Avram Grant
Grant took charge of Chelsea for most of the 2007/08 season following the surprise departure of Mourinho. The Israeli was not a popular appointment with the club’s fans due to his lack of top-level experience, and it later emerged that many of the Chelsea players didn’t respond well to his methods either.
However, despite his short time in charge of the club, he managed to have a fairly memorable impact. He took them to the final of the Carling Cup, though he was under pressure after his side lost 2-1 in extra time to underdogs Tottenham. Manchester United again won the Premier League, though Chelsea’s fine end-of-season form pushed them all the way for the title, and they even managed to reach the Champions League final, coming up against their title rivals once again in the first-ever all-English European Cup final tie. Grant’s side gave a good account of themselves, and were arguably the better team in Moscow, but were beaten by United in a penalty shoot-out, with John Terry famously slipping and mis-hitting the crucial penalty that would’ve won them the game.
Many feel Grant wouldn’t have even kept his job if Chelsea had won the Champions League, as he continued to provoke skepticism over his abilities to get the best out of this Chelsea side. As it was, he was sacked three days after the final.
Final grade: C-
Although he did well to take Chelsea to their first Champions League final, the Carling Cup final defeat was unacceptable, and there was certainly the feeling that he failed to get enough out of a clearly talented Chelsea team. His later stints with Portsmouth and West Ham also suggest he is not really a top level manager, as he got the two sides relegated from the Premier League.