Little Chance of Grant Redemption: Chelsea v Derby

A bad couple of weeks as far as cups are concerned and club and fans alike still smarting from limp displays and the pathetic surrender of trophies of which we were the holders. Sh-t happens? That’s football! Or…as many Chelsea fans feel, we just haven’t got the right man at the helm? Even a drubbing of strugglers Derby is highly unlikely to abate the wrath that’s flying around at the moment!

Still, amazingly, amongst all this “chaos” we are virtually on a par with Man Utd and Arsenal this season – makes you wonder where we could be under different circumstances doesn’t it? 

Grant himself classed the Barnsley debacle as 'embarrassing': 

“I know that at Chelsea, every time we lose people say it is a crisis at the club.  There was not a crisis before the Carling Cup final but immediately after, they said it was a crisis. It is not like this. We are a big club and we know how to behave inside after winning and after losing a game. A big club does not lose its target just because it loses one game or because it wins nine-in-a-row.” 

“I have been talking with the players about needing to be more consistent, as we were before, but sometimes when you change to a different sort of football, sometimes you have problems on the way.” 

“We have done a great job in the league because we have come to the position where if we win our two games in hand, we will be close to Man United and Arsenal.” 

“Every game now for us is important because we are near the end of the season and we have a good opportunity to win.” 

“It will be tough but it will be tough for Arsenal and Man United also. They need to play at Stamford Bridge, they play between them and they also need to play Liverpool who are very good now.”

What was bizarre is that Grant stated that both Drogba and Lampard were injured for the Barnsley match whilst sources in the media – including Chelsea TV – said that they weren’t!  Doesn’t make sense to me!

We had a good enough team to beat the Tykes anyway but why does Grant say one thing and the club media arm another?!  Oh well…

Personally, I don’t feel Grant is the man for the job but we maybe we should also recognise that what we are going through at the moment are “growing pains.” 

We feel miffed about the lack of success this season (so far) because we had a master at the helm charged with putting us on the football map who delivered so reliably that was snatched away from us.

Abramovich wants a more "entertaining" style of football and I don’t believe all the rollocks in the press that paint him as a trophy hungry monster (read his few interviews and almost the opposite comes across). Sure, he wants us to win some pots - necessary if we are generate revenues etc - but not to "throw toys out the pram" extent.

Grant may have been partially "forced" on him - as a stop gap. The trio or "troika" have done what they can so far in changing the style and to be fair, now and then, we’ve seen a quicker, one-touch, ball up front faster style. Who knows, without being so hampered by injuries for the first 60% of the season the difference now may have been more obvious?

Grant isn’t up to the job (hopefully hell stick two fingers up at me and win the league and the CL!) and he will probably move upstairs and Kenyon will bring in either an established big cheese or a hungry young gun that has the respect of the players and wont look out of place on Samsung ads!  Ten Cate and Clarke will remain, the transition to the new style (with the help of appropriate signings and some perhaps surprising offloadings) will herald a new era.

We just happen to be going through the painful transition part from solid functional, difficult to beat football to a more open, flowing style that gets bums off seats.  Might help if Grant knew what team to pick though!

Hopefully it will all be worth the while… 

Anyway, as usual, I’ve prattled on a bit….Where was I? Oh yeah! Derby preview!

I imagine both Lampard and Drogba have “recovered” and they along with Ashley Cole and company will return to the line-up tonight.

Cech is still missing with his ankle problem but should be fit for the weekend and the grapevine says that Shevchenko is 100% fit now. 

Will Grant surprise us and still rest Drogba and start with Sheva?  Naaah!  I reckon he’ll bottle that idea although we may see the Ukrainian on the bench….hey….maybe he’ll go 4-4-2 and start with Anelka and Drogba and cue goal fest?!!!  No – I’m just getting silly now aren’t I?!

Our favourite opposition player (cough!), Robbie Savage may return for the rams as might Leacock if recovered from his hip problem.

Barnes is definitely out with a knee injury and striker, Fagan has been farmed off to Hull on loan.

Line-up?  Who knows?  

I’ll guess at: 

Cuducini, Belletti, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, J Cole, Drogba and Malouda. 

I’m going to predict a riot! 5-0!

Chelsea (from): Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, Ben-Haim, Alex, Bridge, A Cole, Lampard, Essien, Makelele, Sidwell, Ballack, Obi, J Cole, Pizarro, Shevchenko, Drogba, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, Malouda, Anelka.

Derby (from): Carroll, Leacock, Moore, Todd, Stubbs, McEveley, Lewis, Edworthy, Savage, Pearson, Jones, Miller, Earnshaw, Ghaly, Villa, Robert, Price, Sterjovski.