The ‘nearly man' of contemporary football - Avram Grant - has been sacked as Chelsea boss following the Champions League defeat against double-winning Manchester United in Moscow.

The Israeli survived only eight months of a four year deal - paying the price of Roman Abramovich's great expectations with the big-spending London club failing to win a single piece of silverware all season.

When arriving at Stamford Bridge, Grant faced an almighty task. A complete unknown next to the glamorous, charismatic figure of Jose Mourinho - the media instantly mocked the former Israel coach for his lack of magnetism and charm. Exit the ‘Special One, enter the ‘Stone-faced One'.

Grant's tenure started with a 2-0 defeat against United at Old Trafford. It would finish in similar circumstances - albeit in a much more important match, in crueller fashion and on the other side of the continent. However, he lost just five games as Chelsea boss and recorded an impressive 36 wins from 54 games.

The 57-year-old finished runner-up on three fronts this season - the League Cup final defeat to Spurs and last-day despair in the Premier League title race joined the near miss in the Champions League. It's hard not to feel sorry for this hushed, impassive character who was forced to answer questions about his future from almost his first day at the helm.

With a billionaire oil baron pulling the strings, finishing second is simply not an option anymore for Chelsea FC. Speculation is rife regarding who will take the Stamford Bridge hot seat but, thanks to the silly money pumped into the club by Abramvocih, the Chelsea job has become a thankless task with immediate success seemingly the only way to stay in employment.

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