Grant's got us this far, whose to say he won't get us there?I'm not saying it will happen, but i'm certainly not going to rule it out either. So far this year (2008) our record in the Premiership is played 10, won 8, drawn 2 and lost none. Granted we have a tough run in, but all we need do is maintain that record and we are will push Man Utd very close for the title.
Also this whole "Grant can't beat the big teams" thing is unfair. In a one-off game situation anything can happen. Just as when Mikel was sent off in the first game, imagine a Man Utd player gets sent off early when we play them, would you be confident then?
One other thing, Man Utd still have to play Arsenal and Liverpool again do they not?. Surely they are going to drop some points.
If you believe in Grant, then more power to you, Qaz. I don't think pointing out the stat is unfair, mate. Afterall, it is just a stat that describes what has so far been an inability to beat the big boys. It doesn't mean he won't do it in the future, but for now the signs do not breed confidence, which is the point I am trying to make. I am not confident because of what I see.
The "anything can happen" argument holds true for all matches, including the ones he wins. If he concentrates on what his team is able to do, penalties and sendings off, while potentially important, do not always have to influence the outcome of games. I think in the first place we simply have not played well enough against any of the top sides.
We can't afford to be thinking about what the other clubs do against each other. I do believe the matches against them will be very important and we do have to take care of business in those matches. And, at the risk of beating a dead horse, I am not confident.
Don't get me wrong, Qaz, I want to win as much as the next Chelsea fan. I am not one to cut my nose to spite my face. I don't want us to do poorly so Grant gets the sack. But I did predict we would not beat Spurs and that has already come true. I also do not think we'll beat Arsenal at the Bridge so we'll have to see how that one pans out. We've just lost our ruthlessness, which was a trait that gave us the upper hand against Arsenal in Jose's days. I expect another open game, much like against Spurs, with another score draw, possibly 2-2.
And it won't be good enough, will it?
Cheers,
Butch