The Sunday Times
February 24, 2008

Avram Grant v Jose Mourinho

The Chelsea boss's father, a Holocaust survivor, will be at today's
final hoping his son can win over Blues fansJoe Lovejoy
Victory over Tottenham in this afternoon's Carling Cup final would do
him a power of good, but is Wembley likely to reverberate to blue-clad
choruses of "There's only one Avram Grant"? Probably not. The Chelsea
manager could win the lot, Champions League included, and still hear
the fans bang on about Jose Mourinho, his celebrated predecessor.

The two men are chalk and cheese - Mourinho the charismatic populist,
Grant a grump for whom the word lugubrious might have been coined -
and this poles-apart contrast explains why supporters took one to
their hearts and remain lukewarm, at best, towards the other. That and
the enduring suspicion that Grant stabbed Mourinho in the back to get
his job.

Footballing styles can hardly be the problem, their respective
approaches broadly similar. Mourinho, admittedly, kept the cleaner
busy in the trophy cabinet, but who is to say that Grant, given time
and the same access to Roman Abramovich's millions, might not do the
same? He has been in the job for less than five months, so it is a bit
early to be drawing cast-iron conclusions, but the evidence of his
tenure to date reinforces the belief that Abramovich was putting up a
smokescreen when he cited a lack of excitement as the reason for
getting rid of the "Special One".

For all his talk of an expansive, passing game, Grant is playing much
the same functional football (Chelsea have scored fewer goals in the
Premier League than Everton and Aston Villa) with no complaints from
on high, and the contentious parting of the ways in September had more
to do with a clash of colossal egos than the patron's pursuit of "The
Beautiful Game". Having spent the thick end of £600m on the club,
Abramovich was jealous of all the credit his manager was getting. "Why
do they never chant my name?" he was heard to ask. If sacking Mourinho
was designed to underline the importance of the Russian's own
contribution, it hasn't worked.

Grant was not a popular appointment, and the fans still pine for the
days when their Portuguese favourite dominated the headlines and kept
Sky TV on constant alert. Death threats and racial abuse? Had
Mourinho, not Grant, been the target, we would never have heard the
end of it. Mourinho imagined victimisation where there was none, and
had he received the mysterious white powder in the post, he would have
filled reporters' notebooks with emotional expositions on the impact
on his family and the barbarism that spawned such sickos. Grant
scorned the subject, a dignified response from a man who already knows
the horrors of which human beings are capable. Grant's father, Meir,
survived the Holocaust in Poland and celebrated his 80th birthday last
Thursday. He will be at Wembley today, a proud father watching his son
lead out his team in a cup final.

If the Chelsea board wanted a quieter life, they are getting it. As
chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "There's still a lot of noise
around the club, but the noise is around football. It's less
controversial. You would have to say there's more stability under the
new manager."

Maybe, but while silence is golden, it rarely wins popularity
contests. Management is nearly as much about presentation and public
perception as it is about results and the Chelsea incumbent comes up
short on both counts. That said, where it matters most, on the field,
he has made a better start than almost any critic, this one included,
expected. As Kenyon put it: "His results are not what 99% were
expecting and you've got to give full credit to Avram. He's got on
with the job quietly and efficiently, under some pretty significant
hurdles in terms of injuries and the African Cup of Nations. Several
months on, we are in the Carling Cup final and still in contention to
win the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. You've
all got to recognise he's done a good job."

Quite so, yet the fans are still sceptical. When Grant lost his first
Premier League match, 2-0 away to Manchester United, and managed only
a goalless draw at home to Fulham in his second, there were mutinous
looks all round. He would be lucky to last until Christmas. Instead,
he won his next seven, beginning with an impressive Champions League
victory in Valencia and including a 6-0 demolition of Manchester City.
Chelsea won 4-0 away to Rosenborg, with whom a 1-1 draw at home had
signalled Mourinho's departure, and a 4-4 thriller with the Villa on
Boxing Day had him feted as The Great Entertainer.

Again, however, the assessment was premature. The results have
continued to be good – Chelsea are unbeaten in 16 matches – but recent
performances have been efficient rather than compelling, with goalless
draws against Olympiakos and Liverpool in the last four.

Was he really so different, in playing style, to his lamented
predecessor? When I posed the question after training on Friday, he
replied: "This season the team weren't playing so well, and after a
traumatic night against Rosenborg at home, I replaced Jose. My first
priority was to build a staff to get the best from the players, which
is what I did (principally by recruiting the Dutch coach, Henk ten
Cate, from Ajax). I kept the good things, but changed the staff and
the training, and we are moving forward. Almost all the players are
better than they were and I am proud because it shows we're working
correctly." So Chelsea ha improved since Mourinho's departure? "You
always try to compare with the past," Grant chided. "I don't like to,
but there are a few things we are doing that are different." Such as?
"We try to pass the ball more than to play long balls. I believe you
need to play at a quick tempo,and sometimes that means a long ball,
but I see it as the alternative solution. I prefer to build from the
back." The acme had been the six-goal drubbing of Eriksson's City,
when Chelsea's penetrative passing dissected one of the best defences
in the league. "Yes, but we have done the same on other occasions
without scoring the goals," Grant said. "When we played Everton here
we had more chances than we had against City but drew 1-1. But we are
developing well, and in 70-80% of our games we play good football."
The fans remained dubious. "I don't go and ask them whether they like
me or not," Grant said. "It was reasonable to me in the beginning that
they did not accept me. I've been told it was the same when (Claudio)
Ranieri came here and when Jose came. You are not always accepted at
first, but I think now they are happy."

Would victory this afternoon lay the ghost of Mourinho? "Why do we
need to kill off Jose Mourinho?" Grant flashed back. "He did a good
job and we need to continue with this. We need to keep going the same
way." A visiting Israeli journalist pointed out that Grant had won
only one of his four cup finals back home. "Yes, but I won other
things," he shot back (four league titles, with the Maccabi clubs of
Haifa and Tel Aviv). "That is typical, in Israel if you win 30 games
and draw one, they will ask only about the draw. I'm not a man who
lives in the past."

With important players back from the African tournament and others fit
again, there were difficult choices to be made for the final. The
grapevine has it that John Terry and Frank Lampard will start, Wayne
Bridge will be preferred to Ashley Cole at left-back and Nicolas
Anelka will edge out Joe Cole.

TV match - Chelsea v Tottenham Today, Sky Sports 1, 2.30pm, kick-off
3pm. Highlights, ITV1, 11.15pm

Probable teams

Chelsea(4-1-2-1-2) Cech; Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, Bridge; Mikel;
Essien, Lampard; Ballack; Anelka, Drogba

Tottenham(4-4-2) Robinson; Hutton, Woodgate, King, Chimbonda; Lennon,
Zokara, Jenas, Malbranque; Berbatov, Keane



Inside track

FORM GUIDE

Chelsea

D 0-0 Olympiakos (a)
W 3-1 Hudders?eld (h)
D 1-1 Portsmouth (a)
D 0-0 Liverpool (h)
W 1-0 Reading (h)

Tottenham

D 1-1 Slavia Prague (h)
W 2-1 Slavia Prague (a)
W 3-0 Derby Co (a)
D 1-1 Man Utd (h)
W 0-0 Everton (a)

- Chelsea have won the League Cup four times – once more than Tottenham Hotspur

- Chelsea netted 13 goals in ? ve matches to reach the ? nal and
conceded four. Spurs hit 12 goals, but let in two

- Frank Lampard, of Chelsea, is the Carling Cup top scorer with four
goals. Aaron Lennon, Dimitar Berbatov, Jermaine Jenas and Pascal
Chimbonda have played in all ? ve of Tottenham's Carling Cup ties so
far



Avram Grant v Jose Mourinho: spot the difference

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE ...

- Jose Mourinho rotated his squad, but for the big games he had a
cadre of nine so-called 'Untouchables' who always played. These were
included regardless of form, or even ? tness, and included Michael
Ballack and John Terry. Avram Grant also tries to vary his starting
lineup, but selects more on form than reputation. 'I'm not sure anyone
is untouchable now,' Ballack remarked after the goalless Champions
League clash with Olympiakos in Greece last week, when Frank Lampard
and Terry were left on the bench

- The shortcomings of Andriy Shevchenko, a favourite of Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich, left Mourinho without a real partner for Didier
Drogba in attack and therefore reliant on a single orthodox striker in
a 4-5-1 formation [4-3-3 when using two wingers]. Grant remedied this
weakness with the acquisition of Nicolas Anelka from Bolton Wanderers
last month. Grant has the option of using a 4-4-2 lineup now Drogba is
back from African Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast national
team

- Mourinho said he wanted to use wingers to capitalise on Drogba's
aerial prowess, but lost faith in Damien Duff and Arjen Robben, who
both left Stamford Bridge, and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was
marginalised. Grant's decision to persevere with Wright-Phillips [23
league appearances this season] and Joe Cole [22 league games] has
been well rewarded

... THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

- Under Mourinho, Chelsea's default mode was the long ball to Drogba.
Grant promised to be less direct, but with one notable exception [the
6-0 drubbing of Manchester City] his teams have ground out results
with the same frontal assaults rather than by using intricate passing
movements

- One reason Abramovich sacked Mourinho was that he wanted more
entertainment. He hasn't had it. Chelsea have scored 10 fewer Premier
League goals than Tottenham this season. Like his predecessor, Grant's
priority is defensive security
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Telegraph:

Tottenham and Chelsea strike-forces to collide
By Gianfranco Zola

I am over in London for the weekend and will be so excited as I take
my seat at Wembley this afternoon for the Carling Cup final. Of
course, my hopes lie with Chelsea, a club that to this day I have such
affection for. Not that that means I could say with total confidence
they will win.

ow Avram Grant chooses to play. Chelsea have had great success
recently playing a 4-3-2-1 system with two, what we call in Italy,
'half-strikers' playing off Didier Drogba.

These half-strikers are normally small, technically very good
footballers such as Joe Cole or Shaun Wright-Phillips who work off a
centre-forward. I like this system very much but things are changing
at Chelsea and the manager has options.

The purchase of Nicolas Anelka means Grant has two positive strikers
and may be tempted to play both up front in a 4-4-2. On paper it looks
possible; the manager can play two wingers while his central
midfielders protect. If I were the manager I would be interested in
having my best players on the pitch and that means playing Anelka.

The Frenchman's qualities are around the penalty box; he is a striker
who likes to be in the centre so he can get shots in on goal. I think
he's good enough, though, to adapt and if he plays with Drogba he can
find space in wide areas and operate in my old position, the hole
behind the centre-forward.

Now that Drogba is back from the African Nations he has to start. When
it comes to playing with your back to goal and bringing your
team-mates into the game there may not be a better player in the
world. He is unique. I have seen very few players who can play so
easily on their own up front but I was lucky to play with a similar
man in Mark Hughes.

Hughsie was a lone centre-forward and I'd play off him. I still say I
made my fortune from playing with Hughes because he'd keep three
defenders busy and I'd just exploit the space he created. Anelka can
do that alongside Drogba.

It seems wrong to talk about Chelsea's attacking options and not
mention Andrei Shevchenko. I know him very well and it is sad it
hasn't worked for him in England. Maybe he took on too much. It was a
massive move, worth a lot of money and with that comes great
expectations. When you start thinking about your football and forget
to just play, your form can suffer. I can see in England he has been
thinking about his game far too much. In Italy he played with freedom
and we saw his true form.

So Chelsea have plenty of options but whatever team they put out I
don't think they'll find it easy against a Spurs team who I feel will
become very strong over the next few seasons. They, too, are
incredibly strong up front. I like Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov
and while they are a classic big man/small man partnership, they both
possess great touch. They combine so well together and right now are
benefiting from the team behind them looking much more confident. It's
going to be fascinating encounter.

Chelsea as a club, of course, are completely different from the set-up
that I left in 2003 but I still am a big fan. When I was there, I
remember I had to go out and buy my own free-kick practice wall
because the training ground didn't have one. Actually, I think it's
still there; I should ask Mr Abramovich to send it back.

The Russian billionaire has done wonders for the place and my heart
says that Chelsea will win the Cup. I think their experience will tell
and after the game I hope I can call my old Chelsea team-mate Gus
Poyet and brag that the best team won.

Gus is a very good coach and as a player you could see he had the
qualities to be a good manager. He was always talking, actually
sometimes too much, but his intelligence will be an asset to Spurs. I
just hope they don't benefit from him come 3pm this afternoon.


Gianfranco Zola is working with Sure Sports, the sport antiperspirant.



Avram Grant must omit John Terry

By Stewart Robson


Chelsea's starting XI for today game will confirm to the dressing room
which players are Avram Grant's first choice and those who are just
playing second fiddle.

For the first time this season, every Chelsea player is available and
they will all be desperate to make the cut for this Wembley showpiece
against Tottenham. With no midweek game before next Saturday's London
derby against West Ham, Grant has not needed to think about resting
players in selecting his Carling Cup final team.

Grant knows he is facing a team who have already scored 79 goals in
all competitions this season and the threat Spurs pose up front is a
major concern. Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane are clever in their
movement and have a telepathic understanding. Both strikers have the
technical capabilities to expose deficiencies in any opposition
defence.

But there is pace throughout the Spurs attack. Aaron Lennon can
provide a constant supply of crosses from the right and, on the left,
Steed Malbranque has the knack of knowing when to come infield. In
addition, Jermaine Jenas is finally starting to realise his potential
through his dynamic forward running.

Chelsea have their own attacking superstars, though, and will be
looking to capitalise on the constant reshuffling of the Spurs back
four and their goalkeeping problems. Grant will keep his cards close
to his chest but I have picked what I believe would be the team most
likely to win the Carling Cup for Chelsea. They would play 4-3-3, the
starting formation most familiar to their players.


Chelsea

Goalkeeper
There are only one or two players in the world who are as good or
reliable as Petr Cech, so he is an automatic choice.

Right-back
Choice between Juliano Belletti, Paulo Ferreira and Tal Ben-Haim, but
Belletti is the best attacking player of the trio. Malbranque's
in-field runs leave Tottenham vulnerable when they lose the ball. The
left side of the pitch is open to counter-attacks and Belletti could
make in-roads with his attacking flair

Left-back
Ashley Cole is not at his best and Wayne Bridge has played well, but
against Lennon, Chelsea need their best one-on-one defender. Cole gets
the starting spot because he has shown he can be unbeatable when
marking some of the world's best dribblers. The threat of being
embarrassed by a tricky winger should re-focus his mind firmly on this
game.

Centre-backs
John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ben-Haim and Alex are all good defenders
but in my view, Carvalho and Alex is the best combination. Between
them they have a mixture of power, speed, aerial ability and, most
importantly, against Berbatov and Keane, an ability to anticipate
dangerous situations. Having watched Terry over the last year, his
speed of thought and ability to change direction has been below the
standards he set previously. With only one game under his belt since
injury, this match could expose him.

The holding midfielder
Claude Makelele and John Obi Mikel have played this role superbly for
Chelsea, but I'm going to pick Michael Essien to play this position.
He has the energy to thwart the runs of Jenas, he has the game
awareness to adjust his position to deal with Malbranque and the drive
to increase the tempo of Chelsea's passing movements. In midweek
against Olympiakos, Makelele played well but he couldn't inject any
pace into attacks.

Left of midfield three
I would play Michael Ballack in this position so that he could get
forward whenever Belletti and the right winger look like getting their
crosses in. His heading prowess is as good as any midfielder in the
Premier League, with the exception, possibly, of Tim Cahill at
Everton. His general play is now reaching the high standard expected
of him when he was bought from Bayern Munich in 2006.

Right side of midfield three
Yes, Frank Lampard and Ballack can play together! With Essien holding
his position centrally, there is no reason why both these players
can't make runs into the box at the same time. Lampard has his critics
but his goal record, passing ability and timing of runs are better
than any other English player. He may not be fully fit but he must
surely start.

Left-sided forward
Joe Cole was brilliant for England when playing in this position
against Switzerland. His understanding of when to join the
centre-forward with diagonal runs, his ability to cut inside on to his
right foot to play killer passes and his link-up with Ashley Cole
means he is more threatening than Florent Malouda at the moment.
Malouda had a great partnership with Eric Abidal at Lyon but hasn't
found the same connection with Cole or Bridge.

Centre-forward
Although he didn't have his best game in Athens, Didier Drogba,
assuming he is fit, should start as the central striker. He has every
attribute needed to play the role - pace, aerial presence, brilliant
movement and the power to hold the ball up. He is a much better player
when up front by himself because he gets between the two centre-halves
and neither are able to play right up against him. It is easier for
defenders to mark him when he has a partner up front. He plays the
lone striker role better than Nicolas Anelka.

Right-sided forward
Choice between Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Because of his
superior tactical appreciation of the role, I am going to opt for
Kalou. However, he will need to vary his runs - going wide and cutting
in to the centre - to pose problems to the full-back. If he has
minimal impact, Grant is likely to call on the pace and dribbling of
Wright-Phillips early in the second half.

Tottenham Hotspur

Goalkeeper
Despite Thursday's heroics against Slavia Prague, Paul Robinson has
made too many mistakes to be regarded as a safe option, so Radek Cerny
would start despite his recent blunder in Prague.

Right-back
Despite the signing of Alan Hutton, Pascal Chimbonda has all the
attributes to be an excellent full-back. He has pace, energy and
technical ability. Particularly with the aerial threat of Drogba and
Ballack, Ramos needs a full-back who can head the ball and Chimbonda
is brilliant in the air. If fit, he must play.

Left-back
Most people would disagree with me, but I would pick Young-Pyo Lee. He
has been undervalued at Spurs and a succession of replacements have
been brought in. I'm sure Gareth Bale will make the position his own
once he is fit next season, but until then the South Korean can do a
good job. He is quick, gets forward intelligently and is calm under
pressure. Yes, he doesn't use his left foot to cross, but nor did
Chris Hughton who has been Tottenham's best left-back of the last 30
years. Lee's lack of height may be a problem, though, if Drogba moves
to the far post when the ball is on the far side.

Centre-backs
If fully fit, Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King are streets ahead of
Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, Tom Huddlestone and Didier Zokora in
terms of defensive ability. They are good in the air, quick across the
ground, good readers of the game and technically proficient in
possession. As a long-term pairing, their poor injury record will
prevent them being a permanent fixture but for a one-off game they are
the best players to cope with the problems Chelsea will pose.

Central midfield
Jenas, as mentioned earlier, is finally fulfilling his potential
through making forward runs. All top-quality players need to be good
at most aspects of their game but exceptional in one and Jenas has now
found out what his main attribute is. To complement him, though, I
would play Zokora. He has the energy to get around the pitch to break
up the opposition's counter-attacks as well as the ability to stride
forward with the ball when space opens up in front of him. He doesn't
have the vision of Huddlestone, but he will have more impact on the
game than the technically gifted but one-paced former Derby
midfielder. Teemu Tainio played well against Arsenal in the semi-final
but I don't think he will be able to repeat that level of performance
too often.

Right wing
Aaron Lennon must provide the width and penetration to stretch
Chelsea's defence. I'm sure he is hoping that Bridge, rather than
Cole, plays up against him because Bridge is not as good in one-on-one
situations as his England rival. Lennon will need to improve his final
ball and score more goals to realise his potential.

Left midfield
Malbranque is vital to Spurs' game plan. His movement from a wide
position to support the front players in-field starts a chain reaction
of positional rotation by the rest of the team. It allows space for
the full-back to overlap and for Keane to unbalance the opposition by
drifting into the area vacated by the former Fulham player. The
positions he takes up as soon as Tottenham regain possession allow
them to launch counter-attacks, which was a major factor why Arsenal
were destroyed in the semi-final.

Centre-forwards
Keane and Berbatov are as good as any pairing in the Premier League at
linking up together. Whether they are playing one-twos, breaking
offside lines with one-touch passing or continually rotating positions
to unsettle the opposition, they are always clever in thought. Yet it
is not just finesse and guile which makes Berbatov such a joy to
study. He is also good in the air and strong when holding off
defenders. These two must be at their best for Spurs to lift the Cup.


Avram Grant and Juande Ramos square up
By Patrick Barclay

Leafing through a friend's Jewish Chronicle the other day, I
discovered that the Israeli television personality Tzofit Grant has
spiced up her show by, among other devices, drinking her own urine,
being spanked and bathing in spaghetti. Some people will do anything
for publicity.

Even Tzofit's relatively retiring husband, Avram - he has gone so far
as to become manager of Chelsea, which, given that a) prior to his
appointment he had no experience of handling a team outside his native
land and b) he was taking over from the celebrated Jose Mourinho,
might be described as the most daring stunt of any the Grants have
attempted.

Think back: the hyenas prepared for a feast and, in wondering aloud
whether Grant might be the new Christian Gross - a Swiss manager who
came to Tottenham with a one-way tube ticket and the look of a lame
duck - I was concerned only that this might be a little harsh on
Gross, who had performed more than respectably in Swiss football
before and has done so since.

Although Grant duly lost his first match in charge, it was against
Manchester United at Old Trafford and in the five months since he has
lost only one more - at Arsenal. Chelsea are still impregnable in the
Premier League at Stamford Bridge, where their last defeat was under
Mourinho's predecessor, Claudio Ranieri, four years ago (Arsenal's Edu
and Patrick Vieira outgunned Eidur Gudjohnsen) and they have yet to
fall out of contention for any of the four competitions open to them
when Grant took over.

In the Carling Cup final today, they take on a club who opted for a
more orthodox route to success in making their early-season change of
direction. Tottenham followed the example of Chelsea when they went
for Mourinho, or Liverpool when they hired Rafa Benitez, by going for
one of the vogue managers in Europe. Juande Ramos was the bleedin'
obvious: a Uefa Cup winner in each of the past two seasons with
Sevilla, he had guided the club into the Champions League, where Spurs
are desperate to be. He was clearly approaching the peak of his
powers.

So the Spurs board, chaired by Daniel Levy, risked the ire of their
supporters and, yes, the critics again by courting Ramos behind the
back of the popular incumbent, Martin Jol. The team have since
improved in the League and reached their first final in six years.
Everyone remarks that they look fitter and more convinced of
themselves. Wembley is too small to accommodate all those fans who
have gleefully adjusted their view of Jol; while they still respect
his achievements on behalf of the club, who finished fifth in the
League in consecutive seasons, many wish he had made way for Ramos
earlier.

Grant, meanwhile, has yet to win the wholehearted approval of the
Chelsea support. He needs victory today to help the process along and,
even then, cannot afford any slips either in the home leg of the
Champions League tie against Olympiakos on March 5 or at Barnsley in
the FA Cup a few days later; after a dismal and scoreless draw in
Athens, the Bridge is waiting for evidence of the sexier football
Grant was supposed to provide but which has been evident on only a few
occasions, notably that of a 6-0 triumph over Manchester City. But
both the Chelsea and Spurs hierarchies are entitled to cock a cheeky
ear at those who panned them over the drawn-out demises of Mourinho
and Jol. At least they can do so before this afternoon's match; the
losers will have food for thought, especially if they turn out to be
Chelsea, which, in the light of Ramos's extraordinary knack of winning
cup ties both in Spain and England, would not be such a surprise.

Ramos, like his compatriot Benitez, had his playing career ruined by
injury. He made his Primera debut for Elche at 20 but soon dropped
through the divisions and quit. Elche also gave him a start in
coaching and, after a variety of clubs, he got Rayo Vallecano promoted
to Spain's top flight. He had three years there; it remains his
longest stint with a club. But it was at Sevilla where Ramos began to
sense that his ambitions to work on the biggest and most lucrative
stage could be realised. Quite blatantly he fixed his sights on
England and the money Spurs were prepared to offer - he called their
initial offer ''dizzying" - did the rest. The confidence he has
brought to White Hart Lane has been contagious and I doubt if there
has been a more impressive performance by a Premier League team this
season than Spurs' in the second leg of their semi-final against
Arsenal, when they won 5-1. This was not just the motivational effect
of a newish manager; their tactics were clever too. So Grant has a
contest on his hands at Wembley, where the Mourinho era's last trophy
was secured nine months ago by Didier Drogba's late goal against
Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley.

Then, it was Drogba against Wayne Rooney. Today, Chelsea face arguably
even a trickier proposition in the partnership of Robbie Keane and
Dimitar Berbatov. It has everything: the furious commitment of Keane,
the balance and vision (reminiscent of Marco van Basten) of Berbatov;
the quick and deft groundwork of the Irishman, the aerial power of the
Bulgarian. Both can score goals and, when they play off each other,
they can be nigh unstoppable. Grant's task is to force them apart -
and make sure the surging runs from midfield of Jermaine Jenas are
policed. It may be beyond Claude Makelele, who, though he has enjoyed
a great career, is nearly finished at the top level. So perhaps
Michael Essien will be asked to operate in front of the back four.
Perhaps Michael Ballack too, if Frank Lampard is to be deployed
farther up the field; the German is tactically very sharp.

Grant will have no difficulty in recognising that. Back in Israel, he
has long been considered a career move or two ahead. No one disputes
that he can organise a football team - having steered his home-town
club, Hapoel Petah Tikva, to their first cup in 30 years, he won
championships with both Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa before very
efficiently running the national side - but some also point to his
wise choice of friends. The influential Israeli agent Pini Zahavi, for
example. Zahavi arranged the takeover of Portsmouth by Sacha Gaydamak
- and where did Grant subsequently turn up as director of football? He
was then invited to take up a similar post at Chelsea, the domain of
Roman Abramovich, another friend - of both Zahavi and Grant.

But who cares? We are always talking about the necessity for a good
relationship between the manager of a club and the owner. Here is one
in good order. Anyway, you think twice about taking a cheap shot at
someone whose father's family were all but destroyed during the
Holocaust - and who, only last week, had a poisonous parcel sent to
him by sick racists. Grant has earned his place in the spotlight. Like
Ramos (and Mourinho, for that matter, and other successful coaches),
he was able to start early because he never took flight as a player,
and, since beginning as Petah Tikva's youth coach at the age of 18, he
has always taken the trouble to learn. Grant has been around - he
seems to know everyone in the game - and today he has the opportunity
to take silverware home from one of the world's great stadiums. If it
happens, his wacky wife will be entitled to celebrate - just try not
to imagine what will be in the glass she joyously raises to her lips.

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Indy:

Avram Grant: Thriving as the new special one

This is Nick Townsend's original Avram Grant interview for the Carling
Cup final programme, with mention of former manager Jose Mourinho...


'To come to Wembley is like coming to a holy place. That's why it will
be such a proud moment if we win'

Sunday, 24 February 2008


When the exit of a football manager is accorded the status of first
item on the national TV news, it means one of two things. It is either
a remarkably quiet news day or that character transcends sport. Few
would dispute it was the latter when Jose Mourinho departed Stamford
Bridge. The Portuguese had fired emotions in the national psyche
beyond the mere winning and losing of games. Amid the tumult of that
day in September, the succession of Avram Grant was always going to
invite unwarranted comparison.

So hostile was the reaction in some quarters, it was as if James Bond
had been killed off and his successor had been named as Blofeld. To an
extent, it was suspicion of the unknown. The extent of most people's
knowledge was that the 52-year-old Israeli had been at Stamford Bridge
for 62 days, as director of football, had the ear of Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich, and had previously been technical director of
Portsmouth. One pundit, the former Chelsea midfielder Pat Nevin,
quipped: "Avram Grant is going to be as welcome as Camilla at Diana's
memorial".

Yet, from that initial scepticism has emerged a begrudging respect,
even from his harshest judges. Under Grant, Chelsea remain in title,
Champions' League and FA Cup contention as they arrive at Wembley's
gates today for the season's first final. When you suggest to Grant
that he has more than proved himself to his detractors, he is sanguine
about that initial reaction.

"Firstly, I always feel that there is something to prove," he says.
"All my life, every day that I train, with every team that I have, I
feel that I have to prove something. If a sportsman ever comes to that
day when he doesn't need to prove anything, it's the first stage of
his decline. He adds: "And, look, the other thing is that I know that
the English media didn't welcome me. Most of it was reasonable,
because I came from another country. But people have to realise that
sometimes, in another country, there are some good players, some good
coaches."

A measure of his broad experience is the fact that he claimed his
first trophy as far back as 33 years ago with Hapoel Petah Tikva, the
Israeli club where he began his career as a youth-team coach. "I am in
football all my life," he says. "I have seen how teams have developed
and became great. And that's what I want to do here at Chelsea. I
think that progress is good. But we want to do things step by step. I
respect very much what has happened in the past, but I took the team
in a difficult situation and now we go in a different way. And when
you go a different way from the middle of the season, and you are a
top team, you still need to win as much as you can. We have done that.
We have won a lot of games and here we are in all four competitions. I
think that nobody expected this. Nobody even dreamed about this. But I
saw that it was possible."

And, in doing so, enhanced Chelsea's capacity to entertain? "If you
look at Arsenal or Manchester United, it's taken time for them to
build a style," Grant says. "We want to do something that is unique
for us, and we are doing it in a shorter time. But you cannot push a
button and immediately all will be perfect. We go step by step, and we
see it become better and better."

His first visit to the spiritual home of English football was 31 years
ago. He was a fan of Liverpool. Quiz him about that 1977 FA Cup Final,
between Manchester United and Liverpool, and he still recalls: "I
think Pearson scored, no? Stuart Pearson and Jimmy Case?" Not bad. It
was actually Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff for United. Case for
Liverpool, who lost 2-1, to Grant's chagrin. "Wembley has, maybe, the
greatest tradition in the world," he says. "To come to Wembley is like
to come to a holy place. That's why it will be such a proud moment for
me if we win."

He makes no assumptions on that score. "Tottenham played very well in
the semi-final," he says. "They can beat any team. They also have a
very good manager, in Juande Ramos. We have met a few times. I like
him as a person. He is a very nice guy. Very clever. A very good
coach. Everything he does, he's very calm. There are people who shout,
but he's not like that. He's very quiet. I always respect people who
have a good character, and who have ambitions to succeed; not because
they say it, but because they show it."

In fact, a character very much in his own image; a man has ensured
that the Chelsea show continues to flourish... even without its
ubiquitous showman.

This is how the interview appears in the programme

It has been a short, but successful tenure for Avram Grant in his role
as manager of Chelsea. Under the stewardship of the softly spoken
Israeli, the Blues have maintained their Premier League title
challenge, are well placed in the Champions League and FA Cup and have
continued their recent love affair with the new Wembley stadium,
appearing today for the third time in under a year at the new home of
English football.

But when you suggest to Grant that he has more than proved himself
since taking control at Stamford Bridge, his response is one filled
with ambition and the subtle touch of modesty in which he has gone
about ensuring Chelsea remain a giant in the English game.

"Firstly, I always feel that there is something to prove," he says.
"All my life, every day that I train, with every team that I have, I
feel that I have to prove something. If a sportsman evercomes to that
day when he doesn't need to prove anything it's the firststage of his
decline."

A measure of Grant's broad experience is the fact that he claimed his
first trophy as far back as 33 years ago with Hapoel Petah Tikva, the
Israeli club where he began his career as a youth-team coach. "I am in
football all my life," he says. "I have seen how teamshave developed
and became great.

And that's what I want to do here at Chelsea. I think that progress is
good. But we want to do things step by step. "I respect very much what
has happened in the past, but I took theteam in a difficult situation
and now we go in a different way. And when you go a different way from
the middle of the season, and you are a top team, you still need to
win as much as you can. We have done that. We have won a lot of games
and here we are in all four competitions. I always saw that this was
possible."

And, in doing so, enhanced Chelsea's capacity to entertain? "If you
look at Arsenal or Manchester United, it's taken time for them to
build a style," Grant says. "We wantto do something that is unique for
us, and we are doing it in a shorter time. But you cannot push a
button and immediately all will be perfect. We go step by step and we
see it become better and better."

His first visit to the spiritual home of English football was 31 years
ago when he saw Liverpool face Manchester United in the 1977 FA Cup
Final. Quiz him about that game and his passion for English football
shines through as he recalls his introduction to the famous Wembley
stadium: "Wembley has, maybe, the greatest tradition in the world," he
says. "To come to Wembley is like to come to a holy place. That's why
it will be such a proud moment for me if we win."

He makes no assumptions on that score. "Tottenham played very well in
the semi-final," he says."They can beat any team. They also have a
very good manager, in Juande Ramos. We have met a fewtimes. I like him
as a person. He is a very nice guy. Very clever. A very good coach.
Everything he does, he's very calm. There are people who shout, but
he's not like that.He's very quiet. I always respect people who have a
good characterand who have ambitions to succeeed, not because they say
it,but because they show it."

In fact, a character very much in his own image; a man who has ensured
that the Chelsea show continues to flourish.


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Mail:

LET'S hope Tottenham and Chelsea's bonehead fans don't ruin the
Carling Cup Final

There are fears that violence off the pitch (rather than on it) will
dominate this year's Carling Cup Final.

Let's face it, Chelsea and Tottenham fans just don't get on. Over
decades they've been bringing the worst out of each other with vile
chanting and some of the worst hooligan clashes around.

From the mass pitch battle at White Hart Lane in a crucial relegation
decider in 1975 to the pre-arranged brawl near the White Horse pub in
Parsons Green only last season, the rivalry has developed into a
bitter hatred for some of the football-supporting world's biggest
boneheads.

Scene of battle: The White Horse, Parsons Green, where Chelsea and
Spurs fans clashed last year and ten were stabbed

For the first time since the 1967 FA Cup Final the two will meet in a
major match at Wembley on Sunday and there are fears that the nutters
will be back in force around the ground to ruin it for the majority
who just want to support their team without the risk of a smack around
the chops for their trouble.

But it doesn't have to be like this. When the Chelsea fans' favourite
director, Matthew Harding, was killed in a helicopter crash in 1996,
their next match was at home ... to Tottenham.

A minute's silence was held with emotions running high and the Spurs
supporters treated it with utmost respect.

In fact, the only sound was that of police helicopters overhead,
hunting troublemakers. Chelsea and their fans were grateful for the
dignity shown by the visitors.

Chelsea legend: Peter Osgood's tribute was respected well by Tottenham fans

When the ultimate Chelsea legend, Peter Osgood, died in 2006 the next
home game was, you've guessed it, Tottenham. Another emotional
afternoon and another tribute, this time with a minute's applause in
celebration of a great player's life. And again it was treated with
respect by the Spurs fans there.

With Tottenham showing signs that they are turning into an exciting
side and the Chelsea squad back to full strength, Sunday's Carling Cup
Final could be a thriller on the pitch.

Is it too much to ask that the fans of both sides can do it justice
off the pitch by remembering a recent past? Manchester City fans set
an example at Old Trafford recently. Now can the London clubs follow
suit?