Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Grant Out To Beat Boo Boys


Avram Grant insists he will let Chelsea's football on the pitch do all the talking for him.

The Israeli coach has come under fire from certain sections of the Stamford Bridge faithful, frustrated at a perceived lack of creativity and consistency as the shadow of Jose Mourinho - who brought so much success to the west-London club - still hangs over Grant's side.

The 52-year-old, who stepped into the dugout from his role as director of football in September, found himself subjected to chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' as he made two substitutions during the last game against Newcastle, with victory only secured via a controversial late strike from Salomon Kalou.

However, Grant will not condemn supporters for voicing their opinions, even if it is something he could do without given the continued selection problems with some eight players on the treatment table.

He said: "Most of the fans in Chelsea are more than happy with what's happened at Chelsea since I took over the team.

"They know our problems and they know we've played better, that we take points.

"I don't want to concentrate on something that happened for five minutes. It's not important. What's important is what we're doing on the pitch.

"Everyone has his own opinion. You cannot take it personally - the best answer is what we're doing out on the pitch.

"Most people like it and appreciate it. They want to win the game, but I think they appreciate what we're doing here."

Grant added: "I understand what happened in the beginning (protests following Mourinho's departure), but I'm happy now.

"They're behind us and we've felt that. One of the reasons we've won so many games away is that the support has been there for us."

The Chelsea boss is adamant things have gone as well as could be expected.

He continued: "Until now, I don't think I could have done more to convince them as I have.

"What happened at the beginning isn't what's happening now, even if something happened for five or 10 minutes. I don't think that's reflective."


Source : www.sportinglife.com