John Terry backs Avram Grant - well, now he does anyway!

Filed in archive Managers on May 2, 2008

Following Chelsea's champions league semi-final victory over Liverpool and their crucial Premier League win over Manchester United, John Terry has spoken out in support of his strangely beleaguered manager Avram Grant.

He can't understand why anyone is questionning Grant's right to the job. His record is excellent he says. I have to say that I totally agree with the Chelsea skipper, but I would also point out that, to my knowledge, this is one of the first, if not the first, time Terry has publicly backed his boss.

Over the past two seasons it was hard to find a newspaper or football programme on the television that didn't have John Terry proclaiming to the world what a genius his then manager, Jose Mourinho, was. The relationship may have gone a little sour at the end, but Terry was always full of public support for the Portuguese manager.

Earlier this season the Chelsea midfield player John Obi Mikel spoke out about Grant saying that he had the backing of all the players. I remarked at the time that this backing didn't seem as convincing coming from Mikel, an irregular spokesman for the Chelsea players, as it would have done from John Terry.

Even in this piece for the BBC Terry talks about 'the character' of the players. The fact that they never let anything 'get them down'. Apart from one or two injuries, the same as any team, it is difficult to work out to what Terry is actually referring.

I'm sure Avram Grant will be pleased to receive this public backing from his skipper but he might just be concerned by how long it has taken. With the side close to an historic double, the best achievement ever attained by the London Club, it would be strange indeed if the captain of the club did not speak highly of the manager.

I just think it is a shame that Terry has waited until he had no viable alternative before he chose to say what he did.