No Fratton friction this time for the return of Chelsea boss Grant to Redknapp's patch

Redknapp almost stormed out of Portsmouth for a second time in his career when Grant was brought in over his head as technical director in 2006.

He was suspicious of his motives but the pair looked like friends reunited on Saturday as Redknapp insisted Grant's work since taking over from Jose Mourinho at Chelsea deserves greater recognition.

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"I'm delighted for what he's done because he is a good guy," said the Pompey manager.

"He just gets on with it in his own quiet way, he's not a personality like the previous manager. Maybe people expect it because it's Chelsea and they've got good players but he has done a terrific job."

In public, Grant is secretive and hard to decode. Ask him about injured players and he says he's not a doctor. Ask about a player's fitness and he mumbles: "You'll have to ask him yourself."

He flatly refuses to discuss other clubs or their players and is reluctant to talk about referees.

The only subjects he warms to are his days in charge of Israel and the many influential friends he has in world football.

It is easy to see why Redknapp was uncomfortable with his presence until discovering he was destined for Chelsea.

"To be truthful, he was almost given to me," said Redknapp.

"He was put on me in a way and I wasn't happy with it at the time. When I was first told I nearly reacted in the way I normally do when people do that to me and that's to walk away. But I didn't.

"I met him, I liked him and he came here and it was great. I enjoyed being with him every day. He has a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed talking about football. He has travelled the world watching Capello and Trapattoni work.

"We became great friends. I think it was always a case he was going to go to Chelsea in some capacity, that was always the plan."

Chelsea supporters do not sing Grant's name but time and results have softened their opposition to the man who usurped the Special One.

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Nine straight wins equalled a club record set under Mourinho but Redknapp's hospitality did not extend to another.

Grant said: "On one hand I am disappointed and on the other I am very proud of what the players have done over the last 10 games.

"I have never had a chance to pick my strongest team. We took a risk by not buying more players in January. I prefer to trust this squad and they showed me they deserve it."

The game was a good advert for January transfer business with three new signings playing key roles.

Nicolas Anelka put Chelsea ahead, Jermain Defoe levelled and Lassana Diarra, signed by Pompey from Arsenal, was the best player on the pitch by a distance.

Defoe's deadline day move from Spurs was registered as a loan to squeeze it through before the deadline but will be made permanent this week.

Pompey insist they were not waiting on the Benjani move to Manchester City, now in the hands of lawyers.

Defoe has now scored debut goals for his four clubs — Bournemouth, West Ham, Spurs and Portsmouth — and his finishing rekindled Redknapp's first memories of him in West Ham's youth side.

"He'd just score and score and score," he said.

Both teams had chances to win this game — Defoe for Pompey and Shaun Wright-Phillips for Chelsea — but Grant's men are still focused on the title.

Anelka said: "Everybody thinks we can still be champions. We don't care that some people are talking about it as a twohorse race. We have a big squad so anything is possible."