Last update - 02:47 25/09/2007
Soccer / Betting against Grant to stay
By Neil Silver, Shaul Adar (London) and Uzi Dann
Welcome to the English Premier League, Avraham Grant. One match as manager of Chelsea, a single loss, and the list of possible replacements has already been drawn up by the English press and betting agencies.
The list, in the order of favorites: Guus Hiddink, Juande Ramos of Sevilla, Marco van Basten, Didier Deschamps, Sven-Goran Eriksson (the Daily Express has reported that he is club owner Roman Abramovich's leading candidate) and Jurgen Klinsmann. It is possible, by the way, to place a bet on Jose Mourinho coming back to Stamford Bridge this season. What a sense of humor they have.
"I don't want to discuss what is happening at Chelsea right now," Hiddink said yesterday in a column that was published in a Dutch newspaper. "But [Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich] has a plan to develop the club. I am focused on getting Russia into Euro 2008 - this is another goal that Roman sees as important."
After the list of names, the next burning question throughout the U.K. is - when? Betting agencies are estimating that the answer is December or January, not only because of losses, but also because at the beginning of 2008, Grant still may not have the proper certification that would allow him to continue as Chelsea coach.
Chelsea's reluctance to announce the expected length of Grant's tenure in his new position was explained yesterday by chairman Bruce Buck. "Grant is the permanent coach, but we haven't yet had a chance to sit down and discuss the details of the contract," Buck said, only fueling the speculative fire. The price that Chelsea is paying for its lack of decision-making is the daily pounding the club has been getting in the English press.