Amidst all the lauding of Guus Hiddink and his achievements during four months at Stamford Bridge, let us not forget an altogether more morbid figure. Avram Grant achieved perhaps greater things during his own short tenure as Chelsea manager, but plaudits for the underwhelming Israeli have never been forthcoming.
There is no denying that Hiddink instilled renewed zeal into a Chelsea squad that had begun to flounder under Luis Filipe Scolari. The Dutchman has cemented a Champions League place for the Blues, taken them to within a whisker of a Champions League final and led them to their first silverware since the departure of Jose Mourinho.
Great achievements, no doubt, but whereas Hiddink lifted the side from third to, er, third in the Premier League, Chelsea were fourth when Avram Grant took over from Jose Mourinho, and eventually finished second taking Manchester United to the last game of the season.
Allied to this, under his tutelage Chelsea made it to a League Cup final and, infamously, to within the breadth of a goalpost of lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
Hiddink is clearly a more engaging character. He exudes intelligence and his track record speaks for itself. Seeing him frolic in the Wembley dressing room, tugging on a cigar with the FA Cup perched on top of his head, you can see that he has made an indelible mark at Chelsea. Unfortunately for Grant, it seems that having the looks, demeanor and charisma of a mortician can have as much bearing on your legacy as the results do.