BBC Home

Explore the BBC

19 comments

user rating: not rated yet

Chelsea players toying with Avram Grant

Premier League Chelsea
by U7400594 (U7400594) 02 March 2008
comment on the article

Grant 'snubbed' by players
Duncan Castles
Sunday March 2, 2008
Observer

Avram Grant was snubbed three times by Chelsea's playing staff in the wake of last weekend's League Cup final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. The Israeli manager, who accused the media of disseminating 'lies' about his position ahead of yesterday's emphatic win at West Ham, saw his authority questioned after calling a team meeting on Tuesday morning.
Though Grant, who says there is 'no problem' in his relationship with the players, scheduled the training ground gathering for 11am, his squad failed to turn up at the designated time. Upon instructing a club employee to summon them for the session, he was informed that the players were holding a separate meeting of their own that would not finish for another 10 minutes. When the squad still had not assembled at that time, Grant made his way to the players, only to be told they still had matters to discuss and was asked to leave the room. The manager did so without complaint.

Once the players had concluded their gathering, they again proved uncooperative. Seeking to end reports of squad discontent at his handling of the final, Grant asked the players to voice any concerns. It is understood that because they were worried that what they said would be relayed to owner Roman Abramovich, no team member spoke up.

Grant had been called in to Cobham the previous day when Abramovich demanded talks with the first team's entire coaching staff. Unprecedented in the past four seasons at Chelsea, the Russian's request resulted in Grant cancelling an arrangement with the Israel Football Federation to study for the Uefa Pro-Licence he must obtain to continue managing the team next season.

Abramovich had also spent a significant length of time in the Chelsea dressing room at Wembley after Sunday's 2-1 defeat, been present for each of the team's final three training days before the final and held private discussions with Grant on the eve of the game.

There remains considerable discontent among the Chelsea squad about preparations for the final. Having witnessed Abramovich address Michael Essien about errors in his play after a Champions League group game this season, some players believe the owner influences team selection and strategy through his deputy Eugene Tenenbaum. Grant partially denied this on Friday, saying: 'Roman Abramovich has never even seen me about one player that he needs to play, never said to me anything about picking the team.'

Whoever did choose Sunday's team and tactics, the players were unhappy that they did not know who they would be playing alongside nor which formation they would be using until the day of the game. Ashley Cole learned of his omission in the pages of a national newspaper, Michael Ballack believed he was to start only to be supplanted by Shaun Wright-Phillips, while Alex was asked if he would stand down for John Terry on the Saturday.

comment on this article | alert a moderator | send to a friend

Latest 10 comments

view all 19 comments

Read members' comments or add your own
comment by vistadog (U5346036)

posted Mar 2, 2008

This is nothing unusual.

I excpect every team has had its dressing room problems.
Liverpool,Arsenal and of course Man U have had the same to a lesser and greater degree.

I feel Grant is only in a "care taker" role and he will be gone in the summer.
Or to put it another way...he should be gone in the summer and replaced by quality.
I feel we may lose some of our top players in
the off season.

We only have a outside chance to win the prem this season.

I feel we are not together anough as a team to win the CL.

The FA Cup is are only real chance at any hardware.

I hope I am proved wrong and our lads win all three...but that's a case of dreaming and not based in the real world.

We just are not good anough this season.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by BlueBenji (U10986843)

posted Mar 2, 2008

mediocre team pfft what a load of shyte, typical WUM, if they win their game in hand they would only be 3 points behind Man Utd and 4 behind Arsenal both of which have to come to the bridge where we still have that unbeaten record. arsenal still have to go the Trafford as well the league will be decided when the top 4 have all played each other, I feel Chelsea and Man utd will be joint top with 91 points but Man Utd winning with that massive goal difference they've built up thanks to golden boy.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by Homesick (U7351098)

posted Mar 2, 2008

What can you expect from somebody who spells always with an apostrophe except moronic WUM comments?

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by lackery (U8161920)

posted Mar 2, 2008

The most laughable and mediocre sports journalism eminates from the Guardian/Observer.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by blue day (U1777746)

posted Mar 2, 2008

comment by scarbro95
posted 5 Hours Ago

i'm amazed that john terry think's they can still win the premiership....it has alway's been a two horse race..utd and arsenal and now the special one has gone,you guy's better resign yourself for the bronze award from now on

--

strange you say that when we are ckloser to the top than we have been since Utd beat us in Avrams first game.

We have a game in hand, and still have United and Arsenal to come to Stamford bridge. Arsenal must also visit Old Trafford, and Arsenal and utd both have to play Liverpool (the draw kings) again.

we have everything to play for.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by blue day (U1777746)

posted Mar 2, 2008

comment by Homesick
posted 2 Hours Ago

What can you expect from somebody who spells always with an apostrophe except moronic WUM comments?

--

ha ha, check more carefully thogh, it's not just "alway's"

"..think's they can still win the premiership....it has alway's been a two horse race..utd and arsenal and now the special one has gone,you guy's better resign yourself for the bronze award from now on...chelsea a overated mediocre team consisting of greedy players,whose love for money outweigh's.."

he also does it for thinks, guys and outweighs.

laugh

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by BEBES (U8996249)

posted Mar 3, 2008

I couldnt see the match.I was pleasantly surprised at the scoreline despite playing for close to an hour with 10 men.
I have to salute the team spirit at Chelsea.the players are just winners.i didnt expect them to play that well after losing the CC coupled with all the media speculation.
Well done guys.thats how winners do it........

Answer critics on the pitch...not on pages of newspapers.

BLUES FOR LIFEok

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by THE DOUBLE (U5173041)

posted Mar 3, 2008

That Observer article, along with all the other press 'reports' about us is a complete load of bull. Saturday's demolition of Westham in their own backyard, when we were mainly down to 10 man & without SuperFrank, proves it. And it proves just wht we are capable of. So WATCH OUT Chelsea-haters, we'e a comin to getcha!!

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by clgclgclg (U10062641)

posted Mar 3, 2008

Lets not forget who scored 3 of the 4 goals ... Ballack and the 2 Coles ..... what better way to demonstrate to AG why she should of played them in the final !

We may never know whats really going on at chelsea .... if RA is calling the shots, he can only keep doing so if AG is still manager ... if he replaces AG, then I dont think RA is as deeply involved with player selection and tactics ..... even more so, if he was ... sheva would be playing more !!

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by Anelka_CFC (U10158538)

posted Mar 3, 2008

This is a load of rubbish. Every big club has things going on behind the scenes and like Terry said the media write about it without knowing the facts.

The team spirit at Chelsea looks alot greater and there is a stronger togetherness at the Club from the Carling Cup final defeat as you could see from the 4-0 away win at west ham on saturday.

We do have a game in hand and if we win that we will be just 4 points behind Arsenal and like Manchester United both of those sides can slip up but it is the players job to work as a team to win game and get the 3 points when it matters and yet all the top 3 still have to play each other, I think we can pull this off and win the Premiership Title.

C'mon Chelsea!

add comment | complain about this comment

view all 19 comments | back to the top

Comment on this article

Sorry, you can only contribute to 606 during opening hours. These are 0900-2300 UK time, seven days a week, but may vary to accommodate sporting events and UK public holidays.

RATE THIS ARTICLE

Rate Breakdown

  • 5
    0 votes
  • 4
    0 votes
  • 3
    0 votes
  • 2
    0 votes
  • 1
    0 votes

average rating:
0 from 0 votes

RELATED BBC LINKS

BBC Local
More on this team at the BBC website for London