Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: When Premier League clubs make a managerial appointment, it is generally the done thing to introduce him to supporters before his first home game.
Chelsea's powerbrokers have said all the right things about their new man, insisting he enjoys their full support and confidence for the long-term. Yet, in the countdown to kick-off in Saturday's west London derby, there was no call to give a warm Stamford Bridge welcome to Avram Grant.
Perhaps the powers feared a caustic response. Emotions continue to run high among the rank and file since the departure of Jose Mourinho a little under two weeks ago, and the choice of Grant to fill his designer shoes has not set pulses racing, in the stands or in the dressingroom.
The afternoon had been trailed as an opportunity for fans to remember Mourinho and articulate their thanks to him for his work over the past three seasons. Save for a clutch of banners inside the ground and a few renditions of his name, the most defiant of which came after Paul Konchesky had almost won it for Fulham with his one-on-one chance in the 86th minute, the tribute did not materialise.
Nonetheless, there was a sheepishness about the club's pre-match routine over Grant. The "Unheralded One" eased himself into Mourinho's old seat at the end of the bench; maybe, nobody would notice him.
Avram who? Players and supporters have asked the question and Grant has been keen to project a positive image. "My favourite Chelsea player was Gianfranco Zola," he told the matchday programme.
Grant's football against Fulham lacked inspiration. Kasey Keller saved well from Salomon Kalou at the beginning of the second half but it was startling how comfortable Fulham were.
Konchesky had the best chance of the game, but was denied by Petr Cech, while Diomansy Kamara, the substitute, squandered a glorious opening in injury time. Chelsea have not lost at home in the Premier League since February 2004, Mourinho having created an aura of invincibility. Rather abruptly, the team looked vulnerable.
Grant has problems and, as with Mourinho before him, Andriy Shevchenko is among the biggest of them. Grant gave the former Milan striker a free role behind Drogba at the start, and would later press him further up the field. He asked him to take free-kicks. He could not have given him a more prominent platform.
But Shevchenko could do nothing right and, the harder he tried, the worse it became. It was painful to watch. Shevchenko, the first out of the dressingroom after full-time, headed straight to the airport for a flight to Milan, where he celebrated his 31st birthday. His heart appears to be there, not in London.
Grant, however, has to be more concerned about getting performances out of those who excelled under Mourinho, particularly Drogba. The Ivorian, back earlier than expected from a knee injury, was rusty but his reckless high boot on Chris Baird that brought him a second yellow card epitomised his frustration at the recent off-the-field turmoil.
Senior players have confided that they consider Grant's training methods outdated, while there are many who lack respect for him and his pedigree. They have resolved to be professional but the imponderable concerns whether they can raise themselves under Grant to their very limits. That is where they will need to be on Wednesday night, in the Champions League against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, and in all the big matches that follow.
Roman Abramovich surveyed all from a seat high in the Shed End. The club's owner eschewed the security of his executive box and bodyguards to sit, together with the director Eugene Tenenbaum, alongside supporters of all shapes and sizes, seemingly to try to more accurately gauge the mood.
Abramovich buried his head in his hands when Shevchenko was substituted, he smiled when a boy showed him his Ronaldinho number 10 shirt and, after Drogba's sending-off, he witnessed the outpouring of anger and frustration. One fan threw down his shirt and delivered an expletive-fuelled tirade. Grant has got it all to do.
- Guardian Service
