Grant: The Big Interview

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

Chelsea.fc

Fri, 30th Nov 2007Chelsea TV tonight (Friday) continues a week of selected shows made free-to-view to existing Sky Digital subscribers. Included is Avram Grant as the subject of the Big Interview.In his most extensive television interview since taking the reigns at Chelsea, Grant will discuss a range of hot topics, including the imminent return of Michael Ballack, his recollections of the momentous week back in September when he took charge plus the challenges of the job.A full transcript will be available on Chelseafc.com later this evening, and an extended preview is available here:Q: Back at the end of September, a crazy, crazy week. You've been around football a lot and you've seen most things but even you must have been a bit surprised by the incredible attention on your appointment as Chelsea coach.AG: I cannot say I was surprised because I thought what happened is reasonable in some things, some things were not reasonable. But I didn't even have time to think if I'm surprised or not surprised. I think after two days the game against Man United came and only one training to make, it was a difficult time. So I only thought about the solution, how to take points and how to take the team to the new areas.Q: And there was so much expectation on you from other areas, fans, the press as well, everyone wanted a piece of you, what were you expectations?AG: I'm in this job since I'm 18, it's more than thirty years. I coached in Israel but I was all over the world, all over the sports. I visited all of the training sessions here and even in England I was at least ten times a year and of course last year I worked in Portsmouth so I can say I saw everything in football. It was not easy what we did. But two things, first I believe while I'm at Chelsea, it's a big club and can also be bigger and second I go with the vision of the club that we need to go a different way, it doesn't mean the way before was not good, it was good. Three years ago and now they took a decision to go another way and they choose me to lead this way and this is what I did all my life. All my life I create things and I'm very happy to do it here.Q: So it was a difficult start as you say, Man United didn't go well, the referee didn't help us out but then the first home game, Fulham, that was the first game since José had gone, there was a lot of pressure and the result wasn't great. At any point after that did you think this is going to be difficult?AG: No. It's difficult also now, it's always difficult to be in football, but when you're at a big club it's more difficult because they expect you to win almost all the games but I think it's the best pressure in the world or you put pressure on yourself to be the best or you put pressure on the team so I like it, I like it. I like to do it especially that this year. It isn't easy. Man United and Arsenal are much, much better teams and also Liverpool and also the other teams, but I don't know the word difficult. I know the word challenge and it's a big challenge here.Q: And speaking of challenges, next up you had to go to Valencia and the start of that game wasn't great. They scored a goal and they looked like they might score again. So you must have been absolutely thrilled with the turn around there? Particularly the second half must have made you think 'Yes, we're going in the right direction'? AG: I talk all the time about the attitude because I think I could change things, but not many things so I tried to focus on the attitude and about the new tactics. Not even new tactics but a new style of the team and I think the attitude was very good. I don't know how many other teams that, after what happened and with results against Fulham and Man United and also being one-nil down, could do what we did in Valencia, I think this is something that people can learn from.Q: In midfield we see goals like Salomon Kalou's at the weekend at Derby and also Michael Essien's against Manchester City where that fast first touch passing through midfield and that seems to be coming out in the games now.AG: Yes I think that football is changing and we need to adapt, because teams control the ball like Barcelona, Man United, Arsenal and now win more games than before. We cannot continue just with counter-attack.So a part of it is to make goals from combinations, I think first we do this very good, it can always be better, but I think we did it very well and I think the players enjoy this, the supporters enjoy this and we have more points because we win a lot of games.Q. - September was difficult, but October was perfect - seven out of seven wins and a couple of incredible games at Stamford Bridge. The 6 - 0 win over Man City and the 4 -3 in the Carling Cup against Leicester City. Have you been involved in game like the one against Leicester? AG: In my clubs I was involved with everything, but it was in Israel. Now I am here and of course I was involved with in my life I have fought for the championship, fought all the way the big clubs.But it was nice, it was nice to see it, even one of the staff said to me that the 6-0 against Manchester City made bad things for us because from then each club, each team played against us with 10 defenders and made our life much more difficult. But it's good, it's good, even the game against Everton was good. We deserve three or four-nil but it was 1-1.Q: We came back to club football last weekend and another win, so here we are just over two months in, how are you generally feeling about the job? Is it what you expected, have you surprised yourself at all? Is it better than you expected? Are you almost there? What are your conclusions so far?AG: It's more or less the same. I was here before, I was visiting big clubs before, it was more or less like I expected. Of course the result is good so everything is good, but I think the way to results is very good. I think if you want to achieve something in your life, in your football life, you need to focus how you do it, and we focused in the last three months how we do it, how we want to build Chelsea, how we want to achieve the results, it's not easy but it is also exciting because to build something and create something is something I did all my life and I am very pleased to do it here.The full interview can be seen from 5.30pm.

[Fulham Broadway 16,975]

In a nutshell then ; -In my life I have always been football. It can be this way, or that. I am exciting, unlike Jose. My answers are generally meaningless drivel, or they can sometimes be something else, but the main thing is I can bamboozle the fans, especially with a foreign accent. I try to cultivate the image of a likeable person struggling with the language. In actual fact I'm a scheming cunt, just here for the dosh. I'm not a fraud , honest.http://www.startrek-gamers.com/images/newsite/klingon.jpg

[misschief 24]

In a nutshell then ; -In my life I have always been football. It can be this way, or that. I am exciting, unlike Jose. My answers are generally meaningless drivel, or they can sometimes be something else, but the main thing is I can bamboozle the fans, especially with a foreign accent. I try to cultivate the image of a likeable person struggling with the language. In actual fact I'm a scheming cunt, just here for the dosh. I'm not a fraud , honest.

Thats about it in a nutshell.

I thought what happened is reasonable in some things, some things were not reasonable

And some people still reckon he didnt know exactly what was going to happen all along? Some of that drivel that comes out of his mouth gives the game away.

[captainmarvel 1]

it just gets more and more ridiculous

[Aesthetic Relic 301]

Man United and Arsenal are much, much better teams and also Liverpool and also the other teams

WTF.......That has got to be the most pointless comment anyone has ever made

[Steve 10,227]

lol he seems like a real idiot sometimes

[misschief 24]

Sometimes? Would those just be the times he opens his mouth?