With a sense of achievement that comes with taking Chelsea to our first Champions League final but knowing silverware has yet to be won, Avram Grant has been speaking further about the adaptation process needed when he became manager.

Grant will take his team to Newcastle for Monday's game knowing a win is essential to take the title race to the final win day following Man United's win over West Ham.

Thoughts of the Moscow final will be put to the back of minds, but not before the Chelsea manager says:

'April 30th was an historic day for Chelsea. You cannot say to the players that they haven't achieved anything yet. All of them are in the book of history for the club but we can achieve more and it is not only this year, we can put this club in another place.

'I want to say this to the players and the staff, they have done a great job. They have made history that no-one can take from them but they can make it even bigger.'

Grant thinks back to the start of his tenure at Stamford Bridge in September when it was not only a question of the squad becoming accustomed to a new management style.

'I showed patience with the players. I said I will not form an opinion of you in only one month. I wanted to check them for a long time, to see their behaviour.

'I believe that you need quality but you need more than quality - you need to be a positive person.

'You check the players,' he details, 'and the players want to see what you can bring. It is normal, but I say it again, out on the pitch they have always given me everything.'

The process Chelsea went through in the autumn is similar to the one Monday's opposition underwent early in the new year when Kevin Keegan returned to St James' Park after a gap of 11 years.

'Newcastle have improved a lot and it has shown to others that you need to be patient sometimes with a manager.

'They didn't win for nine games after Keegan took them over but the club was patient. Now they play very good football, Owen scores a lot of goals and it will be a tough game for us.'


Bookmakers Paddy Power list Chelsea as 8/13 to secure the three points we need at Newcastle.