There is a scene in the classic 90s football violence movie, ID, when the thugs of Shadwell Town find themselves on the terraces at The Kennel watching another poor performance from their home team.

Unhappy with what they are seeing, the yobs target their striker for abuse. Seconds later they uniformly start chanting “there’s only one Terry Edwards” as the striker scores. (See the footage here – caution, strong language.) At Stamford Bridge on Sunday, life imitated art.
 
The day started well for Avram Grant. The Israeli set out a very solid starting 11, boldly opting to use Michael Essien as an attacking right-back, rather than leaving him as a bench warmer as he had chosen to do in recent weeks. He picked a team comprising all the form players, particularly with Joe Cole and Michael Ballack in attendance.

However, the storm clouds are never too far from the half-man, half-toad Grant, and after Bacary Sagna scored his first ever Arsenal goal, the constant negativity which is always bubbling under the surface, turned public against “Average” Grant. Unlike any other manager in recent memory, he finds himself under the most intense scrutiny which seems to fluctuate on a minute-to-minute basis. The bottom line seems to be that unless Chelsea are winning, Grant is losing. Such treatment is undeserved and unmerited, leaving a strong stench of anti-Semitism as a root cause of such prejudices.

'For his part though, Grant never buckled and produced one of the most memorable tactical substitutions of the season'


Speak to Chelsea fans and they will tell you that there is no song for Avram Grant. He is the first Chelsea manager in recent memory who has failed to receive a chant from the terraces. This is a clear indication of the attitude of the Blues fans, who have failed to rally behind their manager ever since losing Jose Mourinho at the start of the season. 

And so it was on Sunday. On 71 minutes the home crowd turned on their boss and started mocking him by singing “you don’t know what you’re doing” and loudly bellowing the “Jose Mourinho” song. Such disrespect and disloyalty tarnishes Chelsea’s reputation, exposing the fickle nature of Chelsea fans who attempt to destabilise their manager by humiliating him at his moment of need. The message was clear: “Grant – get out!”

For his part, though, Grant never buckled and produced one of the most memorable tactical substitutions of the season. Looking to bolster his attacking options, he withdrew Claude Makelele and Ballack and brought on Juliano Belletti (moving Essien higher up the pitch) and Nicolas Anelka. Interestingly, neither player shied away from showing his disapproval at the manager’s decisions, with Ballack in particular shaking his head at the boss. However, it was Grant who had the last laugh as his substitutes turned to game, with Didier Drogba netting a brace.

Grant out-masterminded Arsene Wenger, which is a feat not many can claim to have accomplished, and Stamford Bridge erupted. Yet while the Israeli staved off his execution, his neck remains firmly pressed against the chopping board. Chelsea fans will celebrate for the team, but not for Grant, who they will never fully accept into their hearts.

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