I expected Chelsea to be the team to challenge United for the title irrespective of who was managing.

With that squad any manager could do a good job of it.

you could say that about Man United

Very true, but the difference is that Fergie created that team. Grant is just carrying on the work Mourinho did. The style hasn't changed, the personnel hasn't changed, the system hasn't changed.

I must admit that I did expect Chelsea to fall from grace though. Never thought they'd be in with a shout of a League/Champions League double.

so in theory the majority of managers could inherit the Man United side right now and replicate the season Man United have just had if they stuck to the same system and players?

we both know its not as simple as that.

you have said yourself there that Chelsea have exceeded your expectations

i like this `we all ` thought Chelsea were doomed stuff , who are we taking about ....this forum or the media and papers ... i`m sure many of us here were intelligent enough to get past the mentality of thinking that Jose Mourinho was the only way Chelsea could win things .

I for one did not think Chelsea were doomed ....

Doomed is a bit strong, but I think that many Chelsea fans believed that their team wouldn't win anything this year once Jose left. Certainly the Chelsea supporters I know have said as much at the time it happened and they have been moaning and groaning about being unhappy with Avram all season. Just recently, when they thought they might win something, they have been a bit more positive about him, but still unhappy with him as their manager.

And those fans will be proved right after the final hopefully!!

so the Chelsea fans expectations would not have been exceeded either ...

I doubt whether the majority of managers could "do a Fergie" because they would coming to a big club that would be completely alien to them. But don't forget that Grant was already at Chelsea prior to becoming manager so he already knew the players, the set up, the dynamics of the team etc. Therefore I guess it would be like Quieroz taking over Ferguson's role and being just as successful this season. It's possible...he would already know the best way to set up the team, he would know the players personally too, and he would have a sound grasp of Fergie's tactical knowledge. But even if he was just as successful, he wouldn't command the respect of Fergie because he didn't create the team. That's what great managers do. It's why Shankly gets a massive amount of credit at Liverpool because he built the team even though Paisley won more trophies (although Paisley deserves huge praise for taking the club even further).

Let's put it this way. Grant has increased his reputation as a manager to a degree by steering Chelsea to a CL final and a close 2nd place in the PL. But if a top managerial position in the world became available, such as Milan or Real Madrid, then I'm certain that they wouldn't be chasing Grant's signature just yet. I've heard reports that Steve Clarke (with John Terry) are the ones calling most of the shots within the dressing room. It might be wrong but it wouldn't surprise me. Terry is being groomed to become their manager one day.

The Chelsea squad is full of very experienced internationals

Terry could manage them without a manager.



...Maybe a little bit overexagerrated.

And birds can fly

yeah thats a fair point you make. would Quieroz be able to match that level of management like Grant has? now that would be interesting to see. the thing is, why would Grant dismantle the team? its a proven success and merely needs ironing out in a few areas so i would like to see him given the same amount of time Mourinho had and see what he can do in the same time.

yeah absolutely right, i agree they wouldnt touch Grant. but he is an unknown quantity and thus has so much to prove to people. everybody wrote him off, disrespected him and made a fool of him. so far, in my opinion, he has proved so many people wrong. a trophy would be the ultimate egg on people's faces and i hope he does it. i certainly would take those 'rumours' with a pinch of salt. im sure you have heard just as many outlandish statements and rumours made about Spurs, especially towards the end of the Jol era. i wouldnt have thought John Terry would be running the club in that sense at such a young age, they may well be grooming him as manager but he is about 10 years off of retirement. seems awfully farfetched.

Real Madrid thought Carlos Queiroz was good enough to manage them Steely

and look how wrong they were

According to my mate......SAF......it made Carlos realise just how difficult it was when your hands are tied with regards to transfers and funds not being available. Apparently he was under pressure to get rid of people off the payroll as opposed to being able to bring in the players he wanted. The experience has influenced his decision regarding the approach from Benfica to manage them next season.

thats no excuse! they had won at least one trophy for four years running before he took over. they had Beckham, R.Carlos, Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo etc and yet he finished a pathetic 4th position and crashed out of europe and the domestic cup. its took them a long while to recover from Queiroz's disastrous reign as manager.

he was simply not good enough as a manager

I would say he lacked the experience to manage such a big club.

unlike Grant

Again....the difference there is what Johaldo has already highlighted. Grant was already involved at the club making it easier to pick up the reins.