Grant resigns to chase chance of vindication at Upton Park

(GETTY IMAGES)

Avram Grant resigned as manager of relegated Portsmouth last night, leaving the defeated FA Cup finalists after a turbulent six months on the South Coast.

The 55-year-old Israeli is likely to swap the trials of administration and relegation at Fratton Park for another club until recently beset by financial problems should, as expected, he succeed Gianfranco Zola as manager at West Ham United.

In an open letter to fans on Portsmouth's website, the former Chelsea manager wrote: "This was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to take in my football career. After a lot of soul searching and under the circumstances I'm taking a different direction. It's been both a difficult and complex year for us at the club, but at the same time, it's been a wonderful and uplifting experience. I wish you all the possible success which you genuinely deserve."

Grant took over from Paul Hart in November but his time in charge was beset by off-field problems as the full scale of the financial troubles at Fratton Park began to emerge. The club went into administration in February and the following month had nine points deducted by the Premier League which all but condemned them to relegation.

Grant's managerial reputation in England is one of being a safe pair of hands in a crisis, which perhaps explained why he was the favourite to follow Zola. On the face of it, the appointment would appear to be a sensible one. Grant has impressed with the dignified way he kept going at Portsmouth this season, leading the team on an unlikely FA Cup run that ended only with a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in last Saturday's final.

There was a close bond between Grant and the Portsmouth players, who spoke of their respect for him in the wake of their defeat at Wembley. He is used to working on a tight budget, and already has links with the West Ham coach Steve Clarke, with whom he worked at Chelsea two years ago.

The task facing the new manager was spelt out yesterday in a 10-point plan for recovery published by West Ham's co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold. The brief is simple – build a team that plays good football and wins plenty of games.

The catch is that the Hammers' blueprint also revealed that the new manager will have to incorporate half a dozen new players into the side, but there will not be much money, as reducing the club's debt is a priority, while the club have frozen season-ticket prices in an effort to appease supporters. It is just the kind of juggling act that Grant was expected to perform at Portsmouth last season, a feat he accomplished with dignity, passion, commitment and skill.

Yet there is no escaping the fact that he took Portsmouth down, with a bunch of players who on their day were good enough to hold Premier League champions Chelsea for an hour at Wembley. Portsmouth began with a flourish after Grant took over last November, winning two of their first five Premier League games under his charge. However, they collapsed and managed just three wins from the 20 league games that followed, including a meaningless 3-1 victory over Wolves on the penultimate weekend of the season.

The South Coast club still would not have avoided the drop had they not suffered the nine-point penalty: a points deduction does not always mean relegation, as Crystal Palace proved in the Championship when they avoided the drop on the final day of the season despite being hit with a 10-point penalty in January.

Grant's poor results at Portsmouth followed an eventful eight-month reign at Chelsea. Grant was a virtual unknown when he took over the reins at Stamford Bridge after Jose Mourinho was unexpectedly sacked in September 2007, but he managed to guide the team to second place in the Premier League, and the finals of both the Champions League and the Carling Cup.

Some Chelsea insiders grumble that the club's progress that season was in spite of Grant's influence, not because of it. But even they cannot deny that Grant's record of losing only two Premier League games during his time at Chelsea is a fine one, or that he came within a penalty kick of winning the Champions League – as he is only too willing to remind anyone. It was not enough, however, to convince the club's owner, Roman Abramovich, who sacked him shortly afterwards in favour of Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Grant had arrived in English football in June 2006, to be director of football at Portsmouth, after a brilliant coaching career in Israel that had earned him four league titles and relative success in charge of the national side. His move to England came courtesy of his remarkable network of footballing contacts, most important of whom is the agent Pini Zahavi, who introduced him to Abramovich five years ago.

The relationship with Abramovich resulted in Grant moving to Chelsea as technical director in 2007, ostensibly to help with the fitness of striker Andrei Shevchenko. He took a seat on the Chelsea bench, though, and when Mourinho was sacked, he stepped into the job as caretaker.

After Grant was dismissed by Abramovich in May 2008, he bided his time until accepting an offer to become a director of football again, at Portsmouth last October. However, before long manager Paul Hart was sacked and Grant replaced him, having to dust off his "I didn't stab him in the back" speech.

The opportunity provided by West Ham is in many respects ideal for Grant. Expectations at the club are relatively low, so he will be given time to make slow, steady progress. He has spoken in the past of how anything he achieved at Chelsea was not appreciated because he was thought of as Abramovich's mate.

"At Chelsea every game we won wasn't down to me. It was down to the players, the other management, the kitman, the groundsman. I'm joking but that's how it was. Only when we lost was it down to me," he said.

Grant has also said that progress at Portsmouth was impossible, given the chaotic situation of the bankrupt club. At West Ham, Grant will finally get what he craves, the chance to have a real go at a Premier League job, the chance to prove he is a manager of real clout.

Avram Grant

55 years old

Management record

Grant spent 16 years in charge of Israeli club sides before taking over the national side in 2002 until 2005

4

Number of times Grant has finished as a runner-up with an English side - in the 2008 League Cup, Premier League and Champions League, and the 2010 FA Cup