Undervalued Portsmouth boss Avram Grant finally commands respect he deserves after dignified FA Cup loss

By Ian Ridley Updated: 17:51 EDT, 15 May 2010

Downer: Avram Grant (right) consoles Jamie O'Hara

Avram Grant strode towards the Chelsea players and shook them warmly by the hand when it might have been their throat, given the way some of them treated him when he was their manager. But then, as he has proved in charge of Portsmouth this season, the Israeli is a bigger man than that.

In the build-up to the FA Cup Final, Grant revealed how hurt he was to discover that one particular player had been, shall we say, less than supportive during his tenure.

'I found out after I left, he behaved not as a professional and did a lot of things behind my back,' Grant said. 'I won't say who it was but one player had so much power, maybe because they gave him that impression. He allowed himself to do things players shouldn't.'

But then Grant knows much about forgiveness, instilled in him by his father, who died six months ago and, having survived the Holocaust, virtually commanded his son not to cling on to resentment.

Even that subversive Chelsea player must now respect Grant. His achievement in replacing Jose Mourinho and taking Chelsea to a Champions League final is undervalued, certainly at Stamford Bridge, as shown by his lawyers having to squabble over bonuses he claims he is still owed.

And his rallying of a Portsmouth squad demoralised by financial shenanigans has been astonishing. In this modern era, when the mercenary prevails, he has led by example, worrying less about his missing wages than instilling a spirit that carried them to Wembley on a tide of passion welling up from the Solent.

The horse bolts: Kevin-Prince Boateng (left) has his penalty saved Petr Cech

There it was again yesterday, as the Pompey Chimes filled Wembley and their fans cheered every moment of an amazing game of misses as if their team had scored instead of merely surviving yet another goalmouth squeak.

It seemed Grant had personally selected the goal frame - hit five times by Chelsea, including possibly the worst miss in Wembley history by Salomon Kalou - as if his 12th man.

And when Aruna Dindane won the Pompey penalty, Grant was surely not just a good general - but a lucky one.

'As we say in Israel, it's fun to steal horses with him,' says his wife Tzofit, remarkably tolerant of the, er, massage therapy her husband felt in need of earlier this season amid the Fratton Park stress.

Worst cup miss ever? Salomon Kalou hits the bar

Kevin-Prince Boateng, however, just could not rustle the prize-winning stallion when the stable door was wide open.

Still, Grant is one of the few to emerge from Portsmouth with any credit, the club seeming hardly to have learned their lesson as former chief executive Peter Storrie, who negotiated all the inflated contracts and oversaw the spending, formed part of their official party, sporting his Cup Final suit unashamed.

Interviewing Grant before Portsmouth's semi-final win over Tottenham, I reminded him of the Old Testament aphorism; that the race is not always to the swift and the strong.

It seemed inappropriate to add Damon Runyon's words: that it was still a safe way to bet. And so it proved yesterday, as the 1-6 favourites prevailed and won the Double.

Nearly all will leave Portsmouth, but neither manager nor players will ever forget their achievement. Those who run Portsmouth FC did not deserve this team.