Chelski win the Fairy Tale Cup…

guus_hiddink_350x47_815282aChelski won the F.A. Cup. It’s a painful result for every neutral fan as the world wanted to see Everton win! And after Louis Saha scored the fastest goal in the history of an F.A. Cup Final, it seemed Everton were ready to derail Chelsea from their mission to win their first major trophy since the departure of Jose Mourinho. But it wasn’t to be for the Toffees. 

I really thought Everton had this one in the bag. It seemed like their year, but unlike the way Manchester United folded like cheap lawn chairs after giving away an early goal in the Champions League Final, Chelsea dug deep and minute-by-minute they fought back to win. Drogba’s powerful header equalized to make it 1-1 and then Lampard saved the Blues once again with a lovely effort outside the box. Should Tim Howard have saved that shot?  Maybe. But there was definitely nothing Howard could have done about Malouda’s incredible strike that  definitely went over the line. The score should have been 3-1. And how similar was Malouda’s shot to Roberto de Matteo’s for Chelsea in the 1997 F.A. Cup Final? By the way, Di Matteo’s goal was the fastest scored at 43 seconds before Saha’s effort in this year’s final.

The season is now well and truly over and for Chelsea it was certainly a topsy-turvy one. This win will give them every confidence going into next season. Their players and fans must be gutted Guus Hiddink will not be returning as manger of the club. He really did help turn it around and it seems he’s receiving all the credit for Chelsea’s resurgence. But let’s also give some credit to the players (well everyone except Ashley Cole that is)!!! I guess I should mention that he has now won the most F.A. Cup medals of any player since 118 years ago! For us neutrals, that’s a really painful way to end a long but beautiful season…

Newcastle are gone baby gone…

newcastle-shearer_1392814cNewcastle United have been relegated. After almost 20 years in the top flight of British football, the once impressive and glamorous Toon Army are toast. Their fall from grace was heard across the football universe today and Chairman Mike Ashley, his executive team and even the players can point the finger at themselves for this disaster. 

Were any of them aware that it’s a privilege and not a right to play in the Premier League? Their arrogance was intolerable to observe. They made some bad decisions. They screwed it up. They are to blame and now it’s the fans that will pay the price. Instead of relishing an encounter with Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea next season, they can look forward to playing teams like Preston North End, Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle. And to make it even more painful, Newcastle’s bitter rivals Sunderland survived being relegated which means they get to play Premier League football again next term. That’s rotten.

I’ve never felt the pain of my team being relegated and I can’t imagine there is anything worse to experience as a fan of football. To lose the elite status of being a Premier League team is not only gut-wrenching, but it also costs your team millions and can set them back for years to come. There is no guarantee of an immediate return. Just ask Leeds United, Charlton and Southampton fans. It’s got to hurt worse than a punch from Mike Tyson circa 1986. It’s got to hurt worse than a root canal. It’s got to be the worse pain in the world. 

The sad thing for Newcastle fans is not even their hero Alan Shearer could save them from the drop. He probably feels the same pain as they do today. Perhaps it’s a little easier for Shearer though. A nice family holiday in the Bahamas or Bermuda will help ease the pain of relegation. But what will the hard-up Newcastle supporters do to erase the memory of the 2008-09 season? My guess is they’ll dust themselves off, buy a new shirt and start talking about how they are going to return to the Premier League. Football is in their blood. Football is their life. Football is Newcastle United. But who will lead them? Shearer? Or will King Kev return? Let’s hope for the fans sake, the club makes the right decision…

Red card…

baldrefwithredcard1A red card must go to the entire Arsenal team. Why? Dumped out of the Champions League by Manchester United. Humiliated by Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Saturday. Gutless. Spineless. Spiritless. What’s to like about this Arsenal team? Who are they? What do they stand for? They have no identify. No leadership. Where are the men? Houston…we have a major @#$%^&* problem.

Get your cash ready this summer Mr.Wenger. Don’t be shy to spend it. You can’t let another transfer market slip you by. Otherwise the gap between you Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool will grow as wide as the Grand Canyon. You need word class talent. You need game-changers. You need men. Get rid of Adebayor, your defense and your goalkeepers. Have a chat with Van Persie to make sure he really wants to be there. And make Arshavin your captain. Doesn’t seem Fabregas is quite upto the task. Oh and buy some British players will you. We find that really helps on a soggy Saturday afternoon in Hull, Stoke or Wigan.

Fancy football is not paying the bills for Arsenal fans. You’ve got one more season and then they’ll really start turning. Sorry fellas…it’s got to be red…

Classless in Chelsea…

48343_newsChelsea might be based in one of London’s poshest areas, but some of their players certainly didn’t display any etiquette or class at the end of the Champions League game against Barcelona last night. There’s no question the referee made some horrible decisions. For Chelsea it must have been like a heavyweight title fight having to sustain one bad blow after the other. But if you are a professional footballer being paid six figures a week by a team like Chelsea, you need to behave better than that.

Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo will need a bodyguard next time he’s cruising down the King’s Road. And he better not run into Michael Ballack or Didier Drogba in a dark alley anytime soon. Drogba’s behaviour was disgusting. The world witnessed a foul-mouth attack by a player who has phoned-in his performances this season. When Scolari was manager he practically rolled over and gave-up. Despite his bad relationship with Scolari, he couldn’t even make the effort out on the pitch for his team mates. He let them down. And now he’s crying Blue tears. What a fake. Do you think he’ll play for Chelsea next season? Not likely…

Ballack’s display was no better. Following another controversial penalty decision by the muppet officials, Mr.Germany  chased the referee halfway down the pitch screaming his head off and spitting blood. It was pure venom and a lovely visual for every aspiring young soccer star and fan to see. He has been such a waste of valuable space this season. Chelsea would do well to get rid of this over-pampered, over-paid has been.

You know I’ve never been a big fan of John Terry, but on Wednesday night he won me over. Sure he questioned the referee, but he kept his head. Over the two legs he was a great leader. He was also the only Chelsea player to congratulate Barcelona for their victory. Terry went into their dressing room to shake their hand. Perhaps there is one player that can still walk down the King’s Road with his head held high.

As for the referee. You should be voted the worse referee in the history of the game. You stunk up Stamford Bridge with your obvious bad decisions. You gave football an ugly name last night. You made people think you were on the take. We hope you are not on the take. Perhaps people should be asking Monsieur Platini some serious questions…

Disaster on a nuclear scale…

implosionCall in the emergency services. Arsenal need saving. Their season has been as disastrous as a nuclear explosion. They went up in smoke against Manchester United last night. The Champions League was the trophy they really wanted. Didn’t look that way on the pitch. It was men versus school boys in both legs against United. Ronaldo, Rooney and co. tore the Arsenal children apart. Arsenal fans are hurting across the universe this morning. 

They lost another crucial semi-final to another top four Premier League team. The gulf between the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea is even more evident now. They just can’t compete at the highest level with the squad they have. The board should give Donald Trump or Alan Sugar a call so they can line-up these so-called stars for some firing! 

What would you do with Arsenal if you were manager? Who would you go after in the transfer market? Does Wenger have the power to entice big names to the Emirates after another trophyless season.

Out of the Champions League, out of the F.A. Cup and out of the Premier League. What a disaster…

Ba Ba Barcelona…

Spain Soccer La LigaFor Real Madrid, Saturday’s game against Barcelona was more El Miserablo than El Clasico. For a brief second, it looked like both teams could score lots of goals. But in the end, it was the Catalan Kings that had their happy fans singing well into Sunday morning.

Let’s not beat around the corner flag here people..Barcelona gave their rivals an absolute beating. Raul and co. are probably still applying ailment to help ease the pain after the many lashings they received. Barcelona were sensational. Henry’s performance was vintage Arsenal and Messi was sublime and brilliant as usual. But Xavi and Iniesta tore the Real Madrid midfield apart and proved once again why they are two of the best players in the world. They carved- up Diarra, Gago and Robben like a Christmas turkey and slice by slice we devoured their perfect display of beautiful football. I was stuffed at full-time but could have had plenty more if they were willing to serve it up. Wow.

Next is the Champions League semi-final agains Chelsea. Should the Blues be afraid of getting a football whipping on Wednesday? Will their physical strength see them through to the final in Rome? Will Barcelona choke? Can anyone beat them? Soak it up footie fans. This is the beautiful game at it’s beautiful best and we’ll all be watching.

Where’s the love for Lampard..?

389016-50474lampard_large-797999There’s no question Frank Lampard is a world-class footballer. So why doesn’t he get the love he deserves for his achievements? Sure he’s struggled for England over the last few years, but what English footballer hasn’t struggled playing for their country? If Lampard played for Manchester United or Liverpool or was an Italian, French or Brazilian national, would he not be in the running for player of the year every year?

Five Manchester United players (yes that’s five) and one Liverpool player have been nominated for PFA Player of the Year. Edwin van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic all deserve their nominations for the team’s defensive record. And Ryan Giggs has been an inspiration for the team showing composure and leadership. Has he played enough games though? Cristiano Ronaldo has come into form late in the season, but I’m not sure he deserves to be in the running for #1 again. Steven Gerrard is the only non-United player and he has certainly lifted Liverpool’s spirits this season has they pursue the Holy Grail…the Premier League title.

But what about Lampard? I think he’s beome a far more important player to Chelsea than John Terry. And after Deco was wheeled in during the summer, there was so much speculation about Lampard’s future. He always knew where he wanted to play and he signed a new contract, proving once again his love and passion to play for Chelsea (and the money was great)! He’s worth every penny because he is the man that makes the Blues tick. He scores around 20 goals every season and he works hard around the park for his team. Chelsea can afford to lose Ballack, Cole or Mikel, but when they lose Lampard, they lose a piece of their identify and drive.

Over the last year or so, Lampard has also shown that in adversity, he has the mental strength to fight on and prove he’s one of the best. As well as Chelsea’s woes this season, he’s had a very difficult time personally as he continues to deal with the death of his mother and the break-up of his relationship to long-term partner Elen Rives. But his will to win, coupled with his leadership and style of play has helped drag the millionaire maestros to an F.A. Cup final and a Champions League semi-final. And all that in a so-called poor season for Chelsea. I think it’s high-time someone showed him the love…

Red card…

baldrefwithredcardArsene Wenger gets a red card for not playing Nasri and Arshavin in the F.A. Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea. Even though the Gunners started the first 20 minutes well, the manager’s team selection caught up with him eventually.

There was no creativity. There was no danger. There was no width. There was no Arsenal. Fabregas went missing and Walcott just couldn’t make things happen for the team. Diaby and Song are not the answer in midfield. Arshavin and Nasri could have dictated that game given the chance but Wenger chose to be negative when he loves playing positive football. Instead it was Chelsea playing the delicious football.

Arshavin would have relished the stage of Wembley. He has been a sensation since arriving at Arsenal. He has truly lived up to the value of his transfer. If only he could play in the Champions League…Nasri has started to show his ability in midfield and he’s grown in confidence over the last few months. They are both such talents with the ability to change the game and Mr.Wenger had them sitting on the bench.

It’s a straight red I’m afraid sir…

Chelsea sack Scolari…

dunn_516x596_22280a-750654Chelsea have sacked Phil Scolari as their manager. After only seven months in the job, the big Brazlian is out and I for one am not surprised. This time, Roman Abramovich has got it right. Managing in the Premier League is very different to being an international manager. The job comes with such intense pressure and the daily grind is tough, tough, tough, even for a coach from Brazil. I laughed when Scolari said in a press conference, “you think this is pressure. No this is not pressure. This is such a small country, there is no pressure. Brazil is pressure.” Really Phil?

I was never enthused when Chelsea announced him as their new manager. They were much better off keeping Avram Grant who was at least building on what Jose Mourinho had done. But the owner chose to go with a big name and supposedly big personality. It failed miserably and towards the end, Scolari lost the owner, the fans and even the dressing room. When players start to complain about training methods and a lack of intensity, you know everything is about to implode. Scolari deserved the sack.

The first signs of trouble were when Liverpool ended their ridiculous run of games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge. Under Mourinho and even Avram Grant, you always had a feeling Chelsea could win a game even if they were a goal down. But that fire and drive was gone. The bravado was no more. He also lost at home to an under-achieving Arsenal team. And to be frank, Manchester United humiliated Chelsea at Old Trafford. He was unable to inspire his team to beat any of the elite four in the Premier League.

How much of Chelsea’s problems this season are related to Steve Clarke going to West Ham? He was a huge influence in the dressing room and on the training pitch. The players trusted him. You can never under estimate the value of an assistant coach built like Clarke. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Chelsea tried to prize Clarke and Zola from West Ham? Anything is possible in today’s game. Zola is unproven as a manager, but he is a Chelsea legend and together with Clarke, they could be the magic ingredient that leads the Blues back to their confident, arrogant ways.

For now, this might be a good thing for Chelsea. Anyone coming in as manager can only have a positive effect. Who’d have thought the morale would be so low under Scolar? The so-called “Mr.Motivator” didn’t turn out to be the Messiah they had all hoped for. And he never looked the part of being Chelsea manager did he? Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez always wear a suit when their team is playing. There is the odd occasion you’ll find them in a tracksuit, but that is rare. Jose Mourinho always looked the part as well. I was always taught that if you have been given the responsibility in an important role in your career, you should always look the part. And for a team that can boast to be located in one of London’s poshest areas, their manager didn’t present himself that way. He didn’t seem dressed for success from the beginning, and just like his tactics, Scolari always looked a mess. Down the King’s Road, that’s enough to give anyone the boot…

Money, money, money

robinho446-7930141Robinho to Manchester City? Really? We’ve seen it all now. Talk about a twist and turn in the summer transfer market nobody was expecting. What was bigger news for City? The purchase of Robinho or the club being bought by a billionaire? As ABBA once sang, “Money, money, money, must be funny in a rich man’s world.” But who’s laughing now?

If you are a City fan, you must be rubbing your hands together with pure delight. Perhaps you’ve finally put the fear in your neighbourhood enemy, Manchester United. If you are a Chelsea hater, you must be ticked-pink they are finally being knocked-off their transfer pedestal! However, if you are a true football fan, you must be a little worried about the current path our game is taking.

The TV money has helped so many teams and the profile of some lesser clubs has been raised because of that exposure. We are able to see the best players in the world play in the most entertaining league in the world. However, have they taken things too far? Has the importance of money affected our game? Should we use the American sports model which ensures the spread of wealth to all teams? Would this create a more level competitive playing field for all teams in the Premier League? Could it also ensure the survival of smaller clubs with less investment and financial backing?

All we know today is that a new giant has been created in the English game. And this giant is now a giant not because of the way they play football or the amount of trophies they have won. They are a new giant because some rich bloke decided he needed a new toy to play with. Perhaps deep down inside I wish this rich bloke had bought Arsenal, If he had, would the likes of Hleb and Flamini still be at the club? Henry too perhaps?

Young players are easily influenced by things, especially money. As fans across the globe languish in a financial economic crisis, some clubs are behaving in an irresponsible financial manner that could see the Premier League in a football recession in the near future. You can’t blame Robinho for accepting City’s offer. You can’t blame the businessman for making an investment with his own hard earned cash. Ultimately, the league is responsible for how the business side of football is run. What is their primary concern though? What are they going to do about the future our game? Money, money, money, always sunny, in the rich man’s world…