The TimesOctober 8, 2007
Avram Grant prepared to put entertainment on holdBolton 0 Chelsea 1Tom Dart at Reebok Stadium
“Clean sheet, three points, that’s what’s important,” Avram Grant said. Winning with style? Sorry, call back later.
Chelsea were entertaining yesterday, but for neutrals - not quite what their watching owner, Roman Abramovich, would have hoped for. The scoreline was the traditional symbol of dour, grinding efficiency, but that would be a misrepresentation of this match. Chelsea performed with an insecurity that was not redolent of the José Mourinho years. They did not concede but they gave up plenty of chances and possession.
For much of the game it was hard to tell which team had just scraped a 1-0 victory over Rabotniki Kometal and which had beaten Valencia in Spain. Still, Grant, the first-team coach, could be forgiven for prioritising the result. This was Chelsea’s first Barclays Premier League win in five matches, their first under Grant’s management. “It will take time, I think we need to develop from month to month, but sometimes you need the points, especially when you play away after a long time without a win,” Grant said. “The target for the long and short term is to build a style of our own as a team and play good football. The base before was good, but this season we didn’t play well.”
Despite Didier Drogba being suspended, Andriy Shevchenko was left on the bench until the final 15 minutes. When Salomon Kalou, the goalscorer, went off with a hamstring injury at half-time, Grant turned to Claudio Pizarro.
Not favouring Abramovich’s favourite player – more evidence, perhaps, that Grant is not the owner’s puppet. “When I got the job, nobody said to me that a friend of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] needs to play,” Grant said, by way of example. “I need to take decisions that are for the good of Chelsea. They pay me to be in charge, I have to take the decisions, for the present and the future, to take the team forward. We have a long season, every player has good times and bad times. Sheva is trying hard, he’s a great player, I’m sure he will be good for Chelsea.”
Grant is eager to portray himself as tough enough for the challenge of winning with flair, even though most of his statements are coated with a calculated blandness, as if to contrast himself with his predecessor.
“I don’t want to live in football without pressure. I was all my life in big clubs in my country, you’re always under pressure to achieve the best, this is good pressure,” he said. “Especially if we make a process to change the game of Chelsea a little bit. It’s a big responsibility but I like it.”
The most determined defensive performance of the day came from Sammy Lee, the Bolton manager, when pressed on why neither his captain, Kevin Nolan, nor his coach, Gary Speed, had even made the substitutes’ bench. “I pick the side that I think will do the best for any given game,” Lee said. Several times.
If that was evasive, another comment by Lee – “We’ve shown desire and commitment but made a mistake and got punished for it” – hit the mark. Bolton were undone when Kalou beat Abdoulaye Meïté and the onrushing Jussi Jaaskelainen to a flick-on, knocked the ball past both and – surprisingly, given their relative size – outmuscled Meïté and scored the first league goal under Grant.
Bolton might have had a penalty in the same period when Steve Sidwell appeared to handle in the area. Stelios Giannakopoulos, a substitute, hit the bar with a header in the 90th minute, while El-Hadji Diouf, Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka would probably have proved too much for a defence without the solid Ricardo Carvalho.
Frank Lampard, back from injury, looked fine, while John Terry’s performance was good news for England, if not for referees. His ability to argue with officials is evidently not impeded by his mask.
Bolton Wanderers 0
(4-1-2-3): J Jaaskelainen 8 – J O’Br-ien 7 (sub: S Giannakopoulos, 85min), A O’Brien 7, A Meïté 6, R Gardner 7 – I Campo 8 – G McCann 7, D Guthrie 6 – K Davies 8, N Anelka 7, E-H Diouf 8 (sub: C Wilhelmsson, 67, 6).Substitutes not used:A Al Habsi, G Cid, D Braaten. Booked: Diouf, Davies, McCann, Jaaskelainen. Next: Arsenal (a).
Chelsea 1 Kalou 41
(4-1-2-2-1): P Cech 8 – J Belletti 7, R Carvalho 7, J Terry 7, A Cole 6 – C Makelele 6 – S Sidwell 6, F Lampard 7 – J Cole 6 (sub: P Ferreira, 85), F Malouda 5 (sub: A Shevchenko, 74) – S Kalou 6 (sub: C Pizarro, 46 6).Substitutes not used:C Cudicini, T Ben Haim. Booked: Carvalho. Next: Middlesbrough (a).
Referee A Wiley
Attendance 20,059 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Avram Grant not looking to win friendsBy Tim Rich
Bolton Wanderers (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1
It is Bobby Robson's first and only season as manager of Barcelona and already he can see the white handkerchiefs being waved from the topless stands of the Nou Camp to signify their displeasure.
He has come to replace one of the most charismatic, opinionated and successful managers Spanish football has known and, unlike Jose Mourinho, Johan Cruyff knew what it was to play in World and European cup finals. Robson is struggling to learn Spanish, let alone Catalan, and compared to Cruyff he seems grey and dull.
At half-time Barcelona are three goals down to one of the also-rans of Spanish football but, somehow, come back to snatch the match 4-3. The next day Robson surveys the press. One headline reads: "The manager loses the first half, the players win the second."
And this is what Avram Grant will always face. It was the end of a few days which, under other circumstances, would have been highly-successful. The remarkable recovery in the Mestalla to overcome a Valencia side who were expected to carry out a ritual execution of Chelsea's supposedly faction-ridden team was followed by their first Premier League victory since August.
Not once was Grant's name mentioned by those who had travelled up from the Home Counties, and this will go down as a match won by a moment of brilliance from Salomon Kalou. In all other respects it was the kind of hard-bitten victory that was so often orchestrated by Mourinho, a man who always knew to whom the credit should be given. In his first campaign at Stamford Bridge, he took the title at Bolton in a season in which 13 matches were won 1-0.
If, by removing Mourinho, Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, hoped for a more entertaining side and a pivotal role for his friend, Andrei Shevchenko, he is being grimly disappointed. Grant argued yesterday that his first responsibility was to stabilise Chelsea's results before unveiling the beautiful game, a process he said would take "several months".
The goal that decided this match was beautifully taken; a long ball that Kalou, under pressure from the hulking shape of Abdoulaye Meite, controlled with one touch, pushed past Jussi Jaaskelainen and then shot into the corner of the Bolton net as Meite clung on to him. It was Chelsea's first goal for 461 minutes of Premier League football and the first under Grant. It was worth the wait.
Shevchenko did not start either here or in Valencia, and even when Kalou was withdrawn at the interval with a hamstring injury that will put more pressure on Chelsea's forward-line, his replacement was not the once-great Ukrainian but Claudio Pizarro.
"When I took the job I wasn't told to pick the friends of Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] or Simon Greenberg [the communications director]," Grant smiled on a day Ajax confirmed their manager, Henk ten Cate, was in negotiations to join him as assistant manager. "I am here to make the best decisions for the good of Chelsea.
"I don't want to live a life in football without pressure. Back in my own country I was always involved with big clubs. Here there is pressure to do well, it comes from inside myself and it comes from everyone. This is no game for weakness." John Terry would attest to that. Still wearing a mask to protect his fractured cheekbone, he was given an intense working-over by Kevin Davies, who epitomised the skill, desire and commitment still present in a Bolton side floundering deep in the relegation zone.
The England captain will not be given a tougher examination by Estonia or Russia.
Frank Lampard's return, after spending six of the most traumatic weeks in Stamford Bridge's history nursing a thigh injury, was gently encouraging. "For Frank to play for 90 minutes after six weeks out is good for him and good for us," said Grant, who hinted that the injured Shaun Wright-Phillips would recover in time for the internationals.
Like Grant, Bolton's manager, Sammy Lee, also knows what a pressurised life feels like. Bolton and Chelsea had last won in the Premier League on the same day, August 25, and Lee responded by dropping his captain, Kevin Nolan, and his first-team coach, Gary Speed, from the squad. Lee pointedly refused to give any reason for his decision other than parrot the phrase: "I pick the team."
Lee first got to pick the team after Sam Allardyce's final match as Bolton manager, a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in April that handed the title to Manchester United. Had Nicolas Anelka not driven his shot into Petr Cech's body or had Stelios Giannakopoulos not headed the Frenchman's chip fractionally over the bar, Bolton might have extracted another precious point from Chelsea.
Once more under Lee the performance was better than the result, but this is like staging a West End play that receives wonderful reviews but draws a pitiful audience. Sooner or later, the producers will have to close down the show. Lee's regime may have received its final notices.
Man of the matchSalomon Kalou (Chelsea)• One goal from two shots• 100% passing accuracy---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kalou ends drought as Chelsea hint at return to old routine
Daniel Taylor at the Reebok StadiumMonday October 8, 2007The Guardian
Avram Grant has his first league win and even if Chelsea's fans still refuse to sing his name (it may be well into 2008, if at all, before that moment arrives) it was noticeable yesterday that the visiting fans were not as vocal in their continued support of Jose Mourinho. Winning always tends to placate unhappy supporters and, after a workmanlike 1-0 victory reminiscent of the old days, Grant is entitled to claim an air of normality is returning - if, that is, life is ever normal at Chelsea.
His first three points as Chelsea manager came courtesy of a rare piece of opportunism from Salomon Kalou and the team's first league goal in seven hours and 40 minutes of action. Or to put it another way, the first since Frank Lampard slashed in the winner against Portsmouth on August 25.September 2007 will be remembered as fondly as a burst appendix to the average Chelsea fan, but the team have begun October encouragingly and Grant has shown, if nothing else, that by leaving out the Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko from a side that had Didier Drogba suspended the Israeli manager is far from merely a yes-man for the club owner, Roman Abramovich.
Shevchenko was not only overlooked for the starting line-up but, when Kalou went off at half-time with a sore hamstring, Grant preferred to bring on Claudio Pizarro and when Shevchenko did finally come on, 17 minutes from the end, it was on the left of midfield, where he contributed little more than the winning of a couple of throw-ins.
A cameo role keeping tabs on Joey O'Brien was not what the former European footballer of the year must have had in mind when he left Milan for London, but Grant was just as unapologetic as Mourinho used to be. "I need to make decisions for the good of Chelsea," he said.
It was a perfectly plausible explanation, particularly when analysed in conjunction with Sammy Lee's deeply unimpressive justification for leaving out not only his captain, Kevin Nolan, but also Gary Speed, the man he made his first-team coach after becoming manager at the end of last season.
Neither player even made the bench amid simmering tensions behind the scenes but Lee, whose tenure has been badly affected by leaks from the dressing-room, was in no mood to divulge his reasons.
"I picked the team I wanted," he said nervously, a gerbil in headlights, "and you don't ask me why I pick them when they are in the team."
Nobody was fooled and it was an unsatisfactory way to end what was otherwise an impressive effort from the Premier League's second-from-bottom club. Bolton were strong in the tackle, ruggedly committed and, given that it is widely known Lee's methods have caused resentment in the dressing room, it was certainly not evident from the way the side, minus two of their more influential players, set about their opponents.
At times, too, they produced some slick football, with El Hadji-Diouf and Kevin Davies breaking in from the flanks, Ivan Campo instrumental in midfield and the 20-year-old Danny Guthrie, on loan from Liverpool, impressive on his league debut.
They may have taken only five points all season but Bolton had two sustained periods, at the start of either half, when Chelsea's defence came close to buckling under the pressure and there were three occasions before Kalou scored his first league goal since April that the visitors were indebted to Petr Cech's goalkeeping - the Czech Republic international keeping out Davies and Campo and diving at the feet of Nicolas Anelka after the striker had accelerated into the penalty area and twisted away from the Chelsea captain, John Terry.
Terry, incidentally, spent a large proportion of the match complaining to the referee Alan Wiley and it is becoming an irritating feature of the England captain's persona. Wiley ended up booking five Bolton players compared to one for Chelsea, and Steve Sidwell was fortunate to get away with a handball inside his own penalty area. Yet the principal reason for Bolton's defeat was not because of bad refereeing but the atrocious mix-up that preceded Kalou's goal.
Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton's goalkeeper, will wince when he sees the replays, as will the centre-half Abdoulaye Meite, for it was their indecision in dealing with a bouncing ball that allowed Kalou to steal in, nick the ball away and finish with an angled shot.
The goal originated from a long Cech goal-kick, headed back towards his own penalty area by Gavin McCann, and Lee spoke in sombre tones about his team's "one big mistake".
Bolton's under-pressure manager could otherwise reflect on an admir-able performance but Chelsea, with the England midfielder Lampard back, edged the game regardless of Sidwell's good fortune and, on the back of the Champions League victory in Valencia during the week, Grant wore a Mourinho-esque look of satisfaction.
A typical Makelele performance, the Frenchman mopping up in front of defence, and providing a safeguard for the England midfielder Frank Lampard and Steve Sidwell to supplement the visitors' attack.
Man of the match: Claude Makelele
Best Moment Any one of numerous interceptions to break up Bolton attacks and instigate Chelsea's own forward thrusts.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:Are you Mourinho in disguise, Avram?Bolton 0 Chelsea 1
by MATT LAWTON
Intent on matching Jose Mourinho stride for stride, Avram Grant's attention to detail now appears to extend to the style of play as well the scoreline. 2-1 in Valencia. A turgid 1-0 win in the Premier League. All very familiar to followers of Chelsea.
Even his treatment of Andriy Shevchenko is starting to echo his predecessor. Dropped for Valencia, Shevchenko was left on the bench again for this encounter and he remained there when Salomon Kalou disappeared with an injured hamstring after scoring a fabulous first-half goal.
Rather than send on Roman Abramovich's 'adopted son', Grant opted for Claudio Pizarro and turned to the troubled Ukrainian only when he then lost Florent Malouda to injury. From European Footballer of the Year to makeshift left winger. How the mighty have fallen.
For Grant, it simply proved that he is very much in charge. That he and not his Russian owner picks the team and also makes the changes.
"They pay me to be in charge," said the Israeli, who has even started to rant on the touchline in the manner of the animated Mourinho.
"I have to be in charge. I make the decisions for the present and for the future. Sheva is trying hard and I'm sure he will be good again for Chelsea."
But how does he square it with Abramovich? Shevchenko is the owner's best chum, after all.
"When I got the job at Chelsea, no one says I had to pick a friend of Peter Kenyon or a friend of Simon Greenberg (Chelsea's director of communications)," said Grant with a wry smile.
"Simon even said there was someone he wanted to play. But I'm in charge of the team and I make decisions for the good of Chelsea."
The selection of Kalou as a stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba certainly proved a sound one.
Not only did he take his goal wonderfully well, but he was also responsible for the pass of the match.
It was a magnificent ball that squeezed between two Bolton defenders and finished at the feet of the rapidly advancing Malouda.
While Malouda squandered that opportunity, Kalou made no mistake when a long ball forward from Petr Cech was mistakenly headed on by Gavin McCann.
Kalou lifted the ball over Jussi Jaaskelainen and, with the kind of strength and athleticism one would normally associate with his countryman Drogba, shrugged off the foul challenge of Abdoulaye Meite before finishing with considerable aplomb.
If this delighted Grant, it left Sammy Lee in an even more precarious position as Bolton's beleaguered manager.
Bolton performed with spirit and forced Cech to make a couple of super saves. But Lee's side are languishing in the bottom three amid rumours of a bust-up with his first-team coach and his captain.
Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan did not even discover they had been omitted from the squad until they arrived at the Reebok Stadium at lunchtime and Speed had what was described as 'a face like thunder' afterwards.
When Lee was asked to explain his decision, his response was less than convincing. Bizarre in fact. "You don't ask me to explain myself when I pick them," said Lee with almost child-like logic. "I pick the team and I picked the team I considered best for Bolton."
Lee is a fine coach, a charming man, but never should he have been made a Premier League manager and it is unlikely to be long before his employers reach the same conclusion.
One win in 12 League games since he took charge towards the end of last season should tell them all they need to know.
Much the same was being said about Grant when he first succeeded Mourinho, but Chelsea's last two results would suggest he might yet have a chance.
With Frank Lampard back from injury and Drogba and John Obi Mikel soon back from suspension, the team is beginning to gain some momentum.
This was an important victory for them at the ground where they secured the first of their two championship titles under Mourinho - and not just because Kalou's 41st-minute strike was their first in 460 minutes of Premier League football.
It was proof, once again, that they can grind out results. That they can snatch a lead and hang on. That, in players like the outstanding Ricardo Carvalho, they still have the quality to close the sevenpointgap which exists between them and Arsenal.
As Grant insisted, it will be a while before we see the 'football with style' he has promised. "It will take time," he said.
"Sometimes you just need the points. Sometimes you just need to score a goal. Especially when you play away from home. The target was taking three points and we got what we wanted."
He also felt the pressure lift a little more off his shoulders. "I don't want to live in football without the pressure," he said.
"I have always had pressure in my career and it is a pressure I put on myself. This job is a big responsibility but I like it.
"The game is about pressure. It is not a game for weakness."
As Lee, rather than Grant, is probably about to find out.
Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen 7; J O'Brien 6 (Stelios 85min), A O'Brien 6, Meite 5, Gardner 6; McCann 5, Campo 6, Guthrie 7, Diouf 6 (Wilhelmsson 67, 6); Davies 7, Anelka 6. Booked: Diouf, Campo, Davies, Jaaskelainen.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Belletti 6, Carvalho 8, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Sidwell 6, Makelele 6, Lampard 6; Malouda 6 (Shevchenko 74, 5), Kalou 8 (Pizarro 46, 6), J Cole 6 (Ferreira 84). Booked: Carvalho. Man of the match: Salomon Kalou.
Referee: Alan Wiley. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:
THERE might be a light at the end of the tunnel — but it’s not exactly dazzling.Chelsea finally snatched a first Premier League victory under Avram Grant and their first league goal for almost eight hours. Yet the jury is still out on a team struggling to raise themselves above the average.
If Roman Abramovich got rid of Jose Mourinho to produce more excitement and entertainment, it clearly is not working.
But Grant will settle for three points right now as he works to drag his team out of the doldrums of Black September. Salomon Kalou’s 41st-minute strike leaves Bolton boss Sammy Lee on the brink of following Mourinho out of the door. The Ivory Coast striker showed strength and composure to cash in on a mix-up between Abdoulaye Meite and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. Kalou chipped over the stranded Jaaskelainen before drilling in from a tight angle. Chelsea’s matchwinner hobbled off at half-time with a hamstring strain — but he had already done enough to justify his selection ahead of £30million Andriy Shevchenko. Grant said: “When I got the job, nobody told me who I had to play. They pay me to be in charge and I make the decisions that I feel are best for the club. “This was an important three points for us after a long time without a Premiership win. “We created more chances and our attitude against a very direct and physical team was excellent.” Grant insisted: “The new style will take time. It may take a couple of months to develop. Sometimes you need the points first, especially when you are playing away from home.” From the bench, disgruntled Shevchenko could have learnt a few lessons in passion from Kevin Davies. The Bolton man has never been the most gifted forward in the world but what he lacks in technique, he more than makes up for in effort and courage. He thundered into every challenge and rattled Ashley Cole’s bones. But Blues skipper John Terry — still wearing a protective mask on his fractured cheek — was unhappy with some of Davies’ aerial challenges. Twice in the first five minutes, the Bolton battering ram muscled his way into promising positions without being able to find a finish. Ivan Campo was also taking no prisoners and he was guilty of two horrendously late fouls on Joe Cole and Frank Lampard. The first was punished with a yellow card, the second should have led to red. Although Chelsea were shaken by Bolton’s naked aggression, they were not about to chuck in the towel. Galvanised by Lampard’s return from seven matches out with a thigh strain, they gradually took control of the midfield and started to open up Bolton. Florent Malouda should have fired them into a 21st-minute lead but shot wastefully over after being sent clear by Kalou. Seven minutes later, Malouda did hit the target from Kalou’s knockdown but was denied by a smart instinctive low save from Jaaskelainen. Bolton also had their chances, notably when Campo’s first- time effort was saved by Petr Cech, who then denied Nicolas Anelka. El-Hadji Diouf also sent a header straight at the Chelsea keeper and sub Stelios brushed the bar with a header from Anelka’s cross in stoppage time. The home side also felt they should have had a 43rd-minute penalty when Steve Sidwell appeared to use an arm. With only one Premiership win and a trip to Arsenal next, time is running out for Lee. His bold gamble to axe captain Kevin Nolan and coach Gary Speed backfired and it seems to be only a matter of time before chairman Phil Gartside pulls the trigger. Lee said: “There were no ulterior motives for leaving those players out. I always pick the team I think will do the best job. “I’d rather talk about the determination and application of the players who did play. I felt we deserved something but you don’t always get what you deserve.” Grant’s team had started the day nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal in ninth. Now they are back up to sixth place. Chelsea are up and running again. The beautiful football can wait a little longer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, October 08, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
morning papers valencia away
Sun:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
By SHAUN CUSTISOCTOBER 04, 2007
HE may not be the Special One but this was a special result for Avram Grant.
And it was Didier Drogba, the man who shed buckets of tears at Jose Mourinho’s departure, who put the smile back on Chelsea’s face.
Match-winner Drogba wanted out of the club when Mourinho left. But if he is still in a huff, he is not showing it on the field.
The Ivory Coast ace was immense. Whether he was doing it in Mourinho’s memory or for Grant did not matter. He certainly did it for Chelsea.
Six months ago, Mourinho guided the Blues to a magnificent 2-1 victory in the Mestalla in their Champions League quarter-final.
Few would have put money on Grant providing the inspiration for a repeat performance in this Group B clash.
But the players have been told Grant is here to stay, with the support of incoming coach Henk ten Cate, and the choice is either to shape up or ship out. Blues fans can sing to their hearts’ content about Mourinho but he is not coming back.
This is the future and, if it is an example, they might even start to like it.
Skipper John Terry has shown players and supporters the way by battling through the pain barrier to give his all for the cause.
Some call it foolhardy. But, for Terry, Chelsea comes first — even at the risk to his own health.
He is having injections in a broken toe and wore a mask in the Lone Ranger style last night to protect his broken cheekbone.
But he never went hiding. He put his head in when it mattered without fear for his own safety. It is good news for England, too, that he came through so well.
While Chelsea still looked clueless at times, particularly in the first half, they contributed to what was an entertaining game.
The mantra seemed to be to attack to keep Mr Abramovich happy. If it meant holes at the back, so be it.
Valencia could not believe the space they had and by the ninth minute David Villa, a player Mourinho was prepared to pay £22million to take to Stamford Bridge, had bagged the opener.
The build-up was comedy capers as David Silva played a ball forward, Claude Makelele tried to clear, it came off Villa, hit Michael Essien and rebounded back to Villa. Villa then got the other side of Terry and beat the on-rushing Petr Cech to tuck the ball into the bottom left corner.
Chelsea players stared at one another, unable to explain how it had ended up in the net.
For the next 10 minutes or so, Chelsea looked shell-shocked and almost conceded a second from ex- Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes. Cech blocked the effort between his legs.
Enter Drogba, whose first major contribution was a gorgeous 21st-minute pass into the path of Florent Malouda that stretched the Valencia defence to snapping point.
Malouda’s centre low into the box found Joe Cole and, though it seemed Valencia defender Emiliano Moretti had hammered the ball into his own net, Cole was credited with the final touch.
Drogba nearly scored a screamer with a turn and volley from 25 yards but was inches over the top.
Villa really should have put Valencia back in front, only to shoot over the bar.
And when Drogba started clutching at his left hamstring, Chelsea must have feared the worst.
Fortunately, Drogba returned for the second half. Without him you felt they would have lost.
Valencia thought they were back in front when Villa had the ball in the net on 56 minutes. Yet he was just offside as he collected a Morientes touch.
To take the pressure off, Chelsea had to get into the opposing half. But Joe Cole was having one of those infuriating games, where he keeps the ball for too long and
fails to release the incisive pass at the right time.
Valencia were probably expecting Cole to dally again when he collected it in his own half with 19 minutes left. But he surprised everyone with the pass of the night for Drogba’s winner.
After a quick look up, Cole delivered the most majestic ball with the outside of his right foot. It took out four home defenders and was perfectly weighted into Drogba’s run.
Drogba easily shrugged off the last man, Raul Abiola, and finished with customary aplomb as he gave keeper Timo Hildebrand no chance.
It was a goal that might never have come under Mourinho, who would have probably had Cole off by then.
Grant may never enjoy the hero worship of Mourinho.
But, like his predecessor, he has happily discovered you can always rely on your Drog!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times
October 4, 2007
Joe Cole’s magic moment completes unexpected reversal of fortune
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent in Valencia
Sometimes it does not matter who the manager is. The pass of Chelsea’s season turned their European campaign around in the Mestalla stadium last night. Joe Cole made it and, at that moment, it would not have mattered had Roman Abramovich installed his girlfriend as José Mourinho’s replacement two weeks ago. Sometimes the football just takes over and thank heavens for that.
The previous manager mastered the art of playing none too well and winning. The supporters loved him for it and the owner tired of him, so it will be interesting to see what happens now his successor, Avram Grant, has executed the same trick. Probably the roles will be reversed. Abramovich will be delighted for his friend and will ignore the long periods of tedium and Chelsea only coming into the game after half-time because Valencia, inexplicably, lost their way.
The fans are yet to be convinced by the new man and will continue wondering what happened to the attacking football that was promised in the wake of Mourinho’s departure. Chelsea won here more or less with a five-strong midfield and in the first half looked utterly out of sorts. Still, a win is not to be sniffed at. Pair it with another away to struggling Bolton Wanderers on Sunday and Grant makes it to the international break with room to breathe once more.
He deserves credit for instantly reinstating Joe Cole to his team, when clearly the player’s relationship with Mourinho had suffered. Grant’s reward for his faith was a through-ball to match any seen in this competition for many years, the type of pass that deserves to determine big matches and, on this occasion, did. Cole nailed Carlos Marchena, Valencia’s central midfield player, in the tackle and, with the play spread out like a plain before him, hit a low pass with the outside of his boot that took the last defender out of the game and curled into the path of Didier Drogba as he bore down on goal. Such was the precision of the pass, the striker did not have to break stride and his finish was swiftly executed, a lesson in the art of the goalscorer. Had Salomon Kalou, on as a substitute, showed equivalent cold-bloodedness in stoppage time, when set up by Drogba with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box, Chelsea could even have outstripped their performance here last season in reaching the semi-finals.
Instead, they had to settle for a rerun: a 2-1 victory to mirror the scoreline in April under Mourinho. Yet while that win, also from a goal down, is recalled as one of Chelsea’s finest performances in Europe, this was far from that. The circumstances, though, made it a special one. This was Grant putting down his marker with his detractors; and, as it was achieved without the input of Andriy Shevchenko, even as a substitute, perhaps he put a marker down with the owner, too.
Quite how Chelsea survived the first half to return to the dressing-room on level terms is a mystery. They were second best in most areas of the field, not least at the back, where a quartet that had once been a byword for dogged reliability under Mourinho often looked as vulnerable as lambs in springtime.
The defence redeemed itself late in the second half when a sustained onslaught after Drogba’s goal was repelled in typically robust fashion, yet early on, the lively David Villa and wily Fernando Morientes were more than enough for Chelsea to handle. Ricardo Carvalho, returning from injury, and John Terry, wearing what the Spanish called mascara (it means “mask”, of course, but good for a giggle nonetheless), looked like men who had not played together in some time. Were it not for the crisis that preceded this game, maybe they would not have been paired so hurriedly.
Grant’s panic measure was rapidly placed under harsh scrutiny and the match was only 49 seconds old when a cross from Joaquín on the right flew unhindered across a line of three Chelsea defenders — and when did that happen under the old manager? — finding David Silva advancing on the left, whose shot travelled just wide. It only delayed the inevitable.
In the ninth minute a hopeful upfield ball by Claude Makelele was cut out by Villa, rebounding fortuitously off Michael Essien to the feet of the Valencia striker, who slipped past Terry with such velocity it provoked a neat reversal of the standard line. Who was that unmasked man? The finish past Petr Cech was a formality as, at the time, the result seemed to be.
Perhaps it would have been had a chance in the twentieth minute fallen to one of Valencia’s forwards and not the inconsistent Joaquín. At the 2002 World Cup, he looked destined to become one of the greatest wide players in the world, yet for every moment of electricity there is a power cut, and luckily for Chelsea, this was one of those times. Morientes played the ball through and Joaquín avoided the Chelsea defence, square again, to be left one on one with Cech. He shot straight at him, a big mistake, and within a minute the Spaniards were made to pay.
With Chelsea so listless, a goal out of nowhere was needed, and from nowhere it arrived. The build-up was neat, Florent Malouda to Drogba, and Drogba back again to Malouda, and the Frenchman’s cross was fine, but quite how Emiliano Moretti, the defender, came to be blind-sided by Joe Cole is a question no doubt Quique Sánchez Flores, the coach, was asking his Argentine left back at half-time. Cole and the hapless Moretti looked tied in a battle to put the ball into the net, Moretti his own. Cole did not celebrate the goal and Uefa concluded it was Moretti’s final touch. Television replays suggested that the Chelsea man was over-modest and he later claimed ownership. Perhaps at the time he wanted to save the ceremony until there was something really worth cheering about; 49 minutes later, he made sure there was.
Valencia (4-4-2): T Hildebrand – L Miguel, R Albiol, I Helguera, E Moretti – JoaquÍn (sub: J Arizmendi, 88min), C Marchena, D Albelda (sub: R Baraja, 75), D Silva – D Villa, F Morientes (sub: N Zigic, 68). Substitutes not used: S Cañizares, Sunny, M Á Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): P Cech – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Essien (sub: S Sidwell, 84), C Makelele, J O Mikel (sub: Alex, 88) – J Cole, F Malouda (sub: S Kalou, 86) – D Drogba. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Shevchenko, C Pizarro, J Belletti. Booked: Mikel.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Joe Cole keeps Chelsea on track again
By John Ley in Valencia
Valencia (1) 1 Chelsea (1) 2
John Terry wore a mask and Chelsea succeeded in disguising their recent failings by securing a remarkable victory on a balmy Spanish night in the Mestalla. A victory inspired, not for the first time in this imposing stadium, by Joe Cole took Chelsea to the top of Group B. Crisis? Surely not?
Six months ago Jose Mourinho's Chelsea came to Spain and left with an impressive 2-1 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Given the turmoil that has followed Chelsea so far this season, the repeat success was arguably a greater achievement — a view echoed by Terry. "I think it was," he said. "We fought back and came right back into the game."
It was certainly a personal accomplishment for Avram Grant, the man ordered to pick up the pieces from the fall-out created by Mourinho's departure.
It may not be enough, yet, to erase the memories of Mourinho — indeed, they will remain ingrained in the history of the club — but in terms of signalling a new era, this victory will serve as inspiration. How Roman Abramovich must have delighted in this improbable success.
Despite a barren time, Grant has stood by his players and they responded spendidly, with Cole scoring the equaliser and then supplying the pass of the season for Didier Drogba to collect a 71st-minute winner.
For Grant, the game was a huge test and he did not shy away from making potentially immense decisions. Terry returned just four days after fracturing his cheekbone, while Andrei Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti were dropped to the bench.
In one fell swoop, Grant had not only dispensed with the services of two Champions League winners, but two men who had scored winning goals in the final. Shevchenko, the second-highest goalscorer in European football, claimed the winner for AC Milan in 2003, while Belletti broke Arsenal hearts with the late winner for Barcelona three years later.
Terry started off the pace but improved and, towards the end as Valencia launched a wave of desperate attempts to steal a point, he was thrusting his protected head where others would not venture.
Grant's only previous win came at Hull, so confidence was not what it might have been. If David Silva's shot wide after just 39 seconds was a warning, Valencia confirmed their early dominance in the ninth minute.
Claude Makelele's attempted clearance hit Michael Essien and ricocheted into the path of David Villa, who finished in style beyond Petr Cech.
In April Chelsea were trailing 1-0 when they brought on Cole and he inspired their 2-1 win. This time Cole started and at times looked like a whippet as Chelsea searched for an opening. Ultimately, he was to win the game, the comeback beginning in the 21st minute. The build-up was like the Chelsea of old: swift and positive, with the impressive Drogba feeding Florent Malouda. His cross, from the left, was found by Cole who challenged with Emiliano Moretti. Cole got a strong touch and though it may have found the net off Moretti, the winger predictably claimed it.
Chelsea continued to look unsure in defence and Villa should have regained the lead for Valencia off Ricardo Carvalho's poor clearance. Instead he sent the ball high into the stand.
Before the break Chelsea had shown signs of a recovery, with a containment designed to frustrate the Spaniards but the danger signs returned when, in the 54th minute, Moretti rose at the far post to head narrowly wide. Two minutes later the defence was exposed again when both Villa and Fernando Morientes were clear. Villa, though, was offside as he beat Petr Cech, to the relief of Terry and his back-line.
The game had fallen flat when, in the 71st minute, Chelsea turned it on its head with a goal outstanding both in its inception and delivery. Cole produced the most delicate touch, stealing the ball off Carlos Marchena before sending Drogba racing forward with a 50-yard delivery. The striker held off Raul Albiol before using his left foot to claim only his second goal of the season. It could prove to be his most valuable, certainly this side of Christmas.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2: Drogba rises above turmoil as Chelsea rediscover self-belief By Sam Wallace at the Mestalla
Avram Grant: not quite special yet, but a notch above normal after last night. Where once the mighty Jose Mourinho conquered so too the Israeli coach with the hangdog expression struck the first serious blow of his new regime: a victory over Valencia delivered – in sensational style – by Didier Drogba.
For now at least, Grant will not have to listen to the stories of how Mourinho conquered the Mestalla in April after the new Chelsea manager dealt Valencia only their sixth home defeat in 46 European matches having come from one goal behind. Grant did it much the same way as Mourinho liked to win football matches, with a 4-5-1 formation and a stunning performance from his Ivorian striker.
Drogba was a revelation, intimidating the Valencia defence, cajoling the referee and then, on 71 minutes, taking Joe Cole's exquisite through ball into his stride and beating Timo Hildebrand in the home goal. From Grant himself there was a barb for Mourinho when he said that style of his team's victory was just as important as the fact that they had repeated the feat of Chelsea five months earlier.
"I understand I am new to the team but they [Chelsea] chose me to lead another way of football," he said. "I think this is the right thing to do for the footballing way of Chelsea. We are trying to play another way of football which will be very good for the club. I think the Chelsea fans today will be very happy at the way we have done it."
That was one in the eye for Mourinho who may wish to remind his successor that his victory was in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, which are still a long way off for Grant. For now you cannot begrudge the new Chelsea manager his first opportunity to be taken seriously as a coach. The manager who emerged from nowhere now has one of the most unusual records in English football: lost one, drawn one and two away wins – one over Hull City and the other against Valencia.
With Chelsea having fallen behind to David Villa's opportunist goal on eight minutes, last night was an occasion to admire the power of Drogba – one of the players least accepting of Mourinho's departure. Alone in attack he bludgeoned the Valencia defence. He was preferred to Andrei Shevchenko who was not even summoned from the bench even in the last exhausting minutes of Valencia's desperate final salvo.
"I think it's a start for a new, good way," Grant said. With a conservative formation and Claude Makelele playing as a third central defender at times, the new way looked a lot like the old way. In the centre of defence, the return of Ricardo Carvalho alongside John Terry stabilised Chelsea. For the final moments of the match, Grant switched to 5-4-1 with Alex da Costa as an extra central defender – a move that only served to invite Valencia to pile on the pressure and almost cost Chelsea.
With the prospective arrival of the Ajax coach Henk ten Cate as a first team coach alongside Grant it would appear that the tactical preparation is a concern for the Chelsea hierarchy. At the end of the game, Grant cut a strange figure, alone on the pitch and not sure whether he should follow his players over to the corner to applaud the fans. In the end he decided against testing his popularity with Chelsea's hardcore support.
The five-man midfield is always recommended away at Valencia to combat David Silva's tendency to drift in from the left wing and it was he who inadvertently opened Chelsea up right down the middle. The winger challenged for a ball with Paulo Ferreira and Makelele in the left channel, half-winning possession before the Frenchman was able to get a foot in.
From there the ball ricocheted first off Villa and then off Michael Essien, before falling nicely for Villa who had broken away from Terry. The Chelsea captain had no chance of catching him in the couple of paces it took the striker to slip the ball under Petr Cech. It was a strange goal, calamitous for Chelsea but unlucky as well. Valencia seemed refreshingly willing to throw the kitchen sink at them with an attacking unit of Villa, Silva, Fernando Morientes and Joaquin wide on the right.
For a while it looked as if Chelsea might find themselves engulfed by Valencia's appetite to attack then, on 21 minutes, Drogba was part of an improbable equaliser. He shepherded the ball out right to Florent Malouda, the winger cut the ball back for Joe Cole who, reaching it at the same time as Emiliano Moretti, was able to send it into the net.
It was a goal that came blatantly against the run of play but after the fortnight Grant has had he may well feel that he deserves a little luck. Two minutes after the goal Drogba hit an outrageous shot from 25 yards that had Hildebrand concerned for a moment. Shocked and losing their shape, Valencia's stream of attacks began to fail.
Like Barcelona before them, they seem to regard Chelsea's style as an affront to the dignity of full-blooded attacking Spanish football.
Villa had a goal disallowed when he strayed marginally offside and Chelsea escaped. Their winner was made by Joe Cole, who was lively throughout even if he looked determined to dribble around the entire Valencia defence on his own. On 71 minutes he did not delay releasing the ball. Hit from the right wing to the left channel, struck with the outside of his right foot Cole's ball eluded four Valencia defenders to reach Drogba who held off the challenge of Raul Albiol to score and put Chelsea top of Group B.
Valencia (4-4-2): Hildebrand; Miguel, Albiol, Helguera, Moretti; Joaquin (Arizmendi, 89), Albelda (Baraja, 74), Marchena, Silva; Morientes (Zigic, 69), Villa. Substitutes not used: Canizares (gk), Sunny, Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; J Cole, Makelele, Essien (Sidwell, 84), Mikel (Alex, 89), Malouda (Kalou, 85); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Shevchenko, Pizarro, Belletti.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).
Group B
Results: Chelsea 1 Rosenborg 1; Schalke 04 0 Valencia 1; Rosenborg 0 Schalke 04 2; Valencia 1 Chelsea 2.
Remaining fixtures: 24 Oct: Chelsea v Schalke 04; Rosenborg v Valencia. 6 Nov: Schalke 04 v Chelsea; Valencia v Rosenborg. 28 Nov: Rosenborg v Chelsea; Valencia v Schalke 04. 11 Dec: Chelsea v Valencia; Schalke 04 v Rosenborg.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drogba puts the pride back into Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at the Mestalla StadiumThursday October 4, 2007The Guardian
Chelsea relived their recent past to set course for a new era. Victory over Valencia came by the same score as at the Mestalla in the Champions League quarter-final six months ago, but it was accomplished without the departed Jose Mourinho. Mourning and resentment no longer seeped into the display and Chelsea, just as they did on their previous visit to this ground, came back to win after falling behind.While Didier Drogba, the scorer of a fine decider, surpassed himself, many others rediscovered their misplaced reliability. Avram Grant entered the Champions League proper for the first time in his managerial career, but neither that nor Chelsea's place at the top of Group B will linger in his mind.
He can, instead, seize on this result as a starting point, proof to the world that the squad he inherited need not be lethargic under his command. Perhaps the side were merely reacting out of pride and obstinacy, but the win now sweetens Grant's record. The Israeli owes most gratitude to Drogba, who was once more that amalgam of power and poise.The winner was as exquisite as it was dynamic. With 71 minutes gone, Joe Cole bent a marvel of a pass towards the left with the outside of his right foot and Drogba collected while storming beyond the centre-back Raúl Albiol. Then, in the heart of that maelstrom of energy, he gathered himself to pilot the ball beyond the reach of Timo Hildebrand.
Valencia could not recover and Chelsea, with Alex brought on as a third centre-half, held out staunchly. Fortitude had been even more important at the start. Grant's 4-1-4-1 formation expressed a hankering for security, but the Mestalla is no place to go looking for it.
Despite the numbers massed in front of them Valencia had a dancing manoeuvrability as well as brute pace on the flanks. Apart from the corrosive uncertainty about the long-term plans at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had been hit by that most mundane of disadvantages, injury. The line-up here, though, was an ensemble on its way to recovery.
Ricardo Carvalho, notably, was marked present. He had appeared in Chelsea's first two league games of the season, against Birmingham City and Reading, which are, coincidentally or not, the club's only consecutive victories in this campaign. The Portuguese had previously been thought to need a couple of weeks more to recover from an ankle injury, but the yearning to reinstate him was overwhelming.
Though he took his place beside John Terry, satisfaction over that was qualified by the realisation that both men were well short of ideal condition. The captain had a face mask to protect the cheekbone fractured at the weekend. There was no such convenient means for the visitors to prevent Valencia from doing damage, particularly when Quique Sánchez Flores's men got a bit lucky.
A ricochet off Michael Essien, after a tackle by Paulo Ferreira, was fortunate indeed, but there still had to be admiration for the manner in which David Villa capitalised, beating Petr Cech with an assured finish in the ninth minute.
Chelsea might have been overwhelmed but were never without resources of their own. Drogba's smart pass found Florent Malouda after 21 minutes. The Frenchman's low cross from the left was treacherous and, as panic ensued, Joe Cole put the ball into the net, with the Valencia left-back Emiliano Moretti in attendance.
Valencia bristled and four minutes later Carvalho's sliding tackle sent the ball into the path of Villa, but he shot rashly. Chelsea knew by then that they had a formidable spearhead of their own in Drogba. Trust had been placed in him, to the detriment of an even more expensive signing. There was a show of independence from Grant in the demotion of Andriy Shevchenko to the bench - unless it was actually the owner, Roman Abramovich, who had lost faith in the Ukrainian at last.
Chelsea had to believe in themselves. There were searing moments even after the pace had dipped. In the 56th minute Villa was a metre offside before he fired home. The victors will have felt blessed then and at the close. For the time being, all brooding over machinations and upheaval at Chelsea has been dissolved in joy.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Who needs Jose? Drogba lifts stuttering ChelseaValencia 1 Chelsea 2
By MATT LAWTON in Valencia
Avram Grant's wife must have raised a glass of something more appetising than her usual tipple last night, toasting her husband and his Chelsea team for securing an uplifting, widely unexpected victory at a stunned Mestalla.
Inspired by John Terry's courage and Joe Cole's class, this was an extraordinary result for a team who appeared to be lacking in direction against a more fluent Valencia side.
For 45 minutes they were distinctly second best and thoroughly undeserving of the scrappy equaliser Cole managed to steal in response to a crushing early strike from David Villa.
The second half, however, was a different story. The story of Terry's tenacity and Cole's considerable talent; of a captain who launched himself at every corner, knowing that one blow to his right cheekbone could put him straight back in hospital.
The story of a creative midfielder who demonstrated his long-admired ability with a 40-yard pass that took out four Valencia defenders and presented Didier Drogba with the chance to score a wonderful winning goal.
"It was nice to play with freedom," said Cole in a not-so-veiled dig at former boss Jose Mourinho and his more disciplined ways.
For Grant, a night when the pressure lifted off those broad, bulky shoulders gave him the chance finally to enjoy being Chelsea manager and the opportunity to stick two fat fingers up at his tormentors.
He went some way to proving he can get results, even after seven years away from the Champions League.
His side had not only finished with 11 men and scored the kind of goals that have been proving so elusive, he had just matched Mourinho in emulating his predecessor's finest hour in Europe as Chelsea manager.
Mourinho beat Valencia 2-1 here last April and Grant had managed the same.
Even at the sound of the final whistle, he responded exactly as Mourinho had done. Standing proud in a blue shirt and tie, he greeted every Chelsea player as they walked off the pitch. High fives for a team now back on a high.
In Terry he had his superhero, complete with mask, and in Cole he had a player relishing the opportunity to perform without the restrictions imposed on him by Mourinho.
It was a joy to watch, even if Cole should still thank Mourinho for making him a far more mature footballer.
Valencia paid for a lack of maturity last night, as well as a lack of ambition. After beating Schalke in their opening game, they seemed content to settle for a 1-1 draw and were punished when Chelsea finally rediscovered their ruthless side.
Cultured in the first half, Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores even resorted to sticking the big man up front in the second. Nikola Zigic is as tall as Peter Crouch but wider and his arrival only succeeded in convincing Chelsea they could win this game.
They started badly, conceding a goal after nine minutes when confusion led to chaos and, in turn, to what looked like an insurmountable lead for the Spaniards.
Paulo Ferreira and Claude Makelele collided in trying to challenge Villa, Ferreira sent his hurried clearance against Michael Essien's arm and the ball ricocheted into the path of Villa, who sprinted past Terry and guided a terrific finish beyond Petr Cech.
Valencia were a little fortunate, although they had already looked dangerous with a swiftly-executed attack that ended with a shot by David Silva and their superior football suggested Chelsea were going to suffer.
From somewhere, though, the visitors produced a 21st-minute equaliser, Drogba providing the pass, Florent Malouda the cross and Cole the close-range finish.
It had initially looked like an own goal by Emiliano Moretti but Cole got the final touch. The half-time statistics favoured the hosts. Valencia had unleashed eight shots to Chelsea's two and enjoyed the majority of possession.
After the break, however, everything changed. Had Grant delivered a rousing speech? Had he stood at the tactics board and come up with Plan B?
In fairness to Grant, he did have the tactical nous to send on Alex and switch to five at the back once Drogba had secured the lead in the 70th minute.
If there was an anxious moment when Villa had a second "goal" rightly disallowed for offside, there was only elation when Drogba accelerated away from Raul Albiol and guided his shot past Timo Hildebrand.
It was Drogba's 18th Champions League goal and a perfect demonstration of why Andriy Shevchenko was dropped for this game and why he should never start for Chelsea again.
Drogba has the kind of pace and athleticism that Shevchenko has so clearly lost. Not only that, he has the passion and determination Shevchenko so clearly lacks.
Drogba does, of course, owe much to Cole for finding himself in the position to score and not just because of his team-mate's vision and precision.
It was Cole who won the ball in the first place, wrestling it off Carlos Marchena.
"Football with style" was what Grant promised and in that one moment Cole and Drogba delivered.
VALENCIA (4-2-2-2): Hildebrand 6; Miguel 6, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 5; Marchena 6, Albelda 7 (Baraja 74min, 6); Silva 6, Joaquin 6 (Arizmendi 89); Villa 6, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6). Booked: Marchena.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Makelele 6, Essien 6 (Sidwell 84), Mikel 5 (Alex 89); J Cole 7, Drogba 7, Malouda 7.
Booked: Mikel.
Man of the match: Joe Cole.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
AV-A-GO HEROES VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA 2 Champions League Group B from the MestallaBravehearts Terry and Drogba show Chelsea still have spirit Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer Avram Grant went to the scene of one of Jose Mourinho's greatest evenings last night and proved he is no longer 'Avram who?'
Six months after the last truly memorable performance under the Portuguese, Grant matched his stunning achievement by somehow conjuring a truly season-changing victory.
And while it will take more than one triumph to cast aside the shadow of Mourinho, this must bury for ever the notion that the dressing room will never unite behind the Israeli.
Grant had shown bravery in dropping two men who have won the Champions League Final with their right boot, in Roman Abramovich's pet player Andriy Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti. But it was the peace talks with Didier Drogba, persuading the most vocal critic of Mourinho's departure to bury his hatchet, that bore the most remarkable fruit.
AdvertisementJust as here in the Mestalla six months ago, Chelsea looked set for a kicking as they were ran ragged for 45 minute minutes, even after Joe Cole cancelled out David Villa's early strike.
Yet little by little, piece by piece, Grant's message took hold in the minds and bodies of his players - in a manner even Mourinho will, through gritted teeth, have noted with approval.
And where it was a stunner by Michael Essien that silenced the most passionate amphitheatre in Spain in what was the high water-mark of Mourinho's last full season in SW6, last night Drogba struck to put Chelsea top of Group B.
The goal was magnificent and reward for Drogba's willingness to take on the entire Valencia back line by himself. It also owed so much to the brilliance and vision of Cole as he threaded the ball past four white shirts with the outside of his right foot.
What followed was equally majestic and unstoppable, as Drogba powered past Raul Albiol and arrowed his shot into the bottom corner of Timo Hildebrand's net.
Drogba deserved the headlines and the acclaim of the small knot of travelling supporters.
Yet what made the difference, equally, was the resolve of each and every one of Grant's players, especially as they shed every last drop of sweat to hold on to what they had.
John Terry, ignoring the fractured cheekbone and the mask that covered it, flung himself in front of everything, obliterating the memories of the first half in which he had twice been embarrassed by Villa and old foe Fernando Morientes.
Beside him, after six weeks out, Ricardo Carvalho also refused to crumble, while Joe Cole and Essien ran themselves into the ground.
Quite how Grant got away with it is still hard to work out. Frankly, tormented by the pace of Joaquin Sanchez and the vibrancy of Villa, Chelsea were a mess for most of the first half.
The goal, after just eight minutes, stemmed from the confusion at the heart of the Blues, with a wild ricochet off Essien sending the ball ballooning into the space behind Terry and Carvalho. Villa was the only man to react, bursting through the gaping hole to give Petr Cech no chance. Had Joaquin, played in by Morientes, showed similar conviction on 20 minutes, the game would surely have been over, but the winger shot straight at Cech.
And out of nowhere Chelsea levelled as Drogba and Florent Malouda worked an excellent one-two to send the French winger in on the Valencia left.
Malouda pulled back and while Cole's lack of celebrations suggested an own goal from three yards by Emiliano Moretti, the England man subsequently claimed the vital touch.
Grant and his men had a foothold in the game, and while there were scares at the start of the second half, the tide of the match had begun to turn Chelsea's way.
Terry headed wide before Villa thought he had put Valencia back in front when he swept home from Morientes' pass. The flag was rightly up, however.
And within two minutes, Drogba struck the winner.
When Mourinho stormed the Mestalla citadel, he was hailed for his brilliance. Grant has not managed that status yet.
Now, though, he has a night to remember. And the belief that there can be more to come.
Valencia): Hildebrand 7, Miguel 7, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 6 Albelda 6 (Baraja 75, 6), Marchena 6, Joaquin 7, Silva 7, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6), Villa 8.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 5, A Cole 5, Makelele 6; J Cole 8, Essien 7, Mikel 6, Malouda 6, Drogba 8.
56% POSSESSION 44%
4 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
9 SHOTS OFF TARGET 5
2 OFFSIDES 2
3 CORNERS 5
15 FOULS 22
1 YELLOW CARDS 1
0 RED CARDS 0
ATTENDANCE: 52,000
Man Of The Match: Drogba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
By SHAUN CUSTISOCTOBER 04, 2007
HE may not be the Special One but this was a special result for Avram Grant.
And it was Didier Drogba, the man who shed buckets of tears at Jose Mourinho’s departure, who put the smile back on Chelsea’s face.
Match-winner Drogba wanted out of the club when Mourinho left. But if he is still in a huff, he is not showing it on the field.
The Ivory Coast ace was immense. Whether he was doing it in Mourinho’s memory or for Grant did not matter. He certainly did it for Chelsea.
Six months ago, Mourinho guided the Blues to a magnificent 2-1 victory in the Mestalla in their Champions League quarter-final.
Few would have put money on Grant providing the inspiration for a repeat performance in this Group B clash.
But the players have been told Grant is here to stay, with the support of incoming coach Henk ten Cate, and the choice is either to shape up or ship out. Blues fans can sing to their hearts’ content about Mourinho but he is not coming back.
This is the future and, if it is an example, they might even start to like it.
Skipper John Terry has shown players and supporters the way by battling through the pain barrier to give his all for the cause.
Some call it foolhardy. But, for Terry, Chelsea comes first — even at the risk to his own health.
He is having injections in a broken toe and wore a mask in the Lone Ranger style last night to protect his broken cheekbone.
But he never went hiding. He put his head in when it mattered without fear for his own safety. It is good news for England, too, that he came through so well.
While Chelsea still looked clueless at times, particularly in the first half, they contributed to what was an entertaining game.
The mantra seemed to be to attack to keep Mr Abramovich happy. If it meant holes at the back, so be it.
Valencia could not believe the space they had and by the ninth minute David Villa, a player Mourinho was prepared to pay £22million to take to Stamford Bridge, had bagged the opener.
The build-up was comedy capers as David Silva played a ball forward, Claude Makelele tried to clear, it came off Villa, hit Michael Essien and rebounded back to Villa. Villa then got the other side of Terry and beat the on-rushing Petr Cech to tuck the ball into the bottom left corner.
Chelsea players stared at one another, unable to explain how it had ended up in the net.
For the next 10 minutes or so, Chelsea looked shell-shocked and almost conceded a second from ex- Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes. Cech blocked the effort between his legs.
Enter Drogba, whose first major contribution was a gorgeous 21st-minute pass into the path of Florent Malouda that stretched the Valencia defence to snapping point.
Malouda’s centre low into the box found Joe Cole and, though it seemed Valencia defender Emiliano Moretti had hammered the ball into his own net, Cole was credited with the final touch.
Drogba nearly scored a screamer with a turn and volley from 25 yards but was inches over the top.
Villa really should have put Valencia back in front, only to shoot over the bar.
And when Drogba started clutching at his left hamstring, Chelsea must have feared the worst.
Fortunately, Drogba returned for the second half. Without him you felt they would have lost.
Valencia thought they were back in front when Villa had the ball in the net on 56 minutes. Yet he was just offside as he collected a Morientes touch.
To take the pressure off, Chelsea had to get into the opposing half. But Joe Cole was having one of those infuriating games, where he keeps the ball for too long and
fails to release the incisive pass at the right time.
Valencia were probably expecting Cole to dally again when he collected it in his own half with 19 minutes left. But he surprised everyone with the pass of the night for Drogba’s winner.
After a quick look up, Cole delivered the most majestic ball with the outside of his right foot. It took out four home defenders and was perfectly weighted into Drogba’s run.
Drogba easily shrugged off the last man, Raul Abiola, and finished with customary aplomb as he gave keeper Timo Hildebrand no chance.
It was a goal that might never have come under Mourinho, who would have probably had Cole off by then.
Grant may never enjoy the hero worship of Mourinho.
But, like his predecessor, he has happily discovered you can always rely on your Drog!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times
October 4, 2007
Joe Cole’s magic moment completes unexpected reversal of fortune
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent in Valencia
Sometimes it does not matter who the manager is. The pass of Chelsea’s season turned their European campaign around in the Mestalla stadium last night. Joe Cole made it and, at that moment, it would not have mattered had Roman Abramovich installed his girlfriend as José Mourinho’s replacement two weeks ago. Sometimes the football just takes over and thank heavens for that.
The previous manager mastered the art of playing none too well and winning. The supporters loved him for it and the owner tired of him, so it will be interesting to see what happens now his successor, Avram Grant, has executed the same trick. Probably the roles will be reversed. Abramovich will be delighted for his friend and will ignore the long periods of tedium and Chelsea only coming into the game after half-time because Valencia, inexplicably, lost their way.
The fans are yet to be convinced by the new man and will continue wondering what happened to the attacking football that was promised in the wake of Mourinho’s departure. Chelsea won here more or less with a five-strong midfield and in the first half looked utterly out of sorts. Still, a win is not to be sniffed at. Pair it with another away to struggling Bolton Wanderers on Sunday and Grant makes it to the international break with room to breathe once more.
He deserves credit for instantly reinstating Joe Cole to his team, when clearly the player’s relationship with Mourinho had suffered. Grant’s reward for his faith was a through-ball to match any seen in this competition for many years, the type of pass that deserves to determine big matches and, on this occasion, did. Cole nailed Carlos Marchena, Valencia’s central midfield player, in the tackle and, with the play spread out like a plain before him, hit a low pass with the outside of his boot that took the last defender out of the game and curled into the path of Didier Drogba as he bore down on goal. Such was the precision of the pass, the striker did not have to break stride and his finish was swiftly executed, a lesson in the art of the goalscorer. Had Salomon Kalou, on as a substitute, showed equivalent cold-bloodedness in stoppage time, when set up by Drogba with a shot from the edge of the six-yard box, Chelsea could even have outstripped their performance here last season in reaching the semi-finals.
Instead, they had to settle for a rerun: a 2-1 victory to mirror the scoreline in April under Mourinho. Yet while that win, also from a goal down, is recalled as one of Chelsea’s finest performances in Europe, this was far from that. The circumstances, though, made it a special one. This was Grant putting down his marker with his detractors; and, as it was achieved without the input of Andriy Shevchenko, even as a substitute, perhaps he put a marker down with the owner, too.
Quite how Chelsea survived the first half to return to the dressing-room on level terms is a mystery. They were second best in most areas of the field, not least at the back, where a quartet that had once been a byword for dogged reliability under Mourinho often looked as vulnerable as lambs in springtime.
The defence redeemed itself late in the second half when a sustained onslaught after Drogba’s goal was repelled in typically robust fashion, yet early on, the lively David Villa and wily Fernando Morientes were more than enough for Chelsea to handle. Ricardo Carvalho, returning from injury, and John Terry, wearing what the Spanish called mascara (it means “mask”, of course, but good for a giggle nonetheless), looked like men who had not played together in some time. Were it not for the crisis that preceded this game, maybe they would not have been paired so hurriedly.
Grant’s panic measure was rapidly placed under harsh scrutiny and the match was only 49 seconds old when a cross from Joaquín on the right flew unhindered across a line of three Chelsea defenders — and when did that happen under the old manager? — finding David Silva advancing on the left, whose shot travelled just wide. It only delayed the inevitable.
In the ninth minute a hopeful upfield ball by Claude Makelele was cut out by Villa, rebounding fortuitously off Michael Essien to the feet of the Valencia striker, who slipped past Terry with such velocity it provoked a neat reversal of the standard line. Who was that unmasked man? The finish past Petr Cech was a formality as, at the time, the result seemed to be.
Perhaps it would have been had a chance in the twentieth minute fallen to one of Valencia’s forwards and not the inconsistent Joaquín. At the 2002 World Cup, he looked destined to become one of the greatest wide players in the world, yet for every moment of electricity there is a power cut, and luckily for Chelsea, this was one of those times. Morientes played the ball through and Joaquín avoided the Chelsea defence, square again, to be left one on one with Cech. He shot straight at him, a big mistake, and within a minute the Spaniards were made to pay.
With Chelsea so listless, a goal out of nowhere was needed, and from nowhere it arrived. The build-up was neat, Florent Malouda to Drogba, and Drogba back again to Malouda, and the Frenchman’s cross was fine, but quite how Emiliano Moretti, the defender, came to be blind-sided by Joe Cole is a question no doubt Quique Sánchez Flores, the coach, was asking his Argentine left back at half-time. Cole and the hapless Moretti looked tied in a battle to put the ball into the net, Moretti his own. Cole did not celebrate the goal and Uefa concluded it was Moretti’s final touch. Television replays suggested that the Chelsea man was over-modest and he later claimed ownership. Perhaps at the time he wanted to save the ceremony until there was something really worth cheering about; 49 minutes later, he made sure there was.
Valencia (4-4-2): T Hildebrand – L Miguel, R Albiol, I Helguera, E Moretti – JoaquÍn (sub: J Arizmendi, 88min), C Marchena, D Albelda (sub: R Baraja, 75), D Silva – D Villa, F Morientes (sub: N Zigic, 68). Substitutes not used: S Cañizares, Sunny, M Á Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): P Cech – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – M Essien (sub: S Sidwell, 84), C Makelele, J O Mikel (sub: Alex, 88) – J Cole, F Malouda (sub: S Kalou, 86) – D Drogba. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Shevchenko, C Pizarro, J Belletti. Booked: Mikel.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Joe Cole keeps Chelsea on track again
By John Ley in Valencia
Valencia (1) 1 Chelsea (1) 2
John Terry wore a mask and Chelsea succeeded in disguising their recent failings by securing a remarkable victory on a balmy Spanish night in the Mestalla. A victory inspired, not for the first time in this imposing stadium, by Joe Cole took Chelsea to the top of Group B. Crisis? Surely not?
Six months ago Jose Mourinho's Chelsea came to Spain and left with an impressive 2-1 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. Given the turmoil that has followed Chelsea so far this season, the repeat success was arguably a greater achievement — a view echoed by Terry. "I think it was," he said. "We fought back and came right back into the game."
It was certainly a personal accomplishment for Avram Grant, the man ordered to pick up the pieces from the fall-out created by Mourinho's departure.
It may not be enough, yet, to erase the memories of Mourinho — indeed, they will remain ingrained in the history of the club — but in terms of signalling a new era, this victory will serve as inspiration. How Roman Abramovich must have delighted in this improbable success.
Despite a barren time, Grant has stood by his players and they responded spendidly, with Cole scoring the equaliser and then supplying the pass of the season for Didier Drogba to collect a 71st-minute winner.
For Grant, the game was a huge test and he did not shy away from making potentially immense decisions. Terry returned just four days after fracturing his cheekbone, while Andrei Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti were dropped to the bench.
In one fell swoop, Grant had not only dispensed with the services of two Champions League winners, but two men who had scored winning goals in the final. Shevchenko, the second-highest goalscorer in European football, claimed the winner for AC Milan in 2003, while Belletti broke Arsenal hearts with the late winner for Barcelona three years later.
Terry started off the pace but improved and, towards the end as Valencia launched a wave of desperate attempts to steal a point, he was thrusting his protected head where others would not venture.
Grant's only previous win came at Hull, so confidence was not what it might have been. If David Silva's shot wide after just 39 seconds was a warning, Valencia confirmed their early dominance in the ninth minute.
Claude Makelele's attempted clearance hit Michael Essien and ricocheted into the path of David Villa, who finished in style beyond Petr Cech.
In April Chelsea were trailing 1-0 when they brought on Cole and he inspired their 2-1 win. This time Cole started and at times looked like a whippet as Chelsea searched for an opening. Ultimately, he was to win the game, the comeback beginning in the 21st minute. The build-up was like the Chelsea of old: swift and positive, with the impressive Drogba feeding Florent Malouda. His cross, from the left, was found by Cole who challenged with Emiliano Moretti. Cole got a strong touch and though it may have found the net off Moretti, the winger predictably claimed it.
Chelsea continued to look unsure in defence and Villa should have regained the lead for Valencia off Ricardo Carvalho's poor clearance. Instead he sent the ball high into the stand.
Before the break Chelsea had shown signs of a recovery, with a containment designed to frustrate the Spaniards but the danger signs returned when, in the 54th minute, Moretti rose at the far post to head narrowly wide. Two minutes later the defence was exposed again when both Villa and Fernando Morientes were clear. Villa, though, was offside as he beat Petr Cech, to the relief of Terry and his back-line.
The game had fallen flat when, in the 71st minute, Chelsea turned it on its head with a goal outstanding both in its inception and delivery. Cole produced the most delicate touch, stealing the ball off Carlos Marchena before sending Drogba racing forward with a 50-yard delivery. The striker held off Raul Albiol before using his left foot to claim only his second goal of the season. It could prove to be his most valuable, certainly this side of Christmas.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Valencia 1 Chelsea 2: Drogba rises above turmoil as Chelsea rediscover self-belief By Sam Wallace at the Mestalla
Avram Grant: not quite special yet, but a notch above normal after last night. Where once the mighty Jose Mourinho conquered so too the Israeli coach with the hangdog expression struck the first serious blow of his new regime: a victory over Valencia delivered – in sensational style – by Didier Drogba.
For now at least, Grant will not have to listen to the stories of how Mourinho conquered the Mestalla in April after the new Chelsea manager dealt Valencia only their sixth home defeat in 46 European matches having come from one goal behind. Grant did it much the same way as Mourinho liked to win football matches, with a 4-5-1 formation and a stunning performance from his Ivorian striker.
Drogba was a revelation, intimidating the Valencia defence, cajoling the referee and then, on 71 minutes, taking Joe Cole's exquisite through ball into his stride and beating Timo Hildebrand in the home goal. From Grant himself there was a barb for Mourinho when he said that style of his team's victory was just as important as the fact that they had repeated the feat of Chelsea five months earlier.
"I understand I am new to the team but they [Chelsea] chose me to lead another way of football," he said. "I think this is the right thing to do for the footballing way of Chelsea. We are trying to play another way of football which will be very good for the club. I think the Chelsea fans today will be very happy at the way we have done it."
That was one in the eye for Mourinho who may wish to remind his successor that his victory was in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, which are still a long way off for Grant. For now you cannot begrudge the new Chelsea manager his first opportunity to be taken seriously as a coach. The manager who emerged from nowhere now has one of the most unusual records in English football: lost one, drawn one and two away wins – one over Hull City and the other against Valencia.
With Chelsea having fallen behind to David Villa's opportunist goal on eight minutes, last night was an occasion to admire the power of Drogba – one of the players least accepting of Mourinho's departure. Alone in attack he bludgeoned the Valencia defence. He was preferred to Andrei Shevchenko who was not even summoned from the bench even in the last exhausting minutes of Valencia's desperate final salvo.
"I think it's a start for a new, good way," Grant said. With a conservative formation and Claude Makelele playing as a third central defender at times, the new way looked a lot like the old way. In the centre of defence, the return of Ricardo Carvalho alongside John Terry stabilised Chelsea. For the final moments of the match, Grant switched to 5-4-1 with Alex da Costa as an extra central defender – a move that only served to invite Valencia to pile on the pressure and almost cost Chelsea.
With the prospective arrival of the Ajax coach Henk ten Cate as a first team coach alongside Grant it would appear that the tactical preparation is a concern for the Chelsea hierarchy. At the end of the game, Grant cut a strange figure, alone on the pitch and not sure whether he should follow his players over to the corner to applaud the fans. In the end he decided against testing his popularity with Chelsea's hardcore support.
The five-man midfield is always recommended away at Valencia to combat David Silva's tendency to drift in from the left wing and it was he who inadvertently opened Chelsea up right down the middle. The winger challenged for a ball with Paulo Ferreira and Makelele in the left channel, half-winning possession before the Frenchman was able to get a foot in.
From there the ball ricocheted first off Villa and then off Michael Essien, before falling nicely for Villa who had broken away from Terry. The Chelsea captain had no chance of catching him in the couple of paces it took the striker to slip the ball under Petr Cech. It was a strange goal, calamitous for Chelsea but unlucky as well. Valencia seemed refreshingly willing to throw the kitchen sink at them with an attacking unit of Villa, Silva, Fernando Morientes and Joaquin wide on the right.
For a while it looked as if Chelsea might find themselves engulfed by Valencia's appetite to attack then, on 21 minutes, Drogba was part of an improbable equaliser. He shepherded the ball out right to Florent Malouda, the winger cut the ball back for Joe Cole who, reaching it at the same time as Emiliano Moretti, was able to send it into the net.
It was a goal that came blatantly against the run of play but after the fortnight Grant has had he may well feel that he deserves a little luck. Two minutes after the goal Drogba hit an outrageous shot from 25 yards that had Hildebrand concerned for a moment. Shocked and losing their shape, Valencia's stream of attacks began to fail.
Like Barcelona before them, they seem to regard Chelsea's style as an affront to the dignity of full-blooded attacking Spanish football.
Villa had a goal disallowed when he strayed marginally offside and Chelsea escaped. Their winner was made by Joe Cole, who was lively throughout even if he looked determined to dribble around the entire Valencia defence on his own. On 71 minutes he did not delay releasing the ball. Hit from the right wing to the left channel, struck with the outside of his right foot Cole's ball eluded four Valencia defenders to reach Drogba who held off the challenge of Raul Albiol to score and put Chelsea top of Group B.
Valencia (4-4-2): Hildebrand; Miguel, Albiol, Helguera, Moretti; Joaquin (Arizmendi, 89), Albelda (Baraja, 74), Marchena, Silva; Morientes (Zigic, 69), Villa. Substitutes not used: Canizares (gk), Sunny, Angulo, Alexis.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; J Cole, Makelele, Essien (Sidwell, 84), Mikel (Alex, 89), Malouda (Kalou, 85); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Shevchenko, Pizarro, Belletti.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).
Group B
Results: Chelsea 1 Rosenborg 1; Schalke 04 0 Valencia 1; Rosenborg 0 Schalke 04 2; Valencia 1 Chelsea 2.
Remaining fixtures: 24 Oct: Chelsea v Schalke 04; Rosenborg v Valencia. 6 Nov: Schalke 04 v Chelsea; Valencia v Rosenborg. 28 Nov: Rosenborg v Chelsea; Valencia v Schalke 04. 11 Dec: Chelsea v Valencia; Schalke 04 v Rosenborg.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Drogba puts the pride back into Chelsea
Kevin McCarra at the Mestalla StadiumThursday October 4, 2007The Guardian
Chelsea relived their recent past to set course for a new era. Victory over Valencia came by the same score as at the Mestalla in the Champions League quarter-final six months ago, but it was accomplished without the departed Jose Mourinho. Mourning and resentment no longer seeped into the display and Chelsea, just as they did on their previous visit to this ground, came back to win after falling behind.While Didier Drogba, the scorer of a fine decider, surpassed himself, many others rediscovered their misplaced reliability. Avram Grant entered the Champions League proper for the first time in his managerial career, but neither that nor Chelsea's place at the top of Group B will linger in his mind.
He can, instead, seize on this result as a starting point, proof to the world that the squad he inherited need not be lethargic under his command. Perhaps the side were merely reacting out of pride and obstinacy, but the win now sweetens Grant's record. The Israeli owes most gratitude to Drogba, who was once more that amalgam of power and poise.The winner was as exquisite as it was dynamic. With 71 minutes gone, Joe Cole bent a marvel of a pass towards the left with the outside of his right foot and Drogba collected while storming beyond the centre-back Raúl Albiol. Then, in the heart of that maelstrom of energy, he gathered himself to pilot the ball beyond the reach of Timo Hildebrand.
Valencia could not recover and Chelsea, with Alex brought on as a third centre-half, held out staunchly. Fortitude had been even more important at the start. Grant's 4-1-4-1 formation expressed a hankering for security, but the Mestalla is no place to go looking for it.
Despite the numbers massed in front of them Valencia had a dancing manoeuvrability as well as brute pace on the flanks. Apart from the corrosive uncertainty about the long-term plans at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had been hit by that most mundane of disadvantages, injury. The line-up here, though, was an ensemble on its way to recovery.
Ricardo Carvalho, notably, was marked present. He had appeared in Chelsea's first two league games of the season, against Birmingham City and Reading, which are, coincidentally or not, the club's only consecutive victories in this campaign. The Portuguese had previously been thought to need a couple of weeks more to recover from an ankle injury, but the yearning to reinstate him was overwhelming.
Though he took his place beside John Terry, satisfaction over that was qualified by the realisation that both men were well short of ideal condition. The captain had a face mask to protect the cheekbone fractured at the weekend. There was no such convenient means for the visitors to prevent Valencia from doing damage, particularly when Quique Sánchez Flores's men got a bit lucky.
A ricochet off Michael Essien, after a tackle by Paulo Ferreira, was fortunate indeed, but there still had to be admiration for the manner in which David Villa capitalised, beating Petr Cech with an assured finish in the ninth minute.
Chelsea might have been overwhelmed but were never without resources of their own. Drogba's smart pass found Florent Malouda after 21 minutes. The Frenchman's low cross from the left was treacherous and, as panic ensued, Joe Cole put the ball into the net, with the Valencia left-back Emiliano Moretti in attendance.
Valencia bristled and four minutes later Carvalho's sliding tackle sent the ball into the path of Villa, but he shot rashly. Chelsea knew by then that they had a formidable spearhead of their own in Drogba. Trust had been placed in him, to the detriment of an even more expensive signing. There was a show of independence from Grant in the demotion of Andriy Shevchenko to the bench - unless it was actually the owner, Roman Abramovich, who had lost faith in the Ukrainian at last.
Chelsea had to believe in themselves. There were searing moments even after the pace had dipped. In the 56th minute Villa was a metre offside before he fired home. The victors will have felt blessed then and at the close. For the time being, all brooding over machinations and upheaval at Chelsea has been dissolved in joy.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Who needs Jose? Drogba lifts stuttering ChelseaValencia 1 Chelsea 2
By MATT LAWTON in Valencia
Avram Grant's wife must have raised a glass of something more appetising than her usual tipple last night, toasting her husband and his Chelsea team for securing an uplifting, widely unexpected victory at a stunned Mestalla.
Inspired by John Terry's courage and Joe Cole's class, this was an extraordinary result for a team who appeared to be lacking in direction against a more fluent Valencia side.
For 45 minutes they were distinctly second best and thoroughly undeserving of the scrappy equaliser Cole managed to steal in response to a crushing early strike from David Villa.
The second half, however, was a different story. The story of Terry's tenacity and Cole's considerable talent; of a captain who launched himself at every corner, knowing that one blow to his right cheekbone could put him straight back in hospital.
The story of a creative midfielder who demonstrated his long-admired ability with a 40-yard pass that took out four Valencia defenders and presented Didier Drogba with the chance to score a wonderful winning goal.
"It was nice to play with freedom," said Cole in a not-so-veiled dig at former boss Jose Mourinho and his more disciplined ways.
For Grant, a night when the pressure lifted off those broad, bulky shoulders gave him the chance finally to enjoy being Chelsea manager and the opportunity to stick two fat fingers up at his tormentors.
He went some way to proving he can get results, even after seven years away from the Champions League.
His side had not only finished with 11 men and scored the kind of goals that have been proving so elusive, he had just matched Mourinho in emulating his predecessor's finest hour in Europe as Chelsea manager.
Mourinho beat Valencia 2-1 here last April and Grant had managed the same.
Even at the sound of the final whistle, he responded exactly as Mourinho had done. Standing proud in a blue shirt and tie, he greeted every Chelsea player as they walked off the pitch. High fives for a team now back on a high.
In Terry he had his superhero, complete with mask, and in Cole he had a player relishing the opportunity to perform without the restrictions imposed on him by Mourinho.
It was a joy to watch, even if Cole should still thank Mourinho for making him a far more mature footballer.
Valencia paid for a lack of maturity last night, as well as a lack of ambition. After beating Schalke in their opening game, they seemed content to settle for a 1-1 draw and were punished when Chelsea finally rediscovered their ruthless side.
Cultured in the first half, Valencia manager Quique Sanchez Flores even resorted to sticking the big man up front in the second. Nikola Zigic is as tall as Peter Crouch but wider and his arrival only succeeded in convincing Chelsea they could win this game.
They started badly, conceding a goal after nine minutes when confusion led to chaos and, in turn, to what looked like an insurmountable lead for the Spaniards.
Paulo Ferreira and Claude Makelele collided in trying to challenge Villa, Ferreira sent his hurried clearance against Michael Essien's arm and the ball ricocheted into the path of Villa, who sprinted past Terry and guided a terrific finish beyond Petr Cech.
Valencia were a little fortunate, although they had already looked dangerous with a swiftly-executed attack that ended with a shot by David Silva and their superior football suggested Chelsea were going to suffer.
From somewhere, though, the visitors produced a 21st-minute equaliser, Drogba providing the pass, Florent Malouda the cross and Cole the close-range finish.
It had initially looked like an own goal by Emiliano Moretti but Cole got the final touch. The half-time statistics favoured the hosts. Valencia had unleashed eight shots to Chelsea's two and enjoyed the majority of possession.
After the break, however, everything changed. Had Grant delivered a rousing speech? Had he stood at the tactics board and come up with Plan B?
In fairness to Grant, he did have the tactical nous to send on Alex and switch to five at the back once Drogba had secured the lead in the 70th minute.
If there was an anxious moment when Villa had a second "goal" rightly disallowed for offside, there was only elation when Drogba accelerated away from Raul Albiol and guided his shot past Timo Hildebrand.
It was Drogba's 18th Champions League goal and a perfect demonstration of why Andriy Shevchenko was dropped for this game and why he should never start for Chelsea again.
Drogba has the kind of pace and athleticism that Shevchenko has so clearly lost. Not only that, he has the passion and determination Shevchenko so clearly lacks.
Drogba does, of course, owe much to Cole for finding himself in the position to score and not just because of his team-mate's vision and precision.
It was Cole who won the ball in the first place, wrestling it off Carlos Marchena.
"Football with style" was what Grant promised and in that one moment Cole and Drogba delivered.
VALENCIA (4-2-2-2): Hildebrand 6; Miguel 6, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 5; Marchena 6, Albelda 7 (Baraja 74min, 6); Silva 6, Joaquin 6 (Arizmendi 89); Villa 6, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6). Booked: Marchena.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 6; Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6; Makelele 6, Essien 6 (Sidwell 84), Mikel 5 (Alex 89); J Cole 7, Drogba 7, Malouda 7.
Booked: Mikel.
Man of the match: Joe Cole.
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
AV-A-GO HEROES VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA 2 Champions League Group B from the MestallaBravehearts Terry and Drogba show Chelsea still have spirit Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer Avram Grant went to the scene of one of Jose Mourinho's greatest evenings last night and proved he is no longer 'Avram who?'
Six months after the last truly memorable performance under the Portuguese, Grant matched his stunning achievement by somehow conjuring a truly season-changing victory.
And while it will take more than one triumph to cast aside the shadow of Mourinho, this must bury for ever the notion that the dressing room will never unite behind the Israeli.
Grant had shown bravery in dropping two men who have won the Champions League Final with their right boot, in Roman Abramovich's pet player Andriy Shevchenko and Juliano Belletti. But it was the peace talks with Didier Drogba, persuading the most vocal critic of Mourinho's departure to bury his hatchet, that bore the most remarkable fruit.
AdvertisementJust as here in the Mestalla six months ago, Chelsea looked set for a kicking as they were ran ragged for 45 minute minutes, even after Joe Cole cancelled out David Villa's early strike.
Yet little by little, piece by piece, Grant's message took hold in the minds and bodies of his players - in a manner even Mourinho will, through gritted teeth, have noted with approval.
And where it was a stunner by Michael Essien that silenced the most passionate amphitheatre in Spain in what was the high water-mark of Mourinho's last full season in SW6, last night Drogba struck to put Chelsea top of Group B.
The goal was magnificent and reward for Drogba's willingness to take on the entire Valencia back line by himself. It also owed so much to the brilliance and vision of Cole as he threaded the ball past four white shirts with the outside of his right foot.
What followed was equally majestic and unstoppable, as Drogba powered past Raul Albiol and arrowed his shot into the bottom corner of Timo Hildebrand's net.
Drogba deserved the headlines and the acclaim of the small knot of travelling supporters.
Yet what made the difference, equally, was the resolve of each and every one of Grant's players, especially as they shed every last drop of sweat to hold on to what they had.
John Terry, ignoring the fractured cheekbone and the mask that covered it, flung himself in front of everything, obliterating the memories of the first half in which he had twice been embarrassed by Villa and old foe Fernando Morientes.
Beside him, after six weeks out, Ricardo Carvalho also refused to crumble, while Joe Cole and Essien ran themselves into the ground.
Quite how Grant got away with it is still hard to work out. Frankly, tormented by the pace of Joaquin Sanchez and the vibrancy of Villa, Chelsea were a mess for most of the first half.
The goal, after just eight minutes, stemmed from the confusion at the heart of the Blues, with a wild ricochet off Essien sending the ball ballooning into the space behind Terry and Carvalho. Villa was the only man to react, bursting through the gaping hole to give Petr Cech no chance. Had Joaquin, played in by Morientes, showed similar conviction on 20 minutes, the game would surely have been over, but the winger shot straight at Cech.
And out of nowhere Chelsea levelled as Drogba and Florent Malouda worked an excellent one-two to send the French winger in on the Valencia left.
Malouda pulled back and while Cole's lack of celebrations suggested an own goal from three yards by Emiliano Moretti, the England man subsequently claimed the vital touch.
Grant and his men had a foothold in the game, and while there were scares at the start of the second half, the tide of the match had begun to turn Chelsea's way.
Terry headed wide before Villa thought he had put Valencia back in front when he swept home from Morientes' pass. The flag was rightly up, however.
And within two minutes, Drogba struck the winner.
When Mourinho stormed the Mestalla citadel, he was hailed for his brilliance. Grant has not managed that status yet.
Now, though, he has a night to remember. And the belief that there can be more to come.
Valencia): Hildebrand 7, Miguel 7, Albiol 6, Helguera 6, Moretti 6 Albelda 6 (Baraja 75, 6), Marchena 6, Joaquin 7, Silva 7, Morientes 6 (Zigic 69, 6), Villa 8.
Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 5, A Cole 5, Makelele 6; J Cole 8, Essien 7, Mikel 6, Malouda 6, Drogba 8.
56% POSSESSION 44%
4 SHOTS ON TARGET 3
9 SHOTS OFF TARGET 5
2 OFFSIDES 2
3 CORNERS 5
15 FOULS 22
1 YELLOW CARDS 1
0 RED CARDS 0
ATTENDANCE: 52,000
Man Of The Match: Drogba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 30, 2007
sunday papers fulham home
The TelegraphJohn Terry broken cheek blow for EnglandBy Julian BennettsChelsea (0) 0 Fulham (0) 0
They say it is more important to be a lucky manager than a good one. If that is the case then do not bank on Avram Grant being at Stamford Bridge for the long term as his first home game as Chelsea boss saw his captain, John Terry, suffer a fractured cheekbone, Didier Drogba, his primary goalscorer, sent off and two points lost as Fulham escaped with a goalless draw.
"It was not our best game," admitted Grant in a classic piece of understatement. "We need to improve and then we need to win. We need to score as well."
Indeed they do. But it is the fate of Terry which will worry both Grant and England head coach Steve McClaren most. In only the third minute the centre-half was injured in an aerial clash with Clint Dempsey.
Chelsea players claimed the use of an elbow by the American forward – a suggestion Sanchez described as "rubbish". Terry soldiered on until half-time but was unable to continue and will undergo surgery this morning. He will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, as well as Premier League and Champions League games for Chelsea.
The loss of Drogba through suspension will also hurt as Chelsea – who are now eight points behind leaders Arsenal – failed to hit the back of the net for the fourth successive league game.
Drogba will not find a large supply of sympathy, though, as his first yellow card was for arguing petulantly with referee Martin Atkinson, although the second, for a high foot, was unfortunate.
In contrast to Grant's downbeat demeanour, Sanchez, who has seen his team pick up only four points from the last 18, unsurprisingly preferred to concentrate on the positives.
"I would have settled for a point before the game but we really wanted to snatch it. We knew about their home record and we wanted to take it from them, but it wasn't quite to be."
Amid all of the furore – which included a protest outside the ground against the removal of Mourinho – it was easy to forget there was a game being played.
Grant had promised an attacking line-up and he did not disappoint, bringing Salomon Kalou into midfield as Drogba and Andrei Shevchenko were paired together up front.
In contrast Sanchez was afforded the luxury of keeping nearly the same side that drew 3-3 with Manchester City last week, although he recalled American goalkeeper Kasey Keller at the expense of Antii Niemi – the Finn paying the price for his side conceding an average of two goals a game so far this season.
Chelsea started well, pushing forward from the off with Kalou to the fore. Unfortunately the promising start only highlighted the disappointment of Shevchenko's Chelsea career to date. The £30 million man, who has only scored once this season, at least managed to interrupt the cries of "Jose Mourinho" as he sent a second-minute shot into the upper tier.
And after Dempsey went close with a header, Shevchenko – playing on his 31st birthday - hit a free-kick so weakly into the wall that there were boos and cries of "what a load of rubbish".
Shevchenko's confidence, fragile at the best of times, deserted him as his team struggled to create clear-cut chances. In truth the fare on offer was dire. If Abramovich sacked Mourinho for not providing attractive football, then Grant has a long way to go before his employer can be satisfied.
But Grant's side started the second half as they had the first and only a superb stop from Keller prevented them from taking the lead. Drogba sent a crossfield pass out to Joe Cole who, given time and space for the first time in the match, picked out the onrushing Kalou perfectly. It appeared that the Ivorian had to score, but Keller somehow flicked the ball on to the post and away.
Kalou then missed two headed chances and Joe Cole poked just wide, but Fulham grew in stature and were given added impetus by Drogba's sending-off. First substitute Hameur Bouazza lashed high and wide when put in a good position by fellow replacement Diomansy Kamara; then Petr Cech, in his only involvement in the game, foiled Paul Konchesky as the full-back broke through the middle.
The biggest scare came in the final minute as Cech watched helplessly when Dempsey's stud grazed Kamara's cross with the home defence absent without leave.
Defeat would have been harsh on Grant and his side. But, on a day when just about everything that could have gone wrong did, he must be thankful for small mercies.
Moment of the match: Kasey Keller's save from Salomon Kalou 60 seconds into the second period set the tone for the rest of the game. Kalou seemed certain to score from Joe Cole's cut-back but the American pushed the ball onto the post superbly. It was the closest Chelsea would come to breaking the deadlock and summed up their awful afternoon. Match rating: 5/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mourinho's name rings out as Blues struggle
Duncan Castles at Stamford BridgeSunday September 30, 2007The Observer
Jose Mourinho may be embarrassingly opinionated, infuriatingly confrontational and unacceptably defensive, but he rarely failed to get results. Avram Grant may be softly spoken, politically correct and receptive to his owner's desire to field a five-man attack, but he is struggling for one.You pay off your manager, you make your choice. Grant appears a less intelligent selection by the match. Comprehensively outplayed by Manchester United six days previously, Chelsea contrived to draw with Fulham - a team who had triumphed just once in the Premier League this season and had not won a capital derby in 10 attempts.
Nor had Lawrie Sanchez's men managed a clean sheet until they travelled to Stamford Bridge, yet there was no great secret to how they extracted this one. Organised and resolute defensively, Fulham thwarted a Chelsea side long on attackers but short on the cohesion that was once their trademark.'I think it was not our best game, but it was not also a poor game, it was somewhere in the middle,' said Grant, who now lags seven points behind Arsenal, having played a game more. 'We created enough chances to win the game, but we didn't score. First we need to score, then we need to win. I think even with this gap anything can happen.'
Sanchez rightly emphasised how close three late chances had brought his team to ending Chelsea's 66-match home unbeaten league run. 'Anybody would settle for a point before they came,' he said. 'But when you're that close to knocking over their record, you're thinking: "Go on, let's take it."'
Grant is 'intelligent, witty, thoughtful and open and good to be with', according to chairman Bruce Buck's programme notes, and a manager fans will like if they 'give him support and confidence'. The Israeli was making every effort to appeal in his line-up, his latest version of the winger-oriented formation Roman Abramovich craves featuring Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou on the wings. Back from a knee injury, Didier Drogba ran ahead of the owner's favourite and birthday boy Andriy Shevchenko, but as the team were announced cheers for John Terry were mixed with jeers. In the stands a banner declared Mourinho 'simply the best'.
His former charges started at a rush, Cole crossing dangerously, Shevchenko lofting over wastefully. For Terry there was a hard elbow to the head from Clint Dempsey, treatment and a rant at the referee for not allowing him back on before Alexey Smertin shot on goal. Chelsea's captain was uncharacteristically lax in allowing Dempsey to drift off him for a free header soon after.
Fulham were concentrating on working their two banks of four, conscious of a defence who had continued to concede at an alarming rate under Sanchez. This despite the manager making his backline a priority for reinforcement over the summer, culling Liam Rosenior, Franck Queudrue and Zat Knight.
Shevchenko was doing his best to relax their replacements. Ceded a free-kick that others would have taken in the Mourinho era, the striker struck the ball weakly into Fulham's wall. Teed up by Claude Makelele on the edge of the area, his shot meandered towards Kasey Keller. Played in perfectly at the near post by Kalou, he volleyed wide from six yards.
The nervous home defenders regularly sought touch instead of controlling and at one throw-in, Tal Ben-Haim appeared to handle while clearing. This was not the studied control of Mourinho's teams, so adept at varying the pace of a game - pressing for a determined period, then holding possession to 'rest on the ball' for another. It was altogether more frantic; fundamentally less organised. The parts were the same, the machine was less oiled.
Chris Baird deftly tugged back Drogba as he stretched to convert. Again the referee delivered nothing, other than a yellow card for dissent. The second half was no better for Chelsea as Terry was forced out of the game, to be replaced by Alex. 'He wanted to continue,' said Grant, 'but I didn't want to take a risk. I didn't see it so well, but the players said it was an elbow.' There were fewer home fans to offer him sparse applause, as some had answered the call of a 'Bring Back Mourinho' leaflet campaign to walk out at the interval. The first chant of many who stayed was for their departed boss.
There were more boos from the Chelsea fans as Grant swapped Shevchenko for Claudio Pizarro, but it was safe to assume they were not annoyed at the Ukrainian's withdrawal. Drogba immediately drew another parry from Keller, then Kalou let his free header drift off target.
So it continued until Drogba lifted his studs high for an aerial ball and hit Baird's chest. Drogba saw the red card, and with limited complaint the captain's armband swapped owner for a second time. Grant showed some semblance of Mourinho-like adventure in bringing Florent Malouda on for Ashley Cole, but Fulham went closer as Petr Cech saved from Paul Konchesky The response of the home support? Mourinho's name, chanted loud and long.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Fans call for Special One as Roman's Shed stunt falls apartChelsea 0 Fulham 0
By IAN RIDLEY
Love him or loathe him, Jose Mourinho had presence. His Chelsea teams possessed it, too — mirroring his feisty, dominating persona. Now they look less fearsome and opposing teams are suddenly fancying their chances.
Indeed, with new manager Avram Grant swapping tracksuit for grey suit and wearing the look of a west London funeral director, there was something moribund about Chelsea yesterday.
From his perch in the what was formerly known as the Shed End, rather than those halfway-line executive boxes that cost £1 million a season, it will all have made grisly watching for Roman Abramovich.
Spirited Fulham profited as Chelsea made it four games without a goal or a win, leaving them to languish in seventh spot, their worst Premier League position for five years.
As if it was not bad enough hearing Mourinho's name sung around the ground, Abramovich watched as captain John Terry was unable to take his place for the second half after suffering a depressed fracture to his right cheekbone.
On his 31st birthday, Andriy Shevchenko,who has cost £1m for each of his years, lasted only 53 minutes.And on his return after injury, Didier Drogba was sent off 17 minutes from time for a second yellow card.
Early days it may be, but these are worrying times for Chelsea. The gap to Arsenal at the top is already eight points and injuries and suspensions are undermining them. The midweek trip to Valencia in the Champions League, presumably without Terry, is starting to look daunting.
"We can play better and they want to play better," said Grant. "But we need to improve a few things before we can think about the gap. We created seven or eight chances but we didn't score. We need to improve this."
Grant is in a tough position, particularly when it comes to Shevchenko who is an Abramovich favourite. It is almost embarrassing to watch such a great player floundering as his pace wanes, the movement on which he made his name is negated and his career winds down. Surely the owner and manager must concede that Mourinho was right about the striker.
In Chelsea's first home match since his departure, the support for Mourinho was initially muted. The banner proclaiming him "simply the best" was again on view but it took 11 minutes of the game before his name was chanted.
Perhaps what passes for a charm offensive at Stamford Bridge was having an effect.
Quite apart from Abramovich sitting among the fans, chairman Bruce Buck explained again in the match programme that the relationship with Mourinho had broken down. Terry, accused last week of undermining the manager — a story he vehemently denies — paid tribute in his own column.
But the only way for a new manager to earn the affection of supporters is with wins. Beating Hull in midweek in the Carling Cup helped but after losing at Aston Villa and Manchester United, Chelsea needed to get back on track in the league.
Woeful finishing cost them, however. The tone was set in the first minute when Shevchenko ballooned Salomon Kalou's low cross over the bar. Soon he was challenging Drogba for the same pass from Claude Makelele and assistant manager Steve Clarke was berating the Ukrainian from the touchline for not leaving the header to Drogba.
It got worse. From a free-kick 30 yards out, Shevchenko drove the ball low and straight into a two-man wall before turning another low cross from Kalou wide at the near post. When he did get a weak shot on target, the Fulham fans gave an ironic cheer.
With Drogba rusty, it was hard to see where a goal might come from. The big striker almost got on the end of Joe Cole's low cross and was subsequently booked for complaining that he had been held back by Chris Baird.
Perhaps Kalou would be the man. He went close at the start of the second half when he reached Joe Cole's low cross but Kasey Keller turned the ball on to a post. Kalou then missed a header at the near post from Ashley Cole's cross and another soon after.
After Drogba's dismissal, a second yellow for a high boot as Baird went to head the ball, Fulham began to scent three points. The robust Clint Dempsey — whose challenge on Terry early on had taken the England captain out of the game at half time — had headed a good chance wide before the break.
Now the chances were even more clear cut.
Paul Konchesky burst through and Petr Cech saved his shot with a foot. Substitute Diomansy Kamara then screwed a shot across goal and Dempsey narrowly failed to turn it home as Fulham finished strongly.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry (Alex 46min), A Cole (Malouda 77); Makelele, Sidwell; J Cole, Shevchenko (Pizarro 54), Kalou; Drogba. Subs (not used): Cudicini, Ferreira. Booked: Drogba. Sent off: Drogba (74min).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Keller; Baird, Hughes, Bocanegra, Konchesky; Davies, Smertin (Murphy 82), Davis, Seol (Bouazza 73); Healy (Kamara 67), Dempsey. Subs (not used): Niemi, Kuqi. Booked: Davis.
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sunday TimesSeptember 30, 2007
Spectre of Jose Mourinho hangs over his team
The spectre of the departed manager hung over Stamford Bridge as the team he built were booed off the fieldDavid Walsh, chief sports writer WITH about five minutes left, and a minute or so after Paul Konchesky might have won the game for Fulham, the home crowd broke into their most passionate rendition of “Jose Mourinho” and Avram Grant stood forlornly, unable to effect the course of a game that had run away from his team. For a family in turmoil, this was an afternoon from hell.
When the game ended, a crescendo of boos rang out as Chelsea fans expressed their disappointment with the team’s performance, the result, and the fact that the team's 66-game unbeaten home run could so easily have been lost. What didn’t happen in three seasons under Mourinho could so easily have taken place in Grant’s first home game.
Consider this scenario from Roman Abramovich’s point of view. Bravely, he chose to sit in the Shed with his right-hand man Eugene Tenenbaum and by his presence there, he tried to say that like most in the 41,837 crowd, he was just another Chelsea fan. Yeah, right. When the crowd chanted “Jose Mourinho”, Roman did not add his voice but instead looked decidedly uneasy, even embarrassed.
When Andriy Shevchenko was replaced early in the second half, the owner didn’t appear to think it was a good move and, of course, when the fans booed at the end, Roman wasn’t really in the mood to join them. You wonder if he silently wondered about the sense of spending hundreds of millions for such strife? From the outside, you wonder whether his love of the club will survive the fans’ love of Mourinho?
Outside the ground, the disgruntled handed out leaflets asking the faithful to leave the match at halftime. “Given the price of ticket here,” someone said, “they had to be joking.” No one did leave and even if the game was far from a classic, it had a soap opera fascination as we wondered if Chelsea could dig themselves out of the hole and ended up watching as the hole just got bigger. Because the challenge for Chelsea was not so much Fulham but to move from a club in turmoil to a club in transition. It wasn’t as easy as you might think. Page three of the club programme carried a photograph of a smiling Mourinho, page five a message from the chairman, “Time To Look Forward”. Mourinho or the future? Which was it? Yesterday, it was far more about Mourinho.
In an interview on Chelsea televison, John Terry vigorously denied having anything to do the former manager’s departure, vowed to sue the two newspapers who said otherwise and said “the most important thing” was for everyone to give the new manager their full support. As for Grant, he sat in the front row of the dugout, leaning forward, seeming more absorbed in a dull match than anyone else in the ground. There were other signs that the guard has changed at the Bridge. Shevchenko played with more authority, as if he had been recently promoted. He popped up here and there, got plenty of possession and did little with it. There was no shortage of desire but his touch was unreliable and, these days, he lacks that little bit of zip needed to go past defenders.
How simple life would be if by just being more positive and more authoritative, Shevchenko could be more effective. It would be fun world if all Chelsea needed to banish the Blues was Grant’s call for a more attacking style. True to the new manager’s philosophy, Chelsea’s blue shirts got forward in great numbers but, alas, to no great effect.
Without Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack, they struggled to create and the longer it went on, the more nervy everyone became and the more the family’s disharmony manifested itself. When Shevchenko twice lost possession in the space of 30 seconds early in the second half, the home crowd’s disaffection expressed itself in animosity towards the Ukrainian.
A minute later, the Stamford Bridge faithful broke into another chorus of “Jose Mourinho” and now it was like a family wedding ? all the unpleasant undercurrents were flowing across the surface and it all threatened to get ugly. Like a benign and well-meaning uncle, Grant replaced Shevchenko, Abramovich put his head in his hands, and interestingly, the Ukrainian almost enthusiastically accepted the manager’s call as he sped off.
But my goodness, it really was a bad day at the office for Chelsea. Didier Drogba sent off, Terry an injury victim and a reminder in that second half that a central defensive partnership of Tal Ben Haim and the Brazilian Alex might not be the best idea in the world. When Diomansy Kamara got a late and great chance to win the game at the death, it was because Chelsea’s defence had disintegrated.
Yet, when it was all over, you had to admire Grant’s equanimity. He said Chelsea weren’t at their best but neither were they at their worst, “somewhere in between”, he said. As for Shevchenko, “he’s a very good player but not at his best today”. Someone asked if he has been at his best this season, and the new head coach stayed as calm as ever. “We’ve played seven or eight games, you need 20 to 25 games before judging.”
The trick for Avram Grant will be to get 25 games.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------People:
30 September 2007STINGING THE BLUES MORE MISERY FOR ROMAN AS BOOS RING AROUND BRIDGETerry KOd and Drog off in hell dayCHELSEA 0 FULHAM 0 By Dave Kidd Avram Grant's traumatic start as Chelsea boss went from bad to worse last night.
His skipper John Terry broke a cheekbone in a clash with Fulham's Clint Dempsey... and Didier Drogba saw red as Grant's team fell further behind Arsenal in the race for the Premier League.
News that the Chelsea and England skipper will have an operation this morning, and faces around six weeks on the sidelines, capped a nightmare first home game in charge for Grant.
Striker Drogba was sent off for two bookable offences and his fellow hitman Andriy Shevchenko was hauled off early in the second half after another horror show as Chelsea failed to score in a fourth straight Premier League match for the first time in nine years.
Grant revealed his players were fuming at American striker Clint Dempsey for an alleged elbow on Terry after only four minutes. The central defender played on until half-time but was then taken to hospital for scans.
Grant said: "My players thought there was an elbow but I haven't seen it properly yet. John wasn't complaining at half-time or asking to be taken off but you cannot take a risk with head injuries." A Chelsea spokesman later confirmed: "John went to hospital and a scan showed a depressed fracture of his right cheek bone.
"He will see a specialist and then be operated on."
Fulham came close to ending Chelsea's 66-match unbeaten home league record when Diomansy Kamara and Paul Konchesky squandered clear late chances.
Chelsea were booed off after their dismal display, which owner Roman Abramovich watched from The Shed as a show of solidarity with fans after the unpopular sacking of Mourinho, but Chelsea's title ambitions are fading fast as they are already eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
Fans chanted for Mourinho and refused to sing Grant's name - although a planned walk out at half-time in support of the departed Portuguese, failed to materialise. Grant admitted: "We have to start scoring and winning very soon.
"We wanted to play positively and we did create seven or eight chances, which was the good thing, but we have to start taking those opportunities." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: Terry injured, Drogba sees red on black day for Blues
Life after Mourinho turns into nightmare for Grant as captain suffers fractured cheekbone and striker is sent off By Paul Newman at Stamford Bridge
It was a sight that summed up Avram Grant's plight. Chelsea's manager stood on the touchline in the final minutes, desperatelytrying to shout instructions to his team, only to have his words drowned out by the loudest chant of the afternoon from a previously subdued Stamford Bridge crowd. The sound of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" echoed around the ground.
If Grant narrowly avoided the ignominy of losing his first home match after succeeding Mourinho, it was hard to imagine a more calamitous first day in front of his own supporters. John Terry, his captain, suffered a fractured cheekbone which is likely to keep him out for several weeks – he will have an operation today and looks certain to miss England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Russia and Estonia next month – while Didier Drogba, his leadingstriker, was shown the red card for two bookable offences.
In the end Grant must have felt grateful to emerge with a point, even if the boos at the final whistle made it seem like a loss. Mourinho had been unbeaten in all his 60 home Premier League matches in charge of Chelsea, and it would have been a huge blow to his successor's credibility if he had started his Stamford Bridge career with a defeat.
Having lost away to Manchester United in Grant's first game in charge, Chelsea have now failed to score in their last four Premier League games, which have yielded just two points. A decent result away to Valencia in the Champions' League this week is now crucial, though Grant spoke with measured calm after the match. He insisted he was not overly concerned by the ground his team had lost in the title race, and said that nothing had surprised him in his new job.
"First we need to score, then we need to win," Grant said. "We created enough chances to win but did not score. There are things we can improve."
Putting the ball in the back of the net will be the first priority. Chelsea dominated this match for long periods and should have been leading comfortably when the game changed with Drogba's dismissal after 73 minutes. The Ivorian, handed the captain's armband after Terry failed to reappear for the second half following a collision with Clint Dempsey, had been needlessly booked for dissent in the first half and was shown his second yellow card when his raised boot caught Chris Baird in the face. Grant refused to criticise Drogbaafterwards, saying he would wait to see television replays before passing judgement.
Grant had taken off his other striker eight minutes into the second half. Mourinho's unhappiness with having Andriy Shevchenko foisted on him by Roman Abramovich was said to be a major cause of his fall-out with the club's owner, and on this evidence you could see the former manager's pointof view.
Shevchenko looked badly out of sorts, not quite knowing whether to play the Frank Lampard role, breaking from midfield, or to forage alongside Drogba. Two woefully inadequate free-kicks by the Ukrainian summed up his frustrations, and it was no surprise whenhe was taken off. "He was not at his best," Grant admittedafterwards.
Chelsea's play was particularlydisjointed in the opening 20 minutes, but Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole became increasingly influential down the flanks and the home side had more than enough chances to win. Kalou was at the centre of the best Chelsea attack of the first half, breaking down the left after good work by Drogba and Shevchenko, only for the latter to end the move by shooting wide of a post.
Kalou wasted an even better opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half. Joe Cole, released by Drogba's fine pass, delivered a perfect cross to the near post, only for Kalou to miss the ball completely. Kalou soon returned the compliment with a well-timed through-ball, but Joe Cole shot just wide of a post.
Fulham defended with spirit. Aaron Hughes and Carlos Bocanegra were rocks at the centre of defence, while Alexey Smertin and Steven Davis gave as good as they got in the centre of midfield.
Dempsey had the best early chance, heading wide from Smertin's cross, but Sanchez's men played a containing game until Drogba's departure gave them the incentive to push forward in the closing stages.
After 85 minutes Paul Konchesky, clean through, saw his shot saved by Petr Cech's feet, while Diomansy Kamara had another excellent opportunity four minutes later. Despite holding off Claude Makelele's challenge, the Senegalese striker screwed his shot just wide of a post.
"I said before the match that we'd win 1-0 and we should have done," Lawrie Sanchez, the Fulham manager, said afterwards. Sanchez believes his men are in a false position near the foot of the table, poor refereeing decisions having cost them vital points, and on this showing they have the all-round strengths to live with most opponents. As for Chelsea, there can be only one verdict: must do better.
They say it is more important to be a lucky manager than a good one. If that is the case then do not bank on Avram Grant being at Stamford Bridge for the long term as his first home game as Chelsea boss saw his captain, John Terry, suffer a fractured cheekbone, Didier Drogba, his primary goalscorer, sent off and two points lost as Fulham escaped with a goalless draw.
"It was not our best game," admitted Grant in a classic piece of understatement. "We need to improve and then we need to win. We need to score as well."
Indeed they do. But it is the fate of Terry which will worry both Grant and England head coach Steve McClaren most. In only the third minute the centre-half was injured in an aerial clash with Clint Dempsey.
Chelsea players claimed the use of an elbow by the American forward – a suggestion Sanchez described as "rubbish". Terry soldiered on until half-time but was unable to continue and will undergo surgery this morning. He will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, as well as Premier League and Champions League games for Chelsea.
The loss of Drogba through suspension will also hurt as Chelsea – who are now eight points behind leaders Arsenal – failed to hit the back of the net for the fourth successive league game.
Drogba will not find a large supply of sympathy, though, as his first yellow card was for arguing petulantly with referee Martin Atkinson, although the second, for a high foot, was unfortunate.
In contrast to Grant's downbeat demeanour, Sanchez, who has seen his team pick up only four points from the last 18, unsurprisingly preferred to concentrate on the positives.
"I would have settled for a point before the game but we really wanted to snatch it. We knew about their home record and we wanted to take it from them, but it wasn't quite to be."
Amid all of the furore – which included a protest outside the ground against the removal of Mourinho – it was easy to forget there was a game being played.
Grant had promised an attacking line-up and he did not disappoint, bringing Salomon Kalou into midfield as Drogba and Andrei Shevchenko were paired together up front.
In contrast Sanchez was afforded the luxury of keeping nearly the same side that drew 3-3 with Manchester City last week, although he recalled American goalkeeper Kasey Keller at the expense of Antii Niemi – the Finn paying the price for his side conceding an average of two goals a game so far this season.
Chelsea started well, pushing forward from the off with Kalou to the fore. Unfortunately the promising start only highlighted the disappointment of Shevchenko's Chelsea career to date. The £30 million man, who has only scored once this season, at least managed to interrupt the cries of "Jose Mourinho" as he sent a second-minute shot into the upper tier.
And after Dempsey went close with a header, Shevchenko – playing on his 31st birthday - hit a free-kick so weakly into the wall that there were boos and cries of "what a load of rubbish".
Shevchenko's confidence, fragile at the best of times, deserted him as his team struggled to create clear-cut chances. In truth the fare on offer was dire. If Abramovich sacked Mourinho for not providing attractive football, then Grant has a long way to go before his employer can be satisfied.
But Grant's side started the second half as they had the first and only a superb stop from Keller prevented them from taking the lead. Drogba sent a crossfield pass out to Joe Cole who, given time and space for the first time in the match, picked out the onrushing Kalou perfectly. It appeared that the Ivorian had to score, but Keller somehow flicked the ball on to the post and away.
Kalou then missed two headed chances and Joe Cole poked just wide, but Fulham grew in stature and were given added impetus by Drogba's sending-off. First substitute Hameur Bouazza lashed high and wide when put in a good position by fellow replacement Diomansy Kamara; then Petr Cech, in his only involvement in the game, foiled Paul Konchesky as the full-back broke through the middle.
The biggest scare came in the final minute as Cech watched helplessly when Dempsey's stud grazed Kamara's cross with the home defence absent without leave.
Defeat would have been harsh on Grant and his side. But, on a day when just about everything that could have gone wrong did, he must be thankful for small mercies.
Moment of the match: Kasey Keller's save from Salomon Kalou 60 seconds into the second period set the tone for the rest of the game. Kalou seemed certain to score from Joe Cole's cut-back but the American pushed the ball onto the post superbly. It was the closest Chelsea would come to breaking the deadlock and summed up their awful afternoon. Match rating: 5/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mourinho's name rings out as Blues struggle
Duncan Castles at Stamford BridgeSunday September 30, 2007The Observer
Jose Mourinho may be embarrassingly opinionated, infuriatingly confrontational and unacceptably defensive, but he rarely failed to get results. Avram Grant may be softly spoken, politically correct and receptive to his owner's desire to field a five-man attack, but he is struggling for one.You pay off your manager, you make your choice. Grant appears a less intelligent selection by the match. Comprehensively outplayed by Manchester United six days previously, Chelsea contrived to draw with Fulham - a team who had triumphed just once in the Premier League this season and had not won a capital derby in 10 attempts.
Nor had Lawrie Sanchez's men managed a clean sheet until they travelled to Stamford Bridge, yet there was no great secret to how they extracted this one. Organised and resolute defensively, Fulham thwarted a Chelsea side long on attackers but short on the cohesion that was once their trademark.'I think it was not our best game, but it was not also a poor game, it was somewhere in the middle,' said Grant, who now lags seven points behind Arsenal, having played a game more. 'We created enough chances to win the game, but we didn't score. First we need to score, then we need to win. I think even with this gap anything can happen.'
Sanchez rightly emphasised how close three late chances had brought his team to ending Chelsea's 66-match home unbeaten league run. 'Anybody would settle for a point before they came,' he said. 'But when you're that close to knocking over their record, you're thinking: "Go on, let's take it."'
Grant is 'intelligent, witty, thoughtful and open and good to be with', according to chairman Bruce Buck's programme notes, and a manager fans will like if they 'give him support and confidence'. The Israeli was making every effort to appeal in his line-up, his latest version of the winger-oriented formation Roman Abramovich craves featuring Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou on the wings. Back from a knee injury, Didier Drogba ran ahead of the owner's favourite and birthday boy Andriy Shevchenko, but as the team were announced cheers for John Terry were mixed with jeers. In the stands a banner declared Mourinho 'simply the best'.
His former charges started at a rush, Cole crossing dangerously, Shevchenko lofting over wastefully. For Terry there was a hard elbow to the head from Clint Dempsey, treatment and a rant at the referee for not allowing him back on before Alexey Smertin shot on goal. Chelsea's captain was uncharacteristically lax in allowing Dempsey to drift off him for a free header soon after.
Fulham were concentrating on working their two banks of four, conscious of a defence who had continued to concede at an alarming rate under Sanchez. This despite the manager making his backline a priority for reinforcement over the summer, culling Liam Rosenior, Franck Queudrue and Zat Knight.
Shevchenko was doing his best to relax their replacements. Ceded a free-kick that others would have taken in the Mourinho era, the striker struck the ball weakly into Fulham's wall. Teed up by Claude Makelele on the edge of the area, his shot meandered towards Kasey Keller. Played in perfectly at the near post by Kalou, he volleyed wide from six yards.
The nervous home defenders regularly sought touch instead of controlling and at one throw-in, Tal Ben-Haim appeared to handle while clearing. This was not the studied control of Mourinho's teams, so adept at varying the pace of a game - pressing for a determined period, then holding possession to 'rest on the ball' for another. It was altogether more frantic; fundamentally less organised. The parts were the same, the machine was less oiled.
Chris Baird deftly tugged back Drogba as he stretched to convert. Again the referee delivered nothing, other than a yellow card for dissent. The second half was no better for Chelsea as Terry was forced out of the game, to be replaced by Alex. 'He wanted to continue,' said Grant, 'but I didn't want to take a risk. I didn't see it so well, but the players said it was an elbow.' There were fewer home fans to offer him sparse applause, as some had answered the call of a 'Bring Back Mourinho' leaflet campaign to walk out at the interval. The first chant of many who stayed was for their departed boss.
There were more boos from the Chelsea fans as Grant swapped Shevchenko for Claudio Pizarro, but it was safe to assume they were not annoyed at the Ukrainian's withdrawal. Drogba immediately drew another parry from Keller, then Kalou let his free header drift off target.
So it continued until Drogba lifted his studs high for an aerial ball and hit Baird's chest. Drogba saw the red card, and with limited complaint the captain's armband swapped owner for a second time. Grant showed some semblance of Mourinho-like adventure in bringing Florent Malouda on for Ashley Cole, but Fulham went closer as Petr Cech saved from Paul Konchesky The response of the home support? Mourinho's name, chanted loud and long.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Fans call for Special One as Roman's Shed stunt falls apartChelsea 0 Fulham 0
By IAN RIDLEY
Love him or loathe him, Jose Mourinho had presence. His Chelsea teams possessed it, too — mirroring his feisty, dominating persona. Now they look less fearsome and opposing teams are suddenly fancying their chances.
Indeed, with new manager Avram Grant swapping tracksuit for grey suit and wearing the look of a west London funeral director, there was something moribund about Chelsea yesterday.
From his perch in the what was formerly known as the Shed End, rather than those halfway-line executive boxes that cost £1 million a season, it will all have made grisly watching for Roman Abramovich.
Spirited Fulham profited as Chelsea made it four games without a goal or a win, leaving them to languish in seventh spot, their worst Premier League position for five years.
As if it was not bad enough hearing Mourinho's name sung around the ground, Abramovich watched as captain John Terry was unable to take his place for the second half after suffering a depressed fracture to his right cheekbone.
On his 31st birthday, Andriy Shevchenko,who has cost £1m for each of his years, lasted only 53 minutes.And on his return after injury, Didier Drogba was sent off 17 minutes from time for a second yellow card.
Early days it may be, but these are worrying times for Chelsea. The gap to Arsenal at the top is already eight points and injuries and suspensions are undermining them. The midweek trip to Valencia in the Champions League, presumably without Terry, is starting to look daunting.
"We can play better and they want to play better," said Grant. "But we need to improve a few things before we can think about the gap. We created seven or eight chances but we didn't score. We need to improve this."
Grant is in a tough position, particularly when it comes to Shevchenko who is an Abramovich favourite. It is almost embarrassing to watch such a great player floundering as his pace wanes, the movement on which he made his name is negated and his career winds down. Surely the owner and manager must concede that Mourinho was right about the striker.
In Chelsea's first home match since his departure, the support for Mourinho was initially muted. The banner proclaiming him "simply the best" was again on view but it took 11 minutes of the game before his name was chanted.
Perhaps what passes for a charm offensive at Stamford Bridge was having an effect.
Quite apart from Abramovich sitting among the fans, chairman Bruce Buck explained again in the match programme that the relationship with Mourinho had broken down. Terry, accused last week of undermining the manager — a story he vehemently denies — paid tribute in his own column.
But the only way for a new manager to earn the affection of supporters is with wins. Beating Hull in midweek in the Carling Cup helped but after losing at Aston Villa and Manchester United, Chelsea needed to get back on track in the league.
Woeful finishing cost them, however. The tone was set in the first minute when Shevchenko ballooned Salomon Kalou's low cross over the bar. Soon he was challenging Drogba for the same pass from Claude Makelele and assistant manager Steve Clarke was berating the Ukrainian from the touchline for not leaving the header to Drogba.
It got worse. From a free-kick 30 yards out, Shevchenko drove the ball low and straight into a two-man wall before turning another low cross from Kalou wide at the near post. When he did get a weak shot on target, the Fulham fans gave an ironic cheer.
With Drogba rusty, it was hard to see where a goal might come from. The big striker almost got on the end of Joe Cole's low cross and was subsequently booked for complaining that he had been held back by Chris Baird.
Perhaps Kalou would be the man. He went close at the start of the second half when he reached Joe Cole's low cross but Kasey Keller turned the ball on to a post. Kalou then missed a header at the near post from Ashley Cole's cross and another soon after.
After Drogba's dismissal, a second yellow for a high boot as Baird went to head the ball, Fulham began to scent three points. The robust Clint Dempsey — whose challenge on Terry early on had taken the England captain out of the game at half time — had headed a good chance wide before the break.
Now the chances were even more clear cut.
Paul Konchesky burst through and Petr Cech saved his shot with a foot. Substitute Diomansy Kamara then screwed a shot across goal and Dempsey narrowly failed to turn it home as Fulham finished strongly.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry (Alex 46min), A Cole (Malouda 77); Makelele, Sidwell; J Cole, Shevchenko (Pizarro 54), Kalou; Drogba. Subs (not used): Cudicini, Ferreira. Booked: Drogba. Sent off: Drogba (74min).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Keller; Baird, Hughes, Bocanegra, Konchesky; Davies, Smertin (Murphy 82), Davis, Seol (Bouazza 73); Healy (Kamara 67), Dempsey. Subs (not used): Niemi, Kuqi. Booked: Davis.
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sunday TimesSeptember 30, 2007
Spectre of Jose Mourinho hangs over his team
The spectre of the departed manager hung over Stamford Bridge as the team he built were booed off the fieldDavid Walsh, chief sports writer WITH about five minutes left, and a minute or so after Paul Konchesky might have won the game for Fulham, the home crowd broke into their most passionate rendition of “Jose Mourinho” and Avram Grant stood forlornly, unable to effect the course of a game that had run away from his team. For a family in turmoil, this was an afternoon from hell.
When the game ended, a crescendo of boos rang out as Chelsea fans expressed their disappointment with the team’s performance, the result, and the fact that the team's 66-game unbeaten home run could so easily have been lost. What didn’t happen in three seasons under Mourinho could so easily have taken place in Grant’s first home game.
Consider this scenario from Roman Abramovich’s point of view. Bravely, he chose to sit in the Shed with his right-hand man Eugene Tenenbaum and by his presence there, he tried to say that like most in the 41,837 crowd, he was just another Chelsea fan. Yeah, right. When the crowd chanted “Jose Mourinho”, Roman did not add his voice but instead looked decidedly uneasy, even embarrassed.
When Andriy Shevchenko was replaced early in the second half, the owner didn’t appear to think it was a good move and, of course, when the fans booed at the end, Roman wasn’t really in the mood to join them. You wonder if he silently wondered about the sense of spending hundreds of millions for such strife? From the outside, you wonder whether his love of the club will survive the fans’ love of Mourinho?
Outside the ground, the disgruntled handed out leaflets asking the faithful to leave the match at halftime. “Given the price of ticket here,” someone said, “they had to be joking.” No one did leave and even if the game was far from a classic, it had a soap opera fascination as we wondered if Chelsea could dig themselves out of the hole and ended up watching as the hole just got bigger. Because the challenge for Chelsea was not so much Fulham but to move from a club in turmoil to a club in transition. It wasn’t as easy as you might think. Page three of the club programme carried a photograph of a smiling Mourinho, page five a message from the chairman, “Time To Look Forward”. Mourinho or the future? Which was it? Yesterday, it was far more about Mourinho.
In an interview on Chelsea televison, John Terry vigorously denied having anything to do the former manager’s departure, vowed to sue the two newspapers who said otherwise and said “the most important thing” was for everyone to give the new manager their full support. As for Grant, he sat in the front row of the dugout, leaning forward, seeming more absorbed in a dull match than anyone else in the ground. There were other signs that the guard has changed at the Bridge. Shevchenko played with more authority, as if he had been recently promoted. He popped up here and there, got plenty of possession and did little with it. There was no shortage of desire but his touch was unreliable and, these days, he lacks that little bit of zip needed to go past defenders.
How simple life would be if by just being more positive and more authoritative, Shevchenko could be more effective. It would be fun world if all Chelsea needed to banish the Blues was Grant’s call for a more attacking style. True to the new manager’s philosophy, Chelsea’s blue shirts got forward in great numbers but, alas, to no great effect.
Without Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack, they struggled to create and the longer it went on, the more nervy everyone became and the more the family’s disharmony manifested itself. When Shevchenko twice lost possession in the space of 30 seconds early in the second half, the home crowd’s disaffection expressed itself in animosity towards the Ukrainian.
A minute later, the Stamford Bridge faithful broke into another chorus of “Jose Mourinho” and now it was like a family wedding ? all the unpleasant undercurrents were flowing across the surface and it all threatened to get ugly. Like a benign and well-meaning uncle, Grant replaced Shevchenko, Abramovich put his head in his hands, and interestingly, the Ukrainian almost enthusiastically accepted the manager’s call as he sped off.
But my goodness, it really was a bad day at the office for Chelsea. Didier Drogba sent off, Terry an injury victim and a reminder in that second half that a central defensive partnership of Tal Ben Haim and the Brazilian Alex might not be the best idea in the world. When Diomansy Kamara got a late and great chance to win the game at the death, it was because Chelsea’s defence had disintegrated.
Yet, when it was all over, you had to admire Grant’s equanimity. He said Chelsea weren’t at their best but neither were they at their worst, “somewhere in between”, he said. As for Shevchenko, “he’s a very good player but not at his best today”. Someone asked if he has been at his best this season, and the new head coach stayed as calm as ever. “We’ve played seven or eight games, you need 20 to 25 games before judging.”
The trick for Avram Grant will be to get 25 games.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------People:
30 September 2007STINGING THE BLUES MORE MISERY FOR ROMAN AS BOOS RING AROUND BRIDGETerry KOd and Drog off in hell dayCHELSEA 0 FULHAM 0 By Dave Kidd Avram Grant's traumatic start as Chelsea boss went from bad to worse last night.
His skipper John Terry broke a cheekbone in a clash with Fulham's Clint Dempsey... and Didier Drogba saw red as Grant's team fell further behind Arsenal in the race for the Premier League.
News that the Chelsea and England skipper will have an operation this morning, and faces around six weeks on the sidelines, capped a nightmare first home game in charge for Grant.
Striker Drogba was sent off for two bookable offences and his fellow hitman Andriy Shevchenko was hauled off early in the second half after another horror show as Chelsea failed to score in a fourth straight Premier League match for the first time in nine years.
Grant revealed his players were fuming at American striker Clint Dempsey for an alleged elbow on Terry after only four minutes. The central defender played on until half-time but was then taken to hospital for scans.
Grant said: "My players thought there was an elbow but I haven't seen it properly yet. John wasn't complaining at half-time or asking to be taken off but you cannot take a risk with head injuries." A Chelsea spokesman later confirmed: "John went to hospital and a scan showed a depressed fracture of his right cheek bone.
"He will see a specialist and then be operated on."
Fulham came close to ending Chelsea's 66-match unbeaten home league record when Diomansy Kamara and Paul Konchesky squandered clear late chances.
Chelsea were booed off after their dismal display, which owner Roman Abramovich watched from The Shed as a show of solidarity with fans after the unpopular sacking of Mourinho, but Chelsea's title ambitions are fading fast as they are already eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
Fans chanted for Mourinho and refused to sing Grant's name - although a planned walk out at half-time in support of the departed Portuguese, failed to materialise. Grant admitted: "We have to start scoring and winning very soon.
"We wanted to play positively and we did create seven or eight chances, which was the good thing, but we have to start taking those opportunities." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: Terry injured, Drogba sees red on black day for Blues
Life after Mourinho turns into nightmare for Grant as captain suffers fractured cheekbone and striker is sent off By Paul Newman at Stamford Bridge
It was a sight that summed up Avram Grant's plight. Chelsea's manager stood on the touchline in the final minutes, desperatelytrying to shout instructions to his team, only to have his words drowned out by the loudest chant of the afternoon from a previously subdued Stamford Bridge crowd. The sound of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" echoed around the ground.
If Grant narrowly avoided the ignominy of losing his first home match after succeeding Mourinho, it was hard to imagine a more calamitous first day in front of his own supporters. John Terry, his captain, suffered a fractured cheekbone which is likely to keep him out for several weeks – he will have an operation today and looks certain to miss England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Russia and Estonia next month – while Didier Drogba, his leadingstriker, was shown the red card for two bookable offences.
In the end Grant must have felt grateful to emerge with a point, even if the boos at the final whistle made it seem like a loss. Mourinho had been unbeaten in all his 60 home Premier League matches in charge of Chelsea, and it would have been a huge blow to his successor's credibility if he had started his Stamford Bridge career with a defeat.
Having lost away to Manchester United in Grant's first game in charge, Chelsea have now failed to score in their last four Premier League games, which have yielded just two points. A decent result away to Valencia in the Champions' League this week is now crucial, though Grant spoke with measured calm after the match. He insisted he was not overly concerned by the ground his team had lost in the title race, and said that nothing had surprised him in his new job.
"First we need to score, then we need to win," Grant said. "We created enough chances to win but did not score. There are things we can improve."
Putting the ball in the back of the net will be the first priority. Chelsea dominated this match for long periods and should have been leading comfortably when the game changed with Drogba's dismissal after 73 minutes. The Ivorian, handed the captain's armband after Terry failed to reappear for the second half following a collision with Clint Dempsey, had been needlessly booked for dissent in the first half and was shown his second yellow card when his raised boot caught Chris Baird in the face. Grant refused to criticise Drogbaafterwards, saying he would wait to see television replays before passing judgement.
Grant had taken off his other striker eight minutes into the second half. Mourinho's unhappiness with having Andriy Shevchenko foisted on him by Roman Abramovich was said to be a major cause of his fall-out with the club's owner, and on this evidence you could see the former manager's pointof view.
Shevchenko looked badly out of sorts, not quite knowing whether to play the Frank Lampard role, breaking from midfield, or to forage alongside Drogba. Two woefully inadequate free-kicks by the Ukrainian summed up his frustrations, and it was no surprise whenhe was taken off. "He was not at his best," Grant admittedafterwards.
Chelsea's play was particularlydisjointed in the opening 20 minutes, but Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole became increasingly influential down the flanks and the home side had more than enough chances to win. Kalou was at the centre of the best Chelsea attack of the first half, breaking down the left after good work by Drogba and Shevchenko, only for the latter to end the move by shooting wide of a post.
Kalou wasted an even better opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half. Joe Cole, released by Drogba's fine pass, delivered a perfect cross to the near post, only for Kalou to miss the ball completely. Kalou soon returned the compliment with a well-timed through-ball, but Joe Cole shot just wide of a post.
Fulham defended with spirit. Aaron Hughes and Carlos Bocanegra were rocks at the centre of defence, while Alexey Smertin and Steven Davis gave as good as they got in the centre of midfield.
Dempsey had the best early chance, heading wide from Smertin's cross, but Sanchez's men played a containing game until Drogba's departure gave them the incentive to push forward in the closing stages.
After 85 minutes Paul Konchesky, clean through, saw his shot saved by Petr Cech's feet, while Diomansy Kamara had another excellent opportunity four minutes later. Despite holding off Claude Makelele's challenge, the Senegalese striker screwed his shot just wide of a post.
"I said before the match that we'd win 1-0 and we should have done," Lawrie Sanchez, the Fulham manager, said afterwards. Sanchez believes his men are in a false position near the foot of the table, poor refereeing decisions having cost them vital points, and on this showing they have the all-round strengths to live with most opponents. As for Chelsea, there can be only one verdict: must do better.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
morning papers hull carling cup
The TimesSeptember 27, 2007
Salomon Kalou relieves some of the pressure as Chelsea find their cutting edgeHull 0 Chelsea 4
Matt Hughes
Avram Grant must have feared being fed to the sharks in the nearby aquarium after sitting through 36 scoreless minutes, but to his intense relief, Chelsea’s misfiring players finally showed that they, too, possess teeth after all. Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Steve Sidwell all scored their first goals of the season before the Ivory Coast striker added another to bring a satisfactory end to one of the most turbulent weeks in the club’s history.
After scoring one goal in their previous four matches, any evidence of a cutting edge is to be welcomed by Chelsea, although it would be wrong to assume that a comprehensive win over a team seventh bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship will cure all their ills. Hull’s aquarium is known as The Deep and Chelsea’s players will have driven past it last night well aware they have only just begun to clamber out of the huge hole the club have dug for them.
It is to the players’ credit that Chelsea’s team spirit has survived the trials and tribulations of the past seven days, though other problems remain. The uncertainty created by Grant’s failure to obtain a Uefa Pro Licence has not been resolved, the injured Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have not been given comeback dates and the position of Andriy Shevchenko, an unused substitute last night, remains unclear. To add to the intrigue, Roman Abramovich was absent despite hiring ten bodyguards to guarantee his safety. “If he’s here, you say he picks the team and if he’s not, you say he’s unhappy,” Grant, the Chelsea manager, said. “He missed a good game.”
With a chill wind blowing in from the east, Shevchenko should have felt at home, though it was a strike partnership from warmer parts that secured the holders a place in Saturday’s fourth-round draw. Claudio Pizarro did a passable impression of Drogba by holding the ball up well and showed signs of developing a promising partnership with Kalou, who, after a frustrating start to the season, finally found his shooting boots. After seeing his team-mates score four goals for the first time since a 4-1 win over West Ham United in April, Shevchenko can hardly expect to regain his place for the West London derby against Fulham on Saturday.
Grant praised his players’ clinical finishing and neat build-up play, but Phil Brown, the Hull manager, was more taken with their togetherness and support for the manager. “The one thing I learnt from Chelsea tonight was their players believed in one another and trusted one another,” Brown said. “They proved a point and played for the manager.”
Chelsea’s energetic opening provided an early sign of their enduring spirit as they forced four corners in quick succession. If the final 20 minutes of Chelsea’s Champions League draw with Rosenborg last week had resembled an ice hockey match, as Knut Torum, the Norwegian’s side’s coach, claimed, then this was more like Pinball Wizard. Sidwell’s shot was cleared off the line by Sam Ricketts, Michael Essien’s volley was saved by Bo Myhill and the Ghana midfield player then blasted over the bar after a good run from Shaun Wright-Phillips.
After being besieged for five minutes, Hull showed good spirit themselves to turn the match into a compelling contest, with Jay-Jay Okocha linking well with his wingers, Stuart Elliott and Henrik Pedersen, though their resistance was broken as Chelsea took the lead in the 37th minute.
Juliano Belletti found Wright-Phillips in space down the right, with the England winger crossing for Scott Sinclair to score his first goal for the club on his first start of the season. The 18-year-old showed impressive composure given his inexperience, cutting in from the left to place a right-foot shot past Myhill.
With confidence restored, Chelsea dominated the second half after doubling their lead in the 48th minute, with Kalou exchanging a one-two with Pizarro before meeting his cross with a neat header. Whereas Chelsea’s second goal contained an element of poetry, their third, four minutes later, was the result of sheer power, with Sidwell almost bursting the back of the net with a right-foot shot from 25 yards. Kalou added a fourth late on and Wayne Bridge, the left back, provided more good news by making his first appearance of the season after ankle surgery, though the real tests are yet to come, as Grant admitted.
“All the goals came from combinations with passes between many players,” he said. “Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football. I want the team to play as much attacking football as they can.”
Hull City (4-4-1-1): B Myhill – S Ricketts, M Turner, W Brown, D Delaney (sub: A Dawson, 53min) – H Pedersen (sub: N Featherstone, 73), I Ashbee, D Livermore, S Elliott (sub: R Garcia, 53) – A Okocha – S McPhee. Substitutes not used: B Hughes, T Woodhead. Booked: Brown.
Chelsea (4-4-2): C Cudicini – J Belletti, T Ben Haim, J Terry, A Cole (sub: W Bridge, 65) – S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 48), M Essien (sub: C Makelele, 73), S Sidwell, S Sinclair – C Pizarro, S Kalou. Substitutes not used: Hilário, A Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea back in winning mood
By Tim Rich
Hull City (0) 0 0 Chelsea (1) 4
Avram Grant's wife, a woman flamboyant enough to make Nancy Dell'Olio seem like Norma Major, presents her own television show in Israel, called True Questions.
Although her husband's fate will be determined by rather harder assignments than this, the question: "Will you be humiliated by Hull and sacked by the weekend?" was answered with an emphatic ''no". The response would, however, have had to be relayed to the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, who decided an autumnal night in east Yorkshire was something he could do without. Grant smiled that he had missed a good game.
Abramovich was right to spare himself the journey. After Sunday's defeat by Manchester United, the former Chelsea captain, Marcel Desailly, had made an impassioned appeal for the club's supporters to remember that Chelsea had survived the departures of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli; men who at the time had seemed as pivotal to Chelsea's future as Jose Mourinho.
This was the kind of victory that, had you woken from a week-long coma, you would assume came from a side still associated with him. In Mourinho's three seasons at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea never remotely looked like losing to lower-division opposition – and nor did they last night.
And yet not even when Salomon Kalou converted his second goal and Chelsea's fourth nine minutes from time did the travelling support mention Grant's name. Even when the match was long-since done you could hear a faint echo, sung to the Waltz of the Toreadors, of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" dissolving into the night skies.
The "Special One" banner that Chelsea's supporters had rallied behind at Old Trafford on Sunday was not at the KC Stadium last night but the first and last chants were all about a man whose ghost dominates the club he has left in the way that Brian Clough and Kevin Keegan haunted Derby and Newcastle. At the Baseball Ground, Clough's successor, Dave Mackay, coped; at St James' Park, Kenny Dalglish did not. With the pick of Europe's coaches, from Guus Hiddink to Marco van Basten, standing in the shadows, Grant still needs more than 4-0 wins over sides who are 18th in the Championship.
Maybe it is time for perspective. This was the sixth time the cups had taken Chelsea to Humberside and they had sometimes arrived in a far worse state than now. Their 2-0 victory at Boothferry Park in 1982 was at the time Chelsea's ruinous debt was threatening to turn Stamford Bridge into a particularly expensive housing estate. This may be a crisis but there have been worse.
When Scott Sinclair drilled his shot with geometric precision into the corner of Bo Myhill's goal in the 37th minute, the crisis began to ease. And as Kalou headed into a virtually unguarded net, it was clear that the gulf between the two sides could not be spanned even by the sweeping girders of the Humber Bridge. After the 52nd minute, when Steve Sidwell hammered home his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, thoughts began to stray to Chelsea's last visit to Humberside under Vialli, which ended in a 6-1 rout in the FA Cup.
Although they carried their greatest threat when the game was irretrievably lost, Hull did exactly what might be expected of them. They began the night shooting fireworks into the chill night air and hired a rather splendid opera singer, who, for those still concerned by the Divorce of Jose, reeled off a number from The Marriage of Figaro and inevitably, Nessun Dorma, which was introduced as "a song about winning".
If Hull were to grab the most memorable victory in their history, then you imagined that Jay-Jay Okocha would have to play some part in it all. The great Nigerian sparked one flicker of the old brilliance, pulling back a pass that Stephen McPhee drove just over the bar.
That was the closest Hull were to come until they were three goals down. Their manager, Phil Brown, who got to know Grant when negotiating Tal Ben-Haim's transfer to Bolton as Sam Allardyce's assistant, thought Chelsea unlucky to have lost at Old Trafford and thought them clinical here.
Given the controversy that has surrounded the Chelsea captain, Grant was right to start with John Terry, who made one critical interception and then on the final whistle kissed his badge and threw his shirt into the crowd. Terry is not the sort of man to endure humiliation and he was not about to begin now.
Match details
Hull City: (4-5-1) Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown Delaney (Dawson 53); Pedersen (Featherstone 71), Ashbee, Livermore, McPhee, Okocha; Elliott (Garcia 53). Subs: Woodhead (g), Hughes. Booked: Brown. Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole 49) Essien (Makelele 71), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou, Pizarro. Subs: Hilario (g), Makelele, Shevchenko.Goals: Sinclair 37, Kalou 48, Sidwell 52, Kalou 81. Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Hull City 0 Chelsea 4: Hull proves to be Grant's welcome break By Jason Burt
Victories like this were routine for Jose Mourinho – although he would have curled his lip as Chelsea kept attacking when the contest was over – but Hull away will forever have a place in the heart of his successor Avram Grant.
Not that he has found his way into the affections of Chelsea's supporters. There were songs for Mourinho, Frank Lampard and even Gianfranco Zola, but the Israeli? Nothing. It may take more than dismissing a side languishing 18th in the Championship, and fielding a weakened line-up, for that to happen.
But there was also an ironic chant of "boring, boring Chelsea" and Grant, charged with creating a more entertaining style, can be pleased with that. This was, after all, not just a would-be banana skin for the new manager, coming to grips with his elevation, but a whole crate of fetid, stinking fruit that could have been poured over his head with anything short of a resounding win.
The Carling Cup, of which Chelsea are the holders, was the first trophy won by Mourinho. Whether Grant is even still around for the final next spring, never mind reaching it, remains to be seen. But there was satisfaction in the performance and the goals even if owner Roman Abramovich was delayed and wasn't, apparently, able to fly north to take up one of the 24 seats reserved for his entourage.
"I think he missed a good game," said Grant, wary of accusations that it is his pay-master, not he, who is picking the team but emboldened by a vibrant performance to try a little wit of his own. "Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football," he added. It's the kind of statement that would have had Mourinho throwing his arms up in disgust. Surely, he would have said, the only target is winning? But, as he found out, that ultimately was not enough.
Grant awoke yesterday to claims that, after just one week in situ, his job had been offered to Marco van Basten. Chelsea responded robustly to that by denying any such thing, though such is their record of not being totally clear with the truth, so to speak, it was probably a waste of time doing so. But it backed the new man and he responded with a selection of intent and a first-choice core. He knew he could not lose so there was no rest for John Terry and his bruised toe or, after the events of last week, his bruised ego either.
There was, however, no place for Andrei Shevchenko, who found himself parked on the bench as Chelsea propelled Hull back with a succession of corners. It was a long way for the Ukrainian to travel to not take part although he could have been forgiven for rolling his eyes opportunities were wasted.
Hull gradually worked their way back into the match, prompted by the guile of Jay-Jay Okocha and, also, aided by a wretched performance by Ashley Cole. But nerves were steadied when Shaun Wright-Phillips – who later hobbled off although Grant claimed he was "fine" – pulled the ball back to Scott Sinclair. The 18-year-old calmly arced a right-foot shot into the corner of the net for his first Chelsea goal.
Immediately after the interval Chelsea struck again. It was a sweeping move with Claudio Pizarro nimbly picking out Salomon Kalou who attempted to head home but was beaten to it by the hapless Damien Delaney for an own goal. Suddenly Chelsea were on fire even if Hull's Ian Ashbee missed a glorious headed opportunity.
Another swift attack, with Ashley Cole and Pizarro combining down the left, ended with the ball being laid to Steve Sidwell who struck home a crisp drive from 25 yards. Terry had a header cleared off the line and then Joe Cole, an eager substitute, skipped down the left and picked out Kalou who side-footed in to complete the scoring.
The Hull manager, Phil Brown, was phlegmatic. "It was always going to be about Chelsea and Avram Grant," he said. "They've proved a point. Avram's got a great chance." It may not be a universally-held view but his prospects have certainly improved.
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney (Dawson, 53); Ashbee, Livermore; Pedersen (Featherstone, 73), Okocha, Elliott (Garcia, 53), McPhee. Substitutes not used: Woodhead (gk), Hughes.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge, 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 49), Essien (Makelele, 73), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou Pizarro. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chelsea rout kick-starts Grant era
Louise Taylor at the KC StadiumThursday September 27, 2007The Guardian
Jose who? Admittedly it was against a Championship side in the Carling Cup but a vibrant Chelsea performance suffused with goals and improvisational attacking suggested there just might be a life for the Blues post Mourinho after all.Moreover this new era may even include an extended managerial stay for Avram Grant, the Pro licence-less former Israel manager who choreographed Chelsea's first win in five games with a pleasingly fluent game plan far removed from Mourinho's hallmark conservatism.
It was the sort of tie his predecessor would conceivably have been happy to win by a one- or two-goal margin but, bolstered by his team's rapid counter-attacking, Grant marked his first victory with a bold mission statement. "That's the sort of football I want Chelsea to play, that's very much the goal," he said. "I'm happy with the performance. There were good combinations between many players, good passing and four goals."Indeed the only shame was that Roman Abramovich - who had booked a place in the directors' box, plus 10 more for his minders - was not there to see it. "I think he missed a good game," said Grant, who was unperturbed by occasional chants of "Jose Mourinho" from the away end. "Managers come and go but players want to play for the club," he shrugged.
At the end of a day when Chelsea denied reports that they were considering appointing Marco van Basten in Grant's stead, Mourinho's successor felt sufficiently confident to make seven changes from the side that lost at Manchester United on Sunday.
Grant's team looked eager from the off and might easily have taken a quick lead. The Israeli has not exactly enjoyed the best of luck with refereeing decisions during his short time in charge and must have been frustrated to see his side denied a clear penalty for handball in the third minute when Hull's left-back, Damien Delaney, sneakily stretched out a hand to palm Salomon Kalou's shot wide.
The visitors also forced a flurry of corners but, when Jay-Jay Okocha began reminding everyone that he can still pass a bit and deliver a mean dead ball, John Terry was required to make a couple of important headed clearances.
Phil Brown, Hull's manager, had asked his players to "dare to dream" and, inspired by the influential Okocha, they gradually began enjoying some protracted periods of possession and might even have taken the lead if Stephen McPhee had not angled an inviting headed chance wide. Poor McPhee would later spurn a similarly promising opening after an Okocha cross wrong-footed Terry and Tal Ben Haim.
Scott Sinclair's finishing proved far more precise as the left-sided winger accelerated seamlessly to meet Shaun Wright-Phillips' square ball across the box and promptly sidefoot beyond the helpless Bo Myhill, who was unsighted by Terry's presence in an arguably offside position.
Brown's hitherto resilient defence had failed to register the danger when Wright-Phillips exchanged slick passes with Juliano Belletti before cutting in from the right and centring for Sinclair's first senior goal for Chelsea. Loaned to Plymouth last season, Sinclair has long been tipped for great things by Mourinho and looks ready for a chance in the Premier League.
It was the first truly chilly night of autumn in east Yorkshire but Grant must surely have felt beautifully warm when Chelsea began the second half with a second goal rather generously credited to Kalou. In reality it appeared more of an own-goal on the part of Delaney, who seemed to head Claudio Pizarro's delicately chipped cross into his own net after jumping for the ball with Kalou.
There was no doubt about the identity of the next scorer though, Steve Sidwell claiming his first goal for Chelsea since arriving from Reading in the summer, his drive struck with the outside of a boot from about 22 yards.
Although Okocha curled a free-kick inches wide, Chelsea highlighted their superiority when their substitutes Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge exchanged passes down the left before the former centred for Kalou to turn and beat Myhill with a neat, first-time, left-foot finish. "A lesson in quality," said Brown. "And I thought Chelsea played for their manager tonight."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Hull 0-4 Chelsea: Kalou double gets Grant off the mark
By NEIL ASHTON
Jose Mourinho singled out Scott Sinclair for special praise when he made his final farewells at the training ground last week.
'You can be a star,' he told the youngster during an emotional exchange in the changing room and last night he lived up to his billing with the goal that temporarily took the pressure off Avram Grant.
The name of the Carling Cup holders is in the hat for Saturday's fourth-round draw and that is all that counts after they survived their 400-mile round trip to Hull.
Phil Brown's side, 18th in the Championship, made a fist of it, but Sinclair swept Hull aside with a 37th-minute effort. They finished off the job when Hull left-back Damien Delaney headed into his own net three minutes after the break, Steven Sidwell scored his first goal for the club with a long-range strike and Salomon Kalou converted an incisive pass from Joe Cole.
It means Grant is off the hook for the time being, but Saturday's visit of west London rivals Fulham promises to be a far bigger test.
Grant made seven changes to the side who lost to Manchester United on Sunday, but there was still a familiar feel about this Chelsea lineup.
Skipper John Terry, along with Michael Essien, Carlo Cudicini and Shaun Wright-Phillips, are all part of the fabric of the club and they were expected to carry Chelsea into the fourth round.
They were stuttering before Mourinho left the club last Wednesday, but there has been little to suggest that Grant is capable of steadying the ship. Chelsea are five points off the pace in the Premier League and the new manager will need more than a good run in the Carling Cup to sweet-talk Chelsea's sceptical supporters.
Grant believes he can transform the team's fortunes. He left Andriy Shevchenko, lethargic and heavylegged at Old Trafford, on the bench and paired Claudio Pizarro with Kalou up front.
Kalou had the first chance of the game when Terry's header fell kindly to him inside the penalty area, but his half-volley appeared to strike the arm of Hull defender Delaney. Referee Chris Foy initially believed Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill had turned his effort around the post, but television replays suggested that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty.
It was a let-off for Hull, but Brown's side were playing without fear. Jay-Jay Okocha, who played under the Hull chief when he was assistant manager at Bolton, had a typically flamboyant effort turned around the post.
Some of Hull's players are still tuning into his wavelength after his surprise arrival on Humberside, but he is the classiest player to have worn this club's colours.
He might have lost his pace, but he will never lose the tricks of the trade and he was determined to go through the whole repertoire in front of an expectant home crowd.
Okocha's early effort settled Hull's nerves, but they lacked the final ball. David Livermore and Stuart Elliott probed down each wing, but Chelsea's defence was always a yard quicker to the ball.
Terry, who has been the bedrock of Chelsea success over the last three years, provided the towering clearances whenever Hull threatened to expose their fragile confidence.
Chelsea were not without chances in a first half that was evenly contested.
Wright-Phillips, recalled to the team after being surprisingly axed last Sunday, shot wildly over the crossbar and Pizarro's goalbound flick was turned away for a corner.
Steven Sidwell, who had made just two appearances for the club, excelled in the centre of midfield, but Hull had their own share of outstanding performers.
Hull skipper Ian Ashbee was full of running, but there were stellar performances from Wayne Brown and Michael Turner at the heart of Hull's defence.
Myhill, among the best keepers in the Championship, saved well at the feet of the oncoming Wright- Phillips, but there was nothing he could do about the opener.
Hull were too slow to react when Wright-Phillips exchanged passes with Juliano Belletti from a corner and Sinclair timed his run from the left to perfection.
Wright-Phillips executed the pass across the penalty area and Sinclair sidefooted home Chelsea's opener.
Hull responded when McPhee connected with Okocha's cross from the right, but Cudicini was relieved to see his crisply taken effort clear the bar.
Hull collapsed like a pack of cards after the break. Delaney appeared to meet Pizarro's cross first to head the ball past his own keeper under pressure from Kalou and they were out of the competition when Sidwell scored his first goal for the club.
The Chelsea midfielder has taken time to settle at Stamford Bridge, but he was mobbed by team-mates when his 25-yard strike beat Myhill.
It was a stunning effort from the Chelsea midfielder, but Hull were no match for the visitors last night.
Particularly when Joe Cole cut in from the left and side-footed a perfect pass for Kalou to score the fourth nine minutes from time.
HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill 7; Ricketts 6, Brown 8, Turner 7, Delaney (Dawson 53min, 6); Livermore 6, Ashbee 7, Okocha 7, Elliott 6 (Garcia 53, 6); Pedersen 6 (Featherston 73, 6), McPhee 6.
Booked: Brown.
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cudicini 6; Belletti 6, Ben Haim 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6 (Bridge 65, 6); Wright-Phillips 7 (J Cole 49, 7), Essien 6 (Makalele 73, 6), Sidwell 7, Sinclair 7; Pizarro 6, Kalou 6.
Man of the match: Steve Sidwell.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Hull City 0 Chelsea 4 By IAN McGARRYSeptember 27, 2007 HAVING weathered the Jose Mourinho storm, Avram Grant looked into the eye of the Tigers last night and escaped unscathed.
The new Chelsea boss won his first match since taking over to see Blues safely into round four.
It was a favourite competition for Grant’s predecessor — with the Portuguese coach having won it twice.
The last time was in February when Mourinho famously gave Roman Abramovich a five-finger salute to remind him how many trophies he’d won.
No doubt, the billionaire owner would have also been pleased with last night’s display. Not so pleasing, though, was the still fervent support for the departed Mourinho from the hardcore of Blues fans.
But Scott Sinclair and Steve Sidwell got first strikes for the club and Salomon Kalou headed home in between. He also smashed home a fourth nine minutes from time.
After a nervy start and seven changes from the team which lost at Old Trafford, it was just what the doctor ordered.
In the past, the Blues squad for games like this would have been light on stars. The teamsheet for this was anything but. Only Sinclair could be classed as one for the future. Skipper John Terry was there as was Ashley Cole and Michael Essien. Apart from the injured players, only Petr Cech and Florent Malouda were excluded.
The biggest shock was Andriy Shevchenko — replaced by Claudio Pizzaro — being left on the bench.
Essien took less than two minutes to cause Grant to lose his rag though when he passed short to Jay-Jay Okocha. Luckily for Chelsea, Hull’s brilliant Nigerian fluffed the opening.
Kalou then had a volley well blocked by Hull No 1 Boaz Myhill and the Tigers survived.
Terry must have hoped for a quiet night on Humberside but was called on several times to clear his lines.
Sam Ricketts found Steve McPhee with a perfect cross but the striker steered a free header wide. Okocha was running riot and released Stuart Elliot whose cross was hacked clear.
Shaun Wright-Phillips should have put Chelsea in front but fired straight at Myhill. He did better after 37 minutes setting up Sinclair who curled home.
Three minutes after the break Kalou made no mistake although he and defender Damien Delaney met Pizarro’s cross together.
Grant immediately withdrew Wright-Phillips and put on Joe Cole with the message to kill the game.
The players took the call to heart and four minutes later it was 3-0 through Sidwell’s 20-yarder.
Hull’s spirit did not falter and Henrik Pedersen, Okocha and Ian Ashbee went close. Even when Kalou fired in a lovely left-foot shot their heads did not drop.
One win means Grant can breathe a little easier — at least until Saturday when they face a much tougher test at home to Fulham.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
GRANT'S SINCING FEELING Scott gives new boss his first win Hull 0 Chelsea 4
Simon Bird 27/09/2007
Jose Mourinho helped Chelsea to victory last night - seven days after losing his job.
The former boss's final act at Chelsea's training ground last Thursday was to hug youngster Scott Sinclair and tell him: You'll be a big star one day.
And feeding off that boost from his departing boss, the 18-year-old stepped up to the first team last night, grabbed his first goal for the club, and gave new manager Avram Grant his first win.
The 18-year-old sent Chelsea on the way to a comprehensive victory, Chelsea's first in five games. Grant has been told to deliver goals and more exciting football by owner Roman Abramovich.
AdvertisementWell, the goals certainly came quickly once Hull's resistance had been broken. The next test is to reproduce this finishing against Premiership opposition. Bathborn Sinclair, controversially poached from Bristol Rovers two years ago, set Chelsea up for an easy win with his 38th minute curler.
Three minutes after the break Salomon Kalou scrambled in a cross from Claudio Pizarro to make it a cruise for the visitors after an uncomfortable first half.
Four minutes later Steve Sidwell rifled in his debut goal for his new club from 25 yards.
And Kalou tucked away his second of the evening in the 81st minute with his left foot from Joe Cole's cross.
It may have only been Hull City, a lowly Championship club, in the Carling Cup, but for Grant it was a vital win to settle the club after a hellish week when the figure of Mourinho has loomed large.
One down side for Chelsea was Shaun Wright-Phillips limping out of the game in the second half with an injury that England boss Steve McClaren will be concerned about.
Abramovich wasn't at the KC Stadium and missed the banner warning the Russian: "This club is ours and not your toy." The opening goal of Grant's new regime came seven minutes before half-time, and settled a performance that reflected the uncertainty at the club.
Shaun Wright-Phillips whipped a low ball across the box which left Hull's retreating defence flat-footed. Sinclair collected the ball on the right edge of the area and curled a side-footed effort through a host of bodies into the far corner.
It was only Chelsea's second goal in their last five games.
It was the Championship strugglers, and Jay-Jay Okocha, who produced the early tricks, flicks and chances, that required some well-timed defensive blocks to repel. Chelsea treated the game with respect by fielding the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien when under normal circumstances they would have been rested for an early round Carling Cup tie.
Grant's men were busy in defence as Henrik Pedersen sent a header just wide.
Chelsea right-back Juliano Belletti also needed to be sharp in snuffing out a Stephen McPhee chance as Hull took the game to the Blues.
Geordie Stuart Elliott was next to threaten down the left with an excellent cross and McPhee blazed another chance over. But once Sinclair broke the deadlock, Hull's hopes of an upset were well and truly crushed.
Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney, Okocha, Ashbee, Livermore, Elliott, McPhee, Pedersen.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Belletti, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Sinclair, Pizarro.
40% POSSESSION 60%
3 SHOTS ON TARGET 11
7 SHOTS OFF TARGET 1
2 OFFSIDES 5
5 CORNERS 13
11 FOULS 16
1 YELLOW CARDS 0
0 RED CARDS 0
AT TENDANCE: 23,543
Man Of The Match: Kalou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salomon Kalou relieves some of the pressure as Chelsea find their cutting edgeHull 0 Chelsea 4
Matt Hughes
Avram Grant must have feared being fed to the sharks in the nearby aquarium after sitting through 36 scoreless minutes, but to his intense relief, Chelsea’s misfiring players finally showed that they, too, possess teeth after all. Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Steve Sidwell all scored their first goals of the season before the Ivory Coast striker added another to bring a satisfactory end to one of the most turbulent weeks in the club’s history.
After scoring one goal in their previous four matches, any evidence of a cutting edge is to be welcomed by Chelsea, although it would be wrong to assume that a comprehensive win over a team seventh bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship will cure all their ills. Hull’s aquarium is known as The Deep and Chelsea’s players will have driven past it last night well aware they have only just begun to clamber out of the huge hole the club have dug for them.
It is to the players’ credit that Chelsea’s team spirit has survived the trials and tribulations of the past seven days, though other problems remain. The uncertainty created by Grant’s failure to obtain a Uefa Pro Licence has not been resolved, the injured Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have not been given comeback dates and the position of Andriy Shevchenko, an unused substitute last night, remains unclear. To add to the intrigue, Roman Abramovich was absent despite hiring ten bodyguards to guarantee his safety. “If he’s here, you say he picks the team and if he’s not, you say he’s unhappy,” Grant, the Chelsea manager, said. “He missed a good game.”
With a chill wind blowing in from the east, Shevchenko should have felt at home, though it was a strike partnership from warmer parts that secured the holders a place in Saturday’s fourth-round draw. Claudio Pizarro did a passable impression of Drogba by holding the ball up well and showed signs of developing a promising partnership with Kalou, who, after a frustrating start to the season, finally found his shooting boots. After seeing his team-mates score four goals for the first time since a 4-1 win over West Ham United in April, Shevchenko can hardly expect to regain his place for the West London derby against Fulham on Saturday.
Grant praised his players’ clinical finishing and neat build-up play, but Phil Brown, the Hull manager, was more taken with their togetherness and support for the manager. “The one thing I learnt from Chelsea tonight was their players believed in one another and trusted one another,” Brown said. “They proved a point and played for the manager.”
Chelsea’s energetic opening provided an early sign of their enduring spirit as they forced four corners in quick succession. If the final 20 minutes of Chelsea’s Champions League draw with Rosenborg last week had resembled an ice hockey match, as Knut Torum, the Norwegian’s side’s coach, claimed, then this was more like Pinball Wizard. Sidwell’s shot was cleared off the line by Sam Ricketts, Michael Essien’s volley was saved by Bo Myhill and the Ghana midfield player then blasted over the bar after a good run from Shaun Wright-Phillips.
After being besieged for five minutes, Hull showed good spirit themselves to turn the match into a compelling contest, with Jay-Jay Okocha linking well with his wingers, Stuart Elliott and Henrik Pedersen, though their resistance was broken as Chelsea took the lead in the 37th minute.
Juliano Belletti found Wright-Phillips in space down the right, with the England winger crossing for Scott Sinclair to score his first goal for the club on his first start of the season. The 18-year-old showed impressive composure given his inexperience, cutting in from the left to place a right-foot shot past Myhill.
With confidence restored, Chelsea dominated the second half after doubling their lead in the 48th minute, with Kalou exchanging a one-two with Pizarro before meeting his cross with a neat header. Whereas Chelsea’s second goal contained an element of poetry, their third, four minutes later, was the result of sheer power, with Sidwell almost bursting the back of the net with a right-foot shot from 25 yards. Kalou added a fourth late on and Wayne Bridge, the left back, provided more good news by making his first appearance of the season after ankle surgery, though the real tests are yet to come, as Grant admitted.
“All the goals came from combinations with passes between many players,” he said. “Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football. I want the team to play as much attacking football as they can.”
Hull City (4-4-1-1): B Myhill – S Ricketts, M Turner, W Brown, D Delaney (sub: A Dawson, 53min) – H Pedersen (sub: N Featherstone, 73), I Ashbee, D Livermore, S Elliott (sub: R Garcia, 53) – A Okocha – S McPhee. Substitutes not used: B Hughes, T Woodhead. Booked: Brown.
Chelsea (4-4-2): C Cudicini – J Belletti, T Ben Haim, J Terry, A Cole (sub: W Bridge, 65) – S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 48), M Essien (sub: C Makelele, 73), S Sidwell, S Sinclair – C Pizarro, S Kalou. Substitutes not used: Hilário, A Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea back in winning mood
By Tim Rich
Hull City (0) 0 0 Chelsea (1) 4
Avram Grant's wife, a woman flamboyant enough to make Nancy Dell'Olio seem like Norma Major, presents her own television show in Israel, called True Questions.
Although her husband's fate will be determined by rather harder assignments than this, the question: "Will you be humiliated by Hull and sacked by the weekend?" was answered with an emphatic ''no". The response would, however, have had to be relayed to the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, who decided an autumnal night in east Yorkshire was something he could do without. Grant smiled that he had missed a good game.
Abramovich was right to spare himself the journey. After Sunday's defeat by Manchester United, the former Chelsea captain, Marcel Desailly, had made an impassioned appeal for the club's supporters to remember that Chelsea had survived the departures of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli; men who at the time had seemed as pivotal to Chelsea's future as Jose Mourinho.
This was the kind of victory that, had you woken from a week-long coma, you would assume came from a side still associated with him. In Mourinho's three seasons at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea never remotely looked like losing to lower-division opposition – and nor did they last night.
And yet not even when Salomon Kalou converted his second goal and Chelsea's fourth nine minutes from time did the travelling support mention Grant's name. Even when the match was long-since done you could hear a faint echo, sung to the Waltz of the Toreadors, of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" dissolving into the night skies.
The "Special One" banner that Chelsea's supporters had rallied behind at Old Trafford on Sunday was not at the KC Stadium last night but the first and last chants were all about a man whose ghost dominates the club he has left in the way that Brian Clough and Kevin Keegan haunted Derby and Newcastle. At the Baseball Ground, Clough's successor, Dave Mackay, coped; at St James' Park, Kenny Dalglish did not. With the pick of Europe's coaches, from Guus Hiddink to Marco van Basten, standing in the shadows, Grant still needs more than 4-0 wins over sides who are 18th in the Championship.
Maybe it is time for perspective. This was the sixth time the cups had taken Chelsea to Humberside and they had sometimes arrived in a far worse state than now. Their 2-0 victory at Boothferry Park in 1982 was at the time Chelsea's ruinous debt was threatening to turn Stamford Bridge into a particularly expensive housing estate. This may be a crisis but there have been worse.
When Scott Sinclair drilled his shot with geometric precision into the corner of Bo Myhill's goal in the 37th minute, the crisis began to ease. And as Kalou headed into a virtually unguarded net, it was clear that the gulf between the two sides could not be spanned even by the sweeping girders of the Humber Bridge. After the 52nd minute, when Steve Sidwell hammered home his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, thoughts began to stray to Chelsea's last visit to Humberside under Vialli, which ended in a 6-1 rout in the FA Cup.
Although they carried their greatest threat when the game was irretrievably lost, Hull did exactly what might be expected of them. They began the night shooting fireworks into the chill night air and hired a rather splendid opera singer, who, for those still concerned by the Divorce of Jose, reeled off a number from The Marriage of Figaro and inevitably, Nessun Dorma, which was introduced as "a song about winning".
If Hull were to grab the most memorable victory in their history, then you imagined that Jay-Jay Okocha would have to play some part in it all. The great Nigerian sparked one flicker of the old brilliance, pulling back a pass that Stephen McPhee drove just over the bar.
That was the closest Hull were to come until they were three goals down. Their manager, Phil Brown, who got to know Grant when negotiating Tal Ben-Haim's transfer to Bolton as Sam Allardyce's assistant, thought Chelsea unlucky to have lost at Old Trafford and thought them clinical here.
Given the controversy that has surrounded the Chelsea captain, Grant was right to start with John Terry, who made one critical interception and then on the final whistle kissed his badge and threw his shirt into the crowd. Terry is not the sort of man to endure humiliation and he was not about to begin now.
Match details
Hull City: (4-5-1) Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown Delaney (Dawson 53); Pedersen (Featherstone 71), Ashbee, Livermore, McPhee, Okocha; Elliott (Garcia 53). Subs: Woodhead (g), Hughes. Booked: Brown. Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole 49) Essien (Makelele 71), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou, Pizarro. Subs: Hilario (g), Makelele, Shevchenko.Goals: Sinclair 37, Kalou 48, Sidwell 52, Kalou 81. Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Hull City 0 Chelsea 4: Hull proves to be Grant's welcome break By Jason Burt
Victories like this were routine for Jose Mourinho – although he would have curled his lip as Chelsea kept attacking when the contest was over – but Hull away will forever have a place in the heart of his successor Avram Grant.
Not that he has found his way into the affections of Chelsea's supporters. There were songs for Mourinho, Frank Lampard and even Gianfranco Zola, but the Israeli? Nothing. It may take more than dismissing a side languishing 18th in the Championship, and fielding a weakened line-up, for that to happen.
But there was also an ironic chant of "boring, boring Chelsea" and Grant, charged with creating a more entertaining style, can be pleased with that. This was, after all, not just a would-be banana skin for the new manager, coming to grips with his elevation, but a whole crate of fetid, stinking fruit that could have been poured over his head with anything short of a resounding win.
The Carling Cup, of which Chelsea are the holders, was the first trophy won by Mourinho. Whether Grant is even still around for the final next spring, never mind reaching it, remains to be seen. But there was satisfaction in the performance and the goals even if owner Roman Abramovich was delayed and wasn't, apparently, able to fly north to take up one of the 24 seats reserved for his entourage.
"I think he missed a good game," said Grant, wary of accusations that it is his pay-master, not he, who is picking the team but emboldened by a vibrant performance to try a little wit of his own. "Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football," he added. It's the kind of statement that would have had Mourinho throwing his arms up in disgust. Surely, he would have said, the only target is winning? But, as he found out, that ultimately was not enough.
Grant awoke yesterday to claims that, after just one week in situ, his job had been offered to Marco van Basten. Chelsea responded robustly to that by denying any such thing, though such is their record of not being totally clear with the truth, so to speak, it was probably a waste of time doing so. But it backed the new man and he responded with a selection of intent and a first-choice core. He knew he could not lose so there was no rest for John Terry and his bruised toe or, after the events of last week, his bruised ego either.
There was, however, no place for Andrei Shevchenko, who found himself parked on the bench as Chelsea propelled Hull back with a succession of corners. It was a long way for the Ukrainian to travel to not take part although he could have been forgiven for rolling his eyes opportunities were wasted.
Hull gradually worked their way back into the match, prompted by the guile of Jay-Jay Okocha and, also, aided by a wretched performance by Ashley Cole. But nerves were steadied when Shaun Wright-Phillips – who later hobbled off although Grant claimed he was "fine" – pulled the ball back to Scott Sinclair. The 18-year-old calmly arced a right-foot shot into the corner of the net for his first Chelsea goal.
Immediately after the interval Chelsea struck again. It was a sweeping move with Claudio Pizarro nimbly picking out Salomon Kalou who attempted to head home but was beaten to it by the hapless Damien Delaney for an own goal. Suddenly Chelsea were on fire even if Hull's Ian Ashbee missed a glorious headed opportunity.
Another swift attack, with Ashley Cole and Pizarro combining down the left, ended with the ball being laid to Steve Sidwell who struck home a crisp drive from 25 yards. Terry had a header cleared off the line and then Joe Cole, an eager substitute, skipped down the left and picked out Kalou who side-footed in to complete the scoring.
The Hull manager, Phil Brown, was phlegmatic. "It was always going to be about Chelsea and Avram Grant," he said. "They've proved a point. Avram's got a great chance." It may not be a universally-held view but his prospects have certainly improved.
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney (Dawson, 53); Ashbee, Livermore; Pedersen (Featherstone, 73), Okocha, Elliott (Garcia, 53), McPhee. Substitutes not used: Woodhead (gk), Hughes.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge, 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 49), Essien (Makelele, 73), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou Pizarro. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chelsea rout kick-starts Grant era
Louise Taylor at the KC StadiumThursday September 27, 2007The Guardian
Jose who? Admittedly it was against a Championship side in the Carling Cup but a vibrant Chelsea performance suffused with goals and improvisational attacking suggested there just might be a life for the Blues post Mourinho after all.Moreover this new era may even include an extended managerial stay for Avram Grant, the Pro licence-less former Israel manager who choreographed Chelsea's first win in five games with a pleasingly fluent game plan far removed from Mourinho's hallmark conservatism.
It was the sort of tie his predecessor would conceivably have been happy to win by a one- or two-goal margin but, bolstered by his team's rapid counter-attacking, Grant marked his first victory with a bold mission statement. "That's the sort of football I want Chelsea to play, that's very much the goal," he said. "I'm happy with the performance. There were good combinations between many players, good passing and four goals."Indeed the only shame was that Roman Abramovich - who had booked a place in the directors' box, plus 10 more for his minders - was not there to see it. "I think he missed a good game," said Grant, who was unperturbed by occasional chants of "Jose Mourinho" from the away end. "Managers come and go but players want to play for the club," he shrugged.
At the end of a day when Chelsea denied reports that they were considering appointing Marco van Basten in Grant's stead, Mourinho's successor felt sufficiently confident to make seven changes from the side that lost at Manchester United on Sunday.
Grant's team looked eager from the off and might easily have taken a quick lead. The Israeli has not exactly enjoyed the best of luck with refereeing decisions during his short time in charge and must have been frustrated to see his side denied a clear penalty for handball in the third minute when Hull's left-back, Damien Delaney, sneakily stretched out a hand to palm Salomon Kalou's shot wide.
The visitors also forced a flurry of corners but, when Jay-Jay Okocha began reminding everyone that he can still pass a bit and deliver a mean dead ball, John Terry was required to make a couple of important headed clearances.
Phil Brown, Hull's manager, had asked his players to "dare to dream" and, inspired by the influential Okocha, they gradually began enjoying some protracted periods of possession and might even have taken the lead if Stephen McPhee had not angled an inviting headed chance wide. Poor McPhee would later spurn a similarly promising opening after an Okocha cross wrong-footed Terry and Tal Ben Haim.
Scott Sinclair's finishing proved far more precise as the left-sided winger accelerated seamlessly to meet Shaun Wright-Phillips' square ball across the box and promptly sidefoot beyond the helpless Bo Myhill, who was unsighted by Terry's presence in an arguably offside position.
Brown's hitherto resilient defence had failed to register the danger when Wright-Phillips exchanged slick passes with Juliano Belletti before cutting in from the right and centring for Sinclair's first senior goal for Chelsea. Loaned to Plymouth last season, Sinclair has long been tipped for great things by Mourinho and looks ready for a chance in the Premier League.
It was the first truly chilly night of autumn in east Yorkshire but Grant must surely have felt beautifully warm when Chelsea began the second half with a second goal rather generously credited to Kalou. In reality it appeared more of an own-goal on the part of Delaney, who seemed to head Claudio Pizarro's delicately chipped cross into his own net after jumping for the ball with Kalou.
There was no doubt about the identity of the next scorer though, Steve Sidwell claiming his first goal for Chelsea since arriving from Reading in the summer, his drive struck with the outside of a boot from about 22 yards.
Although Okocha curled a free-kick inches wide, Chelsea highlighted their superiority when their substitutes Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge exchanged passes down the left before the former centred for Kalou to turn and beat Myhill with a neat, first-time, left-foot finish. "A lesson in quality," said Brown. "And I thought Chelsea played for their manager tonight."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Hull 0-4 Chelsea: Kalou double gets Grant off the mark
By NEIL ASHTON
Jose Mourinho singled out Scott Sinclair for special praise when he made his final farewells at the training ground last week.
'You can be a star,' he told the youngster during an emotional exchange in the changing room and last night he lived up to his billing with the goal that temporarily took the pressure off Avram Grant.
The name of the Carling Cup holders is in the hat for Saturday's fourth-round draw and that is all that counts after they survived their 400-mile round trip to Hull.
Phil Brown's side, 18th in the Championship, made a fist of it, but Sinclair swept Hull aside with a 37th-minute effort. They finished off the job when Hull left-back Damien Delaney headed into his own net three minutes after the break, Steven Sidwell scored his first goal for the club with a long-range strike and Salomon Kalou converted an incisive pass from Joe Cole.
It means Grant is off the hook for the time being, but Saturday's visit of west London rivals Fulham promises to be a far bigger test.
Grant made seven changes to the side who lost to Manchester United on Sunday, but there was still a familiar feel about this Chelsea lineup.
Skipper John Terry, along with Michael Essien, Carlo Cudicini and Shaun Wright-Phillips, are all part of the fabric of the club and they were expected to carry Chelsea into the fourth round.
They were stuttering before Mourinho left the club last Wednesday, but there has been little to suggest that Grant is capable of steadying the ship. Chelsea are five points off the pace in the Premier League and the new manager will need more than a good run in the Carling Cup to sweet-talk Chelsea's sceptical supporters.
Grant believes he can transform the team's fortunes. He left Andriy Shevchenko, lethargic and heavylegged at Old Trafford, on the bench and paired Claudio Pizarro with Kalou up front.
Kalou had the first chance of the game when Terry's header fell kindly to him inside the penalty area, but his half-volley appeared to strike the arm of Hull defender Delaney. Referee Chris Foy initially believed Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill had turned his effort around the post, but television replays suggested that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty.
It was a let-off for Hull, but Brown's side were playing without fear. Jay-Jay Okocha, who played under the Hull chief when he was assistant manager at Bolton, had a typically flamboyant effort turned around the post.
Some of Hull's players are still tuning into his wavelength after his surprise arrival on Humberside, but he is the classiest player to have worn this club's colours.
He might have lost his pace, but he will never lose the tricks of the trade and he was determined to go through the whole repertoire in front of an expectant home crowd.
Okocha's early effort settled Hull's nerves, but they lacked the final ball. David Livermore and Stuart Elliott probed down each wing, but Chelsea's defence was always a yard quicker to the ball.
Terry, who has been the bedrock of Chelsea success over the last three years, provided the towering clearances whenever Hull threatened to expose their fragile confidence.
Chelsea were not without chances in a first half that was evenly contested.
Wright-Phillips, recalled to the team after being surprisingly axed last Sunday, shot wildly over the crossbar and Pizarro's goalbound flick was turned away for a corner.
Steven Sidwell, who had made just two appearances for the club, excelled in the centre of midfield, but Hull had their own share of outstanding performers.
Hull skipper Ian Ashbee was full of running, but there were stellar performances from Wayne Brown and Michael Turner at the heart of Hull's defence.
Myhill, among the best keepers in the Championship, saved well at the feet of the oncoming Wright- Phillips, but there was nothing he could do about the opener.
Hull were too slow to react when Wright-Phillips exchanged passes with Juliano Belletti from a corner and Sinclair timed his run from the left to perfection.
Wright-Phillips executed the pass across the penalty area and Sinclair sidefooted home Chelsea's opener.
Hull responded when McPhee connected with Okocha's cross from the right, but Cudicini was relieved to see his crisply taken effort clear the bar.
Hull collapsed like a pack of cards after the break. Delaney appeared to meet Pizarro's cross first to head the ball past his own keeper under pressure from Kalou and they were out of the competition when Sidwell scored his first goal for the club.
The Chelsea midfielder has taken time to settle at Stamford Bridge, but he was mobbed by team-mates when his 25-yard strike beat Myhill.
It was a stunning effort from the Chelsea midfielder, but Hull were no match for the visitors last night.
Particularly when Joe Cole cut in from the left and side-footed a perfect pass for Kalou to score the fourth nine minutes from time.
HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill 7; Ricketts 6, Brown 8, Turner 7, Delaney (Dawson 53min, 6); Livermore 6, Ashbee 7, Okocha 7, Elliott 6 (Garcia 53, 6); Pedersen 6 (Featherston 73, 6), McPhee 6.
Booked: Brown.
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cudicini 6; Belletti 6, Ben Haim 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6 (Bridge 65, 6); Wright-Phillips 7 (J Cole 49, 7), Essien 6 (Makalele 73, 6), Sidwell 7, Sinclair 7; Pizarro 6, Kalou 6.
Man of the match: Steve Sidwell.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Hull City 0 Chelsea 4 By IAN McGARRYSeptember 27, 2007 HAVING weathered the Jose Mourinho storm, Avram Grant looked into the eye of the Tigers last night and escaped unscathed.
The new Chelsea boss won his first match since taking over to see Blues safely into round four.
It was a favourite competition for Grant’s predecessor — with the Portuguese coach having won it twice.
The last time was in February when Mourinho famously gave Roman Abramovich a five-finger salute to remind him how many trophies he’d won.
No doubt, the billionaire owner would have also been pleased with last night’s display. Not so pleasing, though, was the still fervent support for the departed Mourinho from the hardcore of Blues fans.
But Scott Sinclair and Steve Sidwell got first strikes for the club and Salomon Kalou headed home in between. He also smashed home a fourth nine minutes from time.
After a nervy start and seven changes from the team which lost at Old Trafford, it was just what the doctor ordered.
In the past, the Blues squad for games like this would have been light on stars. The teamsheet for this was anything but. Only Sinclair could be classed as one for the future. Skipper John Terry was there as was Ashley Cole and Michael Essien. Apart from the injured players, only Petr Cech and Florent Malouda were excluded.
The biggest shock was Andriy Shevchenko — replaced by Claudio Pizzaro — being left on the bench.
Essien took less than two minutes to cause Grant to lose his rag though when he passed short to Jay-Jay Okocha. Luckily for Chelsea, Hull’s brilliant Nigerian fluffed the opening.
Kalou then had a volley well blocked by Hull No 1 Boaz Myhill and the Tigers survived.
Terry must have hoped for a quiet night on Humberside but was called on several times to clear his lines.
Sam Ricketts found Steve McPhee with a perfect cross but the striker steered a free header wide. Okocha was running riot and released Stuart Elliot whose cross was hacked clear.
Shaun Wright-Phillips should have put Chelsea in front but fired straight at Myhill. He did better after 37 minutes setting up Sinclair who curled home.
Three minutes after the break Kalou made no mistake although he and defender Damien Delaney met Pizarro’s cross together.
Grant immediately withdrew Wright-Phillips and put on Joe Cole with the message to kill the game.
The players took the call to heart and four minutes later it was 3-0 through Sidwell’s 20-yarder.
Hull’s spirit did not falter and Henrik Pedersen, Okocha and Ian Ashbee went close. Even when Kalou fired in a lovely left-foot shot their heads did not drop.
One win means Grant can breathe a little easier — at least until Saturday when they face a much tougher test at home to Fulham.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
GRANT'S SINCING FEELING Scott gives new boss his first win Hull 0 Chelsea 4
Simon Bird 27/09/2007
Jose Mourinho helped Chelsea to victory last night - seven days after losing his job.
The former boss's final act at Chelsea's training ground last Thursday was to hug youngster Scott Sinclair and tell him: You'll be a big star one day.
And feeding off that boost from his departing boss, the 18-year-old stepped up to the first team last night, grabbed his first goal for the club, and gave new manager Avram Grant his first win.
The 18-year-old sent Chelsea on the way to a comprehensive victory, Chelsea's first in five games. Grant has been told to deliver goals and more exciting football by owner Roman Abramovich.
AdvertisementWell, the goals certainly came quickly once Hull's resistance had been broken. The next test is to reproduce this finishing against Premiership opposition. Bathborn Sinclair, controversially poached from Bristol Rovers two years ago, set Chelsea up for an easy win with his 38th minute curler.
Three minutes after the break Salomon Kalou scrambled in a cross from Claudio Pizarro to make it a cruise for the visitors after an uncomfortable first half.
Four minutes later Steve Sidwell rifled in his debut goal for his new club from 25 yards.
And Kalou tucked away his second of the evening in the 81st minute with his left foot from Joe Cole's cross.
It may have only been Hull City, a lowly Championship club, in the Carling Cup, but for Grant it was a vital win to settle the club after a hellish week when the figure of Mourinho has loomed large.
One down side for Chelsea was Shaun Wright-Phillips limping out of the game in the second half with an injury that England boss Steve McClaren will be concerned about.
Abramovich wasn't at the KC Stadium and missed the banner warning the Russian: "This club is ours and not your toy." The opening goal of Grant's new regime came seven minutes before half-time, and settled a performance that reflected the uncertainty at the club.
Shaun Wright-Phillips whipped a low ball across the box which left Hull's retreating defence flat-footed. Sinclair collected the ball on the right edge of the area and curled a side-footed effort through a host of bodies into the far corner.
It was only Chelsea's second goal in their last five games.
It was the Championship strugglers, and Jay-Jay Okocha, who produced the early tricks, flicks and chances, that required some well-timed defensive blocks to repel. Chelsea treated the game with respect by fielding the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien when under normal circumstances they would have been rested for an early round Carling Cup tie.
Grant's men were busy in defence as Henrik Pedersen sent a header just wide.
Chelsea right-back Juliano Belletti also needed to be sharp in snuffing out a Stephen McPhee chance as Hull took the game to the Blues.
Geordie Stuart Elliott was next to threaten down the left with an excellent cross and McPhee blazed another chance over. But once Sinclair broke the deadlock, Hull's hopes of an upset were well and truly crushed.
Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney, Okocha, Ashbee, Livermore, Elliott, McPhee, Pedersen.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Belletti, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Sinclair, Pizarro.
40% POSSESSION 60%
3 SHOTS ON TARGET 11
7 SHOTS OFF TARGET 1
2 OFFSIDES 5
5 CORNERS 13
11 FOULS 16
1 YELLOW CARDS 0
0 RED CARDS 0
AT TENDANCE: 23,543
Man Of The Match: Kalou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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