Portsmouth boss Avram Grant says he argued against the axing of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea while he was at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking with the Daily Mail and prompted by information from sources at Stamford Bridge, it is put to him that he argued against the decision on Mourinho.

"It's true," he said. "I did. It was not that they sacked Mourinho. In the end he also wanted to go. But before this they thought about sacking him and I said they shouldn't. They asked me if I wanted the job and I told them to keep Jose. I was fighting like crazy.

"I had just come to the English league, after a short time at Portsmouth, and I wanted to work as an assistant to put the right things in place."

He was seen simply as Roman Abramovich's mate and not someone who should be taken seriously as a manager.

"I think you're right," he said. "England didn't know me when I was at Chelsea. Maybe they didn't want to know me.

"The one thing I didn't like was that people didn't judge my work. The criticism I can take, OK. But if you compare what I did to Ferguson and Wenger in their first year, or Mourinho in his last year, compare the way I worked, the style of training, the way we played, the fact we only lost one league game, I think I did a good job.

"We changed the style of play, less long-ball. But people didn't want to know. I think they have changed now, though, even the Chelsea supporters."