Chelsea and the Wag that has a tale to tell about substitutes

Lord Patel may not know much about the "beautiful game" but this made fascinating reading ...

So who is Avram Grant? By Danny Caro Jewish Chronicle 11/1/08

Born on May 6, 1955, he was the youngest-ever manager of the Israel national team, before moving to Portsmouth where he was made technical director.

He moved to Chelsea in 2007, initially as director of football, before taking over as manager after the self-proclaimed “Special One”, Jose Mourinho, was sacked on September 20.

His dad Meir says ..“I speak fluent Russian so I am looking forward to meeting [Chelsea owner] Roman Abramovich for the first time. But Avram doesn’t speak a word of Russian. I laughed when the press reported last year that he was coming to Chelsea because he speaks Russian."

“Avram has always respected Jewish tradition. He sang the entire parsha at his barmitzvah.”

Of Grant’s first day in charge of Chelsea when he fasted for Yom Kippur, he says: “He has always fasted on Yom Kippur. He used to love going to the synagogue towards the end of the fast to hear the Shofar. It was not my influence I never fast on Yom Kippur. I did enough fasting in Russia.”

Criticised for not having a Uefa professional coaching licence, (!!!) and targeted by antisemitic chants from some Chelsea fans, he is in the process of training for the qualification.

A close friend of Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich, he described himself on his appointment as “The Normal One”.

His TV-presenter wife, Tzofit 42, (see pic with hubby) has made headlines for drinking her own urine on her show (video of it here) (it tastes like the Dead Sea she says) , being spanked on air by a sado masochist and bathing in a bath of spaghetti......

Having signed the ageing French Anelka for a hugely overpriced £15 Mn , which presages a summer time shuffle by Didier Drogba , as they struggle like all the London teams to chase Manchester United the finest football team in the world ....