Terry backs Grant to stay as Chelsea manager

Chelsea captain John Terry believes that manager Avram Grant’s future should no longer be called into question after he guided the Londoners to the first Champions League final in their history.

Terry said he found it “unbelievable’ that Grant’s position was still being questioned after the Blues defeated Liverpool 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Two goals from Didier Drogba and a Frank Lampard penalty ensured Chelsea won 4-3 on aggregate and set up an all-English showdown with Manchester United in Moscow on May 21.

When asked if he thought Grant had already done enough to secure his job, Terry replied: “I would have thought so.”

“Results don’t lie,” he said. “You look at the Premier League table since the manager has taken over and they have been very good. It is for the club to make that decision. All we can do once we are out there and once the manager is in charge is do our best and that’s what we have done to get to the Champions League final.

“Avram plays a massive part along with the players, Steve Clarke, Henk ten Cate, the fans and everyone at the club. It is a credit to ourselves and the way we have dealt with things this year because at times it has not been easy.

“I think he (Grant) deserves respect and rightly so. It is the first time in the club’s history we have got to a Champions League final – it has never been done by any manager or set of players before and he does deserve it.

“To get to where we are and still question the manager’s role at the club is unbelievable. But it is not just the manager, it is the players, and Henk and Clarkie, who have a big role to play behind the scenes. They keep players motivated. We have got such a big squad of players and they manage to keep those not playing motivated and that is a credit to them.”

Chelsea face title rivals United in Moscow in the first all-English European Cup final and Terry believes their never-say-die spirit can spur them to glory in Russia.

“It is a great thing for English football with two clubs in the biggest competition in the world – it is a great achievement,” said Terry.

“We have got to beat a very good side but once you get there you don’t care who you play. We’ve shown character all year even when our bigger players have been out, the squad players have come in and done well.

“They have kept us in these competitions and in touching distance of everybody else in the league. That’s a credit to the football club, that’s the way we work. We never let anything get us down and we keep fighting right to the end and we’ve done that.

“We have a chance in the Premier League and we are in the Champions League final. This is something we have wanted for four or five years and I am very proud of my players.”