Barely eight months after taking over the reins of Chelsea from " The Special One ", Avram Grant has had his managerial contract terminated by the London club. Under Grant, Chelsea finished runners up in the Premiership and the Champions League to Manchester United, and lost the League Cup final to Tottenham Hotspur. Apparently, three second placed finishes were not enough for the Chelsea board, who want trophies in their cabinet.

Many Chelsea fans were hostile in their reception to the 53 year old Israeli, especially as he had succeeded their beloved Jose Mourinho as manager of the club. There were also questions raised as to how the players who held Mourinho in the highest regard would respond to Grant. Some suggested that he was merely keeping the bench warm till the right man came in. But when the club gave him a vote of confidence by awarding him a four year contract in December, it seemed that he had survived the worst.

There was not much that Grant did wrong. And his departure only serves to accentuate the fact that there is cut throat competition in the beautiful game. For owners like Abramovich, who have pumped in billions into their clubs, being second best is probably equivalent to finishing at the bottom of the heap.

Guus Hiddink is a prospective replacement, but the names of Frank Riijkard, Sven Goran Eriksson, Roberto Mancini and Brian Laudrup are also doing the rounds.