The Times
October 8, 2007

Avram Grant prepared to put entertainment on hold
Bolton 0 Chelsea 1
Tom Dart at Reebok Stadium

"Clean sheet, three points, that's what's important," Avram Grant
said. Winning with style? Sorry, call back later.

Chelsea were entertaining yesterday, but for neutrals - not quite what
their watching owner, Roman Abramovich, would have hoped for. The
scoreline was the traditional symbol of dour, grinding efficiency, but
that would be a misrepresentation of this match. Chelsea performed
with an insecurity that was not redolent of the Josι Mourinho years.
They did not concede but they gave up plenty of chances and
possession.

For much of the game it was hard to tell which team had just scraped a
1-0 victory over Rabotniki Kometal and which had beaten Valencia in
Spain. Still, Grant, the first-team coach, could be forgiven for
prioritising the result. This was Chelsea's first Barclays Premier
League win in five matches, their first under Grant's management. "It
will take time, I think we need to develop from month to month, but
sometimes you need the points, especially when you play away after a
long time without a win," Grant said. "The target for the long and
short term is to build a style of our own as a team and play good
football. The base before was good, but this season we didn't play
well."

Despite Didier Drogba being suspended, Andriy Shevchenko was left on
the bench until the final 15 minutes. When Salomon Kalou, the
goalscorer, went off with a hamstring injury at half-time, Grant
turned to Claudio Pizarro.

Not favouring Abramovich's favourite player – more evidence, perhaps,
that Grant is not the owner's puppet. "When I got the job, nobody said
to me that a friend of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] needs to
play," Grant said, by way of example. "I need to take decisions that
are for the good of Chelsea. They pay me to be in charge, I have to
take the decisions, for the present and the future, to take the team
forward. We have a long season, every player has good times and bad
times. Sheva is trying hard, he's a great player, I'm sure he will be
good for Chelsea."

Grant is eager to portray himself as tough enough for the challenge of
winning with flair, even though most of his statements are coated with
a calculated blandness, as if to contrast himself with his
predecessor.

"I don't want to live in football without pressure. I was all my life
in big clubs in my country, you're always under pressure to achieve
the best, this is good pressure," he said. "Especially if we make a
process to change the game of Chelsea a little bit. It's a big
responsibility but I like it."

The most determined defensive performance of the day came from Sammy
Lee, the Bolton manager, when pressed on why neither his captain,
Kevin Nolan, nor his coach, Gary Speed, had even made the substitutes'
bench. "I pick the side that I think will do the best for any given
game," Lee said. Several times.

If that was evasive, another comment by Lee – "We've shown desire and
commitment but made a mistake and got punished for it" – hit the mark.
Bolton were undone when Kalou beat Abdoulaye Meοtι and the onrushing
Jussi Jaaskelainen to a flick-on, knocked the ball past both and –
surprisingly, given their relative size – outmuscled Meοtι and scored
the first league goal under Grant.

Bolton might have had a penalty in the same period when Steve Sidwell
appeared to handle in the area. Stelios Giannakopoulos, a substitute,
hit the bar with a header in the 90th minute, while El-Hadji Diouf,
Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka would probably have proved too much
for a defence without the solid Ricardo Carvalho.

Frank Lampard, back from injury, looked fine, while John Terry's
performance was good news for England, if not for referees. His
ability to argue with officials is evidently not impeded by his mask.

Bolton Wanderers 0

(4-1-2-3): J Jaaskelainen 8 – J O'Br-ien 7 (sub: S Giannakopoulos,
85min), A O'Brien 7, A Meοtι 6, R Gardner 7 – I Campo 8 – G McCann 7,
D Guthrie 6 – K Davies 8, N Anelka 7, E-H Diouf 8 (sub: C Wilhelmsson,
67, 6).Substitutes not used:A Al Habsi, G Cid, D Braaten. Booked:
Diouf, Davies, McCann, Jaaskelainen. Next: Arsenal (a).

Chelsea 1 Kalou 41

(4-1-2-2-1): P Cech 8 – J Belletti 7, R Carvalho 7, J Terry 7, A Cole
6 – C Makelele 6 – S Sidwell 6, F Lampard 7 – J Cole 6 (sub: P
Ferreira, 85), F Malouda 5 (sub: A Shevchenko, 74) – S Kalou 6 (sub: C
Pizarro, 46 6).Substitutes not used:C Cudicini, T Ben Haim. Booked:
Carvalho. Next: Middlesbrough (a).

Referee A Wiley

Attendance 20,059
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Telegraph:
Avram Grant not looking to win friends
By Tim Rich

Bolton Wanderers (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1

It is Bobby Robson's first and only season as manager of Barcelona and
already he can see the white handkerchiefs being waved from the
topless stands of the Nou Camp to signify their displeasure.

He has come to replace one of the most charismatic, opinionated and
successful managers Spanish football has known and, unlike Jose
Mourinho, Johan Cruyff knew what it was to play in World and European
cup finals. Robson is struggling to learn Spanish, let alone Catalan,
and compared to Cruyff he seems grey and dull.

At half-time Barcelona are three goals down to one of the also-rans of
Spanish football but, somehow, come back to snatch the match 4-3. The
next day Robson surveys the press. One headline reads: "The manager
loses the first half, the players win the second."

And this is what Avram Grant will always face. It was the end of a few
days which, under other circumstances, would have been
highly-successful. The remarkable recovery in the Mestalla to overcome
a Valencia side who were expected to carry out a ritual execution of
Chelsea's supposedly faction-ridden team was followed by their first
Premier League victory since August.

Not once was Grant's name mentioned by those who had travelled up from
the Home Counties, and this will go down as a match won by a moment of
brilliance from Salomon Kalou. In all other respects it was the kind
of hard-bitten victory that was so often orchestrated by Mourinho, a
man who always knew to whom the credit should be given. In his first
campaign at Stamford Bridge, he took the title at Bolton in a season
in which 13 matches were won 1-0.

If, by removing Mourinho, Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, hoped for
a more entertaining side and a pivotal role for his friend, Andrei
Shevchenko, he is being grimly disappointed. Grant argued yesterday
that his first responsibility was to stabilise Chelsea's results
before unveiling the beautiful game, a process he said would take
"several months".

The goal that decided this match was beautifully taken; a long ball
that Kalou, under pressure from the hulking shape of Abdoulaye Meite,
controlled with one touch, pushed past Jussi Jaaskelainen and then
shot into the corner of the Bolton net as Meite clung on to him. It
was Chelsea's first goal for 461 minutes of Premier League football
and the first under Grant. It was worth the wait.

Shevchenko did not start either here or in Valencia, and even when
Kalou was withdrawn at the interval with a hamstring injury that will
put more pressure on Chelsea's forward-line, his replacement was not
the once-great Ukrainian but Claudio Pizarro.

"When I took the job I wasn't told to pick the friends of Peter Kenyon
[the chief executive] or Simon Greenberg [the communications
director]," Grant smiled on a day Ajax confirmed their manager, Henk
ten Cate, was in negotiations to join him as assistant manager. "I am
here to make the best decisions for the good of Chelsea.

"I don't want to live a life in football without pressure. Back in my
own country I was always involved with big clubs. Here there is
pressure to do well, it comes from inside myself and it comes from
everyone. This is no game for weakness."

John Terry would attest to that. Still wearing a mask to protect his
fractured cheekbone, he was given an intense working-over by Kevin
Davies, who epitomised the skill, desire and commitment still present
in a Bolton side floundering deep in the relegation zone.

The England captain will not be given a tougher examination by Estonia
or Russia.

Frank Lampard's return, after spending six of the most traumatic weeks
in Stamford Bridge's history nursing a thigh injury, was gently
encouraging. "For Frank to play for 90 minutes after six weeks out is
good for him and good for us," said Grant, who hinted that the injured
Shaun Wright-Phillips would recover in time for the internationals.

Like Grant, Bolton's manager, Sammy Lee, also knows what a pressurised
life feels like. Bolton and Chelsea had last won in the Premier League
on the same day, August 25, and Lee responded by dropping his captain,
Kevin Nolan, and his first-team coach, Gary Speed, from the squad. Lee
pointedly refused to give any reason for his decision other than
parrot the phrase: "I pick the team."

Lee first got to pick the team after Sam Allardyce's final match as
Bolton manager, a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in April that handed the
title to Manchester United. Had Nicolas Anelka not driven his shot
into Petr Cech's body or had Stelios Giannakopoulos not headed the
Frenchman's chip fractionally over the bar, Bolton might have
extracted another precious point from Chelsea.

Once more under Lee the performance was better than the result, but
this is like staging a West End play that receives wonderful reviews
but draws a pitiful audience. Sooner or later, the producers will have
to close down the show. Lee's regime may have received its final
notices.

Man of the match
Salomon Kalou (Chelsea)
• One goal from two shots
• 100% passing accuracy
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Kalou ends drought as Chelsea hint at return to old routine

Daniel Taylor at the Reebok Stadium
Monday October 8, 2007
The Guardian

Avram Grant has his first league win and even if Chelsea's fans still
refuse to sing his name (it may be well into 2008, if at all, before
that moment arrives) it was noticeable yesterday that the visiting
fans were not as vocal in their continued support of Jose Mourinho.
Winning always tends to placate unhappy supporters and, after a
workmanlike 1-0 victory reminiscent of the old days, Grant is entitled
to claim an air of normality is returning - if, that is, life is ever
normal at Chelsea.

His first three points as Chelsea manager came courtesy of a rare
piece of opportunism from Salomon Kalou and the team's first league
goal in seven hours and 40 minutes of action. Or to put it another
way, the first since Frank Lampard slashed in the winner against
Portsmouth on August 25.
September 2007 will be remembered as fondly as a burst appendix to the
average Chelsea fan, but the team have begun October encouragingly and
Grant has shown, if nothing else, that by leaving out the Ukraine
striker Andriy Shevchenko from a side that had Didier Drogba suspended
the Israeli manager is far from merely a yes-man for the club owner,
Roman Abramovich.

Shevchenko was not only overlooked for the starting line-up but, when
Kalou went off at half-time with a sore hamstring, Grant preferred to
bring on Claudio Pizarro and when Shevchenko did finally come on, 17
minutes from the end, it was on the left of midfield, where he
contributed little more than the winning of a couple of throw-ins.

A cameo role keeping tabs on Joey O'Brien was not what the former
European footballer of the year must have had in mind when he left
Milan for London, but Grant was just as unapologetic as Mourinho used
to be. "I need to make decisions for the good of Chelsea," he said.

It was a perfectly plausible explanation, particularly when analysed
in conjunction with Sammy Lee's deeply unimpressive justification for
leaving out not only his captain, Kevin Nolan, but also Gary Speed,
the man he made his first-team coach after becoming manager at the end
of last season.

Neither player even made the bench amid simmering tensions behind the
scenes but Lee, whose tenure has been badly affected by leaks from the
dressing-room, was in no mood to divulge his reasons.

"I picked the team I wanted," he said nervously, a gerbil in
headlights, "and you don't ask me why I pick them when they are in the
team."

Nobody was fooled and it was an unsatisfactory way to end what was
otherwise an impressive effort from the Premier League's
second-from-bottom club. Bolton were strong in the tackle, ruggedly
committed and, given that it is widely known Lee's methods have caused
resentment in the dressing room, it was certainly not evident from the
way the side, minus two of their more influential players, set about
their opponents.

At times, too, they produced some slick football, with El Hadji-Diouf
and Kevin Davies breaking in from the flanks, Ivan Campo instrumental
in midfield and the 20-year-old Danny Guthrie, on loan from Liverpool,
impressive on his league debut.

They may have taken only five points all season but Bolton had two
sustained periods, at the start of either half, when Chelsea's defence
came close to buckling under the pressure and there were three
occasions before Kalou scored his first league goal since April that
the visitors were indebted to Petr Cech's goalkeeping - the Czech
Republic international keeping out Davies and Campo and diving at the
feet of Nicolas Anelka after the striker had accelerated into the
penalty area and twisted away from the Chelsea captain, John Terry.

Terry, incidentally, spent a large proportion of the match complaining
to the referee Alan Wiley and it is becoming an irritating feature of
the England captain's persona. Wiley ended up booking five Bolton
players compared to one for Chelsea, and Steve Sidwell was fortunate
to get away with a handball inside his own penalty area. Yet the
principal reason for Bolton's defeat was not because of bad refereeing
but the atrocious mix-up that preceded Kalou's goal.

Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton's goalkeeper, will wince when he sees the
replays, as will the centre-half Abdoulaye Meite, for it was their
indecision in dealing with a bouncing ball that allowed Kalou to steal
in, nick the ball away and finish with an angled shot.

The goal originated from a long Cech goal-kick, headed back towards
his own penalty area by Gavin McCann, and Lee spoke in sombre tones
about his team's "one big mistake".

Bolton's under-pressure manager could otherwise reflect on an
admir-able performance but Chelsea, with the England midfielder
Lampard back, edged the game regardless of Sidwell's good fortune and,
on the back of the Champions League victory in Valencia during the
week, Grant wore a Mourinho-esque look of satisfaction.

A typical Makelele performance, the Frenchman mopping up in front of
defence, and providing a safeguard for the England midfielder Frank
Lampard and Steve Sidwell to supplement the visitors' attack.

Man of the match: Claude Makelele

Best Moment Any one of numerous interceptions to break up Bolton
attacks and instigate Chelsea's own forward thrusts.
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Mail:
Are you Mourinho in disguise, Avram?
Bolton 0 Chelsea 1

by MATT LAWTON

Intent on matching Jose Mourinho stride for stride, Avram Grant's
attention to detail now appears to extend to the style of play as well
the scoreline. 2-1 in Valencia. A turgid 1-0 win in the Premier
League. All very familiar to followers of Chelsea.

Even his treatment of Andriy Shevchenko is starting to echo his
predecessor. Dropped for Valencia, Shevchenko was left on the bench
again for this encounter and he remained there when Salomon Kalou
disappeared with an injured hamstring after scoring a fabulous
first-half goal.

Rather than send on Roman Abramovich's 'adopted son', Grant opted for
Claudio Pizarro and turned to the troubled Ukrainian only when he then
lost Florent Malouda to injury. From European Footballer of the Year
to makeshift left winger. How the mighty have fallen.

For Grant, it simply proved that he is very much in charge. That he
and not his Russian owner picks the team and also makes the changes.

"They pay me to be in charge," said the Israeli, who has even started
to rant on the touchline in the manner of the animated Mourinho.

"I have to be in charge. I make the decisions for the present and for
the future. Sheva is trying hard and I'm sure he will be good again
for Chelsea."

But how does he square it with Abramovich? Shevchenko is the owner's
best chum, after all.

"When I got the job at Chelsea, no one says I had to pick a friend of
Peter Kenyon or a friend of Simon Greenberg (Chelsea's director of
communications)," said Grant with a wry smile.

"Simon even said there was someone he wanted to play. But I'm in
charge of the team and I make decisions for the good of Chelsea."

The selection of Kalou as a stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba
certainly proved a sound one.

Not only did he take his goal wonderfully well, but he was also
responsible for the pass of the match.

It was a magnificent ball that squeezed between two Bolton defenders
and finished at the feet of the rapidly advancing Malouda.


While Malouda squandered that opportunity, Kalou made no mistake when
a long ball forward from Petr Cech was mistakenly headed on by Gavin
McCann.

Kalou lifted the ball over Jussi Jaaskelainen and, with the kind of
strength and athleticism one would normally associate with his
countryman Drogba, shrugged off the foul challenge of Abdoulaye Meite
before finishing with considerable aplomb.


If this delighted Grant, it left Sammy Lee in an even more precarious
position as Bolton's beleaguered manager.

Bolton performed with spirit and forced Cech to make a couple of super
saves. But Lee's side are languishing in the bottom three amid rumours
of a bust-up with his first-team coach and his captain.

Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan did not even discover they had been omitted
from the squad until they arrived at the Reebok Stadium at lunchtime
and Speed had what was described as 'a face like thunder' afterwards.

When Lee was asked to explain his decision, his response was less than
convincing. Bizarre in fact. "You don't ask me to explain myself when
I pick them," said Lee with almost child-like logic. "I pick the team
and I picked the team I considered best for Bolton."


Lee is a fine coach, a charming man, but never should he have been
made a Premier League manager and it is unlikely to be long before his
employers reach the same conclusion.


One win in 12 League games since he took charge towards the end of
last season should tell them all they need to know.

Much the same was being said about Grant when he first succeeded
Mourinho, but Chelsea's last two results would suggest he might yet
have a chance.


With Frank Lampard back from injury and Drogba and John Obi Mikel soon
back from suspension, the team is beginning to gain some momentum.


This was an important victory for them at the ground where they
secured the first of their two championship titles under Mourinho -
and not just because Kalou's 41st-minute strike was their first in 460
minutes of Premier League football.


It was proof, once again, that they can grind out results. That they
can snatch a lead and hang on. That, in players like the outstanding
Ricardo Carvalho, they still have the quality to close the
sevenpointgap which exists between them and Arsenal.


As Grant insisted, it will be a while before we see the 'football with
style' he has promised. "It will take time," he said.

"Sometimes you just need the points. Sometimes you just need to score
a goal. Especially when you play away from home. The target was taking
three points and we got what we wanted."

He also felt the pressure lift a little more off his shoulders. "I
don't want to live in football without the pressure," he said.

"I have always had pressure in my career and it is a pressure I put on
myself. This job is a big responsibility but I like it.

"The game is about pressure. It is not a game for weakness."

As Lee, rather than Grant, is probably about to find out.

Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 7; J O'Brien 6 (Stelios 85min), A O'Brien
6, Meite 5, Gardner 6; McCann 5, Campo 6, Guthrie 7, Diouf 6
(Wilhelmsson 67, 6); Davies 7, Anelka 6. Booked: Diouf, Campo, Davies,
Jaaskelainen.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Belletti 6, Carvalho 8, Terry 6, A Cole 6;
Sidwell 6, Makelele 6, Lampard 6; Malouda 6 (Shevchenko 74, 5), Kalou
8 (Pizarro 46, 6), J Cole 6 (Ferreira 84). Booked: Carvalho. Man of
the match: Salomon Kalou.

Referee: Alan Wiley.
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Sun:

THERE might be a light at the end of the tunnel — but it's not exactly dazzling.
Chelsea finally snatched a first Premier League victory under Avram
Grant and their first league goal for almost eight hours.
Yet the jury is still out on a team struggling to raise themselves
above the average.

If Roman Abramovich got rid of Jose Mourinho to produce more
excitement and entertainment, it clearly is not working.

But Grant will settle for three points right now as he works to drag
his team out of the doldrums of Black September.
Salomon Kalou's 41st-minute strike leaves Bolton boss Sammy Lee on the
brink of following Mourinho out of the door.
The Ivory Coast striker showed strength and composure to cash in on a
mix-up between Abdoulaye Meite and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Kalou chipped over the stranded Jaaskelainen before drilling in from a
tight angle.
Chelsea's matchwinner hobbled off at half-time with a hamstring strain
— but he had already done enough to justify his selection ahead of
£30million Andriy Shevchenko.
Grant said: "When I got the job, nobody told me who I had to play.
They pay me to be in charge and I make the decisions that I feel are
best for the club.
"This was an important three points for us after a long time without a
Premiership win.
"We created more chances and our attitude against a very direct and
physical team was excellent."
Grant insisted: "The new style will take time. It may take a couple of
months to develop. Sometimes you need the points first, especially
when you are playing away from home."
From the bench, disgruntled Shevchenko could have learnt a few lessons
in passion from Kevin Davies.
The Bolton man has never been the most gifted forward in the world but
what he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in effort and
courage.
He thundered into every challenge and rattled Ashley Cole's bones. But
Blues skipper John Terry — still wearing a protective mask on his
fractured cheek — was unhappy with some of Davies' aerial challenges.
Twice in the first five minutes, the Bolton battering ram muscled his
way into promising positions without being able to find a finish.
Ivan Campo was also taking no prisoners and he was guilty of two
horrendously late fouls on Joe Cole and Frank Lampard.
The first was punished with a yellow card, the second should have led to red.
Although Chelsea were shaken by Bolton's naked aggression, they were
not about to chuck in the towel.
Galvanised by Lampard's return from seven matches out with a thigh
strain, they gradually took control of the midfield and started to
open up Bolton.
Florent Malouda should have fired them into a 21st-minute lead but
shot wastefully over after being sent clear by Kalou.
Seven minutes later, Malouda did hit the target from Kalou's knockdown
but was denied by a smart instinctive low save from Jaaskelainen.
Bolton also had their chances, notably when Campo's first- time effort
was saved by Petr Cech, who then denied Nicolas Anelka. El-Hadji Diouf
also sent a header straight at the Chelsea keeper and sub Stelios
brushed the bar with a header from Anelka's cross in stoppage time.
The home side also felt they should have had a 43rd-minute penalty
when Steve Sidwell appeared to use an arm.
With only one Premiership win and a trip to Arsenal next, time is
running out for Lee.
His bold gamble to axe captain Kevin Nolan and coach Gary Speed
backfired and it seems to be only a matter of time before chairman
Phil Gartside pulls the trigger.
Lee said: "There were no ulterior motives for leaving those players
out. I always pick the team I think will do the best job.
"I'd rather talk about the determination and application of the
players who did play. I felt we deserved something but you don't
always get what you deserve."
Grant's team had started the day nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal
in ninth. Now they are back up to sixth place.
Chelsea are up and running again. The beautiful football can wait a
little longer.
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