Grant sacked!

[Oliver_Kahn]

Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today (Saturday, May 24). This follows meetings over the last two days.

Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September.

We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made.

GRANT LEAVES CHELSEA | Chelsea | News | Latest News



Didn't think it would happen so soon.
It's harsh on Bosingwa, signed by a man who leaves the club 2 weeks after...

[Trim]

I was expecting this, knew this would happen sooner or later.

Grant himself was prepared for this.

I've just read in the news that 'the relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho has been improved, so there is a chance of a Mourinho return to CFC'. Myself, I don't think there's a single chance of this happening.

Who will become Chelsea manager? I have no single idea.

[kyan]

Well the only thing that's a bit of a surprise is that it doesn't look like he's been given another role at the club.

As long as Chelsea appoint their new manager soon then this is a good move because it clears up their future.

But for Bosingwa, I doubt it was Grant who signed him in the first place, probably Arnesen and the rest of the back-room staff has stayed the same anyway.

It would be good if Grant could get another "big" managerial job somewhere, although I doubt he'd be too keen on it now, but it would be good to see whether any of the criticism levelled at him was fair or not.

[Jager]

JM will never return, as that would be like giving up, and seeing how his character is, that is just not possible.

[Robinho4Ever]

At least, he can live happily ever after with the money he got ...

Maybe he want to share the money with me ...

[Dellas]

Chelsea have sacked manager Avram Grant after just eight months in charge.

The decision followed two days of talks between Grant, 53, and the club's chief executive Peter Kenyon.

The Israeli coach's position had been subject to intense speculation after Chelsea finished runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.

Russia coach Guus Hiddink, fellow Dutchman Frank Rijkaard and Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson are among the early favourites to replace Grant.

Chelsea said in a statement on their website that the search for a new coach would now begin and that the club will make no further comment.

The statement said: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today. This follows meetings over the last two days.


"Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September.

"We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made."

BBC Radio 5 Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard said Grant had faced a nigh impossible task in taking over from Jose Mourinho.

"He was little more than a stop gap," Legard told BBC Radio 5 Live. "He never really had the CV, never really had the experience, never really had the clout to fill the boots of Jose Mourinho.

"Have Chelsea got someone lined up? I don't think they have. They may have a few ideas but whether they will be able to pursue them is another matter.

The futures of Chelsea assistants Steve Clarke and Henk Ten Cate are unclear and no official word has yet been given on their positions.

Grant, a close friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, took over on 20 September 2007 after Mourinho was sacked.

Rijkaard, Eriksson and, most recently, Brian Laudrup and Roberto Mancini have all been linked with a possible move to Chelsea with the likes of Luiz Felipe Scolari and Mark Hughes in the running.

Despite losing just two Premier League games while in charge, Grant attracted criticism from fans who claimed his team lacked style.

He was also criticised for losing February's League Cup final against Tottenham.

Grant joined Chelsea last summer from Portsmouth as director of football, a decision which apparently did not please Mourinho.

Mourinho was later dismissed after their 1-1 draw with Rosenborg at Stamford Bridge in their opening Champions League game.


Grant and Mourinho did not always see eye-to-eye

Grant, who had never managed a club in England, was asked to take over and on 13 December 2007 signed a four-year contract.

Both Kenyon and chairman Bruce Buck paved the way for change by insisting that Chelsea's performance this season was simply "not good enough".

Buck said: "We have very high expectations at Chelsea and a couple of second place finishes is just not good enough for us.

"So although we never would have thought in September when Jose Mourinho left that we would be able to make it into a Champions League final as we did - and that is fantastic - Chelsea are here to win trophies.

"So although it was an excellent season, we are still disappointed."

A series of discussions finally resolved Grant's future and it is understood the Israeli said his farewells to the players on Friday - telling them it had been a 'privilege' to manage the team.

Ironically, Mourinho has yet to take up a new job since his dismissal by Chelsea but he said only this week that he expects to be back in football in June.

His odds for a dramatic and unexpected return to Chelsea were cut from 20/1 down to 8/1 by English bookmakers late on Saturday.

source: BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Chelsea | Grant sacked as Chelsea manager

More of a matter of when rather than if...just starting to get used to him as well...

Better that we did it now rather than later, because it means we can act quickly to get our next manager...

Also the new manager will be able to decide which players he wants to bring to the club etc... 100% that either Rijkaard or Mancini will take over.

Apparently Ten-Cate is on his way out as he has rifled feathers with the first team players. Clarke might leave but the board is more sceptical as he is liked by everyone at the club...but if he gets a managerial offer he will leave.

[Dellas]

JOSE MOURINHO has hammered the final nail in Avram Grant's coffin by branding the sacked Chelsea boss a 'loser'.


The Special One was axed by the Blues in September, heralding the start of Grant's reign.




But after a trophyless season, in which the Stamford Bridge club were second in the Champions League, Carling Cup and Premier League, the Israeli was axed by Roman Abramovich.


Mourinho, who is expected to return to management this summer, believes the Blues' season under Grant can only be classed as a failure.


The Portuguese boss said: "In my philosophy it was a very bad one because in football 'almost' means defeat.


"Chelsea almost won the Carling Cup, almost won the Champions League, and almost won the Premier League.


"Almost is nothing.


"After two titles per season for the last three years there were zero titles this season.


"In my philosophy that means a really bad season.


"Maybe in the philosophy of a loser this was a great season, which I respect."

source: Mourinho: Grant was a loser | The Sun |HomePage|Sport|Football

Kick him while he is down eh...

Well the media are once again proven to be 2 faced... they completely destroyed him when he was manager but now that we sacked him he they are all feeling sorry for him.

but tbh it was inevitable...even if we had won a trophy I still thought that he would be sacked at the end of the season...I'm sure with 5.25 mill compensation that he got he isn't too distraught... I highly doubt he will stop being Roman's friend...

[hanuma]

Grant won't get full compensation.
Dissapointed he didn't decide to stay as DoF.
A good caretaker, have a feeling he's let Roman down by leaving though.

[bandini]

I'd like to hear more about what our hardcore Chelsea fans feel about this.

On the one hand he really had a great track record. I mean coming in 2nd in the Prem, Champions League and losing in the final of the CC.. Most of us would kill for such seasons Then again this is the mighty Chelsea and he followed in the footsteps of the great one and he did seem to show weakness tactically in the critical games.

Let me ask another question. Do you think he was made to look better than he actually is because of the talent he had to work with? Do you think that he is actually just a good manager and without that talent he would have looked much worse?

[Dellas]

Originally Posted by bandini

I'd like to hear more about what our hardcore Chelsea fans feel about this.

On the one hand he really had a great track record. I mean coming in 2nd in the Prem, Champions League and losing in the final of the CC.. Most of us would kill for such seasons Then again this is the mighty Chelsea and he followed in the footsteps of the great one and he did seem to show weakness tactically in the critical games.

Let me ask another question. Do you think he was made to look better than he actually is because of the talent he had to work with? Do you think that he is actually just a good manager and without that talent he would have looked much worse?

To answer the first question I always felt that this was Jose's team, when Grant took over. If Grant had had the whole season to mold the team I would say full credit to him but I just felt that he took over a ready made team, it was imo a bit weird how he couldn't get his one signing (Anelka) involved in the actual first team. Obviously he should still get some credit for getting the team to where they ended up...I mean a manager was still needed but I felt the players did quite a lot of the work.

For the next 2 questions it is very difficult to give an answer, because he has managed in the Israeli league but apart from that I doubt he would get a job at a top team with just those credentials. He tactically didn't seem great so I think that team did make him look gd tbf. I think that however if he went to Man City, as he has been linked that he would actually do well and perhaps improve their position.

[bandini]

right i hear what you're saying. The israeli league and national team are really not much to write home about so i can't say i'm impressed with those credentials and i guess only time will tell. Wouldn't it be great if you could go back in time and slot in another manager and see how the season would have played out in comparison.

[Dellas]

Originally Posted by bandini

right i hear what you're saying. The israeli league and national team are really not much to write home about so i can't say i'm impressed with those credentials and i guess only time will tell. Wouldn't it be great if you could go back in time and slot in another manager and see how the season would have played out in comparison.

Well tbh I always thought that Grant would be a replacement manager just for the season until some big name managers became available.
I acutally think that our season might have been different (but in the gd sense). i noticed that every time we went 1-0 up Grant would sub off an attacking option and put on a defensive players e.g Wigan, and not going for that extra goal seemed to cost us in the end. As for the CL final I think the circumstances rather than the manager cost us the final... however when we were dominating like hanuma pointed out before I was sure he would change and put in an attacking option...but what can you do....