36 replies to this topic

[barak81]

Still going to try and reserve judgment till we host the "big three" head to head with the other 3 title contendares if you can call liverpool that was where Jose excelled, he never put a team out to try and prevent the Arsenal or united trying to play there football, it always seemed to be more a case of cant they deal with are football. A rout i hope grant goes down as well.

[Enrico]

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[coco]

"Enrico":2gqz3mwi said:

::AvinGYA::

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[Kev123]

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[Mod]

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(Disclaimer: Just because I have a Jose Avatar isn't showing disrespect to Avram)

[callista]

Well I didn't expect an implosion of the club once my guy pal had played a few games and shown himself to be a competent albeit dull coach in both off field and on field tactics - a safe pair of hands if you will.

As Grant admitted just the other day, bottom line he has changed little about our style of play at present and JT has confirmed in a Sky interview that Grant has told him he does not want to introduce any new training regimes until really next year that are his own as he does not want to disrupt the squad.

So we are playing roughly the same style of football with a few Grant tweaks here and there when he can get away with it, using the same training methods, kept Steve Clarke to ensure continuity with the previous regime and Grant has the full backing of the board which as events at Liverpool show can be all the difference between staying calm and stately as a manager to appearing frazzled and paranoid.

Grant's needs to get results against the big guns to bridge that gap, so far his record there is not that good and it needs to be, so he has to take points of Arse, MU and Liverpool when they come a calling.  As barak said Jose would set out his stall and the opposition had to deal with it much to Wenger's repeated disgust and his fine sensibilites.  {SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif

As for his brilliance in the transfer market well lets be serious for a minute, getting a "come and get me" Anelka in off a willing to sell Bolton when looking at our current striker options, is this some kind of mark of player spotting genius? I think not, it's a no brainer and I will reserve my judgement on Grant's/Arnesen player buying rep when he brings a few more players in than Mr Anelka.  

The real Avram Grant I sense will only appear next season when he has no excuse to fundamentally (rather than tweak) our style of play completely because by then he will have bought his own players in but also he can put in place his own training methods and ideas and we will see what he produces.  Trying to make a sensible judgement on if Grant is ultimately the right man to improve upon what Mourinho brought us is immaterial really, he's Roman's right man and it will stay that way until results prove he is the "wrong" man.

So far he's done well and I've no complaints aside from his valium inducing press conferences but that's window dressing for the main event which is what happens on the pitch and so far he can't really be faulted too much.

That said, he's had the bedrock there to take over a team both mentally and physically equipped to deal with title challenges and cup competitions - they are all old hands at this now mostly and the structure built up around the team has been there for a few years despite the previous troubles.  People often describe Chelsea like it's a well oiled machine hinting at its dull pragatism and ability to grind out results no matter what and in away that machine like quality is what got us over the change in manager ironically.

Grant has been a beneficiary of that and has been clever to not rock the boat to bolster his own ego.  It could have been easy for him to immediately try to change everything Mourinho did because he was the seen by Roman as the antidote to him but he's very subtly had a look around, realised that there was little wrong with what he had taken over and allowed it to continue but at the same time made promises publicly and presumably to Roman that there will be bigger changes to come in the future.  So I take my hat off to him for that, he subsumes his ego and defers to the "group" idea, he likes to be anonymous, dull, part of a committee whilst Mourinho was totally the opposite.  That's not saying one is the right way the other wrong both have plus points and minus points I think but right now it's working well his way.  It's Grant's brain on a Mourinho style body still in a way (the team).

So despite the fact I still feel he got the job solely because he was Roman's mate and his ability to presumably convince Roman he will be the next Wenger/Fergie he has done enough to be given respect and support by all fans if not outright love and devotion which takes time and silverware to achieve.  At least with Roman he has the chance to prove something one way or another as I can't see Grant disappearing anytime soon.

I love my man any way no matter how he got the job, wish he'd get his teeth fixed though.  {SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif

And keep your avator Mod for now, makes me smile every time he used to do that - did he include the Charity Shield that time I think he usually did!  If Grant copies him and does the same with one finger (careful it's the correct one Avram) I'll just die laughing.

[mad_mac]

I am all for Grant, and think he has done well.  However, I do feel that you are only as good as the oposition you beat, and so far we have lost to the two teams above us.  Also, we were pretty well coasting in the CL when he took over, so he's not really been tested on the European stage.  I think Olympiakos will be a decent test, but I tryuly think the measure of Grant will be:  How far do we get in Europe; how far do we get in the FA and League cups, and how do we play against the two teams above us in the League.

Then, and only then can we truly judge him, and even then we have to remember the absolute sh*t strom that he was brought into

Scott

[coco]

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[midlandblue]

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[geezer]

"mad_mac":15ko1m1k said:

Also, we were pretty well coasting in the CL when he took over, so he's not really been tested on the European stage.  

Scott

Not sure where you're coming from with regards this comment. When he took over we'd only played Rosenberg at home and drawn that one so we were already up against it at that point and hardly coasting.

[just]

"barak81":1o8vk945 said:

Still going to try and reserve judgment till we host the "big three" head to head

That's what I am going to do as well. I want to see proof that he can:

1. Tactically out think Fergie, Dough Boy and Wenger. And that includes not being second best in the mind game's department if those three want to go back down that road now that Jose has gone.
2. Be a shrewd investor in the transfer market.
3. Man-manage players effectively.

I also believe, with the squad we have, he should be able to deliver some form of silverware this season. Even if it's only the Carling Cup. We weren't exactly up sh*t creek without a paddle when he took over.

All that said, he has done well since taking the reins, especially when you consider our injury situation has continued practically unabated since the start of the season. So I'm gonna give a cautious but hopeful........................

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[superdan]

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I'm even starting to believe the club mantra that we are now playing better football

[coco]

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[The Moos]

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[mad_mac]

"geezer":19sin9ko said:

"mad_mac":19sin9ko said:

  Also, we were pretty well coasting in the CL when he took over, so he's not really been tested on the European stage.  

Scott

Not sure where you're coming from with regards this comment. When he took over we'd only played Rosenberg at home and drawn that one so we were already up against it at that point and hardly coasting.

my fault, I though we had played more, but thinking of it you are dead right Jose left earlier than I was giving Grant credit for.  However, I still stand by the fact that once he plays against a top European/ Premiership team he will truly be tested
One thing, I think the players are getting more and more behind him

Scott

[Liam]

"mad_mac":3lv3etj2 said:

One thing, I think the players are getting more and more behind him

Scott

I think the players committment to the club has been exemplary. I don't necessarily think they are behind Grant but then agasin I think their committment to Mourinho has been vastly overstated.

I just think they are a group of excellent professional footballers - the best that money can buy.

[Nibs]

"Liam":34mqq4gi said:

I just think they are a group of excellent professional footballers - the best that money can buy.

He wouldn't let it lie!!!