Avram Grant insists he has not taken on the "impossible" job as Portsmouth manager.

It is a far cry from Grant's last managerial role in England, when he steered Chelsea to the Champions League final and second in the league.

But the 54-year-old is excited about the challenge, despite a baptism of fire as Pompey face Manchester United on Saturday.

He said: "I'm not a man who looks back at the past. All challenges in football are different. It is the nature of the game.

"This is a difficult one, although not impossible, but when I was manager of Chelsea it was difficult as well.

"At the time I was appointed there were signs that the team was on the way down. They had gone to sixth in the table and that was not good enough.

"But in the end we were only beaten to the title by Manchester United on the last day of the season and, in my opinion, were the better team against them in the European final only to lose on penalties.

"Of course I am not happy at how things ended there. To be dismissed a few days after losing a European Cup final on penalties is not good but I am happy with the job I did at Stamford Bridge."

Some observers outside the club felt that Chelsea's star players virtually managed themselves after Jose Mourinho's shock departure and that Grant was not much more than the puppet of an autocratic ownership.

A dismal FA Cup defeat to Barnsley and failure against Tottenham in the Carling Cup final were big blemishes on Grant's eight-month reign, but he added: "When I took Chelsea to the Champions League final it was their first time.

"So why didn't they do it before I came in?"