Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce says Avram Grant deserves great credit for the way he has handled the pressures at Chelsea since succeeding Jose Mourinho.

"I take my hat off to him," said Bruce. "He has handled himself with a lot of dignity and shown he can handle the job because whoever took over from Mourinho, it was always going to be difficult.

"The media and many other people loved Jose because he was someone different, and then Avram is totally different again.

"But give him some respect because he has done remarkably well, with Chelsea second in the league and in the semi-finals of The Champions League.

"If he gets them into the final, he could be an outstanding manager because that's something Mourinho never achieved.

"But I just find it odd that when people talk about Chelsea it's as if they're always one defeat away from another disaster.

"Yet the fact is they don't get beat very often, and they've still got it all to play for.

"So give credit where it's due to Avram. He has kept his dignity intact, and I'm sure he'll be around for a few years to come."