Avram Grant Brings His Happy Face to Portsmouth
Ever since Roman Abramovich sent him packing from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2008, Avram Grant has been on a one-man mission to prove that he was a success during his brief tenure as Chelsea manager. Second place in the league and one inch away from winning the Champions League final won’t earn you any silverware… but the perpetually grim-faced Israeli does have a point. And now he has a chance to prove himself again.
After a year-and-a-half out of the game, Avram yesterday re-surfaced as Director of Football at Premiership basement boys Portsmouth. In doing so, Grant returns to the club that first introduced him to the English game – and whose fortunes since his departure have changed dramatically.
Cast your mind back to June of 2006: When Grant joined Pompey as technical director, the South Coast club was enjoying something of a renaissance. Russian businessman Alexandre Gaydamak had purchased the club six months prior and a wave of optimism and big money signings followed. The 2006-07 season finished with Grant and manager Harry Redknapp successfully guiding the club to a top-half-of-the-table finish for the first time, one point adrift of European qualification. Grant then left for Chelsea to manage the work of Jose Mourinho. (Talk about an impossible task!)
Now fast forward two seasons, and Grant – without the guidance of Redknapp on the field and the protection of Gaydamak in the board room – faces an altogether different challenge. Tasked with overseeing all football matters thereby freeing up manager Paul Hart to focus on first team activities, Grant must improve Portsmouth dramatically – and immediately – if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. There have been a lot of depressed faces in Portsmouth of late. Bringing in Avram only adds one more.
Portsmouth bring in Avram to lift spirits
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love the title of the article. him and harry rednapp should do a face off!