Avram Grant ready for relegation fight

30 November 2009 21:37
New Portsmouth manager Avram Grant is adamant that a lack of experience of relegation battles will not count against him in the coming months.

Grant saw his new charges beaten 4-1 on home soil by Manchester United at the weekend, leaving Pompey seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the Premier League table.

However, former Chelsea boss Grant commented: "I don't have enough experience at the bottom of the leagues - I am guilty. I hope I will not have much experience of this.

"I've spent more than 90 per cent of my life at the top, but I know what I need to do here. I have a lot of experience in football.

"One thing I always say to myself when I come into a situation like this is 'get used to it as soon as possible'.

"I'm not looking back and saying I was managing top teams and now I am here. I have a job to do and I am going to do it.

"It was not the dream of my life to take over a team at the bottom. If you had suggested I'd have experience of this over the next few years, I would have said no.

"But I think it's a good challenge and that's what's important. In sport, you have different challenges and different places.

"I'm very excited about this. This was the first team I came to over here and when they asked me to help out, I had to do it.

"Of course, I could have waited and looked for other challenges, but that's not me."

Source: DSG