"Grant" Not good enough, say chelsea players!

The Avram Grant experiment at Stamford Bridge is creating tension and discord in the Chelsea dressing room, after players feel Grant is not the right man for the job.
Chelsea's woes continued on Saturday, following their 0-0 draw with Fulham. Despite striker Didier Drogba returning from injury, there was little he could do to help his troubled team. The Blues' misery were doubled, as Drogba was sent off for landing his studs on Chris Baird's right shoulder. And, captain John Terry fractured his cheekbone.

Since taking over from Jose Mourinho, Grant's record has been dismal. Apart from Chelsea's 4-0 win over Hull City in the Carling Cup, the Israeli has yet to taste victory in the Premiership. Fulham were nearly close to ending Chelsea's long unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge.

That left many of the Chelsea supporters frustrated at the plight of the club. Some even turned on owner Roman Abramovich. One threw his shirt to the ground and screamed abuse at the Russian. Abramovich's increasingly hands-on stance at the club is proving unpopular with the fans.

For Grant though, a former Israel national team coach, appears to have failed in attempts to quell resistance to his appointment as Chelsea manager. According to reports, senior players continue to doubt his ability and qualifications to lead a team of Chelsea's calibre. Members of the coaching staff also have little faith in him.

Ahead of last Wednesday's Carling Cup win at Hull, Terry held a team meeting in which he called on team-mates to support the new manager. According to sources, Terry's message was ill-received, however, with several players insisting Grant was not good enough to coach them.

One respected international remained doubtful after Terry's rally, complaining: "Chelsea deserve a bigger coach than him. Grant does not have the quality to coach a team like this. When we play big opponents we will suffer because of him."

Sources also pointed out complaints from the club staff on Grant's coaching method, one of them describing them as "25 years behind the times". The Chelsea players are used to cutting-edge methods under Mourinho. According to another source, at least one member of Grant's coaching staff has told friends that he will consider leaving the club if there is no further change in management.

According to several sources, the Chelsea management are horrified by the amount of information leaking from the dressing room, especially after Mourinho's departure. There are plans underway to identify and silence the staff and players who have provided information.

Mourinho remains in contact with many of his former charges. Ever the astute student of human behaviour, Mourinho has sent text messages to players telling them how much he admires them as footballers and telling them that he will always respect their quality.

Meanwhile, Terry, the man rumoured to have played a central role in Mourinho's departure, has publicly denied any wrongdoing. He wrote for the first time on Saturday in Chelsea's match-day programme: "Most of the time it's easy to shrug off stories that are plainly made up, but this week I got very angry about a couple of pieces suggesting that an argument between me and Jose after the Rosenborg game was somehow the cause or contributed to his leaving Chelsea. This is ridiculous and untrue, and with the help of my lawyers I'm taking legal action to put this right.

"Jose Mourinho won six trophies at Chelsea. He simply was the most successful Chelsea manager ever and the best I've ever worked with. His training, preparation and tactics were outstanding. His impact on a game was there for all to see. More importantly, he is a good man, with good people around him."

As the dust settles over Mourinho's depature, Stamford Bridge continues to be torn apart by internal strife.