Jose would not have blown it

Get the Carling Cup in the cabinet and get the nod from above to carry on for another season. Dodgy ground, then, for Avram Grant.

The shake of the head from John Terry as he led Chelsea's battle-scarred troops up the steps towards the Royal Box said it all. This would never have been allowed to happen under Mourinho.

Five finals under the Special One and yes — you guessed it — five wins. Throw in two Premier League titles and that has to hurt. Defeat on the grand stage yesterday is the first final they have lost since Roman Abramovich lifted the mattress and spent £578million on a hobby horse. Time, perhaps, to crack the whip.

Didier Drogba's goal, delivered with the accuracy of a tracer bullet, masked the story of the match. Tottenham scurried and scuttled across every blade of grass as they went in search of their first major honour for nine years. They wanted this trophy so much.

They bloodied their rivals for 120 absorbing minutes and deservedly carted off the Carling Cup, swigging champagne in front of 40,000 disbelieving supporters before partying like it was 1999 — the last time Tottenham won anything more significant than the Peace Cup — in swanky Mayfair. They deserved their night out.

Grant sacrificed the weak and selected the strong. John Terry? No brainer. Frank Lampard? No brainer. Michael Ballack? Benched.

Nicolas Anelka? Leave Joe Cole on the bench for 99 minutes and shove the striker out to the left. Ludicrous.

Chelsea were barely worthy of their first-half lead. Disjointed, disorganised and lacking the devilment that was a prerequisite under Mourinho.

When the ball ran out of play at one point, a Chelsea kitman helpfully handed the ball to Alan Hutton so the Tottenham full back could launch another missile towards Chelsea's penalty area. Mourinho would have had the poor ballretriever sacked.

Chelsea's charitable mood extended to the players. Wayne Bridge handled absurdly in the area, Dimitar Berbatov equalised from the spot and Chelsea supporters waited for a reaction. They waited. And waited. And waited.

The game was heading one way and yet there were 94 minutes on the clock when Jonathan Woodgate finally put Spurs in front. Chelsea's players looked for leadership. They looked at each other, they looked at the bench. And they drew a blank.

Where was the moment of inspiration that turns finals? Goodness knows Wembley, billed as the venue of legends, has seen enough of them.

Steve Clarke rallied the troops at the final whistle, Henk ten Cate cajoled, but the manager should have been pointing the finger and promising them the earth. It worked for Mourinho.

Terry was spotted rattling cages after the first period of extra-time. By then, the Chelsea captain had busted a gut for 105 minutes and then he barely paused for breath before giving the briefest of team talks. Scandalous.

By then, the momentum was firmly with Spurs. The white flags being waved with such gusto were not in surrender, but in unequivocal support. When have Chelsea fans ever chanted Grant's name? Never. And they never will.

Professional pride is guaranteed to see off Bolton, Birmingham and Blackburn. Beating Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League is something else. Touching trophies with the regularity of his predecessor will be beyond him.

Mourinho had class, charisma and confidence. Grant is neither streetwise nor savvy. The players do not believe in him and they may as well post their message on a billboard outside Stamford Bridge.

'A better record than Jose,' chuntered the PR bluster after three defeats in Grant's first 35 games. Oh, please.

'It was a draw after 90 minutes,' was about the best Grant could offer yesterday. A draw, then, according to the Chelsea manager. Just not according to the scoreboard and that is all that counts.