Comments on: Avram Grant, We Hardly Knew Ye

By: fitz

fitz — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:52:33 +0000

Strictly to clarify, I wasn’t blaming Chelsea’s loss in Moscow on Terry. I meant that if Terry scored, Grant (probably?) keeps his job.
How can you guarantee that the next guy is gonna do better? Sure Guus and Frank R. have great pedigrees, but hiring them doesn’t guarantee topping ManUnited. Chelsea had the big game at Stamford Bridge with three games left in the season and responded big time. Avrma had his stumbles (ahem Carling Cup ahem) but his body of work was nothing to quibble about.
But keep tinkering, Roman, you spoiled brat.

By: finnegan

finnegan — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:52:33 +0000

was it fair? no, of course not. grant came in under tremendous pressure to do well, and he almost did. but the fact of the matter is that for chelsea, a trophy-less season is a disgrace, and no matter what the cirumstances, it can’t happen. grant knew that coming in, so when he didn’t deliver, he had to go.

like I said, it’s not fair. but it had to be done, so I support the decision.

By: Nelson

Nelson — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:47:47 +0000

What I want to know is, who the hell wants this job? If coming short of the league by a few points, the League Cup by a game, and the CL final by a penalty gets you fired then Chelsea aren’t doing much for their PR.

I hope whoever they get has the character of Mourinho, because its going to take that to last at least a full year.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:23:38 +0000

didnt help that the classless anelka made sure to piss on his parade instead of saying “hey..i missed…you know…like the turd i am”

By: mele419

mele419 — Sun, 25 May 2008 13:37:34 +0000

He absolutely did not deserve that.
I mean, they may not have won the Prem or the CL, but they were incredibly close. He did a pretty damn good job, I’d say. But then again Chelsea won’t settle for anything less than their money can buy.

By: Shazback

Shazback — Sun, 25 May 2008 12:07:59 +0000

As much as I didn’t feel he was the man for the job when he took over from Mourinho, I can’t really understand what Abramovic is complaining about. In is first three quarters of a season, whilst inheriting a team that looked almost already out of the title race (6th when he took over, and after a pretty logical defeat against Man U after barely 3 days at the head of the team, 7th and already 8 points adrift of Arsenal), and who didn’t seem to be playing well in Europe (a draw with Rosenborg…). But he has managed to prove to his critics that he’s not completely clueless. Sure, he’s finished the season with nothing to show. But he’s taken Chelsea perhaps further than Mourinho ever did, with Mourinho’s squad.

It’s a bit harsh to sack the man who has taken you to your first ever champions league final, in the same year as you finished second in the league only because of the results on the last day of the season, and you lost in the League Cup final… When it was his first season, and he didn’t really get much freedom on the transfer market.

By: GeorgeZ

GeorgeZ — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:59:59 +0000

not only Drogba, who he supported more than Sheva got sent off, also he brought in Anelka and not Shevchenko, who was Abramovich’s primadonna and the reason why Mourinho was sacked, and probably, Sheva’s penalty would have gone in. Also, as a rule of thumb, defenders dont make good penalty takers, at least under big pressure. Attackers are more used to keeping their cool under stress, that’s what makes a good centreforward, composure and resolution under pressure, the ability to read the movement of the keeper and change the direction of the shot according to it and being unpredictable at that time. Grant took long to react, could have changed the game before the 90th minute because Chelsea were running over United at full steam in the second half, and a failure to seize the chance when all the wind is blowing in your direction is punishable at that level with the harshest of punishments (within the law, otherwise he would have been shot in the head with a 9mm at the boss’s office and his body thrown to the river in a bag with stones)

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:49:00 +0000

Actually, don’t blame John Terry’s slip….blane “Bag O Douche” Drogba for getting red carded in the first place…

By: fitz

fitz — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:47:27 +0000

What did Roman want Avram to do, take John Terry’s penalties for him?

By: confused

confused — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:47:35 +0000

I know managers end up taking bullets, but jeez. I strongly dislike Chelsea for lots of reasons, but it seems to me he did a damn good job considering what all went on last late summer/early fall. Chalk this up to a cu-ra-zee owner–I’d like to see the next guy do better.