Source: SKY_Sports
Grant hints at return
Avram Grant told Goals On Sunday that a move back to the Premier League is his first priority. [LNB] Despite guiding Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League final, the Carling Cup final and a second-place finish in the Barclays Premier League in his first year, Grant was sacked at the end of last season.[LNB]After the man who replaced him - Luiz Felipe Scolari - was fired himself last week, Grant was reported to be on the shortlist to return to Stamford Bridge before Guus Hiddink was finally revealed as the new Blues boss.[LNB]Grant had been director of football at Portsmouth before moving to Chelsea and hinted that he could be returning after the dismissal of manager Tony Adams [LNB]"It is my first priority, but in life you don't know what will happen tomorrow," said Grant on Goals on Sunday.[LNB]"Portsmouth was my first club when I came here to England. It is a fantastic club, I enjoyed being there and I have a lot of friends there still, but I don't know what will happen tomorrow."[LNB]Chelsea bluesGrant would not be drawn into whether he was contacted about a possible return to Chelsea but did reveal that he was disappointed when he was given the boot.[LNB]"You know they ask me about so many clubs in the last two months: Chelsea, Portsmouth ,other clubs in Europe," revealed Grant.[LNB]"But all my life I have never spoken about any contact with any teams and I am too old to change it.[LNB]"It was very disappointing for me because I wanted to continue because I thought in the second year we could do much better even though in the first we had done such a good job.[LNB]"But I don't like to look in the past - I was very disappointed but I was very proud and have very good memories from Chelsea and I take them with me[LNB]"I am very positive but the one thing that made me a little angry is that people did not look at the facts. Sometimes they said I was doing this and that but the fact is we created history - first time in the Champions League final, we came from sixth place to almost being champions. [LNB]"The atmosphere and the image and the performance of the team was very good but people did not look at that. Everything was better but they did not look at the facts and they did not judge me on that."[LNB]The rumour millOne of the rumours from his Chelsea days was he did not get on with the senior players and Grant says that the answer to that question is in the facts.[LNB]"Look at the facts, the senior players were very good last year - before I came they were not so good. Their spirit was good and you cannot say that any player last year did not give 100% for Chelsea. It was not just me, it is team work. [LNB]"The structure in Chelsea is good even if people don't think that it is. When we succeeded it was together."[LNB]Grant would not be drawn on the current situation at Chelsea and claimed you had to know what was happening on and off the field.[LNB]"When you want to analyse it you need to know what has happened from the inside. I always feel sorry when someone loses their job so quickly, but to tell you the right answer I need to know what has happened in training and out of the training - not just seeing the games and say it is good or bad."[LNB]Philosophy of the gameGrant also said that the pressure on managers was getting too much and they were not allowed to look to the future but had to concentrate on getting results as quickly as possible. [LNB]"When you sign a contract you need to be patient but when things go wrong - not just on the pitch because in football you can not win all the time - but when you sign a coach you sign his philosophy and you need to support that philosophy," explained Grant.[LNB]"For me I look at things differently because football has changed. There are new owners and there is a lot of money that did not come from football but were very successful in business.[LNB]"Then they sign the coaches, the coaches become survivors, they fight because after two losses everyone will blame them. They can't do a job that is for the long term - I am not talking about 2015, I mean even a year or two ahead."[LNB]Grant is proud of his achievements at Chelsea and explained what he felt was the difference between him and Jose Mourinho.[LNB]"I think when you talk about philosophy of football you talk about on the game and off the game. He is adamant and believes in a very organised football and if I may say not very creative football, for him the result is everything.[LNB]"I think especially now as the big clubs are shown all over the world, yes the result is very important but it is important how you get that result. Off the field the training is different, how you treat the players is different too. [LNB]"Ten years ago you needed to be a dictator with the players because they did not have any discipline. Now 80% of them you need to practice the brain because they have to know more tactics than ever before. You need sometimes to be aggressive but not like ten years ago.[LNB]Avram on JoseAnother rumour that Grant cleared up was his relationship with Mourinho who apparently resented the fact that Grant was brought into the club.[LNB]"No, even Jose said we had a good relationship and that he likes that I was there and I don't think he lied. We had a very good three months, we worked together and I enjoyed it. He is a nice guy," continued Grant.[LNB]"I did not want to come in and take over in September I do not want to go into any team in the middle of the season. For me football is passion and creative, and when you want to create something you need to take a team from the beginning. But the circumstances caused it and I needed to do what I could do."[LNB]
