Avram Grant - Dead Man Walking?

[London_Calling]

Some daft thinking /\

Are some people really under the impression Grant is other than the interim stop-gap ?

Of course he's a short-term appointment. Of course the internal rules will change when Mourinho's successor is appointed as no top quality manager would accept the job in the first place without very firm assurances about the owner trying to interfere. It's just not conceivable.

 

[Streathamite]

What's the betting he pulls a "Romanov" and decides to run the whole show by himself?

oddds on at this rate!

 

[andy2002]

I can't afford to actually go to Stamford Bridge anymore but speak to a fair few people that do and there's a bit of a civil war going on between fans at the moment. Lots of big rows on Saturday during the Fulham game between those booing Shevchenko/the team/Avram Grant and those who disagreed with it. Fans also split about the half-time walkout, which probably only numbered a few dozen anyway. Interesting times to be a Chelsea fan – it all makes the Bates era look positively low key!

 

[andy2002]

Are some people really under the impression Grant is other than the interim stop-gap ?

I really, really hope you're right. But if they're waiting for someone to become available, then who? I just can't see Hiddink being uprooted from Russia, Capello is a pragmatist in the Mourinho mould not a great entertainer, and van Basten is totally unproven at club level. Lippi? Perhaps too old. Klinsmann? Never managed a club. John Gregory's looking for work...

 

[London_Calling]

No one comes to mind, but then it did take Spurs almost a season, after Hoddle was sacked, to come up with Santini - and then he lasted about 12 Prem games.

It's going to take a while, I think . . .

 

[Badgers]

Is Clough still working?

 

[ZAMB]

They are saying now that another manager is not an option

A Chelsea source said: “The directors got wind of the players’ initial reaction to Grant’s appointment.
“Some were invited to individual meetings and told Grant is in charge for the long term and has Roman’s full support.
“They were also told to expect a lot of stories that he would only be around for a little while and someone else was coming in.
“But it was made very clear that, as far as the owner is concerned, Grant is the future of Chelsea.
“Even if results are bad he will be given the chance to succeed and there will be no knee-jerk reaction.”
Grant still faces an uphill task to convince Blues’ supporters after two Premier League games without a goal.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007450500,00.html

So Chelsea is not just the toy of the owner, but a toy which he has decided to break out of spite. I get the impression that the feelings of the supporters just don't matter to him - he can afford it, after all.
Someone made a joke on the radio that Chelsea training had been cancelled today because the council demanded their traffic cones back and they could only find 3 sweaters to use as goalposts

 

[Streathamite]

Is Clough still working?

only in the hereafter
oh lordy this just gets better and better

 

[London_Calling]

They are saying now that another manager is not an option

What do you think they'd say 'No, here's only the boss for a few months so the players don't need to pay him any attention' ?

. . . you seem a stranger to how management has to work, Zamb.

 

[ZAMB]

What do you think they'd say 'No, here's only the boss for a few months so the players don't need to pay him any attention' ?

. . . you seem a stranger to how management has to work, Zamb.

In other clubs current staff are usually put in as caretaker managers. They announced from the start that Grant was a permanent appointment , even though he wasn't qualified, and they seem to feel a need to repeat that statement every day. This is what is unusual - don't they usually they take time to look at options and find the best person [except with Les Reed maybe].

 

[Streathamite]

They HAD to do that-to stabilise a badly holed ship. diff story behind closed doors

 

[nino_savatte]

It's already started - from Sunday's Observer





So now he's his own Director of football - someone who saw his first match 4 years ago.


http://observer.guardian.co.uk/sport/story/0,,2180375,00.html

That didn't take long.

 

[nino_savatte]

oddds on at this rate!

I'll keep my money in my pocket in that case.

 

[ZAMB]

They HAD to do that-to stabilise a badly holed ship. diff story behind closed doors

It would have been more stabilising [if they cared about that] to have appointed Clarke as caretaker manager - as he at least is fully qualified and has greater credibility. If he really does leave will there be any credible qualified person left at the club?

 

[Descartes]

RA believes he can create an attractive and free flowing winning team, now, if you are surrounded by yes men and never see reality... what would you do... keep saying yes and collecting the money or say no and get slapped in the back as the door shuts..... and it's loads of money

The man has the loot and, obviously, believes Grant's quality smelly stuff... only time will show any difference..

The way he got rid of his wife then a valued manager...... anything could happen

 

[Sunray]

Chelsea is a laughing stock and long may it remain so!

 

[Streathamite]

BMJ's still in deep, deep solids

 

[ZAMB]

This was all predicted in this article in January.

Change is inevitable, unless we’re talking about the Coca-Cola machine at Victoria station. But Chelsea appear to be on the verge of the most predictably disastrous transformation in recent times.
For some reason, they are laying the ground to cut Jose Mourinho free. Why? Heaven knows, since most of us can recognise Mourinho is the best thing that has ever happened to the club.

Whatever your opinion of the self-styled ‘Special One’; you can criticise his tactical instincts, his contempt for officials, the opposition and even decency at times, but he is a master coach.

Yet there is talk that his replacement has already been sounded out, with the ubiquitous Guus Hiddink ready to quit Russia at the end of the season.

So while Chelsea bosses are busy empire building with new websites in China and so on, the all-important foundations are being chipped away at home.

Mourinho is the difference, you see. He makes this ‘global domination’ malarkey that Peter Keynon keeps squawking on about actually work.

Yes, Roman Abramovich might have a mountain of money at his disposal, but he has as much chance of spotting Polonium 210 in his sushi as he has of identifying a way to improve the chemistry of a football team.

Without the right coach, he is just a super-rich exile throwing chips on the roulette table and hoping his number comes up. With Mourinho he is the ‘shrewd billionaire’ armed with a system to beat the banker.

Stamford Bridge’s clever motivator has turned an under-achieving band of nearly men, into gritty, hard-bitten champions that everyone wants to topple.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...le_id=427387&in_page_id=1951&in_author_id=344

 

[Badgers]

Could get ugly if they lose tonight...

 

[Descartes]

Mr RA has placed h9s trust in AG... and AG seems to have the chat to bemuse RA...

Just got to wait and see...... if the players want to get rid of him... they will lose but will RA keep them on...???

Music, and watch this space.........end of music...

 

[g force]

David Villa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not the start they needed

 

[andy2002]

A great Chelsea performance that just underlines how much they've missed Drogba and Carvalho, both of whom were brilliant last night. How much any of it had to do with Grant, though, is another matter entirely. On its day that team should be capable of beating anyone.

 

[ZAMB]

A great Chelsea performance that just underlines how much they've missed Drogba and Carvalho, both of whom were brilliant last night. How much any of it had to do with Grant, though, is another matter entirely. On its day that team should be capable of beating anyone.

It was fantastic - same result as last year. But it's unfair to give the glory to Grant as some TV people were doing, this was Jose's team - the one he didn't have for the games just before he was sacked - and I'm not over impressed with those 'free-transfer' subs - especially Ben-Haim who's been totally useless as a stand-in for Carvalho.

I was so glad when Sheva didn't appear, too - the rules must have changed for Grant - but I wonder what will happen when Drogba and co go off to this African Cup. Sheva and Pizarro as a striking partnership = recipe for disaster.

 

[andy2002]

I was so glad when Sheva didn't appear, too - the rules must have changed for Grant - but I wonder what will happen when Drogba and co go off to this African Cup. Sheva and Pizarro as a striking partnership = recipe for disaster.

Now Jose has gone I suspect RA will be splashing quite a bit of cash in the January transfer window - won't be much use in the CL though. When does the African Nations Cup start and how many CL games will it interfere with?

 

[ZAMB]

Now Jose has gone I suspect RA will be splashing quite a bit of cash in the January transfer window - won't be much use in the CL though. When does the African Nations Cup start and how many CL games will it interfere with?

January 20 until Feb 10 next year AFAIK - so the transfer window will coincide, and he can give Grant the sort of financial support he wouldn't give Jose.