Glasgow Rangers last week were duly liquidated ending 139 years of history. The almost inexhaustible list of misdemeanours make it hard for anyone to feel any regret over the foreclosure but all fans would empathise with the death of the club that they support.
Were Rangers to play in any normal country or league, the reality would be simple, that of having to start again in much the same way that Fiorentina did relatively recently. Being that Rangers play in Scotland the situation becomes vastly more complicated however.
Having listened to the views of the majority of fans in Scotland, there is little doubt that popular sentiment is for Rangers to begin again at the bottom, this is of course how it should be. For Rangers' future integrity also this would be the better option with the three season hiatus allowing them to get their affairs at the same time wholly in order rather than what suspects will happen, an utter fudge.
Charles Green of course does not want this to happen, he after all has acquired the assets of the old Rangers under his 'newco' and the quickest way to start generating revenue is through playing in the SPL. Rangers' wishes however should be irrelevant in much the same way that a convicted bank robber doesn't wish to go to jail, too bad.
Given the weight of evidence against Rangers, the fact that they are a new establishment (therefore without any rights) and given the broader wishes of Scottish football supporters, there should be only one outcome, that of being consigned to the bottom of the pile. As mentioned earlier however Scotland is not a normal footballing nation.
Rangers and Celtic have with brief periods of respite dominated Scottish football both off and on the pitch since their inception. Their wishes have usually prevailed and the income that the two clubs generate are oft seen as the lifeblood of the game - the reality is they take far more than they give - and the remaining SPL clubs appear terrified at the prospect of losing one of them.
The Sky TV deal with the SPL is one of the main reasons for this. Definitive information is hard to come by but it is mooted or believed that the deal is dependant on both Rangers and Celtic playing in the division. Most Scottish professional clubs are in dire financial peril and the prospect of losing what little television money there is to go around has the clubs gripped by fear.
The majority of SPL chairman have said little on how they intend to vote, especially when their supporters' groups have been so vocal. Michael Johnston the Kilmarnock chairman has however voiced an opinion that Rangers have been punished enough, but this flies completely in the face of the fans he is bound to represent.
For Celtic, it is possibly the biggest and toughest decision. They have stressed that they do not require Rangers to survive but no one could honestly suggest that Celtic will require the squad they do and a 60,000 seat stadium to win the SPL without their only true rivals, and there is the rub.
The SPL clubs should without any shadow of a doubt vote for Rangers to be excluded from the SPL given their flagrant breaching of the rules and their resulting insolvency. The powers that be in Scottish football however rarely act with much integrity and with self interest always coming to the fore.
The vote on the 4th of July is a chance for a real fresh start in Scotland with the potential for a much more level and competitive league - there are still a raft of other problems granted - and a chance to rebuild the product at the most basic of levels.
Sky TV money will come and go but the true lifeblood of the SPL clubs comes from the communities that they reside in. Season ticket sales - already dreadful - are almost non existent so far this year given the UK's finances and also and more importantly the fans' view of the readmission of Rangers. The SPL chairman however are prone to chasing the fast buck and it is therefore hard to know which way the vote will go.
There has been talk of readmission coupled with reduced revenues for Rangers and points deductions etc but these are simply inappropriate and would still in all reality probably lead to Rangers finishing runners' up for the next three seasons. The wishes of Scottish football fans should be heard, it is time for a fresh start and not just for Rangers - No Nonsense.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
A Massive Club?
Jay Rodriguez has signed for the mighty Southampton and has announced 'This is a great club, a massive club' (although unfortunately not the club he supported as a boy ala Robbie Keane at the L.A. Galaxy). Someone needs to inform young Jay that by any measure, Southampton are not a massive club, so what constitutes a big or massive club?
Keeping it to Britain for the moment, there are of course several undisputed massive clubs, super clubs even. ManYoo, Arsenal and Liverpool (despite their current travails) would all qualify in this category. But here the problems begin, how do you really measure it?
Liverpool finished 8th this season and have no realistic chance of winning the title for a few seasons at least. Are they therefore still massive? Rangers in Scotland are oft described as 'an institution' yet they have just gone bankrupt, how can they therefore possibly remain big?
This brings us to a second category. One which for much of my lifetime, clubs such as the Sheffield two, the three big North East clubs, Wolves etc have been described, that of 'sleeping giants'. These are apparently clubs that used to be big clubs but are now invariably small clubs.
It is easy to mock the afflicted and most fans have an inflated view of their own team, it is only natural but the definitions are confusing to say the least. One could argue quite believably that Spurs and Everton are bigger clubs than Chelsea and Man City given their history and supporter base but given the current league table and spending power (and of course it is money that talks these days) then that is turned on its' head.
Money of course is always the prevailing factor. Everton and Spurs as an example used to be two of the richer clubs as did Liverpool. Call it lack of foresight or just bad luck, a lack of investment in infrastructure (namely stadiums) has seen the clubs fall backwards and without the benefit of a rich foreign benefactor like in Chelsea's case, they simply do not have the revenues to compete.
Another measure is that of the 'brand'. If you look around Asia then Liverpool and ManYoo shirts abound with Spurs probably a distant third. After that it is really anyone's guess but there is no doubt that sustained periods of dominance in the 80s, 90s and 00s from the big two have seen them power ahead in fan base and therefore in merchandising.
The problem with 'bought' success is that it invariably doesn't last being that is often at the whims of one person. Clubs such as Blackburn Rovers in recent times have come and gone and the stark reality is that it is the traditionally perceived big clubs that remain just that.
So now we have several criteria including fan base and history, but surely the most important thing for any club is their level of current success. Were City to capture Messi and Ronaldo and win the league for the next five years as well as a couple of Champions Leagues, would they then be considered a bigger club than United?
The reality is there are many tangible measures of the size of a club but much of it is subjective and subject to huge bias. One thing is for sure, Southampton are with no offence intended, NOT a big club and I have no idea where this leaves Aston Villa - No Nonsense.
Keeping it to Britain for the moment, there are of course several undisputed massive clubs, super clubs even. ManYoo, Arsenal and Liverpool (despite their current travails) would all qualify in this category. But here the problems begin, how do you really measure it?
Liverpool finished 8th this season and have no realistic chance of winning the title for a few seasons at least. Are they therefore still massive? Rangers in Scotland are oft described as 'an institution' yet they have just gone bankrupt, how can they therefore possibly remain big?
This brings us to a second category. One which for much of my lifetime, clubs such as the Sheffield two, the three big North East clubs, Wolves etc have been described, that of 'sleeping giants'. These are apparently clubs that used to be big clubs but are now invariably small clubs.
It is easy to mock the afflicted and most fans have an inflated view of their own team, it is only natural but the definitions are confusing to say the least. One could argue quite believably that Spurs and Everton are bigger clubs than Chelsea and Man City given their history and supporter base but given the current league table and spending power (and of course it is money that talks these days) then that is turned on its' head.
Money of course is always the prevailing factor. Everton and Spurs as an example used to be two of the richer clubs as did Liverpool. Call it lack of foresight or just bad luck, a lack of investment in infrastructure (namely stadiums) has seen the clubs fall backwards and without the benefit of a rich foreign benefactor like in Chelsea's case, they simply do not have the revenues to compete.
Another measure is that of the 'brand'. If you look around Asia then Liverpool and ManYoo shirts abound with Spurs probably a distant third. After that it is really anyone's guess but there is no doubt that sustained periods of dominance in the 80s, 90s and 00s from the big two have seen them power ahead in fan base and therefore in merchandising.
The problem with 'bought' success is that it invariably doesn't last being that is often at the whims of one person. Clubs such as Blackburn Rovers in recent times have come and gone and the stark reality is that it is the traditionally perceived big clubs that remain just that.
So now we have several criteria including fan base and history, but surely the most important thing for any club is their level of current success. Were City to capture Messi and Ronaldo and win the league for the next five years as well as a couple of Champions Leagues, would they then be considered a bigger club than United?
The reality is there are many tangible measures of the size of a club but much of it is subjective and subject to huge bias. One thing is for sure, Southampton are with no offence intended, NOT a big club and I have no idea where this leaves Aston Villa - No Nonsense.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The European Championships, does anyone care?
This piece will undoubtedly provoke differing views and the writer will be open to accusations of self interest given that Scotland have not qualified yet again for a major finals. The article will also be written to a large degree from the angle of being Scottish and of watching the tournament therefore as a neutral.
The first irony is of course that in many ways it is more enjoyable (if you're Scottish) to watch a major finals from a neutral stance given that some kind of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory or an outright humiliation (thinking Iran, Peru, Costa Rica) simply cannot happen due to non participation.
The reality of course is that any fan would want their nation there regardless of their chances and the writer is in that sense no different, the prospect of being gubbed by Brazil is in many ways far better than beating a much lesser nation. There is the sense of occasion and the fact that major finals only come around every two years.
As the years have progressed the writer of this blog has found himself more and more disinterested in the major tournaments and whilst clearly open to cries of 'it's because you haven't qualified' that is only a small part of it. USA '94 remains one of the writers' favourite tournaments with Stoichkov, Romario, Dumitrescu, Maradona et all and Scotland were nowhere to be seen.
So what has changed? Age is a part of it definitely with increased frown lines and grey hairs replacing childish enthusiasm where games such as Paraguay versus Egypt would be classed as a 'must see'.
The second problem is the saturation of football on television. How can someone get excited about watching Messi or Ronaldo when you've been able to watch them twice a week for the past however many years? Looking forward to seeing players you'd only heard of was a huge part of the build up and anticipation.
The final part it would seem is the general apathy of the players towards International football as a whole. The World Cup and European Championships used to be the absolute pinnacle but these in many ways have been replaced by the Champions League given the hoarding of the world's best players by the superpowers of the G20 of European clubs.
The last half decent World Cup was France '98 and since then we've had a procession of tournaments with half fit or exhausted players who's club versus country stats would imply a distinct lack of interest. Wayne Rooney has spoken openly of the utter boredom he has experienced representing England at the last World Cup.
Whilst all of this can be put down to old age and nostalgia (we'd all complain if we couldn't see exactly the matches we wanted to see when we wanted to see them) there is no doubt that football has 'maxed out' to some degree and the players and fans have started to see International football as an additional chore.
There are of course fans that still delight in seeing their national side play, especially less spoiled fans of less successful clubs for whom the big tournaments are still a huge deal. The problem is that for the Playstation generation as a whole, there's just too much other choice.
Major finals of course do always provide great drama in the latter stages with the cut throat nature of the knockout format and the high stakes but the reality is that for the past few tournaments there has been little quality football to talk of (other than Spain's quite stunning team) with very few of the traditionally stronger national sides of a calibre that would stand up to some of their previous vintages.
The writer has of course paid up for his pay per view subscription for the tournament despite the fact that most of the games will kick off after midnight and no doubt many of the games will still be watched. There is not however anything like the same anticipation and that is not because Scotland are not there, we got used to that several years ago - No Nonsense.
The first irony is of course that in many ways it is more enjoyable (if you're Scottish) to watch a major finals from a neutral stance given that some kind of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory or an outright humiliation (thinking Iran, Peru, Costa Rica) simply cannot happen due to non participation.
The reality of course is that any fan would want their nation there regardless of their chances and the writer is in that sense no different, the prospect of being gubbed by Brazil is in many ways far better than beating a much lesser nation. There is the sense of occasion and the fact that major finals only come around every two years.
As the years have progressed the writer of this blog has found himself more and more disinterested in the major tournaments and whilst clearly open to cries of 'it's because you haven't qualified' that is only a small part of it. USA '94 remains one of the writers' favourite tournaments with Stoichkov, Romario, Dumitrescu, Maradona et all and Scotland were nowhere to be seen.
So what has changed? Age is a part of it definitely with increased frown lines and grey hairs replacing childish enthusiasm where games such as Paraguay versus Egypt would be classed as a 'must see'.
The second problem is the saturation of football on television. How can someone get excited about watching Messi or Ronaldo when you've been able to watch them twice a week for the past however many years? Looking forward to seeing players you'd only heard of was a huge part of the build up and anticipation.
The final part it would seem is the general apathy of the players towards International football as a whole. The World Cup and European Championships used to be the absolute pinnacle but these in many ways have been replaced by the Champions League given the hoarding of the world's best players by the superpowers of the G20 of European clubs.
The last half decent World Cup was France '98 and since then we've had a procession of tournaments with half fit or exhausted players who's club versus country stats would imply a distinct lack of interest. Wayne Rooney has spoken openly of the utter boredom he has experienced representing England at the last World Cup.
Whilst all of this can be put down to old age and nostalgia (we'd all complain if we couldn't see exactly the matches we wanted to see when we wanted to see them) there is no doubt that football has 'maxed out' to some degree and the players and fans have started to see International football as an additional chore.
There are of course fans that still delight in seeing their national side play, especially less spoiled fans of less successful clubs for whom the big tournaments are still a huge deal. The problem is that for the Playstation generation as a whole, there's just too much other choice.
Major finals of course do always provide great drama in the latter stages with the cut throat nature of the knockout format and the high stakes but the reality is that for the past few tournaments there has been little quality football to talk of (other than Spain's quite stunning team) with very few of the traditionally stronger national sides of a calibre that would stand up to some of their previous vintages.
The writer has of course paid up for his pay per view subscription for the tournament despite the fact that most of the games will kick off after midnight and no doubt many of the games will still be watched. There is not however anything like the same anticipation and that is not because Scotland are not there, we got used to that several years ago - No Nonsense.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Brendan Rodgers - The Right Man for Liverpool
Many Liverpool fans will be waking up this morning wondering why a Northern Irishman with only one season's experience in the top flight is going to become manager of arguably the most successful English team of all time. Only time will tell but at the outset it seems a prudent move (at last) from the fallen giants of the English game.
Liverpool have done what so many top clubs fear, promoting a young domestic manager with little experience but huge potential. Rodgers' Swansea City have defied the odds and predictions (including here) with a fantastic first season in the top flight winning friends to boot with some excellent passing football.
Rodgers will need time to shape Liverpool but that is exactly what Liverpool can offer if their fans are realistic about the current prospects for their club.
Under Dalglish, Liverpool went backwards due to a poor transfer policy. Liverpool spent a fortune on players despite bringing in 50M from the sale of Torres yet ended up further from the title and Champions League places than they have ever been.
The reality is that even if they spent a huge sum of money again this summer, Liverpool are years away from challenging for the title as they are no longer able to attract the calibre of player that they need. A club can sign as many Downings, Adams and Hendersons as they like but it will never bring the title nor success as they are simply not as good as the players playing for the teams above them, the money is simply being wasted.
What Liverpool need is a long term plan with an aim to win the title again several years from now with Champions League football in the slightly nearer future. Liverpool could and should be able to overhaul Spurs and the aim thereafter must be to rein in Arsenal assuming that Chelsea's projected spending pushes them back towards the Manchester clubs.
Rodgers is only 39 and must surely have been recruited with a long term time frame in mind. Whilst the current cliche of choice is that football is a 'results business' it is honestly hard to see him guiding Liverpool to worse than Dalglish's 8th place of last season. The Carling Cup is an irrelevance.
Liverpool have much hard work ahead of them if they are to return to the top table but it is essential that both Fenway and the fans accept that they are currently not a team with title credentials and that a long term plan is needed even if it means a few seasons in the relative wilderness.
FSG have made many mistakes since taking over at Anfield but on this occasion, they must be commended for making what will hopefully be an inspired choice, one must hope they have made it for the right reasons - No Nonsense.
Liverpool have done what so many top clubs fear, promoting a young domestic manager with little experience but huge potential. Rodgers' Swansea City have defied the odds and predictions (including here) with a fantastic first season in the top flight winning friends to boot with some excellent passing football.
Rodgers will need time to shape Liverpool but that is exactly what Liverpool can offer if their fans are realistic about the current prospects for their club.
Under Dalglish, Liverpool went backwards due to a poor transfer policy. Liverpool spent a fortune on players despite bringing in 50M from the sale of Torres yet ended up further from the title and Champions League places than they have ever been.
The reality is that even if they spent a huge sum of money again this summer, Liverpool are years away from challenging for the title as they are no longer able to attract the calibre of player that they need. A club can sign as many Downings, Adams and Hendersons as they like but it will never bring the title nor success as they are simply not as good as the players playing for the teams above them, the money is simply being wasted.
What Liverpool need is a long term plan with an aim to win the title again several years from now with Champions League football in the slightly nearer future. Liverpool could and should be able to overhaul Spurs and the aim thereafter must be to rein in Arsenal assuming that Chelsea's projected spending pushes them back towards the Manchester clubs.
Rodgers is only 39 and must surely have been recruited with a long term time frame in mind. Whilst the current cliche of choice is that football is a 'results business' it is honestly hard to see him guiding Liverpool to worse than Dalglish's 8th place of last season. The Carling Cup is an irrelevance.
Liverpool have much hard work ahead of them if they are to return to the top table but it is essential that both Fenway and the fans accept that they are currently not a team with title credentials and that a long term plan is needed even if it means a few seasons in the relative wilderness.
FSG have made many mistakes since taking over at Anfield but on this occasion, they must be commended for making what will hopefully be an inspired choice, one must hope they have made it for the right reasons - No Nonsense.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba yesterday announced his much anticipated departure from Chelsea. Whilst there will be sadness on behalf of both sides of the split, it is for both unquestionably the right thing.
Drogba's contribution to Chelsea over the years has been considerable and in the past few months of this most amazing of seasons it has been positively immense. Drogba has always provided theatre and lately has been no exception.
The 24M that Jose Mourinho paid Marseille for him after an incredibly dogged pursuit seemed over inflated - as many of the fees that Chelsea were paying then were - and it certainly took time for Drogba to earn the affections of the Stamford Bridge crowd.
Drogba has been notorious for the amount of time he has spent on his backside, the victim of apparent sniper fire which was all the more galling given that he is such an immensely strong physical specimen, the ruin of many a top class defender.
The other problem with Drogba is that he has typically picked and chosen the matches in which he wishes to 'perform' in. Cup finals have been his forte with 8 goals in 9 matches for Chelsea yet it has sometimes been lost on him that you actually need to get there first.
For all the highs that Drogba has experienced, there has been a negative balance. He entirely lost his ahead against Barcelona several seasons ago and was also sent off against ManYoo in the Moscow final giving rise to rumours that he simply did not want to take a penalty - which seems unlikely given what just transpired in Munich.
The good is the fabulous goal that started the routing of Spurs in the FA Semi, the goal against Liverpool in the final as well as the winning strike against Barcelona in the first leg. In the final itself also he pulled Chelsea back from the brink in normal time as well as scoring the decisive penalty.
The bad is the fact that in both the Nou Camp and in Munich he needlessly gave away penalties that inexplicably Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben both missed. Had either scored, Chelsea would have almost certainly been out.
All of that being said, Drogba has ridden his luck and made some fabulous appearances for Chelsea. In eight seasons he has collected three Premiership titles, umpteen FA and League Cups and now finally the Champions League. Drogba will be remembered as a club legend and rightly so - No Nonsense.
Drogba's contribution to Chelsea over the years has been considerable and in the past few months of this most amazing of seasons it has been positively immense. Drogba has always provided theatre and lately has been no exception.
The 24M that Jose Mourinho paid Marseille for him after an incredibly dogged pursuit seemed over inflated - as many of the fees that Chelsea were paying then were - and it certainly took time for Drogba to earn the affections of the Stamford Bridge crowd.
Drogba has been notorious for the amount of time he has spent on his backside, the victim of apparent sniper fire which was all the more galling given that he is such an immensely strong physical specimen, the ruin of many a top class defender.
The other problem with Drogba is that he has typically picked and chosen the matches in which he wishes to 'perform' in. Cup finals have been his forte with 8 goals in 9 matches for Chelsea yet it has sometimes been lost on him that you actually need to get there first.
For all the highs that Drogba has experienced, there has been a negative balance. He entirely lost his ahead against Barcelona several seasons ago and was also sent off against ManYoo in the Moscow final giving rise to rumours that he simply did not want to take a penalty - which seems unlikely given what just transpired in Munich.
The good is the fabulous goal that started the routing of Spurs in the FA Semi, the goal against Liverpool in the final as well as the winning strike against Barcelona in the first leg. In the final itself also he pulled Chelsea back from the brink in normal time as well as scoring the decisive penalty.
The bad is the fact that in both the Nou Camp and in Munich he needlessly gave away penalties that inexplicably Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben both missed. Had either scored, Chelsea would have almost certainly been out.
All of that being said, Drogba has ridden his luck and made some fabulous appearances for Chelsea. In eight seasons he has collected three Premiership titles, umpteen FA and League Cups and now finally the Champions League. Drogba will be remembered as a club legend and rightly so - No Nonsense.
Monday, May 21, 2012
What Next For Chelsea?
The swing of Didier Drogba's boot that secured the Champions League for Chelsea was in many ways bigger for the club than the actual securing of the famous trophy for the first time.
Chelsea have been a prominent European player for some time now but the truth is they lack the stature of a Bayern or an AC Milan or a Barcelona. A sixth place finish meaning Europa League football, the reality of financial fair play and the elderly state of the squad would have put Chelsea's medium term prospects in dire straits.
Given that the penalty went in, Chelsea have been catapulted from Premiership also rans into the elite group of Champions League winners and with the financial benefits that come from next seasons' participation allowing for squad rebuilding. Chelsea have trod the finest of lines this season.
Regardless of the personnel changes on the playing staff, the most crucial decision Chelsea will make is whom should be at the helm next season. The immediate and emotional choice is for Di Matteo to be given the job on a full time basis given the heroics of Chelsea's European run under him.
The decision however is a difficult one that needs closer inspection. There is little question that should Chelsea be faced with the cup fixtures they had in Europe this season again there would be a very difficult outcome. Chelsea have been entirely outplayed twice by Barcelona and given away huge statistics to Bayern also, it is impossible to keep doing so consistently and to keep winning.
Abramovich is a huge fan of attractive football also and whilst he will delight in the victory, the manner of it will not cause the same glee given that Chelsea seem incapable of playing Europe's elite without being serious underdogs and playing ultra defensively. This should not be the way for a team so expensively assembled.
The other question being raised of course is who is buying the players? Eden Hazard is being heavily linked with the club this morning yet with no full time managerial appointment, who exactly is responsible for the planning for the team? It is this kind of dysfunction that has led Chelsea into such a swift and obvious decline which even this incredible win cannot paper over.
Chelsea fans everywhere can revel in the victory and what has been an amazing climax to a quite bananas season but one only needs to look at Liverpool's victory in Istanbul and their subsequent fall from grace to know that stability and a more long term approach is imperative if Chelsea wish to remain at the top table. Were it not for some incredible luck - matched with fantastic endeavour - then Chelsea's prospects this Summer could be very very different - No Nonsense.
Chelsea have been a prominent European player for some time now but the truth is they lack the stature of a Bayern or an AC Milan or a Barcelona. A sixth place finish meaning Europa League football, the reality of financial fair play and the elderly state of the squad would have put Chelsea's medium term prospects in dire straits.
Given that the penalty went in, Chelsea have been catapulted from Premiership also rans into the elite group of Champions League winners and with the financial benefits that come from next seasons' participation allowing for squad rebuilding. Chelsea have trod the finest of lines this season.
Regardless of the personnel changes on the playing staff, the most crucial decision Chelsea will make is whom should be at the helm next season. The immediate and emotional choice is for Di Matteo to be given the job on a full time basis given the heroics of Chelsea's European run under him.
The decision however is a difficult one that needs closer inspection. There is little question that should Chelsea be faced with the cup fixtures they had in Europe this season again there would be a very difficult outcome. Chelsea have been entirely outplayed twice by Barcelona and given away huge statistics to Bayern also, it is impossible to keep doing so consistently and to keep winning.
Abramovich is a huge fan of attractive football also and whilst he will delight in the victory, the manner of it will not cause the same glee given that Chelsea seem incapable of playing Europe's elite without being serious underdogs and playing ultra defensively. This should not be the way for a team so expensively assembled.
The other question being raised of course is who is buying the players? Eden Hazard is being heavily linked with the club this morning yet with no full time managerial appointment, who exactly is responsible for the planning for the team? It is this kind of dysfunction that has led Chelsea into such a swift and obvious decline which even this incredible win cannot paper over.
Chelsea fans everywhere can revel in the victory and what has been an amazing climax to a quite bananas season but one only needs to look at Liverpool's victory in Istanbul and their subsequent fall from grace to know that stability and a more long term approach is imperative if Chelsea wish to remain at the top table. Were it not for some incredible luck - matched with fantastic endeavour - then Chelsea's prospects this Summer could be very very different - No Nonsense.
Friday, May 18, 2012
The Champions League Final
Bayern and Chelsea crashed the all Spanish CL final by knocking out Real and Barca in two keenly contested semis. It's left a final that Europe will in all honesty be feeling a little underwhelmed by given the domestic performances of the two sides and the numerous absences from the match due to suspension.
Bayern, 'at home' and clearly the better team will start as strong favourites. Their attacking triumvirate of Ribery, Robben and Gomez (not to mention Thomas Muller) would be a handful for anyone never mind a rookie CL centre back pairing of a barely fit Cahill and Luiz with the every hazardous Phil Bosingwa likely to be lurking somewhere on the right.
Despite the suspensions, Bayern have quality throughout their ranks and there feels an almost Germanic inevitability about the whole proceeding, indeed Bayern should win fairly comfortably one could expect.
The problem however is Chelsea's results in cup competitions under Di Matteo juxtaposed against their league form would indicate some kind of extreme schizophrenia making any logical diagnosis impossible.
Chelsea it seems are a team with something to prove. Lampard, Cole and Cech are rejunivated and Drogba is performing exactly how you would expect a world class 34 year old looking for one last fat contract to perform. Even Fernando Torres, so miserable and marginalised for so long has been reborn with several goals and a new found zest for the the game.
This wave of euphoria has carried Chelsea through a rollercoaster return leg against Napoli, seen off a lively Benfica and then allowed them to do the impossible against Barca. The problem is that the German stereotype doesn't allow much for emotion or nostalgia and a typically stoic and efficient Bayern await them at the Allianz this Saturday.
Whilst Chelsea will feel the script is written for them, Bayern will no doubt feel the same given the final is in their home stadium and whilst Chelsea's heroics will not have gone unnoticed, they will not have caused undue concern but merely ensured more adequate preparation.
The suspensions should hit Chelsea harder than Bayern given the paucity of their squad and the lack of defensive replacements in particular. Chelsea have a chance and certainly still have quality but the bookies are backing Bayern strongly and they are rarely wrong, except when Chelsea played Barcelona - No Nonsense.
Bayern, 'at home' and clearly the better team will start as strong favourites. Their attacking triumvirate of Ribery, Robben and Gomez (not to mention Thomas Muller) would be a handful for anyone never mind a rookie CL centre back pairing of a barely fit Cahill and Luiz with the every hazardous Phil Bosingwa likely to be lurking somewhere on the right.
Despite the suspensions, Bayern have quality throughout their ranks and there feels an almost Germanic inevitability about the whole proceeding, indeed Bayern should win fairly comfortably one could expect.
The problem however is Chelsea's results in cup competitions under Di Matteo juxtaposed against their league form would indicate some kind of extreme schizophrenia making any logical diagnosis impossible.
Chelsea it seems are a team with something to prove. Lampard, Cole and Cech are rejunivated and Drogba is performing exactly how you would expect a world class 34 year old looking for one last fat contract to perform. Even Fernando Torres, so miserable and marginalised for so long has been reborn with several goals and a new found zest for the the game.
This wave of euphoria has carried Chelsea through a rollercoaster return leg against Napoli, seen off a lively Benfica and then allowed them to do the impossible against Barca. The problem is that the German stereotype doesn't allow much for emotion or nostalgia and a typically stoic and efficient Bayern await them at the Allianz this Saturday.
Whilst Chelsea will feel the script is written for them, Bayern will no doubt feel the same given the final is in their home stadium and whilst Chelsea's heroics will not have gone unnoticed, they will not have caused undue concern but merely ensured more adequate preparation.
The suspensions should hit Chelsea harder than Bayern given the paucity of their squad and the lack of defensive replacements in particular. Chelsea have a chance and certainly still have quality but the bookies are backing Bayern strongly and they are rarely wrong, except when Chelsea played Barcelona - No Nonsense.
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