Avram Grant has told the players at Chelsea that anyone unhappy with his leadership can leave the club. The Israeli held one-to-one meetings with every member of his first-team squad over the past few days, during which he told them that he had been given the job as first-team coach on a long-term basis and that they could either accept his appointment or move elsewhere. No one has yet indicated a wish to take up the latter option.

Grant’s intervention represents a calculated attempt to win over the dressing-room after the ructions that followed José Mourinho’s departure last week. Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard shed tears as they said goodbye to their former manager, with Michael Essien and Florent Malouda also upset, but Grant’s bold tactics appear to have quashed any dissent.

John Terry has also given his backing to the new man in charge, the captain telling his team-mates in a players’ meeting that they have nothing to gain by feeling sorry for themselves.

“I think I have the backing of the players, but I can only judge by their actions or what they say to me,” Grant said. “Judging by their reaction against Manchester United [in the defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday] Chelsea can be proud of them as they were very professional and I didn’t see one problem.

“Every new coach that comes in, the players will ask who he is and what to expect of him. I ask the same questions of myself. When you have 25 players in the squad, sometimes one or two aren’t happy, but I didn’t see that. I’m positive but know it can’t always be 100 per cent happiness. For the first few days it’s better than I thought and I’m sure it will be better from now on.”

In a sign of his increasing confidence, Grant yesterday insisted that Chelsea were right to part company with Mourinho and that he represents an improvement on the most successful manager in the club’s history. In his first hostile comments towards his predecessor, Grant criticised Chelsea’s performances this season, saying that they have played well in only two of their eight matches, and promised to deliver a superior style of football.

“Look, we haven’t played so well this season,” Grant said. “We played one game against Birmingham City which was fantastic, we played well for 20 minutes against Reading. Apart from that, we didn’t play well, didn’t score enough goals. There are many things to improve upon.

“The team has had periods of time for three years where Chelsea have played good, but maybe the time has come to change the base a little bit, maybe 20 to 25 per cent. We want to give the supporters a style of football. The time has come in the last month to change things.”

Grant’s chief concern is Chelsea’s lack of goals, two having been scored in five matches. Andriy Shevchenko will be given another opportunity in the Carling Cup away to Hull City this evening, though Drogba and Lampard will not be back until after next month’s international break, while John Obi Mikel begins a three-match suspension after failing in an appeal against his sending-off against United.

“I think scoring goals is the main problem,” Grant said. “The only thing we can do is give ideas to the players and try to get them to make it better on the pitch. Things have not gone well in the last two months, but I know the problems, want to correct things and we have the quality to do it.

“I’m very disappointed and surprised about Mikel. One of the things I teach all my players and even my children is that when you make a mistake you should say you made a mistake and carry on. The referee made a mistake and the FA could correct it.”