Mourinho quits Chelsea
Grant and Clarke take control at Stamford Bridge
Avram Grant and Steve Clarke took charge of Chelsea's first team from yesterday following Jose Mourinho's departure, the club said in a statement.
The announcement on Chelsea's website did not say if the jobs were permanent.
The pair could hardly face a tougher task in their first match which sees them travelling to Old Trafford for the Premier League clash with champions Manchester United on Sunday.
"The club is delighted that in Avram we have an experienced man who can come in immediately at this difficult time to help deliver our objectives," the statement said.
"In Steve we have a Chelsea man and he will be a crucial part of the management team going forward," it added.
Former Israel coach Grant, 52, is Chelsea's Director of Football while Clarke, 44, is an ex-Chelsea and Scotland full-back who has been working as assistant coach under Mourinho.
Clarke played 421 matches for the west London club between 1986 and 1998, the fifth-highest total in their history.
Mourinho left Chelsea on Wednesday by "mutual consent" just six games into the season. The confirmation followed media reports which said senior players, including captain John Terry, received text messages from their Portuguese manager informing them he was leaving.
Mourinho, who was contracted until 2010, was hired by Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich in 2004 with a brief to make Chelsea the best club in Europe.
The former Porto boss made a stunning impact in his debut season by winning the title, Chelsea's first since 1955, and charming the media with his sharp sense of humour.
The self-styled "special one" repeated the feat in 2006 but failed to make it a hat-trick last season.
Mourinho also won two League Cups and the FA Cup for Chelsea and had the remarkable distinction of never losing a home league game during his glittering reign.
However, European success eluded him and probably hastened his downfall. Chelsea twice lost to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.
Chelsea have begun this season poorly by their own high standards, although they did top the table briefly at the end of August.
Tuesday's disappointing 1-1 Champions League draw at home to Norwegian outsiders Rosenborg proved the final act of a remarkable period in Chelsea's history, but Mourinho walks away with a tremendous record.
Of the 120 league games he took charge of, Chelsea won 85, drew 25 and lost just 10.
Mourinho... the wit and wisdom
Following is a selection of some of Jose Mourinho sayings:
• "Please don't call me arrogant because what I am saying is true. I think I am a special one."
• "If the club decides to sack me that is part of the game. If that happens I will be a millionaire and I will get another club a couple of months later."
• "How is it not possible (to get) penalties against Manchester United and not possible (to get) penalties in favour of Chelsea?"
• "Maybe one day when I become 60 and maybe one day when I am in the same league for 20 years and I know everybody and everybody respects me a lot I will have this power to speak and people tremble a little bit."