Grant - Cole deserves credit

Cheslea boss defends under-fire full-back

By Peter Fraser   Last updated: 21st March 2008

Ashley Cole

Cole: Grant support

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Chelsea manager Avram Grant insists Ashley Cole does not have a problem with his discipline despite the defender's controversial behaviour in Wednesday's 4-4 draw with Tottenham.

Cole has come under criticism for his studs-up tackle on Spurs defender Alan Hutton at White Hart Lane in midweek and his behaviour towards referee Mike Riley following the incident.

Grant, though, insists Cole - who has since apologised - has no problems with ill discipline and that Chelsea's respect for match officials is no worse than other sides in the Premier League.

"I think the team discipline is good," Grant told Sky Sports News. "It is not less than other teams, maybe a little bit more.

"You need to give credit to Ashley because he behaved like a mature guy. After what he did he apologised by himself, nobody forced him too.

Worry

"You need to give credit to him about this. He made a tackle and he saw it by himself that he needed to apologise.

"If it is not the first time maybe it is a worry, but it is the first time that he did it.

"I tell my players all the time to take responsibility for what you do because there are players who made worse tackles than this and didn't get even a yellow card and didn't apologise.

"I believe in discipline and I believe you have to respect everybody and I think they (Chelsea players) do it."

Chelsea take on Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Grand Slam Sunday and Grant has suggested that the Gunners set a worse example than his side by failing to apologise for a lack of discipline

Arsenal criticism

Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue caught John Terry with a late challenge in the reverse fixture at Emirates Stadium in December resulting in the Chelsea skipper spending a period on the sidelines and Grant is still aggravated by the incident.

"It happened against Arsenal that someone sent our captain to hospital for a few days and other players, I don't want to mention names, didn't apologise." Grant continued.

And Grant believes it would be a positive move to ensure that match officials are no longer surrounded by swarms of players by introducing a rule that only allows the captain of a team to approach the referee.

"Maybe the rules need to be a bit clearer about who can go to the referee and who can't," added Grant.

"I think it would be good and it would be clearer for everybody. Then everybody would respect it."