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Keegan impressed by Grant’s winning style
AVRAM GRANT has lost just two
of his 30 Premier League matches
in charge. The goals shipped to
Liverpool on Wednesday night
were the first conceded at Stamford
Bridge under the Israeli in
Chelsea's drive to the Champions
League final. He remains, however,
a man whose managerial future
is uncertain.
Given how Grant struggles to
receive the adulation his work
has deserved on the King's Road
- or from the club's owner,
Roman Abramovich - it is a situation
that makes Kevin Keegan,
the Newcastle United manager,
feel vulnerable'.
Keegan will be doing his best
on Monday afternoon to help
push the Premier League title towards
Old Trafford. He is,
though, appreciative of the job
his Chelsea counterpart has done
since taking over from Jose
Mourinho.
The Chelsea faithful have
struggled to be won over by the
Grant way. Heroic successes over
Manchester United seven days
ago revived hopes of title glory,
while a midweek victory over
Liverpool has them heading for
Moscow on May 21.
But there are still those out
there, including former Chelsea
boss Claudio Ranieri, that believe
Grant will be sacked this
summer if European domination
is not claimed in Abramovich's
homeland.
Keegan, who first came in contact
with the ex-Israel coach during
his days in charge of Manchester
City, is amazed. "Avram's
had a pretty rough ride," said the
Newcastle manager.
"He's done a great job. He went
in - and you've got to remember
they'd played four or five games,
not particularly well under
Mourinho for whatever reasons -
and yeah, lost his first game, but
his record is incredible and you
cannot deny that.
"People may say he's not doing
a very good job there, but it
makes the rest of us look very
vulnerable if Avram Grant is in
trouble."
Chelsea had won just three of
their opening seven matches
under Mourinho this season, so
Grant has done well to recover
from a defeat to Manchester United
in his opening match in
charge.
The Blues head to Newcastle
unbeaten in 19 league outings, a
run of form that has pushed
them level on points with leaders
United with two matches remaining.
If success arrives in the shape
of the double, he will be a worthy
shout to become the manager of
the year. Keegan knows someone,
though, not in contention.
"There are a lot of candidates
this year of which, of course, I am
not one," he said.
"If Alex Ferguson wins the
title and the European Cup then
he should be. If Avram Grant
wins it, he should be.
"There are others, Martin
O'Neill has done a great job at
Aston Villa. If you're going to say
it is on all things, money spent,
where the club was and is now,
then Mark Hughes should be.
You might think Gary Megson or
Roy Hodgson should be if they
keep Bolton or Fulham up - even
Steve Coppell.
"I am probably the only one
who can't win it!"
While he may not be in contention
for the top-boss award,
there is no disguising the turnaround
Keegan has overseen at
St James' Park since taking over
in mid-January.
After a difficult start, he has
since guided Newcastle through
a seven-match unbeaten run. If
he can extend that to eight
against Chelsea, there is every
chance Newcastle will have
handed the Premier Legaue title
to Old Trafford again.
Keegan, who dismissed a suggestion
that he was heading to
France over his free weekend to
watch St Etienne striker Bafetimbi
Gomis, said: "We are not
thinking about our holidays and
we are not thinking let's just get
this season over with and then
start thinking about next year,
we are thinking about how can
we test ourselves in the best way
possible against this team.
"If we play to our very best and
they do it will probably be a great
game and they will beat us. They
are a better team than us, the
league tells you that. But if we
play to our best and they feel,
wow, this is another big game
after two big games against Liverpool
and Manchester United'
then who knows?"
9:39am Saturday 3rd May 2008
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