Avram Grant's last game as a manager of an English team was against Manchester United, so it is apt his next one, now he has been installed as Pompey manager, is against the same opponents when the Red Devils come to town on Saturday (3pm).

Back in May 2008, Grant was manager of Chelsea playing in the Champions League final, having picked up the reigns eight months before, after Jose Mourinho left. It is fair to say he rescued the season for the Stamford Bridge club.

Eighteen months on he now faces another salvage job - of Pompey's season, not to mention reputation - and it will be a far stiffer test of his management credentials.

As things stand, Pompey are as close to nailed on certainties for relegation you could imagine. With a tough six games - three are against Champions League contenders - to end the first half of the season, chances are Pompey are going to be bottom of the league at Christmas.

History tells us teams who find themselves there, then rarely escape.

He inherits not so much a bad squad, but more one which is simply much of a muchness. However, seven defeats so far this season by the odd goal suggests that there are points to be gained even with this set of players.

The main reason Paul Hart lost his job is that the board concluded seven points from a possible 39 was too small a return, even bearing in mind the chaos off the field. That was a correct analysis. Article continue here

So what must Grant do to galvanize the team into positive action? To be fair, by and large the players couldn't be faulted under Hart for their application.

However, the feeling persisted that under him some players were being picked for far longer than their performances merited, while others never seemed to get a run even if selected now and again.

Grant's challenge is to get the best out of the likes of Fredieric Piquionne, John Utaka and Nadir Belhadj, all of whom have flattered to deceive as well as blending the players he has at his disposal into the most effective formation and set up.

He also needs to be bolder than Paul Hart. Too often the former boss seemed content with a point when three were going begging. Birmingham, Bolton, Hull and Stoke spring immediately to mind.

And he needs to get lucky. You make your own luck often, but it has been fair to say that many times this season if it could go wrong for Pompey it has gone wrong.

United are the perfect opponents for Grant to start his new job. A point will be a bonus and three might well provoke a steward's enquiry were it a horse race.

Let's get into them and see what happens. Pompey 1 United 1...

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