more, Jose inspired us to want more than 2nd in the league and semi finals of the C/L. He yearned for more all the time and so now we are use to aspiring to a certain standard - Grant is no where even close to the calibre of manager who should be managing this team for another 3 years. And I don't give a flying f**k if he wins us the CL trophy this year - he's still an average manager hopelessly out of his depth, it's the squad performing at key moments that has kept him from being fed to the lions. And I agree about JT and the other players - the spirit of togetherness is not as strong as it once was. Grant can't inspire anyone I have a feeling with his mumbling platitudes and mutterings - no wonder the players are losing concentration and look glum all the time. They look at the bench and see a man scratching his head repeatedly or sitting on his hands in the dug out. When Jose was here you saw a man with a notebook in his hand or prowling the touchline barking out orders which were obeyed immediately - now most players just ignore Grant if he flaps his arms around and yells at them - they take orders from Clarke or Cate. The whole things is rotten to the core and it's gone that way in 6 short months or so. I just have to hope Roman is man enough to admit his mistake and boot Grant back upstairs come the end of the season whatever we win (or don't) and find us a decent coach. Such a travesty we lost Mourinho, no matter what his faults his managerial abilities could rarely be found fault with. With Grant you could talk about his weaknesses all day.

Grant GO GET THAT GUN!

No we wouldn't because at least if we had lost, Sheva would not have gone on for 40 seconds and Mourinho wouldn't have been seen scratchig his head on the touchline wondering what was going on. He would have been exhorting the players to fight to the death and keeping them organised and willing them on to win. That's the difference between Grant and Mourinho. Actually there are lots more but that will do for starters. Pride, passion, commitment, nous, tactical ability, man management - the list goes on.

Now close your eyes..and imagine Mourinho saying that. No? Didn't think so. But Grant? Pathetic, we have gone from being a side with a cast iron will to win and massive spirit to being unsettled because Lampard has to leave suddenly for personal reasons! Grant Yes Avram, in your parallel universe that was the kind of football the very God's themselves have been crying out for - to be eventually undone by Emile Heskey at the death. God help us with a manager like this at the helm we don't need any enemies. Grant is summed up on the Times page tonight - a picture of his scratching his head in confusion. He may as well scratch his balls - it has the same effect.

God only knows but again Kenyon had to justify something you couldn't. You sack Mourinho and hire Grant. He was doing his masters bidding as was Buck and the only thing he could do was waffle about taking things to another level - and hoping the press didn't ask what that level was. So far Grant has taken us to a new level alright - a lower one. He has not even won the same cups Mourinho did last year. Okay he could win the CL and league but that is a hell of a big if. If the scenario you paint above pans out I would love to hear Kenyon being asked how he feels Grant has done moving Chelsea to a new level. What I sense Kenyon, Buck and Roman are fervently hoping is that Grant somehow flukes a cup which will prove how right they were to appoint him and ditch Jose. It wont at all but it will merely cover up Grant's ultimate failings in my view.

The scary thing could be that Kenyon is actually being truthful and Grant is safe for the next four years and that he really does believe the guff he's spouting out. The more hopeful thing is that Kenyon usually lies whenever he opens his mouth, I seem to recall him saying comforting words about Mourinho and then he was gone a few days later and we were appointing Grant to take us to another level. Kenyon to be fair can hardly say anything else - Grant is still keeping Chelsea in two competitions - if he manages to get us out of those two then I'm sure he'll be gone in the summer. I can see the gradual decline in the team since Grant took over, despite 6-1 thrashings of Derby.

No they didn't. You can have lots of possession but not have the players to do anything dangerous with it. That was a great result but how much did West Ham really test us? People seem to have forgotten after the CC debacle that we are not a bad team when all is said and done.

We seem to have played well but West Ham were poor today and that stat proves it. No attack, the game was won in 5 minutes and we never looked like losing.

I love what you said there and that's what I miss like crazy now under this new regime. That kind of chutzpah and sheer balls that only Mourinho could bring. Sure there was another side to him that could create controversy out of thin air at times which we sorely could have done without but I would put up with that for the sheer feeling of strength and pride I felt about our team when you saw Jose prowling the touchline or sitting cool as you please next to Clarke notepad at the ready. Even when we weren't playing well or even lost (which was not often) I still felt sure of the team and new the players would bounce back because they were such a unit under him and would do anything to get into his good books. What do we get with Grant? "mumble, mumble, mumble, we are playing more postive football, mumble mumble" When I look at Grant on the sidelines I just feel like I've eaten a dodgy hot dog.

I have a feeling you could be right, if he fails he can turn around and say "this is Jose's team I did my best with soiled goods". And Roman throws some more roubles his way and gives him another season and a few more assistants to cover for him. I'm hoping that if we do fail to win anything this season Roman will see sense and find a quality replacement for next but I do wonder if he is still wanting to experiment with his "phone a friend" routine and will stick with Grant to the bitter end. And boy could it get bitter.

I very much doubt it, if Grant did go whom is just hanging around of suitable calibre that could take up the reins - and no it can't be Jose! Roman has invested too much of his own ego in this appointment to get rid of Grant right now - if he fails in the other cups and league then yes he probably will get kicked back upstairs where he should have stayed.

That's what a fan said on Five Live tonight, you look at Grant and what do you see? Do you see a guy with charisma, clout, fire, passion ? Do you look at him and think that you would follow him anywhere in search of silverware? Well this fan wouldn't and he could not imagine the players reacting any better to Grant's supposedly fantastic man management techniques either. Well this trophy is the weakest one out of the four we could have gone for - Grant wants the CL for Roman - right now that seems like a tall order but stranger things have happened. Lets keep the faith in the players AND Grant (if we can).

Funny you should say that but I was just thinking the same thing after the final whistle. Jose was rarely wrong and he said Spurs would be a threat and under Ramos I think they will be the team to break into the top tier of the league out of all the wannabees. I really do rate Ramos as a fine manager, unlike Grant who I have always had major doubts about from the start, despite our run of wins, despite all the positive media guff spouting forth from Chelsea about how they always knew he was the man to take over from Jose. Funnily enough Ramos was at Barca coaching at a junior level I think just before Jose was there with Robson - so they know each other possibly - same stable of schooling you see in management!

Considering Grant did nothing at Portsmouth as DOF and little at Chelsea other than await Jose's departure and considering he apparently does little coaching or training now what the hell do we need another body in the management team for? Isn't failing with about half a dozen of them enough anymore?

Yes but we do it with style!

Glad you've finally figured out what a load of crap that is. The Times says Grant has actually hired an image consultant for himself. Needs one after that game to bridge the reality gap between the crap he spouts and what happens on the pitch. We should beat them at the Bridge though, pity about tubby getting out of jail with that win against Inter, lets hope Inter can bounce back in three weeks times. Somehow though I doubt it sadly.