May 2007 - It All Starts Here

[El Gordo]

I'm glad that Chelsea didn't win but agree that they went down fighting. Not sure that they had much choice though did they? They came out at halftime knowing htey had to score twice to keep the season alive. In reality, I suspect the bigger motivator was the dread of having to clap the Rowdies onto the pitch on Wednesday.

Mourinho has obviously realised that good grace is more endearing than his usual sneering. He came out well from the post-match interview, I thought.

Will he be there next year? I can't help feeling they'd be mad to get rid of him, yet people as rich as Abramovitch are notoriously impatient, and with the Big Cup still eluding him, we'll have to wait and see.

But congratulations to the Rowdies who've proved that you can succeed by playing great football. It would be good to see them win the FA Cup too, though my nerves are desperate for the close season to come.

Keane, with few resources, is the real star of the season. Great achievement in the circumstances. Mind you, another ManU old boy, Coppell at Reading, deserves an ovation too.

As for my own team, well, a bit like my marathons... it's more about survival than triumph. It would be nice to think that I'll run Boston in a year's time with them in serious contention. That division, as last year's play-off finalists, Leeds, have discovered, is highly unpredictable.

Still, it' s been a great season all round, with the CL and FA Cup finals still to come (not to mention the little sideshow at Stamford Bridge next week).