Grant earns respite from London fans after lopsided Chelsea win - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Sun., October 28, 2007 Cheshvan 16, 5768

Israel Time: 12:17 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 08:33 28/10/2007

Grant earns respite from London fans after lopsided Chelsea win

By The Associated Press

LONDON - Who needs Mourinho?

Perhaps it is too soon to expect Chelsea fans to recite that ditty, but the wounds are finally healing after Jose Mourinho's tortuous exit last month.

Saturday's 6-0 demolition of high-flying Manchester City was a giant leap for the Portuguese's unproven successor Avram Grant in exorcising the ghost of the Special One from Stamford Bridge and winning the supporters' trust.

	Advertisement

The victory, by a greater margin than Mourinho achieved in three years at Chelsea, was Grant's third in four Premier League matches and lifts Chelsea to fourth with 21 points, just five behind leader Manchester United.

And the Israeli would have been heartened by the distinct lack of pro-Mourinho chants, although six weeks into the job his name is yet to be set to song.

"First it's not easy, you try singing my name," Grant told reporters. "I don't think any fans can like a coach after a few weeks."

Although they went into a frenzy after the Blues swept aside City thanks to two goals from Didier Drogba and strikes from Michael Essien, Joe Cole, Salomon Kalou and Andriy Shevchenko.

With Frank Lampard commanding midfield with skill and guile, Sven-Goran Eriksson's side was run ragged and capitulated in a manner belying its third-place berth.

Yet there were no frenzied Mourinho-style celebrations from Grant in the dugout following this soccer masterclass. In fact, not even a smile.

The restrained response continued despite an afternoon when even struggling striker Shevchenko netted his first league goal of the campaign in the dying seconds.

"We are in the middle of a process, we continue do it step-by-step, maybe today is two steps," the 52-year-old Grant said. "It was not easy to do it, but we are doing it. I must say that the players have a great attitude - they are the main stars here."

Despite briefly topping the table, a string of lackluster results domestically and in the Champions League conspired to end Mourinho's three-year reign.

A midweek, 2-0 victory over Schalke, Grant's second in Europe, opened up a three-point lead in Group B in the Champions League.

Crucially, Chelsea is producing the stylish soccer Russian owner Roman Abramovich expects from his investment.

"I know that we cannot do it every game through 90 minutes, but in modern football people come to have fun," Grant said. "We are concentrating on attacking football, how to move right, how to behave right, a few ideas about how to get the best out of players."

He is also learning to cope with consigning star players to the fringes of the first team.

"There are 25 players in the squad and 95 percent of them are internationals, very good players," Grant said. "We can only play with 11 players, with five substitutes ... this is the life when you are in a big team with a big squad."

For his own part, Grant is believed to be on the verge of agreeing to new terms with Abramovich, having assuming his elevated role while still contracted as director of soccer - the position he assumed in the summer.

"I need to ask my agent, but I don't have an agent," was his coy response

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	6 years on
	Officials say Syria's suspected reactor was under construction in 2001.


	Nyet to aliyah
	The minister was wrong: Nativ's tactics simply aren't suited to today's Jewish village.




1.	Grant`s Success	09:17	\|	Maurice	28/10/07

2.	No retractions to be expected from the poison writers in Britain	10:25	\|	PETER S.M.	28/10/07

3.	"High flying"?	10:45	\|	Simon	28/10/07

4.	Celsea and Grant......	11:49	\|	Esther	28/10/07

Today Online


	Amos Oz: Gov't lacks courage to reach a peace deal with PA
	Responses: 43


	PA: Israel must begin implementing first stage of road map
	Responses: 29


	Benziman: Collective punishment of Gazans will not be effective
	Responses: 13


	Bar'el: Someone in Israel is itching to go to war with Egypt
	Responses: 3


	Roth: Did IDF really try to prevent Lebanese civilian deaths in war?
	Responses: 4

Rosner's Domain

* Pressure on Iran - and the international community

* WTR: Weakening Israeli support for peace process

* Is Haaretz really better than the New York Times?

* Republican leaders aren't happy with Bush's peace process

More Headlines
11:36 Lieberman sets party 'red lines' ahead of summit


07:37 Amos Oz, in Spain, says he doubts the government is brave enough for peace


08:10 PA demanding Israel remove 16 W. Bank roadblocks as part of road map


08:04 IDF to reestablish unit aimed at monitoring military telephones


08:23 Friedmann: High Court should address Jewish citizenship only


10:17 Two school security guards arrested on suspicion they molested girls


10:01 Pictures suggest construction of Syrian nuclear reactor was underway in 2001


00:28 Ukraine President orders return of 700 confiscated Torah scrolls


10:57 PM warns striking teachers state won't bend on education reform


08:33 Grant earns respite from London fans after lopsided Chelsea win