Two titles after 50 years of nothingness saw Jose Mourinho become our most successful and most loved manager ever and Grant’s temporary period in charge was never destined to bring anyone at Chelsea the same sort of euphoria we experienced under TSO. He may well have done better than many of us expected him to and in terms of Europe at least, did better than Mourinho, but entertaining, he wasn’t. That at least seems set to change with the appointment of Scolari, because however he matches up to those gone before him, life at Stamford Bridge should certainly liven up a bit now.

A bit of a loose cannon at times, prone to the odd outburst both verbally and physically, it could be an interesting, and much publicised time at Chelsea next season. If anything, the Brazilian is even less likely to give in to the demands placed on him from above than Mourinho was, so whether his appointment is a recipe for success or disaster remains to be seen.

He’s not nicknamed ‘Big Phil’ for nothing and the Chelsea players will very much feel his presence both in the dressing room and on the touchline. Be it his manic celebrations or almost psychotic-tempered rages on the sideline, he’s anything but subtle. Fiercely loyal to his players yet at the same time more than capable of keeping the larger egos in check, there’ll be no doubt who’s in charge in the forthcoming season.

But then let’s face it, taking over what has to be the most often vacated seat in football, demands a bigger personality than the predecessor could even hope to conjure up, not to mention a bigger desire to win, and Scolari certainly seems to have that. His hunger for success must have ticked the right box as far as Roman’s concerned anyway, along with his proven track record – albeit at international level. After leading Brazil to World Cup victory in 2002, he has gone on to take Portugal to the Euro 2004 final and the World Cup semis in 2006. He’s also had club success in Brazil, with Copa Libertadores victories for both Palmeiras and Gremio – who he also guided to a Brazilian title. But the fact remains, Scolari is yet to test himself on the European scene and ironic as it is, even Avram Grant can boast a better CV than ‘Big Phil’ on that score. Little wonder then that doubts are being raised as to how Scolari will adapt to daily life in the Premier League after so long on the international circuit.

Still, surely the football Scolari brings with him will be worth taking the risk? Well, surprisingly enough, his sides haven’t always played the kind of attractive football people often associate him with. Scolari has often been accused of adopting a physical style of play in the past, along with some undesirable gamesmanship. Notably, it was when he took over at Brazil that his reputation for the sexier game developed. But then how could it fail to with players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo at his disposal? So whilst Abramovich waits expectantly for the attractive football he craves to be delivered, I’ve no doubt the Brazilian will be putting in requests of his own – for the sort of players he’ll need to deliver it.

And deliver he must, if Roman’s previous level of patience is anything to go by. Having already terminated the contract of Chelsea’s most successful manager for failure to deliver the most coveted piece of silverware (amongst other things), he then dispensed with his old mate Grant after a mere nine months despite finals in both the Carling Cup and Champions League, and an admirable second place finish in the league to what can only be described as a bloody good United side.  

And what about the press coverage while all this going on because we all know how Roman felt about Mourinho’s antics where media coverage was concerned – will Scolari, who’s already had many a bust-up with reporters in his time, cope with the vultures around him 24/7? Having cited media intrusion as a reason to reject the England job, it begs the question of why Scolari would take on one of the most covered roles in football as far as the press are concerned. What planet was he on when Mourinho was in the spotlight on a daily basis, when even his dog had no privacy? And which particular beach did he have his head buried in when the search for Grant’s replacement was going on? Does he honestly think he’ll keep the hounds at bay with the odd expletive or two?

No doubt about it though, whether happy with his appointment or not, it still raises as many questions as his behaviour does eyebrows. And whether Chelsea or not, there’ll be as many for his appointment as against it, because let’s face it, who could resist the very idea of the volatile Scolari going up against the likes of Fergie, Wenger and Benitez?

Filed under: Rants