Grant Gone

Having spent the past 8 months wishing that Roman would sack Avram Grant, now its actually happened, I'm a little sad.

I was really starting to warm to him by the end of the season; true, he cocked up mightily in his tactics and team selection for the Carling Final and the FA tie against Barnsley, but he took us to within a hairsbreadth of our third Premiership title and even closer to winning the Champions League.

I don't really think that this was entirely down to him; the team is fantastically well organised and runs like a well-oiled machine regardless of who is at the helm. Also, I think as the season wore on, he, Clarkey and Ten Cate cobbled out the managers' role between them.

We were showing some signs of producing the sort of exciting football that Roman desires as the season got to an end; the second half of the CL final showed some scintillating football, with the midfield in total control and the defence mopping up what few balls Manure managed to get through to the final third. But I think it was some justification of Jose's stance over Scheva that he didn't get much of a look-in under Grant's regime either; that said, I wouldn't have minded him on the pitch at the final whistle in the final, he'd have probably slotted a penalty away no probs.

Anyway, good luck to Avram in his next endeavour. He always did look like he'd arrived at Stamford Bridge on a boat made out of skulls, so I expect his deathly long-oarsmen will be rowing him back up the Thames (the Styx?) as I type this.

So, who next? Sven, maybe; Rikjaard? My choice of Ancelotti is not available, unfortunately. At least, not this time on the managerial roundabout. Just as long as its never Wenger, that is all I can ask for; or Glenn Hoddle, for that matter. Or Ruud Gullit. Or Ian Porterfield (yes, I know that's technically impossible). I could go on ;)