Germany controlled the game throughout and in fact, the scoreline does not do justice to their domination. Only in the last 10 minutes, Germany were willing to sit back and take the result and that’s when and how Portugal appeared little dangerous.

And you know what? A certain Ronaldo, who’d being valued at about 65 million pounds, was as good as anonymous. Allright, he had a part to play in Portugal’s first goal but that was his only moment of the match. Germany were very comfortable on the ball, and used their possession wisely to build up to the attack while Portugal lost possession in every square metre of the pitch. Credit should be given to Germany’s ball winning abilities.

Any good ‘tournament team’ is going to be very dangerous in set pieces. Last night Germany created two goals from freekicks. And that was not a surprise, especially when the free kick taker was Schweinsteiger and the scorers were Klose and Ballack. So, that’s the second goal for Ballack in as many games. It’s great that Ballack has overcome his poor performance against Croatia but the Schweinsteiger has been the key for the German attacks. I really like this guy, not just for his fantastic-sounding name but for the way he plays the game. He is light but that does not stop him from making those big tackles. He is very quick and has a good football brain. With the richest pair of eyes on him, Big Phil would have loved anything but a defeat with three goals conceded. To put a positive spin to this, let’s say that he has now more time to look forward and plan for Chelsea.

The rest of the final eight is pretty much what I had predicted. I thought Czech would make it but Turkey knocked C(z)ech off in the most cruel fashion. In group B, as I thought Germany and Croatia made it to the quarters but I thought Germany would top but they have not. Then comes the group of death. How many would have predicted this group correctly? And how many would have thought Netherlands would top the group. I did. Didn’t I? This group went exactly as I predicted, Netherlands at top and Italy in second. France are finished. They can watch the rest of the Euro on TV. Spain were supposed to progress but give me some credit for putting my faith in Russia.

Here are my new round of predictions. Croatia might cruise past Turkey. Lightning may not strike twice. Netherlands vs Russia might look like a no-brainer but I had in my earlier post mentioned that Russians could beat the Dutch in the quarter finals. I still stand by it. Hiddink would know the chinks in the Dutch armour. One caveat for Russia is that they can’t be attacking in numbers. Their nature of short-passing play needs number of players in the middle third and the attacking third. Even the full backs operate as wing backs. This may be a bit risky for them given the quality of Dutch counterattacks. I expect a tight match with just one goal in it.

Then the big one. Spain vs Italy. Once again the popular choice is Spain but my choice is again not the popular one. Italy have got a mjor lifeline in the tournament and by beating France, they can rightfully consider themselves hot favourites. Italy have progressed from a very tough group while Spain have not been really tested by good oppositions. Italy will miss Pirlo and Gattuso due to yellow card suspensions. Italy have already gone weaker in their defence and to miss players like Pirlo and Gattuso could only make things worse for them. Despite this, I feel this could be Italy’s match.

On the club front, the papers can go crazy over the Ronaldo saga again as his Euro dream has been terminated. I wish Ronaldo goes to Real Madrid. But the whole thing is getting very complicated now. Ronaldo wants to go. Sir Alex says ‘on my dead body’. Madrid wouldn’t mind breaking the transfer record or the salary record. Madrid have contacted the Glazers directly. Glazers have said that Fergie will have the last word. Madrid have meanwhile arranged Ronaldo’s apartment, car and his hair gel. Ronaldo’s agent is pushing Ronaldo to submit a transfer request. That’s where it stands now. If Ronaldo really makes that transfer request, it’s gonna be fun!

I think it would do well for Fergie to cash in on Ronaldo at this time. Even if he manages to hold onto Ronaldo this season, he is not going to see the same old Ronaldo on pitch. Not again would he manage a 42-goal season. Ronaldo for Man Utd, has peaked already. He is not going to command more transfer money in his career than he does at this point of time. I’d say, Fergie can take advantage of the desperation of Ronaldo and Madrid, and hold them to ransom. Anyway, Sir Alex can make more Ronaldo’s out of Nanis and Quaresmas. From a Chelsea standpoint, I’m just simply waiting for the day he signs for Real Madrid. One reason is it will make As you might know, in Spain I support Real Madrid and not Barcelona just like in Italy, I support Inter Milan and not AC.

On Chelsea side, not much has happened. Few rumours here and there. Ah yes, Avram Grant has found his match, FC Twente. Good luck to him! I would be in London next week, so I’ll post some interesting pictures and also write about my experience at Stamford Bridge!

Scolari comes with a massive reputation. After all, there are not many world cup winning managers in contemporary football. He has managed high profile teams and in some high profile projects. He is 60 but you would not think beyond 50 looking at his energy levels. I’m not blind to Scolari’s minuses but his positives are big enough to outweigh his negatives.

Good things:

1. He is a big man: He has led Brazil to world cup glory. He has managed some of the most illustrious names and world players of the year. Chelsea is his 20th assignment in his managerial career. So now, we have a boss that’s surely bigger than his team. His authority will not be questioned. There’s a reason for the players to believe in his coaching and trust his philosophy. This is Big Phil we are talking about.

2. He can bring some interesting names: The players that otherwise were not keen about Chelsea would get up and take notice. This is a massive advantage. Be it Aguero or van der Vaart or Villa - to be coached by Scolari is a great prospect. Not only can he retain the Portuguese contingent in Chelsea, he can also unearth some raw Portuguese talent. He knows them inside out.

3. The phase of stabilisation starts with him: I’m guessing here. Last thing we want to see is him being sacked because he won the title only 2 points. Roman should allow the manager some time to impress upon the players and slowly make them accustomed to his style. May be it should be made clear that winning of titles in the first season is not really mandatory. He has been given only a three year contract (so the compensation will be lesser?) but he should be allowed to stay for all three years. I think he will.

Not-so-good things:

1. Will it be Roman vs Scolari now: Big Phil is known to be a very independent man. He hates intervention and he demands respect and freedom. Well, that means Roman should spend more time on politics and oil. I hope Scolari stays in the good books of Roman.

2. Where is the club football experience: He has not managed a big club yet. He has managed clubs in south america, some in the gulf and solid international experience. If I’m right he has never taken part in champions league, as a player or as a manager. Being Chelsea manager would be an entirely different experience for Scolari. He’s done great with Rally cars but this one is a crazy F1 machine.

3. What about his ‘ingles’? So what, even Capello does not know, you might say. But you can’t need for Capello’s frequency of communication with that of Scolari’s. In club management, he needs to be communicating every single day. One way of managing it is by bringing in more south european players which won’t be in the agenda considering the 6+5 rule.

On the whole, I’m excited about his appointment. I can’t wait for him to take charge. I can’t wait for the transfers that he’s going to do. But this development does not change who I want to win the Euro. Sorry Phil, Germany for the Euros!

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Before we get to the Euro news, let’s look at some Chelsea news. Scolari is now rumoured to be the next Chelsea boss. Now, Scolari is a proper manager. Lots of experience and real pedigree. I’ll wait but wasn’t he the one who refused to take the England job because of the English press? More rumours as Chelsea chase Eto, Diego and a dozen other players. I don’t see any deal being clinched before the end of Euro, not even Eto’s deal. Essien has committed his future with Chelsea. I’ll let you read these beautiful words from the Bison:

I will go back to Chelsea for the next season and expect to have a great season. We have shown as a club that we can handle disappointments, and I think we will be able to bounce back next season a better side. Most of the guys have gone on holidays and they will put the disappointment of the last season behind them. The season generally was very disappointing, but that is football. When you put these things behind you, you become stronger.

Over to Euro 2008. I thought Portugal played really well. Good that Ronaldo did not score. Already newspapers have printed millions of pages as if he is the only footballer alive. The first goal was from a brilliant move. Well done Pepe. Looks like he was destined to score one that night. Thing is, I was looking to see a performance from Bosingwa but what I saw did not make me jump for joy. Anyway, we’ll see more of him as we go along.

I was pleased with the Germany result. Poland did trouble Germany but if you read the game, Germany were always in control of the game. A goal in each half by Polish-born Podolski was just enough. I thought it was Schweinsteiger (I had to copy and paste his name) who changed the course of the match. Only after he was brought in, Germany looked more and more dangerous and were looking to seal the match.

No upsets or shocks in the first couple of days. I hope Romania can shock France tonight. Chivu has been reminding us that this group is not all about Italy, France and Netherlands. France have been poor of late. They might also be missing Henry, Ribery and Vieira. They do have able subs but Chivu and Mutu give me more belief than Anelka and Flamini.

Would you believe it? Arjen Robben is injured again. he won’t be playing against Italy tonight. Even Sneijder and van Persie may not be fit for this match. Though Italy are missing Cannavaro, I think they are the clear favourites against Netherlands. Romania and Italy to win tonight.

Group A - Czech, Portugal, Switzerland & Turkey. I’m rushing to say Portugal would top the group but Czech republic pipping them won’t be an upset. Still, it’s hard to see Portugal not topping with Ronaldo, Quaresma, Deco, Carvalho etc. The hosts Switzerland’s best chances could only be against Turkey but then I get this feeling that they would hardly get a point or two in the group.

A1 - Portugal | A2 - Czech Republic.

Group B - Austria, Croatia, Germany & Poland. There is no question about who’d be topping the group. It’s gonna be Germany. Eduardo-less Croatia will stretch Germany as much as possible but Germans have too much quality and experience not to finish on top. Being a ‘tournament team’, they’d know the value of finishing on top. Poland may surprise Croatia, which is why I’m sure Germany will top the group.

B1 - Germany | B2 - Croatia.

Group C - France, Netherlands, Italy & Romania. This tournament’s group of death. My money is on Italy and Netherlands. I don’t generally go by friendlies form but France of late have been dishing out disjointed performances. To make things perfect, I’d love to see Romania beat France. Despite missing Cannavaro, Italy would do their business. Something tells me that the inconsistent Netherlands would top the group followed by Italy.

C1 - Netherlands | C2 - Italy.

Group D - Greece, Sweden, Spain & Russia. In a way, this group is also a group of death. While Spain ‘might’ sail through to the quarters, the other three teams in the group could all have realistic chances of making it. I think Hiddink-powered Russia will go through. Hiddink must be looking at 2 wins and a draw in the group and I think he could just achieve it.

D1 - Spain | D2 - Russia.

Quarter Finals

A1 vs B2 - Portugal vs Croatia - Could be a very hard fought match. Could even be the match of the tournament. Portugal will prevail.
B1 vs A2 - Germany vs Czech Republic - Germany to win comfortably. Game will go as scripted by the Germans.
C1 vs D2 - Netherlands vs Russia - Strangely I think Russia will overcome the Dutch challenge. Hiddink knows a thing or two about Netherlands team.
D1 vs C2 - Spain vs Italy - Could be a classic. A footballing lesson. Finally, Spain’s power will pip Italy’s resolve.

Semi Finals

Germany vs Portugal - One more heartbreak for the Portuguese. Germany to go through. Towering header by Ballack.
Russia vs Spain - Tears for the Russians. Their dream run would be stopped brutally by the Spanish.

Finals

Germany vs Spain - Ballack would be European champion.

I don’t know what are the odds for the above to happen but it would be fun if it does. At the end of the group stages, may be I will re-assess the situation, if required that is. What do you guys think? Do you think Russia will make it to the semis? Do you think France won’t progress to quarters? Do you think Portugal will not win the trophy? Do you think Germany will be champions?

Being a non-European, I have a bunch of choices from which I can choose my Euro team. The parameters are basically I should like the team, the Chelsea representation in the team and the involvement of the Chelsea rivals in the team. I’d say I support England. Unfortunately they played so poorly that they could not get a draw at home when it mattered. It was justice that they didn’t make it to the Euro. What are the options I have? Well, here they are.

I can’t stand France. I’m sorry if any French (sorry Bella!) is reading this. I simply can’t even stomach them. I know there are three Chelsea players in the French contingent who could all play in the first eleven but I seem to have some aversion to the French national team. It’s just the football team and not the country or language, mind you. I absolutely loved the city and people of Paris, when I was there. With the option of seeing either Vieira or Henry holding the trophy aloft, France is big no-no.

Spain is good. But if they win, who’s going to take all the limelight? Torres, Fabregas, Villa, Ramos? Wht’s is in it for me. I’d love to see Fabregas spend his career with no trophies so that after he joins Barca he can look back and see how he could not win anything when he was in Arsenal. That’d be nice. Spain’s got a good team. When it comes to tournaments, they’ve always been chronic underperformers. But they’re a good team.

Portugal? Nah. You think it’s nice to this Ronaldo winning premier league, champions league and Euro in a space of 2 months? Well, it can improve his stock and pull him to Real Madrid, which would be great. Going by what Fergie says time and again on Ronaldo, he stays at Man Utd. Why win so much in such short span of time. Some of our defenders are Portuguese but it’s okay. They will win stuff with Chelsea.

I like the Azzuris. I like the way Italy plays. I love their style, which some of you might brand as boring. Italians are very highly tactically aware and play and think as a team. They are always conscious of what they need to do, as in what result do I need and how can I get it, smart football if you know what I mean. Also they are in the group C where France plays. it’s quite important that Italy plays well, if France are to be eliminated. You know what, I’d be cheering Romania too. So, Italy are one of my favourites for this tournament.

With Netherlands, you have another case of a group of very highly talented players but an okay team. In their best form, they are a treat to watch but they are never so popular outside of Netherlands. It’s quite difficult for a non-Dutch to support Netherlands because of their lack of iconic figures and also their internal ego clashes and their unprofessional behaviour and lack of sportsmanship on the pitch. Having van Nistelrooy and Robben don’t help them! I won’t feel for a second if they are to be eliminated. With Boulahrouz in their ranks, they can have great ambitions, can they?

Czech are a good team too. Last Euro they were the best team of the cup until they were unfortunately braten by the champions Greece. I’d love to see them come up with another such performance and give the big ones a run for their money. The best of the dark horses have to be Croatia. They played brilliant football all along the qualifiers and did not change their determination one bit even after they qualified. Bilic could be the most sought after coach, if Croatia makes it to the semi finals. There are no rumours about this but I think Chelsea would be rumoured to be chasing Bilic at some point of time. Among the dark horses, my vote goes to Croatia and Czech.

And finally, if there is one player that I want to see lift the trophy, it is ze German, Michael Ballack. Germany, like Italy, play the kind of football I like. I’d call it complete football - very evenly balanced in all parts of the pitch, strong in the air and on ground, they defend as well as they can attack, effective in set pieces as well as in open play and if they ever get into penalties, the game is as good as over for the opponents. To top it all they are a tournament team. They have a great sense of objective and their game way too organised for an upset of any sort. They are led by our man, Michael Ballack. There is no one in the German team from our English league rivals except a discarded Lehmann. My love for Ballack more than overshadows my hate for Lehmann. I hope Enke knocks him out for the first eleven.

So my first choice favourite is Germany and second choice is Italy. My first choice dark horse is Croatia and the second choice is Czech republic. The teams that I absolutely don’t want to win are France and Portgual.

I still remember the images of Ballack crying after the champions league finals. This is the chance for ze German to erase that memory by lifting the other European trophy. If want Germany to simply roll over every opponent they come across - be it Italy, Croatia or Czech - just roll them over. Michael Ballack to be the European champion.

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The good thing about Grant’s sacking is that Roman may not seek advices from Grant in football matters anymore. Won’t look very nice, right? Especially when Grant has even rejected the football director post? That’s what I realised when I saw some news about Roman consulting Ancelotti. That’s a very good healthy sign from Roman. He is now going to his experts and not to his friends or the set of yes men.

When Ten Cate arrived, I saw it as a good news. That was a few days after Grant was appointed. May be that’s what made Ten Cate appointment look like an oasis in a desert. Steve Clarke was also rumoured to be leaving then. We had known that Ten Cate was the ‘iron man’. His strictness and toughness with the players were very popular and effective. But he had to be complemented with a manager who can keep him under control and ensure that his relationship with the players was cooperative. In Grant he had someone who was already struggling to stay in friendly terms with the players.

Forget about Grant and Ten Cate losing the dressing room, they never seemed to have been part of it. The quarrel between Terry and Ten Cate in the training ground under the watchful eyes of Grant summed up all their roles and relationships. Terry wants to boss around knowing Grant does not help much. Ten Cate continues being his own self at a new club who have a settled bunch of champions. Grant watches these two subordinates of him quarreling with each other but does nothing about the situation. Since JM left, the power struggle is quite evident to see in Chelsea.

The big plus about this nasty quarrel is that Roman was supposed to have seen this too. Roman must have felt utterly disappointed looking at this nonsense. May be that’s when Roman must have thought that the big scheme that was sold to him was simply a scandal. Roman must have felt betrayed. With further events at the club, Roman must have realised at that moment that he was taken for a ride. It was around this period Roman gifted the 2 million pound four-seater Ferrari to JM. May be he felt bad that he sacked JM based on the advices from his close circle, who later on failed, leaving all to the players themselves. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the frequency of interaction between Roman and JM increased in the last few months.

So now, an enlightened Roman is on a rampage. He has started hunting down those who were all involved in that scheme, directly or indirectly. Grant gets a sack despite what was seen as an over-achievement by him. The cold statement by Bruce Buck that ‘being second is not what we want’ said it all. Without Roman’s concurrence, I don’t see Bruce Buck uttering these words to the owner’s pal who surprised himself. Okay now, will the enlightened Roman bring back Jose Mourinho as the Chelsea manager?

I’d love to see that happen. Of course I bought all the media stories about JM returning to Chelsea. But this does not seem realistic now. By all probabilities JM will join Inter. Earlier I had said that JM should not return to Chelsea so soon as it would make Roman’s decision making look ridiculous and he would make himself a joke, despite being a big man to admit his mistakes. But now, by sacking Grant, he has already admitted that he made a mistake with that appointment. So, JM joining Chelsea will be quite good. But that seems very remote now. What do we do?

Well, Chelsea need not rush their decision. Anyway, most of the transfers would happen only after the conclusion of Euro 2008. Of course, we can still look for non-Euro 2008 players which includes English players too. To wait for the Euro to finish might widen the net with coaches like BIlic becoming probables. At present there are about dozen names linked including Rijkaard, Hughes, Lippi, Mancini etc.

I have a feeling that the new Chelsea manager would not be someone you’d call old. Something tells me he would be less than 50, for sure. While I can’t wait for the announcement, I can understand that Chelsea need time to appoint the next one. After sacking the third manager in 5 years, there must be some weightage for the stability factor. We can’t afford another experiment as another sacking would make us look even more ridiculous than we are now. If the board and Roman think that the new manager should be in charge for at least three seasons, they might naturally take their time on the selection. Three seasons might look like a long period when you realise that one of the most successful managers in club football lasted only three seasons at Chelsea.

Chelsea has been in the news for all wrong reasons. It is not due to an outspoken manager or a big headed striker. Much of the bad media publicity that Chelsea has received of late, is due to the club. It is now, more than ever, the ‘billionaire’s plaything’ propaganda by the Press is very strong. Look at this sequence - a successful manager wins trophies, creates history, gets sacked due to his failed relationship with the owner, owner appoints his friend who is little known and qualified, gets a 4 year contract when we think he is a stop gap, a new assistant manager is hired, this buddy surprises everyone this season, the old man still gets sacked within eight months, and now the newly appointed assistant manager also gets sacked with little apparent reasons though we can make our guesses. All this has happened in 8 months. It is this unpredictable roller coaster ride in the management staff that has put us in poor light than the occasional ramblings of an loud mouthed manager, who at least was successful. When I read Grant saying that his objective was to improve the image of Chelsea, I thought it was laughable.

I don’t mind if Roman and the board take another 6 weeks to appoint the new manager but we simply can’t get it wrong one more time. Roman needs to find someone trustworthy and should set out his targets and belief in the manager’s footballing philosophy that could meet his targets sooner or later. We cannot adopt this ‘you lost so you’re fired’ anymore. I don’t mean that our expectations should change. For all the millions invested, it is within Roman’s right to set stiff targets but we should keep at least one side as fixed and keep the others variable. The composition of the team can vary but he should work with the coach, instead of looking for a new coach every time the current ‘fails’, by his standards.

Okay, if I’ve given you any impression like Grant has been rendered injustice by Roman, please erase it. Grant deserved a sack, undoubtedly. Not because he gave us a trophyless season but I don’t see him as our future. He won’t lead us anywhere. I fully support that he was given the boot but the mistake was hiring him in the first place. I hope I’ve made myself clear here.

If this piece looks like one of those ‘News of the World’ reports, I can’t help it. I just grouped my thoughts, not facts, together. Feel free to disagree.

I never watched Manchester United’s celebrations or re-watched any highlights of the game. I did happen to catch a snippet of Terry’s misery. How dreadful. I couldn’t have predicted the reaction I had after we lost the game. My fondness for Chelsea even surpassed my preliminarily estimations. So there I sat, with my head in my hands and my eyes watering as if was John Terry himself, thinking of how I would have felt had that the Captain kept his ground and nestled the penalty safely in the corner of the net. Avram Grant has also been fired after three runners-up honors. I honestly can’t say I’m upset to see him go. This is all about entertainment and he doesn’t do it for me. I thought he deserved another chance based on his results but in the long run I’m happy about this decision.

Onto a different subject, the performance of the players throughout the season. This is my personal opinion. I am biased and I can’t help with it. I’ll try to back-up my opinions with explanations. These ratings are based on game for game performances. Whether the player played 50 games on 5 games, it is game for game. The players will be rated in order or jersey number.

The Mighty Blues

#1 Petr Cech - 6.6/10 - Petra oh my Petra, Petra oh my Petra! Not his usual dominant and flawless self. His season was hindered by injuries as it was last season. Never really got in a groove and made some stupid mistakes, none worse than the Aston Villa blunder. The big man still had some great saves throughout the year but you have to say he could have done better. If he stays injury free there’s no reason he shouldn’t be back next season to his usual self. We need to keep this guy, he’s still got 10 years under his belt.

#2 Branislav Ivanovic - N/A - Never made a first team appearance. Looking like a waste of money.

#3 Ashley Cole - 7.1/10 - I thought Ashley Cole played well this season. Didn’t have too many bad games in the entire season. Cemented his place as the first choice left-back over Wayne Bridge. I don’t think anyone would complain. The system doesn’t really provide for him to be a huge attacking threat as he was on Arsenal but he’s impeccable on defense. Silenced Ronaldo like nobody else. Also scored his first goal for the club. Good finish.

#4 Claude Makelele - 7.4 - Called on this season maybe a little to much due to the many injuries. Still the person described as the engine. Makelele allowed Lamps and Ballack to push forward without worrying about defensive duties. I’m kind of ready for him to move on however. I would prefer Essien in that kind of position because I believe he is one of the best players in the world. Grant made Makelele an untouchable but I think next season we have to take off his armor and let Essien rotate into that position. Still played great defense, probably would have played better if we could have used him more sparringly and gave him some rest. He’s 35 or 36 and his time is almost done. One of, if not our most consistent player over the last years.

#5 Michael Essien - 7.3 - This is probably the player most effective by my game for game rule. He started the season dismally and piled up injuries, suspensions, and international duty at the wrong time. If I was rating Essien on the end of the season, I would put him somewhere around an 8.5 and our player of the season. He commenced the season with real class of the strongest player in the world that we’ve come to known. Along with Ballack I’m most afraid of losing Essien. When he’s in the midfield he provides everything. He’s a great finisher, a great defender, comes forward with more speed and power than anyone in the world, and his stamina is unmatchable. I hope our next manager gets him back into the midfield where he needs to be.

#6 Ricardo Carvalho - 7.6 - The best defender we have. In the overall picture that is. Just like everyone else, he suffered from injury and suspension. Very consistent defender. Two huge notable blunders, against Tottenham and Manchester United. This probably took .1 off him but it doesn’t change that he’s the best defender we have. I feel very comfortable when he needs to make a game winning tackle. Great player, great season. Third best player of Chelsea’s season for me.

#7 Andriy Shevchenko - 6.2 - We turned the world’s most feared striker in the world into the most un-feared in 8 months. I heard an Arsenal fan of FanZone say that. Sheva didn’t have his breakout year in England that was the hope. Did get his body on the end of some balls throughout the season. Still slow and still not world-class caliber for Chelsea. A real shame his injury happened after his best game in a Chelsea shirt against Aston Villa. Statistically his scoring wasn’t awful but he was dreadful to watch most of the time when he wasn’t scoring.

#8 Frank Lampard - 7.4 - Super, Super Frank. Super, Super Frank. Super Frankie Lampard! The third consecutive 20 goal season for our vice-captain. That’s an impressive feat for someone who is truly a midfielder (unlike a certain Portuguese who dives a lot and missed a penalty against Chelsea). Lampard has a streaky season and struggled to his form with two big injuries. I can only imagine what his goal tally would be had he not been injured. The beginning of season he was on fire and it was only a matter of time before the Chelsea injury bug got him. Still proved he’s our best passer and key for our team. Dealt with the passing of his mother like a real man and scored to get us to Moscow and in Moscow. He was a whizkid at times during the Champions League. I’m confident he’ll remain with the club next season and sign a new contract.

#9 Steve Sidwell - 4.5 - Never showed he should be on team. Belongs on a mid-table team. We need to sell him this offseason to clear up some of the congestion.

#10 Joey Cole - 7.7 - Would have finished the season as my player of the season and above an 8.0 had he not faltered at the end of the year. Cole has the most appearances for the club and was lucky to stay healthy the entire year. At the time I voted him player of the year on the Chelsea website and I have no regrets. He played very well and scored some fantastic goals for us. If he would work on his crossing a bit that would be key. Joey Cole is a true blue and I love his passion. I only expect him to get better. Can you imagine Robinho and Joey Cole on our wings? Brilliant!

#11 Didier Drogba - 6.3 - Easily my biggest disappointed of the year. All this talk about leaving Chelsea really annoyed me but I wouldn’t mind as long as he performed on the field. He couldn’t oblige me. It was when I think back on how good he was against Arsenal and Liverpool that it upsets me because of the comparison to other games. Almost all his the games he played in besides those two he was lazy and awful. I’d rather him leave if he comes back next season playing the same way. It was only fitting that he showed how stupid he was by slapping Vidic in the face in extra-time of the Champions League Final. Almost as stupid as Zidane. The worst player on the field that day.

#12 John Obi Mikel - 7.0 - Definitely showing promise to be a great defensive midfielder. Mikel got a lot of starts towards the beginning of the season and then not enough towards the end. He’s still super young, 21 years old. Give it a couple years and I’d put money on it that he’ll be as good or better than Viera or Makelele. I have a lot of hope for him. Had a lot of very solid performances and is perhaps our most comfortable player in possession of the ball. He still needs to mature, however. Four red cards and two years is a little extreme.

#13 Michael Ballack - 8.3 - Micah! My new favorite player on Chelsea. The Captain of Germany really showed was the first-year hangover in England is all about; played this season with a vengeance of skill that was unmatched. Also my game-for-game player of the season. Came back after a lengthy injury and performed better than anyone would have expected. Every time he scored he would let out a yell of fury and passion I really think this showed what Chelsea FC is all about. Ballack scored some crucial goals and was our attacking engine during his time in the side. Slaying Manchester United also helped his rating. I can’t wait to see him play next season. I really hope he finishes his career and Chelsea and provides many more moments of inspiration for the club.

#14 Claudio Pizarro - 4.2 - Claudio Pisucko. He’s really bad. Great for Madrid and Peru but hasn’t began to touch down for Chelsea.

#15 Florent Malouda - 6.7 - I had really high hopes for Malouda when we bought him and also at the start of the season with some great performances. It didn’t really pan out that way for the Frenchman, he only scored three goals the entire season. Definitely started to show some promise towards the end of th season. I hope he stays with Chelsea another year and we’ll see if he can adjust to the English game and be the French Player of the Year that we bought him as. He’s also great on the international side. Malouda could be great for us, we have to give him a chance.

#18 Wayne Bridge - 6.0 - Only got a couple games under his belt. Better on the attacking side than Ashley Cole. I’m not particularly comfortable with him if we were pinned back to defense or against a top player. He’s rumored to be leaving.

#20 Paulo Ferreira - 6.9 - Ferreira really played pretty well when he was called on throughout the year; he was used quite sparingly, however. Definitely our best defending right-back and he’s a pretty good crosser as well. He signed a new four-year deal with the club this season before the arrival of Jose Bosingwa. I’m thinking Ferreira will be getting around the same playing time next season if Bosingwa lives up to the hype. Ferreira looked to be our best right-back when he played, I thought he deserved more time than he did.

#21 Salomon Kalou - 7.0- He comes from the Ivory Coast, Kalou Kalou. He doesn’t do coke like Adrian Mutu Mutu. He crossed the ball from the left, it landed right on Riise’s head and that’s why we all love Salomon Kalou. I absolutely despised Kalou at the beginning of the season. Every time he would touch the ball I would say, “Hasn’t got a Kalou.” I’ve done a complete 180 on my opinion after this season, however. Kalou seemed to really get some confidence and this helped him have good performances. He was a menace many games and scored some crucial goals for us. Kalou also led our team in assists. His passing and crossing is among the best on our team and I think his vision may be unmatched. His pass to Joe Cole to score against Blackburn = sublime. If his decision making improves next season, he could be a top player.

#22 Tal Ben Haim - 2.2 - The same rating as his jersey number. Easily our worst player. Made a goal-costing mistake every time he played. Ship him back to Bolton.

#23 Carlo Cudicini - 6.3 - Probably the best back-up keeper in the world besides maybe Lehmann. It’s a safe thing having him on the bench.

#24 Shaun Wright-Phillips - 6.1 - Only made it above a 6 because of the month or so when he played great during the Carling Cup Semi-Final against Everton. Wright-Phillips seems like a pretty nice guy but he isn’t quality enough for Chelsea. He may be our most frustrating player. His touch is about as good as Berbatov with no feet. When he’s on, he’s really on. This just doesn’t happen often enough to keep him on the Chelsea squad. I’ll be happy to see him go this offseason even at a severe loss. I don’t understand how he could possibly cost 20+ mil.

#26 John Terry - 7.4 - This rating isn’t and won’t be swayed by the dreadful penalty miss in Moscow. I felt for him so much after we lost the game. Anyone but John Terry. The most passionate and the most true blue player that Chelsea has. Our Captain. It was really hard to swallow that we weren’t Champions of Europe because of our Captain’s miss. He’s still our Captain and I hold no grudge against him. Without Terry we wouldn’t have brought the game to extra-time anyways. That header clearance on Giggs’ shot was WORLD-CLASS. I’ll say thank you for giving us the opportunity to have a shoot-out before I criticize the greatest Captain in the world, John Terry. After all, who stays on the field for 10 minutes with three broken bones in their foot? More injuries plagued John Terry. He’s been quite unlucky these pasts two years and I really hope for the sake of our team that he can avoid these injuries. He’s also rumored to have regained the captaincy of England. Got on form when he had some time to get some consecutive games. Terry had some goal-line saves in the Premier League as well. Always at the right place at the right time. The Terry-Carvalho duo is unmatched by any in the world. Thanks for everything, Captain.

#33 Alex - 7.3 - Very, very solid performances at the back. A definite future replacement for Ricardo Carvalho if we can keep him at Chelsea. Also a scoring threat. Scored three fantastic goals, leading our defenders in goals. No nonsense play, very strong, very promising. Good first season for Chelsea.

#35 Juliano Belletti - 6.5 - Belletti was a weird case. He started the season with great promise, especially in his attacking movement. Always seemed a little slow with his reactions but this wasn’t truly exposed until the Carling Cup Final. His horrid performance put him out of first team action for a while and Ferreira was preferred. Belletti scored two belters from long range and won the Goal of the Season. I’m not particularly comfortable with his defensive performances. Seems a little slow off the draw and not the caliber of the people around him. I’m just hoping Bosingwa is finally the answer to the right-back problems.

#39 Nicolas Anelka - 6.0 - I had high hopes for the silky Frenchman and high hopes for a Drogba-Anelka combination. Both these hopes are now drowned and I’m disappointed. Anelka’s top perk is that he’s a deadly finisher. Except on Chelsea. Anelka never really fit into the one striker role and looked aimless at times. He had a lot of opportunities in front of net and failed all but twice. I believe he hit the crossbar three times. 2 goals in 20+ appearances is not what Nicolas Anelka is capable of. And to top it off, he lost us the Champions League by missing his penalty. I wouldn’t bring this up had he not publicly announced that he didn’t want to take a penalty. I don’t think that’s a good thing to say when you’ve missed. Anelka also complained about his position and Avram Grant after I clearly remember him saying he could play paired with Drogba or out wide supporting him. Once a sulk, always a sulk.

#40 Henrique Hilario - 6.1 - Not a bad third-string keeper. Very unorthodox and kind of funny.

There we are. My player of the season, as I stated, is the Captain of Germany, Michael Ballack. Big credits to Terry, Carvalho, Joey Cole, and Frank Lampard. Not trophies but still a memorable season. If Jose Mourinho comes back to us, I’ll be praising us not winning any trophies(not really). Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

Every team represents the ambitions of its manager. If the manager does not care about winning, the team’s mentality follows. If the manager always wants to demolish the opponent, you can see how the team attempts to carry that out. So it quite crucial that the prominent and dominant qualities of the manager work in our favour. Here is a list on what the new manager should have/be:

Strong character: This is first and foremost. A weak character, how much ever knowledgeable, is never going to win the Chelsea dressing room. This is a bunch of champions who have won everything in England. And most of them are pretty strong characters themselves. The new manager should be strong enough to impose himself. in a dressing room like Chelsea, there are too many leaders. If uncontrolled or poorly controlled, all of them could play leader, which is detrimental for the team. There should only be one boss and that should be the manager.

Born winner: Something like JM. It’s fair to say, eveyone plays to win. But it’s also fair to say not everyone wins. The hunger to win should be in the DNA. After the defeat to Barnsley, these players must have been ripped apart to ensure that this does not happen again. If the manager was tougher those series of last minute equalisers would never have occurred. None of these players should look comfortable looking at the manager eye-to-eye after a bad performance. The new manager should be obsessed with winning which should make the team get into this habit of winning. Losing should not be an option. Sustained success is the only only way to achieve the big Chelsea ambition. And the man we get should know how to win, win at all costs and win against all odds.

Solid pedigree: After Avram Grant, now we need someone who will get the job by merit. This is not all that important if there are enough reasons to believe that there is promise and potential. But please, we don’t want another friend or relative of the owner. The problem is, even if there is merit, it is anyway overshadowed by the other factors. That is one thing I’d have against Hiddink. If we want to show that we are a professionally run club, we need to get someone with solid credentials.

Representative image: Like I have mentioned before, Chelsea has a certain image and I love it. There is a huge majority in the media and fans that portray Chelsea is poor light. That itself is an image of Chelsea and I have no problem with it. Yes, we have a billionaire funding us. That’s all right. It’s not worse than the disgusting match fixing disgrace by Jiventus and AC Milan. Also, when English football was ruled by Man Utd and Liverpool (a bit by Arsenal) in the last few decades, Chelsea stormed into that league, thanks to Roman & Jose in equal proportions. A major part of the media is still supporting one of the red teams, and we just gatecrashed out of the blue. In a way, Chelsea has been arrogant too, in the way we’ve gone about buying the players and sacking the managers. I’d love to see these qualities in the manager as well. JM had all of them. He broke the traditional hierarchy, he was young, brash and arrogant. He kind of personified Chelsea. I don’t find anything wrong here. As the song goes . . . we are the Chelsea, f** all the rest . . .

Media Savvy: The manager has to be media savvy. Some might say they are more worried about how the manager does on the pitch. I’m very particular that the manager is very presentable to the media. Surprisingly Grant did quite well in the media but he lacked the swagger. Some people are gifted with their PR qualities (like Ian Holloway, Steve Coppell etc). A confident manager cascades his confidence to his whole team. The media portrayal of the manager helps the profiling of the team as well. John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien are all fantastic players but I remember how they were profiled by JM to the media. They surely lived up to the hype he created on them. We need a manager who can use media to the best effect.

Extensive experience: This one is not a must. But extensive experience certainly won’t hurt. Someone like Hiddink, Scolari, Lippi etc. The advantage of having such a person as manager is that they are risk free in terms of how the Press treat them. Capello took over England and suddenly you can feel the air of respect. If it was anyone else the Press would be waiting for another funny article or a caricature. They can’t risk that with Capello. He’s managed every big fish that you know of. So, someone with lot of football management experience gives the team an air of respect instantaneously. The mockery of hiring and firing his close friend could be forgotten soon.

Controversy-free: Some feel that the manager should be free of controversies. Well, with high profile comes controversy, in most of the cases. Everywhere, not just in football, characters always draw controversies. Sometimes, being in the news can be healthy but not for every damn thing. I don’t mind if the manager is a freak as long as he knows what he is doing. Eccentricities are not new to football. Who’d not take a flawed genius ahead of a grim dullard?

It’s Monday midnight in Europe. Still no signs of JM signing for Inter Milan. Despite some discouraging news, JM’s delay in signing for Inter Milan, still keeps me hopeful. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to upset if we don’t sign JM. I just hope that we sign a very good manager - Hughes and Moyes have always been my favourites, Rijkaard or Laudrup would also do nicely. Whoever we sign, I hope either they have the most important of the above traits or develop them in week’s time ;-)

The list of contenders gets longer and longer and it makes it a misnomer to call it a short list. In no order the names that I have seen so far are, Jose Mourinho, Frank Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink, Michael Laudrup, Sven Goran Eriksson etc. Let’s go through the list one by one.

Frank Rijkaard: I’d welcome Rijkaard wholeheartedly at Chelsea. He won the double with Barca and his team was brilliant then. After that the two trophyless seasons at Barca is supposed to be the worst drought at Barca in three decades. He was sacked because he failed, not because of anything else. I doubt if Roman wants to get someone who cannot promise him trophies. Certainly, Rijkaard in his first season in England may not win trophies. After all I guess there was only one who could do it in English football history.

This is what I had said earlier about him. Rijkaard would not be a bad choice. But he should certainly keep Steve Clarke with him. Without Clarke, Rijkaard could be a disaster. Other reason is he might do well to re-unite with Ten Cate. Rijkaard is a good coach but his team won’t be fierce and forceful. To be successful in the premier league these days, some amount of brute force and ruthlessness is required. I’m not sure if Rijkaard can inculcate that in the new players that we might bring in. Except for the double winning season in 05-06, Barca did not impress. Of course, they play the best football but they seemed to lack the killer instinct that’s required for champions. Multi million players will come with enough skill and talent. They need that killer instinct, ruthlessness and some brute force. That’s what the manager needs to do. I’m not entirely convinced if Rijkaard could do that, with what I’ve seen of him. Anyway, if he is appointed as the Chelsea coach, I’d be more than happy.

Guus Hiddink: He does not want the pressure it seems, especially the Chelsea kind of pressure. He is very old but not older then the latest English and European champion. Guus has been successful with the small projects that have produced big results. Chelsea would be a big project for any manager. Having seen the fates of Ranieri, TSO and Grant, any manager would be very wary of the pressure that comes along with the job. If half of the pressure is created by the Press, the other half is from within. Guus is a great coach but I would give him a pass. Not for Chelsea please.

Michael Laudrup: Relatively an unknown commodity in football management. As a player he was an absolute legend. He won the Serie A and Eredivisie once and La Liga a few times. He was a European champion too. He’s won loads of awards including the best foreign player in Spain of the last quarter of the 20th century. As a manager, he was a massive hit with his Danish team Brondby and his Getafe team was a good one but didn’t quite achieve anything notable. He is believed to be a shrewd manager. He is young, he is hungry and he could be our next Jose Mourinho. Laudrup is exactly the type of manager we should be looking for. Being relatively unknown (when compared to Rijkaard, Hiddink etc), in fact gives him an edge. He can make a fresh impression on the media and the fans.

Sven Goran Eriksson: Reportedly he turned down the Chelsea offer twice before, when Roman just bought Chelsea. Sven is a good manager and has my respect but for some reason I don’t think he is Chelsea type. Once again, could be a good choice but given the competition he is in for the appointment, he would not even be in the top 3.

Mark Hughes: Good choice. As I said, this big project of Chelsea could be an overwhelming burden if the candidate is not up to it. It is not a measurement on their coaching capabilities. It’s just that the stage is massive. It needs more than just coaching capabilities to succeed here. Telegraph reports that Hughes is the front runner for the job and if appointed he would work with none other than Zola. Sparky is a manager I can be proud about. I always admired what he has achieved at Blackburn with his limited resources. I have seen his team play and I know what he has brought to this team. If it’s going to be Mark Hughes, I’d be excited.

The manager that we appoint should represent what Chelsea is all about. He should represent what the players collectively show on the pitch. That way, neither Ranieri nor Grant could fit the bill. Jose Mourinho was Chelsea personified. New kid on the block, young and brash, taking the legends head on, with an incedible thirst to win, to be champions - he was Chelsea personified. Now, in an incredible U-turn, Roman could turn to Jose.

Jose Mourinho: Read this story from Sun. Let me repeat, a story from Sun. JM wanted a Ferrari before he was sacked and he was seeking help from Chelsea to get that. 6 months after he was sacked, after our League Cup final defeat to Spurs, JM gets this 2 million pound Ferrari as a gift from Roman Abramovich. A gift of 2 million pounds? From a man who denied him a reinforcements in January for a defender? Surely things must have improved between them. And to top it all, the car comes with a plaque with ‘The Special One’ engraved on it. And that’s from Roman to Jose. Good times are back again?

It is believed that Roman now believes in giving full freedom to the manager of the club. That nicely ties in with what Jose Mourinho wants. Various papers have mentioned that JM has laid down three conditions for his appointment (i) full freedom in football matters including transfers (ii) sacking Frank Arnesen (iii) bringing back his back room staff with him.

If there is one thing no one can question, that is JM being his own man. He is never going to be a ‘yes man’. He may not take this job if his conditions are not met. In fact, bringing back his back room staff could mean a sack for Ten Cate too. Here is JM laying down his conditions to someone who gifted him a 2 million pound Ferrari. He is not going to get these things into his career. Same with Roman too. That’s what he proved when he sacked his friend. If the relationship between Jose and Roman is managed and oiled well, that could be just perfect for Chelsea. Every single fan of our rival clubs know this. This possible re-union of Roman and Jose should make them very uncomfortable. Sad news to those Man Utd fans who were hoping that JM would success SAF.

My choice is quite clear. If JM is available, I want him back. I just want him back. There is no short list or there is not even a list. There is just one name. Get him Roman. Sack all those guys who are simply playing politics to rob you of your money. Let JM manage football, while you can be simply counting the trophies. Chelsea has a massive ambition. There is only one route to achieve that ambition - winning trophies like no one’s business. The income from football, the fan base everything else will follow success. JM is the man who can promise you success and deliver the promise, and with this conditions fulfilled he can even guarantee success.

Time’s running out Roman, go get Jose!

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Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today (Saturday, May 24). This follows meetings over the last two days. Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September. We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made.

Yes, Grant is his friend but he knew that he was not up to it. It is fair to say that Grant got what he deserved. He should not be complaining much. Good luck Avram Grant. Thanks for the champions league finals. All the best.

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No news on the new manager yet. Any guesses already?

To all the Chelsea fans, all my team-mates, the manager and staff at the club. I am so sorry for missing the penalty and denying you the fans, my team-mates, family and friends the chance to become European champions. Many people have told me I don’t need to say that but I feel I need to, that’s just me. I have relived that moment every minute since it happened. I have only slept a few hours and wake up every time hoping it’s all been a bad dream.

I have had some amazing support from fans, current and ex-players, family and friends and I need to thank everyone for that. But I am a big man and I take responsibility for us not winning. I am and ALWAYS will be Chelsea through and through. I will give my all on and off the pitch to win this trophy as a player and one day as a manager. And I am sure we will win it.

That night in Moscow will haunt me forever and I feel I have let everybody down and this hurts me more than anything. I am not ashamed about crying. This is a trophy I have tried so hard year after year to win and it was just an uncontrollable reaction, I wear my heart on my sleeve, everybody knows that.

The road to Rome starts here, we have to try and turn this experience to our advantage. I am very proud of how far we have come this season with everything that has gone on. Thank you for all your support for the team this season.

That’s very nice of you JT. We never needed this letter from you. Anyway, if it helps you in someway, fine then.

Lampard agreed that this result has been more devastating for his colleagues than for himself. That’s not because he’s signed a new contract yet but that’s because of the personal tragedy he had to endure in the last few weeks. Only in light of these ‘real’ tragedies would you realise ‘it’s just a game’. Well, I’m not planning say this everytime we lose but I’d have to say this when some of us are upset like crazy. Once again quoting JM “pressure . . pressure of what? pressure if for millions of parents who can’t feed their children”.

Talking about the match, there were few key decisions from our side which turned the course of the match. You might know that I’m not a fan Essien playing in right back when we have two right backs who have won the champions league, one of them even scoring the winner in the final. Essien could never cope with Ronaldo and if there was any doubt or debate the goal must have sealed it. Essien was watching the ball without realising that he is a right back, defending an incoming cross, marking the best premier league player who has scored 41 goals till then. And then, Malouda has been decent of late but did his recent performance merit a champions league final appearance? Was I the only one that thought he was the Essien’s counterpart in attack - weak link?

The first half belonged to Man Utd. They had some great chances to go 2-0 up. Chelsea were not in the game for the first 30 minutes. When Chelsea started involving themselves in the match, we came closer. I admit there was an element of luck in Lampard’s equaliser but this game won’t be complete that ‘element of luck’ that was there all through the match, until the final minute. Credit should go to Lampard for again being in the right place at the right time. That was a good finish. If the half had ended 1-0 to Man Utd, it could have been a different game in the second half. The equaliser was really crucial that Chelsea played with some confidence in the second half.

Second half belonged to Chelsea. Man Utd were played off the park. No, this is not a biased statement. Man Utd were simply chasing shadows. Chelsea’s domination was not only in terms of chances and shots but more in terms of controlling the game. Man Utd could not string three passes together in the second half while Chelsea were playing so fluidly as if they were playing a mid-tabler at home. Despite controlling the game well, Chelsea could not force saves from van der sar. But we were always threatening Man Utd and kept Sir Alex’s heart in his mouth. Drogba hit the post with a fantastic shoot and Lampard finding all the time in the world, within the box, to turn about 360 degrees and shoot the ball clear of van der sar. When Lampard was preparing for that shot, I was already celebrating.

I’m now genuinely worried about Joe Cole. He was playing superbly in a few matches but his performance of late, for the last couple of months has been mediocre. Is he back to his inconsistent form. Is going to be unreliable again? How can he play so poorly in a champions league final? He must have been waiting for this for many many years and then he delivers this performance. I’m worried.

In the extra time, it was a much more even match, both teams coming out strongly and playing for a win. Towards the 5 to 10 minutes, both teams were willing to go to the penalties and that was evident. Terry made that characteristic clearance which simply personifies him. And it was then, Drogba got himself a red card. He gave no chance to the referee. It was not a difficult decision to send him off. There has been a lot of criticism on Drogba that he behaved in a manner that saw him off and also made himself unavailable for the penaly shoot out that was to follow just 5 minutes later.

I do not support Drogba’s actions. He let us down. Any player who gets a red card, lets his team down. At least I don’t think he was carelessly irresponsible. I thought he let his emotions take control of him. I realised one thing. It was not an action of someone who did not care about Chelsea. It was not an action of someone who wants to impress other clubs with his ’supposed’ last match for this club. It was certainly not an action of someone who was selfish and wanted the winners’ medal so that he can improve his CV. If he had his mind on any of these, he’d not have involved in the whole fracas. He’d gone ahead with his football. What he did was not at all intelligent but surely he was not planning to let us down with carelessness.

It is an open secret that Drogba thrives in a 4-4-2 formation. He was at his best when we play him along with another striker. After his fantastic season in 4-4-2, he had to be the lone striker in a 4-3-3 formation where the wingers were dishing out sub standard performances. I was still hoping that Chelsea plays 4-4-2 in the final with Drogba and Shevchenko. I see Fergie playing Scholes and Giggs ahead of Anderson and Nani, even though those portuguese are better than the seniors as of now. I also see Malouda and Kalou being played ahead of players like Shevchenko, Belletti and Ferreira.

You might say that if Terry had buried it, all this would not have mattered and all these decisions would have been justified. No. Had we got the right formation and right players, we might have won the match in full time. Clearly, Man Utd could not handle Chelsea when the Blues get their act together. We were too strong int he second half and we could have even finished the match in the second half. Imagine Essien being available in the midfield, Shevchenko being available with Drogba, and add it our performance in the second half.

When the match went to penalties I was not too happy for two reasons. One is, we deserved to close it out in full time or at least extra time. The other is, I don’t remember when we last won a penalty shoot out. After the forgettable shoot out at the community shield, it was great to see four of our shots go in. For a couple of them I had to wait to see the net disturbed but anyway they found the net. Something told me, I was even telling my mate, that Ronaldo would mess it up. It was a poor shot with not enough power. The first penalty save in many months (years?) from Petr Cech happened to be that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Not bad. Then came the big moment of the match.

When Terry walked up to the spot, I’d have bet my house on him burying it. The only way he was going to miss it was some cursed ill-luck, that’s what exactly happened. I can say that it is common sense to check the boots, studs, ball placement and the tightness of the soil before taking any penalty. It appeared that Terry wanted to get over that moment as soon as possible. He wanted that big relief and ecstasy without any delay. He was over-anxious. He had all he guts to take the penalty but he was a bit over-anxious. He sent the keeper to the wrong side, he slipped, he missed. The ball could have rolled ever so slowly to the right corner but it was a few feet off target. I won’t blame Terry. Even if Drogba were to take that kick, you can’t say he would not have slipped. Not hitting the target, not deceiving the keeper etc may be ‘footballistic’ reasons where different players handle situations differently. To slip on wet soil was ‘misfortunistic’ than ‘footballistic’.

I’m really sorry for Terry that it had to happen for him, of all people. It could have happened to anyone, but not him. When he was stepping up, so many things would have come to his mind. It is Moscow, Roman is watching, thosands of Chelsea fans are cheering, their first champions league final in their history, could be the last match for some of his dear colleagues, have just lost the league title on the last day - so many things. At hind sight, someone with less weight on his shoulders (with same passion) could have done a neater job? Hind sight is a nice thing. If we were to win the champions league on penalties, I don’t want anyone other than John Terry to take the winning kick.

Okay, we have lost it this season but champions league comes every season and we have the team to win it soon. When we lost the shoot out I could imagine how Milan would have felt after dominating Liverpool and finally losing it in the shoot out. To lose a 3-0 lead and subsequently losing the finals is much more disastrous than what happened to us on Wednesday night. Didn’t Milan come back and win the title, against the very opposition that they lost to? That’s what I want to see Chelsea do.

The thing that now worries me is, how long will Terry take to recover from this trauma and what impact will this have on him? Some say that it’s good that he does not have play in the Euro and he can holiday his ill memories out. I feel it would have been better if he is to play in the Euro. Between now and the start of the next season, it helps if he plays more football and which forces him to concentrate on something else other than that dark moment. Who knows, may be, England will manufacture an even more disappointing moment that helps him overcome that champions league shoot out! Italian fans say that, Shevchenko has not been the same footballer since he missed the penalty shoot out kick against Liverpool in Istanbul. Such can be the impact of these mishaps. All said, I’m sure Terry can come back strongly. He is a man of guts, determination and strength.

In the drama around John Terry’s miss, what escapes the media and fans attention is the bad miss by Anelka. May be that’s his style but he walked up and took the kick as if it was at Cobham. He delivered a bad shot and when van der Sar saved his shot, Anelka’s reaction was not that great. Again, may be that’s his style but he did not look too worried or upset about that. I don’t want him to break out crying but his reaction was an odd one out from that of the rest of the team. Despite what his agent says, Anelka never struck me as someone who is hungry for success. May be he is too philosophical.

Overall, I’m proud of these players. I’m proud of the way we played the ‘champions of Europe’ off the park for good part of the match. The spirit and effort shown by each one of our players certainly deserved the title.

Finally, congratulations to Man Utd. They were deserving champions. Though we put in a great performance in the finals, I cannot forget the fact that we were fortunate to be in the finals in the first place. It hurts to see us coming second in three competitions and losing the other to Barnsley when the route ahead was quite clear of troubles. JM said, “in football, there is no such thing called ‘almost there’”. Why am I quoting JM so much these days? He seemed to have made the best quotes for all seasons. Coming second might look like coming close enough to win it. I always believe that the gap between the champions and the runner-up than what we can see in the table or statistics. That’s why being runner-up in three championship does not equal winning one championship. It is quite possible to end up second every single season without winning the title.

The season is over. Time to measure up Grant? Credit to him for over-achieving but I can’t help but say he lost at least two trophies this season that he should have won. May be Roman would keep him for another season but if I were him, I’d move Grant upstairs and bring a good young manager who is desparately hungry for success. Season is over. Let’s talk Euro 2008 now. I’ll tell you who I’m supporting and why.

And yes, you want to know how I’d get over this finals disappointment? Just getting Grand Theft Auto 4 on XBOX 360. I’ll go gunning down innocent people and criminals alike, driving after booze and dope like I’m in god mode and make some dirty money in my new career. Should put me at peace.