Juande Ramos needed just four months to end Tottenham's nine-year wait for silverware.
Juande guides Spurs to glory, while critics turn on Grant
Juande Ramos needed just four months to end Tottenham's nine-year wait for silverware with victory over Chelsea in the Carling Cup final.
The Spaniard arrived at White Hart Lane in October last year with a reputation as a cup specialist, but even the most wildly optimistic of Spurs fans could not have expected such instant success.
Ramos left a Sevilla outfit who he had guided to back-to-back Uefa Cup victories to take charge of a gifted but under-performing Spurs side who had badly lost their way in the final stages of Martin Jol's reign.
In fairness to Jol, it should be remembered that the Dutchman led Tottenham to consecutive fifth-placed Premier League finishes and signed players of the quality of Dimitar Berbatov before his stint at the helm came under intolerable pressure from the boardroom.
But it was one of Ramos' major January signings, Jonathan Woodgate, who headed home the extra-time winner and formed an outstanding defensive barrier alongside Ledley King to keep Chelsea at bay.
Woodgate's winner extended Ramos' astonishing record of having never lost in a final and secured his sixth cup triumph in just three years to stand alongside his Uefa Cup double, Uefa Super Cup, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup successes.
Spurs spent £8million to bring Woodgate to White Hart Lane from Middlesbrough and invested a similar amount to land Rangers right-back Alan Hutton as it was all-too obvious where the club's problems lay in the opening weeks of the season.
The North London club were shipping goals at an alarming rate in the opening stages of the season with a back four who looked as though they had forgotten how to mark and tackle, and goalkeeper Paul Robinson suffering a serious crisis of confidence.
Leadership
January's transfer window gave Ramos an essential opportunity to strengthen, which he grasped with both hands, while the gradual return to fitness of skipper King has been just as important.
King still needs to be wrapped in cotton wool and cannot play every game after his long-term knee injury, but his presence brings much-needed leadership and stability.
Robinson also looks to be back in favour, and although he was at fault for Didier Drogba's opener as he stepped behind his wall to give the Blues striker the opportunity to slot home low to his left, the England international made key saves in extra-time to keep Spurs in front.
The former Leeds keeper found himself an early victim of Ramos' ruthless team selection, with Radek Cerny briefly preferred until the Czech's own blunders led to his return to the bench.
Left-back Pascal Chimbonda could now find himself out of favour in the coming weeks following his display of petulance in walking straight past the bench and down the Wembley tunnel after being replaced by Tom Huddlestone as Spurs battled to find a way back into the game.
Given that Huddlestone's arrival played a key role in Spurs getting back on terms and their eventual victory, Chimbonda would be well advised to offer an immediate apology to his manager and team-mates.
While Ramos takes the plaudits, the critics have been quick to turn on Chelsea manager Avram Grant after the Blues' lacklustre defence of the trophy.
Juliano Belletti's sloppy pass in the opening 20 seconds, which allowed Robbie Keane to burst clear and fire in a shot on goal which was deflected narrowly wide by a lunging John Terry, set the tone for much of Chelsea's play.
Disjointed
Terry and Frank Lampard were both included in the starting XI, with Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba playing together for the first time and Joe Cole left kicking his heels on the bench alongside Michael Ballack.
But the holders were disjointed, forced onto the back foot for long periods by a vibrant Spurs side and lacked any attacking urgency with Anelka isolated on the left flank, contributing almost nothing over the 120 minutes.
The Wembley defeat was just Grant's third in 35 matches since taking over from Jose Mourinho in September, but while Chelsea have been efficient under the Israeli's stewardship, they have been far from inspiring.
Results have been ground out and opponents ground down on a regular basis, which most fans will accept provided silverware follows and Grant may now need to deliver on one of the three fronts the Stamford Bridge side are still fighting on.
Further selection dilemmas are also on the horizon for Grant now that he has a full squad to choose from after seeing several key players sidelined by injury and Africa Cup of Nations duty in recent weeks.
With Ballack already expressing his frustration at being left out of the starting line-up at Wembley, the Blues boss faces a test of his authority and ability in the closing weeks of the campaign.
Grant's post-match assertion that Chelsea were the better side at Wembley was well wide of the mark, and while the penalty awarded against Bridge could be seen as harsh, Tottenham fully deserved to lift the trophy which earned them a place in next season's Uefa Cup.
And under cup king Ramos, they could well help the Spaniard achieve a memorable hat-trick in Europe this term.
