So basically I learned a couple of lessons yesterday: there are no footballing gods and there is no footballing karma. How can there be? When you have a team like Chelsea reaching two cup finals with what can only be described as a series of extremely fortunate events have happened over the last month. We’ve seen them have offside goals against Wigan, phantom semi-final goals against the Spuds, plus three of their last matches – one against us – where the post has been stroked more times than John Terry strokes his teammates missus’.
By my reckoning that should mean that Chelski will lose all of their remaining games by three clear goals to restore equilibrium to the football world. Yesterday somebody said that Di Matteo has made a pact with the devil. After roughly three shots in their two games against Barca, you do wonder if there is some truth in there somewhere.
The only slight consolation is that we won’t see John Terry playing in a Champions League final after his Ludicrous knee to the back of Sanchez last night. That is pretty much Terry in a nutshell – a scumbag who thinks he can get away with anything. After the last two matches I wonder if they are now horribly destined to win this trophy. Just like when Liverpool won it as the fifth best team in the Premier League, Chelski could do the same. I shudder at the thought.
Anyway, what it does mean is that our own future has become even more crystallised. We know exactly what is needed to secure Champions League qualification and I just hope that this drives the team forward even more to pick up maximum points from the last remaining three games. Despie what others say, Spurs have an easy run, and I expect them to pick up as close to maximum points as possible, which means we simply have to begin our final assault on this season with a win at Stoke. It will be a hard, bitty and probably painful 90 minutes for our players, so now is the time for them to show their bottle. No more cliches about ‘not enough petrol in the tank’ – we must react and it must be now.
In happier news, Robin will be working on a new trophy cabinet at home this week after scooping the Football Writers Player of the Year. To be honest I thought many of us would have expected it, but we can all still be over the moon for him, providing he signs a new contract 
. Again, like Monday, I have to say that his achievement and the way he has led our team had been exemplary, he deserves all the praise he gets.
In other semi-interesting news, SCZ says the praise he has received is great, but he has a long way to go and wants to play for the club for many years to come. It’s a great thing to hear and exactly what you want to see from somebody who has had a great year or so as our number one. It’s good to hear him being humble; he’s been accused by some of being a bit too over-confident sometimes, but for me i’d rather have that than a shy, retiring, Manuel Almunia type character.
And finally, Thomas Vermaelen has spoken of how great it has been to be back playing regularly for the club. He’s had a really good career with Arsenal when he’s fit, and it’s just a shame that half of it so far has been blighted by injuries. The noises he’s made about loving the club are music to this gooners ears.
I’m afraid that’s it for today. I really don’t want to be thinking too much about football any more. After what I saw last night, the Bolton of Europe in the Champions League, I’ve had a serious denting of my faith.
Until tomorrow.
