Avram Grant -from The Spectator -Roger Alton

The infinite capacity of men to talk utter balls about football should never amaze, but the level of spiteful twaddle spouted about Chelsea’s Avram Grant, which started at volume 11, is laughable. This decent, courteous, humorous and intensely honourable man was put in charge of a team of highly gifted, absurdly paid, over-ego’d individuals who were capable of playing profoundly tedious football and has turned them into what is easily right now the most attractive team in the Premiership. But still fans whine and experts carp. God, it’s awful stuff.

So why isn’t Avram Grant getting the respect, admiration and, er, love he deserves? It is baffling: here are Chelsea running down to the finishing line neck and neck with Manchester United; there hasn’t been a Premiership finish like it ever. Then the same two teams go head-to-head again in Russia in a sort of Groundhog Day for the Champions League final in a couple of weeks. It is quite simply a stunning achievement. So what’s wrong? Is there a bit of anti-Semitism going on here? Maybe — there has always been an unpleasant strain of it running through English, and especially London life. And certainly Roman Abramovich’s Jewishness is every bit as important to the Chelsea owner as his Russian-ness, and Grant and he have long been close friends.

Is it just that he isn’t Mourinho? Well again, maybe. He doesn’t wear a cashmere coat like Jose, nor arch an eyebrow; but he is much more likeable. He took over Mourinho’s squad, then fifth, has pulled them to the joint leadership of the Premiership, and taken them past Liverpool into the European final, something Jose never did. And of course he doesn’t feed the media like Mourinho did.

But there are signs that the tide is turning now. Grant has been getting some advice from PR guru Matthew Freud, and the more fans and commentators, as well as the players, see the real Grant the more they respond to him. He is an extremely smart psychological operator, and has got more out of his players, certainly in terms of attractive football, than Mourinho did. There are signs he has got Ferguson riled. He is also bemused that people are questioning his football abilities: he has been coaching since he was 18 and picked up every honour going in Israel. The day after beating Liverpool, deservedly so, to reach the Champions League final last week Grant flew to Auschwitz to attend the March of the Living between Auschwitz and Birkenau as part of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Grant, whose 80-year-old father is a Holocaust survivor, was a hero to the thousands of Jews present, and made a speech that I’m told was magnificent: personal, hopeful, inspirational. Now this transparently good man has just two hurdles to cross. I think it is a great pity that the luminous Champions’ League final is simply a repeat of a Premiership game. How much more appetising would Chelsea vs Barcelona have been? It does no good for European football if the Premiership top four, which are largely squads of world stars temporarily billeted in the UK, continually smash these great European names like Inter, Juve, Roma, Barca, Milan, Madrid, or Bayern into the middle distance. Anyway, good luck Avram. I think you can win both titles, I hope you do, and that’s where my money’s going.

Originally Posted by Gog Coch

The infinite capacity of men to talk utter balls about football should never amaze, but the level of spiteful twaddle spouted about Chelsea’s Avram Grant, which started at volume 11, is laughable. This decent, courteous, humorous and intensely honourable man was put in charge of a team of highly gifted, absurdly paid, over-ego’d individuals who were capable of playing profoundly tedious football and has turned them into what is easily right now the most attractive team in the Premiership. But still fans whine and experts carp. God, it’s awful stuff.

So why isn’t Avram Grant getting the respect, admiration and, er, love he deserves? It is baffling: here are Chelsea running down to the finishing line neck and neck with Manchester United; there hasn’t been a Premiership finish like it ever. Then the same two teams go head-to-head again in Russia in a sort of Groundhog Day for the Champions League final in a couple of weeks. It is quite simply a stunning achievement. So what’s wrong? Is there a bit of anti-Semitism going on here? Maybe — there has always been an unpleasant strain of it running through English, and especially London life. And certainly Roman Abramovich’s Jewishness is every bit as important to the Chelsea owner as his Russian-ness, and Grant and he have long been close friends.

Is it just that he isn’t Mourinho? Well again, maybe. He doesn’t wear a cashmere coat like Jose, nor arch an eyebrow; but he is much more likeable. He took over Mourinho’s squad, then fifth, has pulled them to the joint leadership of the Premiership, and taken them past Liverpool into the European final, something Jose never did. And of course he doesn’t feed the media like Mourinho did.

But there are signs that the tide is turning now. Grant has been getting some advice from PR guru Matthew Freud, and the more fans and commentators, as well as the players, see the real Grant the more they respond to him. He is an extremely smart psychological operator, and has got more out of his players, certainly in terms of attractive football, than Mourinho did. There are signs he has got Ferguson riled. He is also bemused that people are questioning his football abilities: he has been coaching since he was 18 and picked up every honour going in Israel. The day after beating Liverpool, deservedly so, to reach the Champions League final last week Grant flew to Auschwitz to attend the March of the Living between Auschwitz and Birkenau as part of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Grant, whose 80-year-old father is a Holocaust survivor, was a hero to the thousands of Jews present, and made a speech that I’m told was magnificent: personal, hopeful, inspirational. Now this transparently good man has just two hurdles to cross. I think it is a great pity that the luminous Champions’ League final is simply a repeat of a Premiership game. How much more appetising would Chelsea vs Barcelona have been? It does no good for European football if the Premiership top four, which are largely squads of world stars temporarily billeted in the UK, continually smash these great European names like Inter, Juve, Roma, Barca, Milan, Madrid, or Bayern into the middle distance. Anyway, good luck Avram. I think you can win both titles, I hope you do, and that’s where my money’s going.

I stopped reading after that profoundly ignorant statement.

Which @#%&! wrote this? I hope he has a minor car accident.

Originally Posted by Ether

Which @#%&! wrote this? I hope he has a minor car accident.

He certainly knows little about football. And I suspect he's Jewish.

i generally ignore most media these days as it's all london-centric, bu thte fact that we are getting no credit for our football is pissing me right off. if arsenal and chelsea are so good to watch why is our goal difference so much, much better?

abu %@#$&!s

I quite like Avram Grant.


Compare him to Rafa 'horrible little shit' Benitez, Wenger or Mourinho.

Originally Posted by Gog Coch

I think it is a great pity that the luminous Champions’ League final is simply a repeat of a Premiership game. How much more appetising would Chelsea vs Barcelona have been?

Yeah, apologies for winning games Roger. Stupid dick.

The Observer was always too far up Blair's backside in your day anyway.

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

I quite like Avram Grant.


Compare him to Rafa 'horrible little shit' Benitez, Wenger or Mourinho.

How?

He's taken the most expensive squad ever assembled - with another years experience in them - added Anelka, played him on the wing, lost a cup final dropping their most creative player in that tournament (cannon ball head Joey Cole) & had the advantage of a Scouse @#%&! putting through his own net & the 2nd leg at home.

Woopy £#%&!ing do.

He's a Yes man & a shit Uncle Fester one at that.

The @#%&! that wrote that article knows £#%&! all of football.

Originally Posted by Baron_van_Marlon

How?

He's taken the most expensive squad ever assembled - with another years experience in them - added Anelka, played him on the wing, lost a cup final dropping their most creative player in that tournament (cannon ball head Joey Cole) & had the advantage of a Scouse @#%&! putting through his own net & the 2nd leg at home.

Woopy £#%&!ing do.

He's a Yes man & a shit Uncle Fester one at that.

The @#%&! that wrote that article knows £#%&! all of football.

You misunderstand.

I didn't say that I saw Grant as the Oracle of footballing tactics and insights.I said, I quite like him.


As a person, compared to the whining likes of Wenger, Benitez and Mourinho.

Is Avram Grant Jewish?

Grant seems like a down to earth fella but i guess all of a sudden he's a '@#%&!' because he's competing with us

I've got nothing against Grant. But let's face it, it's hardly been a test of his managerial credentials has it? Taking over arguably the strongest squad in european football, adding to that another £15 million striker.

Yes, he seems like a decent bloke. Yes, he's not the arrogant #@&%! mourinho was, but so what? Will I give him any credit if they win anything? Probably not.

Why? Because it's still Mourinho's team playing Mourinho's way. Anyone who can't see that is an idiot.

''But if they take the title it will be on goal difference, so we have given them a good battle. I'm very proud of the players. ''


They've won that game already


Bolton have been on the piss all week

I don't like Grant at all, he thinks he's 'it' already when he's no where near that, he has this smugness about him which really pisses me off. Plus his wife pisses on TV.

Originally Posted by Lou_Macari_Chippy

Grant seems like a down to earth fella but i guess all of a sudden he's a '@#%&!' because he's competing with us

No, he's a @#%&! because he is at Chelsea.

Their owner is a @#%&!.
Their board are @#%&!s
Their players are @#%&!s
Their fans are @#%&!s
Anyone and everyone associated with the club are @#%&!s.

Ergo, Grant is a @#%&!. It wouldn't matter if they were vying with us for the title or arsing about mid-table.

@#%&!s. All of them.

I love this sudden ground swell of support for Chelsea because Grant made a completely inappropriate statemet about the Holocaust after a football match!
Talk about scraping the sympathy barrel.

Manchester United essentially represent the Nazi's then aye?
FFS.

Originally Posted by MJ Ramone

I love this sudden ground swell of support for Chelsea because Grant made a completely inappropriate statemet about the Holocaust after a football match!
Talk about scraping the sympathy barrel.

Manchester United essentially represent the Nazi's then aye?
FFS.

Exactly!! No jews in charge at our club, eh?

I hope Grant dies the fat £#%&!ing Jabba @#%&!.

I like Grant.

That article is shite though.

That is all.

Originally Posted by Ed Sullivan

I like Grant.

Ed Sullivan and Avram Grant yesterday