Findcate

By the time Chelsea’s managerial pursuit had officially begun, with the sacking of Avram Grant in May, it appeared that they had limited options to choose from. Sven Goran Eriksson, thought to be Roman Abramovich’s first choice back in 2003 after ‘purely a social meeting’, had already been courting the Mexican FA after being axed by Thaksin Shinawatra. Frank Rijkaard was mentioned, but he hasn’t enjoyed as much success as he did whilst Henk Ten Cate was involved with the coaching at Barca.

Ten Cate is also a man who, ironically, has also just been sacked by Chelsea. Marco van Basten had already signed a contract to take over at Ajax after this summer’s Euro tournament, back in February. Similarly, Jurgen Klinsmann was already in line to replace the retiring Ottmar Hitzfeld at Bayern Munich, a deal that was arranged at the turn of this year. AC Milan claim that Carlo Ancelotti has been pursued by Chelsea, yet would he have even been the right man for the Russian owner so adamant on his footballing investments playing an attacking brand? Ancelotti has come under fire for favouring a defensive style of football, and could well have ended up like Capello under the Madrid regime of you’re out if you win ugly.

You have to give credit where it is due though, and Scolari did mastermind three successive international tournament knock-outs to the English national team. It just strikes me as odd that if you are scouting the Euro internationals for footballing talent, in terms of both players, and managers, then why not go for one of the up and coming coaches who are certain to have successes in front of them given the right opportunities.

In the English leagues stability and success seem synonymous. Look at Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, and even, to a lesser degree, Hereford United and Graham Turner. All at their clubs for 22, 12, and 13 years respectively. Wenger was a little known French coach with experience in the Japanese J League and French Ligue Une, and Ferguson had enjoyed successes in the Scottish Premier division.

Tags: ac milan, ajax, arsene wenger, avram grant, bayern munich, boise, carlo ancelotti, cate, chelsea, defensive style, first choice, ford, frank rijkaard, french coach, french ligue, goran eriksson, graham turner, henk, hereford united, j league, jurgen klinsmann, knock outs, manchester united, marco van basten, ottmar hitzfeld, roman abramovich, sir alex ferguson, ten cate, thaksin shinawatra

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The Dutchman had a contract until 2010 but he follows in the footsteps of Avram Grant, who was dismissed last weekend.

A statement on Chelsea’s confirmed ten Cate’s exit following a meeting this morning.

“As a result of the team management changes at Chelsea FC, and in the light of any forthcoming appointment, it was clear this was the correct decision for all parties, ” it said.

“Everybody at Chelsea would like to thank Henk for his contribution since coming to the club last year.”

Earlier this week, ten Cate dismissed fears that he would be leaving Chelsea.

“He informed me that the departure of Grant will not affect me. I’d rather go on that than all those newspaper reports.”

However, the club’s Champions League final defeat in Roman Abramovich’s home city has clearly left a mark on Chelsea’s owner.

Ten Cate joined Chelsea from Ajax in October last year when he was released by mutual consent.

The Dutchman’s sacking now raises questions as to the future of Steve Clarke, Chelsea’s former player and current assistant coach.

Grant was dismissed just three days after the Champions League final defeat to Manchester United and reports soon after suggested whether Ten Cate and fellow assistant Clarke would survive a summer of change at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, the contenders to replace Grant continues with Luiz Felipe Scolari heading a long list in the race to take over at Stamford Bridge.

Tags: ajax, appointment, assistant coach, avram grant, cate, champion, champions league, champions league final, chelsea, contenders, correct decision, dutchman, felipe scolari, footsteps, ford, grant successor, henk, luiz felipe scolari, management changes, manchester united, mutual consent, roman abramovich, steve clarke, team management, ten cate

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Roman Abramovich has told Chelsea’s board to find a managerial hard man to replace the sacked Avram Grant. The club have yet to identify who will become their third manager in nine months, but they have put together a shortlist focusing on renowned disciplinarians, believed to include Guus Hiddink, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Marcello Lippi, with Mark Hughes the home-grown candidate.

Pini Zahavi, who for several years has acted as a buying agent for Chelsea, is pushing the credentials of his friend Sven-G?ran Eriksson, whom Abramovich has attempted to hire on two previous occasions, but the former England manager’s reputation for indulging his players would appear to rule him out this time. Frank Rijkaard and Roberto Mancini, who have won domestic titles with Barcelona and Inter Milan respectively, also fall into this category.

However, the intervention of Abramovich could change that. Hiddink has not signed a two-year contract extension that was agreed with the Russian FA in March and, as a guest at the Champions League final last week, told a packed Luzhniki Stadium in English that he still hoped to work in the Barclays Premier League.

Hiddink is perhaps the only candidate to fulfil all of the criteria that the Chelsea board have been given in their search for a manager. His track record, coaching skills and tactical acumen are impeccable he has taken four countries to leading finals and won the Champions League with PSV Eindhoven as is his English.

Tags: acumen, avram grant, barclays, barclays premier league, cate, champion, champions league, champions league final, chelsea, contract extension, disciplinarians, domestic titles, england manager, felipe scolari, frank rijkaard, hard man, hiddink, inter milan, luiz felipe scolari, luzhniki stadium, marcello lippi, mark hughes, premier league, roberto mancini, roman abramovich, shortlist, zahavi

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When Jose Mourinho left Chelsea he did it in the certain knowledge that he, like Ronson, was irreplaceable. It would’ve required a manager with the looks of George Clooney, the brain of Richard Dawkins and the charisma of Charles Manson to assuage the sentimental tumult inspired by his departure. I do not like Chelsea but I was sad to see him leave and I think that I exemplify a common phenomenon in my admission that I put aside my disdain for the Blues whilst he was at the club. He made Chelsea palatable.Figuratively the scenario is reminiscent of a girl I once dated who had an atrocious personality (cruel, racist, joyless) but a really nice arse. She was like her own arse’s irritating best mate - I had to tolerate her to get to the arse. The arse in its spellbinding beauty made her many flaws tolerable - she later revealed she’d only gone out with me because she liked my cat so don’t feel too sorry for her.Mourinho was like that girl’s beautiful arse - while he was at Chelsea few cared that they played stifling football for a humourless billionaire, we were too busy ogling the arse. Now that gorgeous set of buns has been replaced by the saggy rump that is Avram Grant no one gives a monkey’s that the results are quite impressive, we still mourn the departure of the tanned hide of the Special One - “I hate it that you’re leaving but, boy, do I love to watch you walking away.”I hear that some regulars at the Bridge would prefer Chelsea to be knocked out of the Champions League and to drop out of the title race just to be rid of Grant. Astonishing. As he himself pointed out, who would’ve thought when Mourinho wiggled off that Grant would still be in the running for major honours this late on in the season?One suspects that Chelsea will win nothing, naturally. That United will wrap up the title in the next few games and that Liverpool will bounce them out of Europe but none of this matters to Roman Abramovich, who is apparently poised to give Grant a hundred million to reinforce his squad over the summer.What’s going on? Why does that seem so absurd? Why are we so unwilling to accredit Grant? I’ve a friend who’s a season ticket holder in SW6 who swears blind that during matches Steve Clarke and Henk Ten Cate conduct tactical powwows, literally, behind Grant’s back as if snogging out of sight of an unwanted chaperone. Players are breaking ranks to announce to the press that they never would’ve joined the club to play for him and more childishly that they call him “the professor”; not in the way Ars%26egrave;ne Wenger is called “the professor” - affectionately, because of his keen, tactical mind - but because they think he is a right dickhead. A dickhead professor who no one likes.Didier Drogba is said to be leaving, only delaying his decision on destination until old sweet cheeks has picked a club, and many more, reportedly, will follow. Quentin Crisp said, “Charisma is the ability to influence without logic”, and this is the key to Grant’s problem - he can do all the publicity he likes or sit through a press conference issuing only yes or no answers but he’ll never manipulate the manner in which he’s perceived because he cannot make us put aside logic in the way that Mourinho could. The only thing I can remember from all the press I’ve read about Grant is that his wife once drank urine on an Israeli TV show. It’s gonna take a lot more than that.

Tags: avram grant, cate, champion, champions league, chelsea, europe, henk, roman abramovich, steve clarke, ten cate

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Rather abruptly, Grant finds himself with the glittering array of the owner Roman Abramovich’s riches available to him and he could be forgiven for wondering whether there is a curse contained therein. The Israeli banged the drum for much of January about how his team had coped without John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, to name but his highest-profile absentees yet with a full hand to play, Grant has been gripped by indecision.His recourse in the ill-fated build-up to Sunday’s Carling Cup final with Tottenham was to clutch his cards so tightly that the tension simmered in the dressing room. Nobody knew who was in or out until the hours before kick-off and if Grant hoped that the ploy would offer his players a beneficial edge, he was wrong.Having refused to train with his starting XI in the days before the final, there was a sense of confusion within his ranks and the ensuing 120 minutes, when Jonathan Woodgate’s extra-time goal gave Tottenham a deserved 2-1 victory, brought it into the public domain. Chelsea were subdued, lacking in direction and inspiration. Once Dimitar Berbatov had equalised for Tottenham in the 70th minute, only one team looked like scoring decisively.Grant stands accused of wanting for strong leadership, of not being able to stamp his authority on a dressing room loaded with self-belief. While he leaves charge of training largely to his assistants, Steve Clarke and Henk Ten Cate, it was startling to see him transfixed on the periphery as Clarke and the captain, Terry, rallied the team in the huddle before extra-time at Wembley. Grant is engaging company, blessed with dry wit, but his personality cannot be described as forceful. He is struggling to keep the gal%26aacute;cticos of his squad in check.Grant has been backed into a corner, in one respect, by his run of results from December 29, when Newcastle were beaten at Stamford Bridge. There were precious few selection teasers for him over those weeks, save for the Ashley Cole/Wayne Bridge conundrum at left-back, and he even had to ask Shaun Wright-Phillips, nominally a winger, to play in central midfield to cover absences. Wright-Phillips rose superbly to the challenge.As his squad has been replenished, Grant has been torn between showing loyalty to the players who served him well, notably Alex, Claude Makelele, Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack, and attempting to reintegrate the returning stars. He was at pains last Friday to recognise the efforts of the former group. “When you speak about John Terry and Lampard being available to play, I think you need to respect the players that played without them,” he said. “The players have shown until now great attitude when it was a very difficult time and I will not forget it.”He started with Alex and Makelele in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie at Olympiakos last Tuesday, which finished 0-0 but recalled Terry and Lampard for the Carling Cup final. Ballack was the surprise omission.Grant has also found it difficult to deviate from the 4-3-3 formation which brought him results but this does not enable the strikers Drogba and Nicolas Anelka to thrive in tandem. Against Tottenham, Anelka was shunted to the left and cut an isolated figure. Cue more frustration and the square pegs/round holes discussion.It is in midfield where Grant’s options are the most bewildering. He has six quality central players and three for the flanks (four, if Salomon Kalou is classed as a wide man, rather than a striker). Disappointment, such as that scarcely concealed by Ballack on Sunday, is inevitable. Others, though, have axes to grind. Ashley Cole was upset to be omitted - although Bridge had played in the quarter-final and both semi-final legs - and so were Makelele and Andriy Shevchenko.Lampard has urged Grant to arrive at a settled team but the Israeli says that his plans for each game have the fixtures which follow in mind. He hopes that gentle rotation will keep the players fresh and the squad happy; appeasement, though, is not the policy of the bold. It does not engender respect.Grant is in a defining period. He needs victory at West Ham on Saturday to fire a Premier League challenge, which was knocked by the insipid 0-0 draw with Liverpool; then comes the second leg against Olympiakos and an FA Cup quarter-final at Barnsley. Form is not in his corner. Since the Portsmouth draw, the team have won just one of four, against Huddersfield of League One in the FA Cup.Grant failed his big test on Sunday, in his first English cup final. He requires a confident response.

Tags: appointment, ashley cole, attitude, cate, champion, champions league, chelsea, disappointment, ford, henk, john terry, lampard, premier league, roman abramovich, spira, steve clarke, ten cate, ups

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The former Ajax coach was added to the manager Avram Grant’s staff in October to work in tandem with Steve Clarke, the only survivor from the Jose Mourinho regime, but his abrasive nature has failed to win him popularity.Grant would like to bring in another coach this summer, one from his native Israel, but his immediate concern is surviving that long himself. The shock FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Barnsley has focused attention even more sharply on the need to win the Premier League or the Champions League. Derby visit Chelsea tomorrow night, and Grant knows victory would move them to within five points of the leaders Arsenal, with a game in hand.Roman Abramovich, the owner, wants to persist with Grant into next season but he cannot tolerate many more bad results, or a season without a trophy.

Tags: ajax, avram grant, cate, champion, champions league, chelsea, premier league, roman abramovich, steve clarke, ten cate

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Chelsea have played down suggestions of an alleged bust-up between coach Henk ten Cate and captain John Terry prior to Sunday’s Carling Cup Final defeat by Tottenham.

The pair were reported to have been pulled apart by other players after a
training ground row.

The confrontation was understood to have been seen by the club’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich who was visiting the training ground.

Tags: cate, chelsea, henk, john terry, roman abramovich, ten cate

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Chelsea coach Henk ten Cate has admitted he and John Terry had a huge row the day before the Carling Cup Final defeat by Tottenham.

%26bull; More Premier League news club by club

Ten Cate insisted he and skipper Terry still got on well despite the “emotional” exchange. Both took a full part in yesterday’s training session at Cobham which was watched by billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

Ten Cate said: “John and I are both kind of emotional but we respect each other fully. We just had a discussion about the intensity of the training session. That is a normal part of the game. There have been a few F-words, no doubt. But that is common in England.

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Yet there was considerably more emotion to Grant at his press briefing yesterday ahead of today’s visit to West Ham than there had been either on the touchline or, indeed, in the team huddle at the end of normal time and the midway point of extra-time at Wembley. He insisted Chelsea remain a squad united, that his own record since replacing Jose Mourinho in September stands up to scrutiny and that, despite the “exceptional result” endured against Spurs, he retains the support of the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich.”If someone else had done what I’ve done, he’d be treated differently,” said Grant. “Most of the fans respect what we’ve done up to now. We will win a trophy, many trophies, but you cannot build things in one day. I want to win a trophy this season. I think we will, yes. I have no problems with anyone at the club and I speak with Roman Abramovich a lot of times. No one was happy with what happened on Sunday, but we are proud with what we’ve achieved up to now.”The reaction to that defeat has hurt my players, hurt the club, and that is not right. We were the only team to get to the final from the ‘big four’ - no one criticised them when they were knocked out - we are still in all the other competitions, we’ve won 24 of our 35 games. We won all those games in a row [a club record-equalling nine in the new year] and done a fantastic job in my opinion. You have to see the facts of what’s happened in the last few months and give respect to the players and to me for what we have achieved.”Abramovich has been a regular recently at the club’s Cobham training ground. Grant dismissed suggestions that the Russian has attempted to influence selection, insisting the team’s failings were down to him. “I’m very happy when the owner comes down,” he said. “I’ve pushed that at every club I’ve been at. He’s part of the team and he’s never told me this player needs to play, or that I should pick the team this way or that way. When he’s in England he comes down a lot, but no one makes an issue of it in the previous six weeks, and then we lose a game.”But there’s one man responsible for this. One. I’m in charge and I’m responsible for everything: for my staff, for my selection. I went home on Sunday and thought about how we could have made things better. We put out a very strong team on paper against Tottenham, but if I decided to play some players after injury, that was my decision. If I put [Nicolas] Anelka on the left side, it’s my decision. I’ll take the criticism on that.”The players have been fantastic. They behave nicely, the spirit’s good, and no one’s criticised me for the team that was selected. The players were disappointed but full of energy in training. Now I don’t know what is more of a problem: if you don’t have the players like we didn’t [through injury and the African Cup of Nations] or what we have at the moment with everyone available. But I take the decisions as to what is good for the team. Some players are not happy because they all want to play, but I understand.”While relations between Ten Cate and Terry are, according to Grant, no longer strained - “They shook hands, hugged, a minute later, and no team in the world is without fighting sometimes” - the Israeli remains concerned ahead of today’s awkward trip to West Ham over the style his side are mustering. The entertaining football promised in the autumn has dried up with 10 goals scored in their last nine games, three of those against the League One side Huddersfield in the FA Cup.”In the last few games we haven’t played entertaining football, but it is very difficult to do that with so many players injured,” he added. “It’s not easy to make it consistent entertainment. I agree, in the last few games we haven’t played well. But now the players are coming back from injury, you will see that it will be better. We are fighters and we move on.”

Tags: cate, chelsea, job, roman abramovich, ten cate

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Once the players had concluded their gathering, they again proved uncooperative. Seeking to end reports of squad discontent at his handling of the final, Grant asked the players to voice any concerns. It is understood that because they were worried that what they said would be relayed to owner Roman Abramovich, no team member spoke up.Grant had been called in to Cobham the previous day when Abramovich demanded talks with the first team’s entire coaching staff. Unprecedented in the past four seasons at Chelsea, the Russian’s request resulted in Grant cancelling an arrangement with the Israel Football Federation to study for the Uefa Pro-Licence he must obtain to continue managing the team next season.Abramovich had also spent a significant length of time in the Chelsea dressing room at Wembley after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat, been present for each of the team’s final three training days before the final and held private discussions with Grant on the eve of the game.There remains considerable discontent among the Chelsea squad about preparations for the final. Having witnessed Abramovich address Michael Essien about errors in his play after a Champions League group game this season, some players believe the owner influences team selection and strategy through his deputy Eugene Tenenbaum. Grant partially denied this on Friday, saying: ‘Roman Abramovich has never even seen me about one player that he needs to play, never said to me anything about picking the team.’Whoever did choose Sunday’s team and tactics, the players were unhappy that they did not know who they would be playing alongside nor which formation they would be using until the day of the game. Ashley Cole learned of his omission in the pages of a national newspaper, Michael Ballack believed he was to start only to be supplanted by Shaun Wright-Phillips, while Alex was asked if he would stand down for John Terry on the Saturday. ‘It was frustrating,’ Alex told Brazilian television last week. ‘The boss called me over to talk on Saturday. He told me that I’d been playing well, but it’s the English cup and that Terry is the captain, he has to play. He asked me if there was any problem and I said, “No, no problem at all. I’m here to do my job.”‘From Thursday onwards, senior players had asked whether the team would be playing in their customary 4…#8209;3…#8209;3 formation or another shape to accommodate the selection of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka as joint strikers for the first time. They were told to ‘wait and see’ and ‘not to worry’ about the issue.Adding to the tension was Terry’s nervousness over being passed over for the in-form Alex. During Saturday’s final training session the captain’s unease spilled over into a fight with Henk ten Cate, ostensibly over the assistant coach’s whistle-happy interruptions of a practice match to chide midfielder John Obi Mikel. Terry was not reassured of his place until 11pm on Saturday night.Grant’s job is not in immediate jeopardy. Abramovich has too much invested in the appointment of an under-qualified coach to one of European football’s top positions to dispense with him after one Wembley defeat. Sources close to the owner insist he has not moved to change the manager nor sanctioned any approach to the Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.An uneasy atmosphere does remain at the club, though. Piet de Visser, who acts as a private adviser to Abramovich on football matters, is an important influence, having recommended several player purchases and the appointment of chief scout Frank Arnesen. Grant’s relationship with Arnesen is described as ‘frosty’.Chelsea last night denied that players arrived late for Tuesday’s meeting with Grant. They declined to comment on when Ashley Cole and Ballack discovered they were not in the cup final line-up.

Tags: appointment, ashley cole, assistant coach, boss, cate, champion, champions league, chelsea, europe, frank rijkaard, henk, job, john terry, roman abramovich, ten cate

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