Chelsea Fc Thread

[Seapok]

Thanks again Muckypups for the posts, I must start buying the mail but then again I'm not that old! haha

Buck quashes Abramovich talk

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has quashed reports Roman Abramovich has fallen out of love with The Blues.

It had been speculated the club's billionaire owner was losing interest in the club after disappearing from view on numerous occasions throughout the season.

Coupled with his much-publicised tiff with manager Jose Mourinho, the stories began to flow regarding his long-term interest in the former Premiership champions.

However, Buck believes, if anything, Abramovich is closer to the club than ever and still finds it hard to control his emotions if results do not go his way.

"If anything, he has more devotion to the club," said Buck when asked if Abramovich's love for the club was fading.

"He's very interested in the football, it's hard to describe. When we lose a difficult match, he's sulking and there are tears in his eyes.

"He's a real Chelsea fan. He's not developing this club to sell it off or anything like that."

[Seapok]

Cole warning for Red Devils

Joe Cole insists Chelsea cannot be written off despite their crippling injury list ahead of this weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester United.

Andrei Shevchenko, Michael Ballack and Ricardo Carvalho will all definitely miss Saturday's showpiece, while John Obi Mikel, Ashley Cole and Arjen Robben are doubtful.

Cole expects Jose Mourinho's Blues to come out fighting against the odds at the new Wembley and has warned they cannot be under estimated.

"I think we are at our best with our backs to the wall. We've had a lot to contend with this year but we're not complaining," said Cole.

"We've had our injury problems this year but we want to put that aside and get on with the game.

"It's a case of 11 players being chosen who are the 11 players the gaffer thinks can do the job.

"We have to put all our injuries and problems to one side and win our second trophy of the season which would be a massive achievement."

Appearing in the FA Cup final would complete a miraculous return from injury for Cole, having been frustrated by knee and foot injuries for much of the campaign.

The England midfielder now hopes to cap it all off by picking up his first FA Cup winners' medal, the only domestic medal he is missing from his collection.

"People didn't expect me to be back so any game is a bonus. Every day when I've been injured it's always been focusing on one of the finals," Cole added.

"I knew I couldn't come back and influence the Premier League because it was too late, so I knew it was either the Champions League or the FA Cup.

"It all boils down to winning this trophy. Everything I have focused on since late November when I had my injury is for the FA Cup. I want to win it and have something to take from the season. It's huge.

"The manager, myself and a lot of the boys haven't won it before, it's a huge one."

[muckypups]

Thanks again Muckypups for the posts, I must start buying the mail but then again I'm not that old! haha

Me neither!.. well, maybe just a bit..

[soihok]

In the interest of putting a good team out.

I would like to see Chelsea give Man U a lesson of how not to look crap on the day.

[muckypups]

I don't want to hijack the Chelsea thread Soihok and my apologies to Seapok. However, United may not have been at their best in the match against West Ham but we still did enough to win it.. goal line clearances, good goalkeeping and yes, tired players meant that West Ham got the result. Fact is, United started that match with 8 of the team that defeated Roma 7-1.. of the three missing only Ferdinand played no part.. and we were a lesser side (IMO) in the second half after Giggs and Ronaldo came on. You cannot blame Ferguson, when playing at home, for being unable to beat relegation candidates.. bear in mind, Sheffield United lost to Wigan, at home..

[muckypups]

Strange things Parrots...

Police are hunting a blue-throated Amazon parrot called Chelsea who screeches when anyone mentions Manchester United, stolen from its owner's garden this week.

The family pet, which is tame and able to tell people its name, was taken from a home in the English Midlands on Tuesday night, apparently after having been bundled into a towel stolen from the washing line.

"I think it was stolen to order ... I don't think someone would just steal a parrot for a pet," its owner Richard Threadgold told AFP, confirming that the bird emits a "high-pitched screech" when Manchester United is mentioned.

"We are avid Chelsea fans, that's how he got the name, and my son used to taunt it by saying 'Manchester United' at it every time he went past the cage," leading it to develop the unusual reaction, he said.

The family bought the bird five years ago for 600 pounds, and is considering offering a reward if no progress is made in finding it within the next few days, he said.

Police confirmed in a statement that the bird had been stolen sometime overnight Tuesday, adding that the family's car had also been broken into.

Threadgold said he hopes Chelsea's football-related verbal quirk will help detectives identify the bird -- and dismissed any suggestion that the thieves stole it because of its team affiliation.

"I don't think they would pinch our parrot just because of its banter," he said.

Edited May 18, 2007 by muckypups

[EastSaxCol]

Is Lampard a major fitness doubt for tomorrow then?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/Kin...sonlampard1.jpg

[Seapok]

Chelsea v Manchester United

FA Cup final

Date: Saturday, 19 May

Kick-off: 1500 BST

Venue: Wembley

Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)

Watch (in UK): 1240 BST, BBC ONE. Highlights 2250 BST, BBC ONE

Listen: BBC Radio Five Live

Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile

Chelsea head into the FA Cup final without Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and Andriy Shevchenko.

Winger Arjen Robben is still recovering from knee surgery but hopes to be fit enough for a place on the bench.

Midfielder Mikel Jon Obi is struggling with a thigh strain while Ashley Cole is a major doubt with an ankle problem which requires surgery.

Boss Jose Mourinho hinted he could use keeper Hilario as a substitute striker but is more likely to pick Ben Sahar.

l

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to hand the right-back role to Wes Brown with Gary Neville out injured.

That means disappointment for John O'Shea while Gabriel Heinze is also set to miss out as Patrice Evra is tipped to start at left-back.

Ferguson must also decide whether to pick Alan Smith up front or bolster his midfield with Darren Fletcher.

Louis Saha has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Hilario, Cudicini, Geremi, Ferreira, A Cole, Terry, Boulahrouz, Diarra, Makelele, Obi, Lampard, Essien, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, Bridge, Robben, Drogba, Sahar.

Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Brown, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Heinze, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Richardson, Eagles, Rooney, Smith, Solskjaer.

BIG-MATCH FACTS

CHELSEA against Manchester United is a fitting fixture with which to end the domestic season, but it's only the third time in history that the leading two clubs in the League have graced the FA Cup final. In 1913, Aston Villa beat the champions Sunderland 1-0, and in 1986 champions Liverpool did the League and FA Cup double, in beating their Merseyside rivals and League runners-up Everton 3-1. Indeed every FA Cup final from 1995 has been won by one of the top four finishers in this season's Premiership. Having spent the top flight campaign chasing Manchester United, Chelsea are now looking to the 126th FA Cup to compensate for surrendering their League crown to the Red Devils in what has now become the Blues' most important game of the season.

The Londoners were the last club to win the FA Cup final at the old Wembley in 2000 and are keen to be the first to lift the silverware at the magnificent new structure, built at a cost of more than £750 million. Seven years ago, Chelsea beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the end-of-season showpiece with a goal from Roberto Di Matteo. The same player scored the fastest goal in Wembley Cup Final history three years earlier, when his strike after 43 seconds led to a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough. It wasn't so clear cut in 1970 as the final went to a replay. The original tie, played on a disgraceful surface that had earlier hosted the Horse of the Year Show, ended 2-2 after 120 minutes. Chelsea prevailed 2-1 in the replay at Old Trafford. Peter Osgood ensured he scored in every round, and David Webb won it in extra time. The west Londoners qualified for the final only once in the six years it was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. They lost 2-0 to Arsenal in 2002.

The FA Cup remains the only domestic trophy Chelsea have not won under owner Roman Abramovich and manager Jose Mourinho. They go into Saturday's game in front of 90,000 and a global television audience on their longest winless run in the Mourinho era of five matches. They ended the Premiership season with five draws, interspersed by the loss on penalties to Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.

This will be the ninth time that managers Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson have gone head-to-head. The Portuguese has the better record with four wins, one loss and three draws. The defeat was 1-0 in last season's visit to Old Trafford when United ended Chelsea's 40-match unbeaten Premiership run. Chelsea gained revenge by clinching their second straight Premier League title with a 3-0 success in last season's reverse fixture. This season's two meetings were all square, although the Stamford Bridge fixture was an uncompetitive affair as the title had just been claimed by the Red Devils.

Goalkeeper Petr CECH could well be celebrating an early birthday present should Chelsea win. The Czech Republic international turns 25 the day after the final.

MANCHESTER UNITED take on their free-spending fierce rivals eager to complete a first League and FA Cup double since famously completing the treble with the Champions League in 1999. At the same time they would also deny Chelsea a Carling Cup and FA Cup double.

The Old Trafford giants are making a record 18th appearance in the FA Cup final, and are setting their sights on lifting the trophy for a 12th time, thus increasing the outright record they already hold. Seven of the previous 17 final appearances were under Sir Alex, and five of those were victorious (1990, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004). Ferguson has won 18 major trophies as United manager and 27 titles in total in his managerial career in Scottish and English football - a post-war record.

While Chelsea eased their way into the quarter-finals with home ties against lower League opposition in Macclesfield, Nottingham Forest and Norwich, before dismissing Tottenham after a replay, and Blackburn after extra time, Manchester United have come up against Premiership opposition all the way. They accounted for Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Watford at the first time of asking, and Reading and Middlesbrough after replays. Their Cup run has produced 23 goals, 15 by United, whereas Chelsea's has yielded 26 goals, 20 by the Blues.

The Red Devils had dominated meetings with Chelsea in football's oldest knock out competition. This is the 10th time they find themselves facing each other. United lead by eight wins to one. Since Chelsea's solitary success in the quarter-finals in 1950, United have won seven clashes, six at the first time of asking. They needed a replay on the most recent occasion, in the last four in 1999. A goalless draw at the Theatre of Dreams was followed by a 0-2 success in west London when Dwight Yorke scored both. United's most important victory came in the 1994 final, when Eric Cantona was at his height. The Frenchman scored two penalties in seven minutes after the hour of a match which had been level pegging until then. Mark Hughes and Brian McClair were the other scorers in a 4-0 triumph against Glenn Hoddle's side that completed United's first ever League and FA Cup double.

This final could provide Paul Scholes with a third FA Cup winners' medal after successes in 1999 and 2004, but Ryan Giggs could go one better, and become the first player to claim five winners' medals since Jimmy Forrest of Blackburn Rovers in 1891. Victory would also give the 33-year old Welshmen his 17th major honour, which would equal the all-time record of Liverpool's Phil Neal.

The PFA's Player and Young Player of the Year and United's 23-goal leading scorer this season, Ronaldo, will be making his 150th start for the club if he lines-up for the kick off.

[phuketsiam]

"Jose, wherever you may be,

Ji Sung Park ate your dog for tea,

You won eff all and your dog is dead,

Why don't you get a cat instead. "

"Mourinho are you listening,

We know your dog went missing,

We heard him bark & gave him to Park,

Eating in a stir fry wonderland "

[muckypups]

Cup Final Day.. excellent..

FA Cup final: Mourinho adds intrigue on day that mixes best of old and new

Today, in its new home, the FA Cup final embodies English football once again: like an old masterpiece hung among the crisp, clear lines of a 21st century exhibition hall. Tradition, ritual and an ornate Edwardian silver pot competed for by a modern international cast of multi-millionaires wearing coloured boots in a stadium raised from the ruins of the past. In one afternoon, the essence of our English game: the familiar old ceremonies presented in a radical new context.

In this age of hype, of exorbitant player salaries and of secretive billionaire foreign owners, there is surely something in this afternoon to stir the imagination of even the most cynical, Premiership-fatigued English citizen. How much does the FA Cup mean? We are about to find out, as the old trophy reinvents itself in a new century where FA Cup third-round day sits in the shadow of even the dull group games of the Champions League. A significant part of the future of the competition, perhaps even of the new Wembley, rests on the success of today. On who stars, and who fails, and what we leave Wembley remembering the most.

No doubt there will be plenty of the past: May sunshine, managers in shirt sleeves, "Abide With Me", shin-pads tossed to the touchline; and then the new as well. A tunnel under the Royal Box instead of that long walk from one corner to the middle of the pitch and, at the end of the day, 107 steps to greatness instead of 39. The first Wembley final in seven years is the hottest ticket in town and it has been unintentionally timed to take an auspicious place within the narrative of a very modern English football drama.

On the one hand, Jose Mourinho, a manager who, for all the protestations and club statements, still remains vulnerable to the moods of his inscrutable Russian boss. Make no mistake, today's result will impact considerably on whether Mourinho is at Stamford Bridge next season. Presumably, Roman Abramovich will settle into his Wembley seat and take silent stock of this very English occasion. Does losing an FA Cup final constitute a sackable offence? Is winning one enough to save Mourinho's skin?

In the other corner is Sir Alex Ferguson, on the trail of his sixth FA Cup and, remarkably, his fourth Premiership and Cup double. A man whose United career was saved by his first victory in the competition 17 years ago and now, in Cristiano Ronaldo, has arguably the player who epitomises the skill, pace, power and élan of his generation more than other. On Thursday night, Ferguson showed just how he spans the ages by comparing Ronaldo to Celtic's late great winger Jimmy Johnstone. Old sages nodded their heads. Ronaldo, sat next to his manager, stared ahead and, at his age, could be forgiven for thinking: "Jimmy who?"

Both these clubs, their managers and their players have credibility tied up in competitions that stretch way beyond the humble FA Cup, but today - in the return to Wembley - they have the chance to forge something new. Do Chelsea want to be loved? Outplaying United on a historic day would create a legacy of young supporters. Ferguson has won this five times before, but victory today would surely feel as sweet as against Crystal Palace in a replay in 1990. It is a notoriously sentimental old competition, but as former players from finals right back to 1957 do a lap of honour before the game, English football should grant itself the indulgence.

Frank Lampard said this week that the FA Cup final had "got its edge back" and now it must be hoped that this afternoon's two sides have as well. As the Premiership race has ground to its conclusion, Chelsea's flagging spirit has been hard to miss. In the euphoria of their ninth title, however, United's draining of form has gone largely unnoticed. They have not scored a goal from open play since they beat Everton on 28 April and they still seem to bear the wounds of that crushing defeat in Milan four days later.

Chelsea's weakness is evident in their injuries, with Ashley Cole the latest to succumb. He appears to have lost his race to get fit, as too has Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho and the beleaguered Andrei Shevchenko. With Arjen Robben fit only for a substitute's role and John Obi Mikel struggling, it seems that Didier Drogba will again be forced to carry the attack.

Will Ferguson match Mourinho with a five-man midfield and either Wayne Rooney or Alan Smith alone in attack? If ever a game deserved to be spared the deadening modern obsession with 4-5-1, surely it was this one?

Ferguson said this week that he expected a good game, although he must be comforted by the lack of options that Mourinho will have on his bench to change things in the later stages. "I am acutely aware that on the one side you have a wounded animal who have lost the League to us," Ferguson said. "On the other hand you have got a team with confidence and I just have to make sure there is no distinction between the two teams in terms of the desire to win."

The United manager added that "you don't play the occasion you play your own game" but even for the most dispassionate modern footballer that will surely be difficult today. The referee Steve Bennett has the rare distinction of being the one man on such a historical day who hopes that no-one remembers him. He is regarded as a solid official if a little distant. For all their rivalries, however, there are not the serious enmities between these two teams that both share with Arsenal.

And spare a thought for the Football Association on this day of days. As usual the geriatric councillors from the shires will shuffle to their posh seats, and as usual the people trying to revolutionise the FA cop the blame for the two clubs' ticket allocations. Some things never change. But today, as this new stadium reclaims its most famous competition everyone can say - even in this hyperbole-charged sport - that an important history is being made.

The Teams?

[muckypups]

Andy Townsend's Wembley head to head

CHELSEA

PETR CECH 9 out of 10

It takes something special to get past him though he did have a flappy game against Bolton when Chelsea were held 2-2. One on one he is brilliant, the safest pair of hands in the League.

PAULO FERREIRA 7

Comfortable on the ball but you can get at him and United will probably set Ronaldo or Giggs to isolate and run at him. Sometimes casual in possession and not in the best of form.

JOHN TERRY 9

We have seen him sharper and in better form but he will be inspired for this game. He is Chelsea's leader and figurehead. Look out for him in United's box at set-plays, too.

MICHAEL ESSIEN 7

Would get 9 as a central midfielder but can be found wanting as a centre back with his positional play and movement of the strikers. A team player and a ferocious competitor.

WAYNE BRIDGE 8

When he has played he has performed better than the disappointing Ashley Cole this season. He is not as dynamic as Cole in full flight but is a steady full back with an excellent left foot.

CLAUDE MAKELELE 7

Not had his strongest season and looks to be running out of steam but has tremendous experience of the big occasion. Crucial for Chelsea that he copes with United's quick passing in and around him.

MIKEL JOHN OBI 8

Has grown in stature to show why he is the long-term replacement for Makelele. Safe in possession and has a great motor. Good discipline positionally, but he can be rattled.

FRANK LAMPARD 8

Another brilliant goals return, but not as strong as he was last season. Hasn't dominated the big games as he did a year ago, but needs a strong showing if Chelsea are to win the Final.

JOE COLE 8

When he doesn't play, Chelsea lack a bit of imagination. This is a big game for him, having missed much of the season, and he will run at United in key areas, looking to draw tackles.

DIDIER DROGBA 10

Has played this season with strength and power, dominated defenders, led the line and scored goals. He is Chelsea's biggest threat and United must keep him quiet, which few teams have managed.

SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS 7

How is his confidence? Jose doesn't seem to fancy him. He can be direct and will run at Evra. Needs to concentrate on his final ball. Inclusion means Cole will play as support striker to Drogba.

MANCHESTER UNITED

EDWIN VAN DER SAR 8

Wembley used to be a goalkeeper's graveyard and Van der Sar has had a rocky spell recently. I wonder if there are communication problems with his central defenders.

JOHN O'SHEA 7

United will miss Neville but O'Shea will not let them down. His power and height are very useful at set-pieces at both ends.

NEMANJA VIDIC 8

Question marks about his fitness as he has only played once since the mess in Milan. He is brave and strong, though, powerful in attack, and has forged a strong partnership with Ferdinand.

RIO FERDINAND 9

Excellent season and in great form. In for a busy afternoon as Drogba will test him in the air and challenge physically so he needs to make sure he doesn't have those moments when he switches off.

PATRICE EVRA 7

This is a vulnerable area for United which Chelsea will look to attack. Should play ahead of Heinze but neither are outstanding. He likes to get forward but can leave the back door open.

MICHAEL CARRICK 8

Has shown his quality, but I am not quite convinced about him as the holding midfielder and Lampard will look to break behind him. Superb passing and always available to take the ball.

PAUL SCHOLES 9

Just brilliant. What a difference he has made to the United midfield and Chelsea will see him as the real danger. A match-winner with his clever passing, running and shooting from distance.

RYAN GIGGS 8

Versatile and adaptable, capable of playing up front with Rooney, wide or in central midfield. His movement is better than ever and his energy and pace show no sign of falling off.

CRISTIANO RONALDO 10

Most shots of any Premiership player, he has scored goals, won games and taken a clean sweep in the individual awards. The first Cup Final at the new Wembley needs a hero, and it could be him.

WAYNE ROONEY 8

Looked jaded in certain games this season but is still a match-winner. It is difficult to see how Chelsea can fully prepare to stop him when he can play left, right, off the front or as a spearhead.

ALAN SMITH 7

Honest, hard-working team player who has made a remarkable recovery from a terrible injury. Might play as the spearhead, and mix it with Terry in order to release Rooney into deeper areas.

TOTAL SCORES: CHELSEA 88 UNITED 89

[scousemouse]

Mourinho v Ferguson record :

Jose 5 wins

Alex 1 win

Draws 4 (includes mourinho's time at Porto)

[scousemouse]

Mourinho v Ferguson record :

Jose 5 wins

Alex 1 win

Draws 4 (includes mourinho's time at Porto)

BTW - I do hope chelski beat the mancs , I hate that lot more than I hate you lot !!

[muckypups]

Thanks for that scousemouse.. hopefully they won't oblige..

[scousemouse]

Mourinho v Ferguson record :

Jose 5 wins

Alex 1 win

Draws 4 (includes mourinho's time at Porto)

BTW - I do hope chelski beat the mancs , I hate that lot more than I hate you lot !!

But then again , I REALY despise mourinho.............?????? .

[scousemouse]

Thanks for that scousemouse.. hopefully they won't oblige..

Nothing personal muckypups , in all honesty I just hope its a good game worthy of being the first game at the new wembley , there is a lot of history at stake and here's wishing for a cracking final .

[soihok]

Cheering on Chelsea for giving Mancs a thrashing

[muckypups]

You'll not be the only one Soihok.. but we're used to that. Enjoy the match come what may..

Edited May 19, 2007 by muckypups

[muckypups]

I copied from our forum.. Well done Chelsea..

Well, I've just finished watching the "match" with my son; he remains to be convinced that football is a beautiful game.

Congratulations Chelsea..

A dreadful match that was 30 mins longer than any neutral should have to endure. Very sad.. Thank god we are the Premiership Champions..The most depressing thing; I almost didn't care when Chelsea scored..Let's hope the Charity shield offers more hope.. but I won't hold my breath..

[EastSaxCol]

If last year was a champagne final, then this years was as flat beer one. Having said that I involutarily wanted ManU to win. But all in all, I actually like Mourihno. So a begrudging well done to Chelsea.

But what a <deleted> Lampard is a begging plea to keep him at Chelsea and "these are my people, this is my Club". I mean, I thought that he played at West Ham until he was 14.

[muckypups]

HH, I'm disgusted.. I thought United, having secured the trophy they craved the most this season, would have gone out and played adventurous football.. I was wrong. Well done to Chelsea, the least they deserved after a mighty season, but,.. we had nothing to lose by playing football, and we didn't..uugh, such a depressing game.

On the Lampard issue.. I'm not sure, I haven't read about that.. however, ostentatious badge kissing, lifelong pledges and "my heart bleeds for this club" comments are stock in trade these days I guess.. You'll be hard pushed to find a truly loyal player in the top clubs..their agents won't let them..

More importantly however.... congrats to you and your band of merry men Seapok.. see you at Wembley in August...

Edited May 19, 2007 by muckypups

[EastSaxCol]

On the Lampard issue.. I'm not sure, I haven't read about that.. however, ostentatious badge kissing, lifelong pledges and "my heart bleeds for this club" comments are stock in trade these days I guess.. You'll be hard pushed to find a truly loyal player in the top clubs..their agents won't let them..

Hi mate

but not all players immediately slag off their old Club as soon as they get to another like Lampard did. And that's why he's - to put it mildly - unpopular amongst West Ham supporters. There's no problem with likes of Joe Cole, Carrick and all of the rest that make up the England side (Defoe excepted) or even badge kissing.

Still , poor game today and a shame that the spectacle was transmitted to 160 countries. That's why the top clubs in the Premiership are accused of stiffling the game and harnessing creative players like Joe Cole. There's some truth in this. The ECWC Final between Sevilla and Espanol was a real joy to watch in comparison.

[muckypups]

Good point HH..and as for knock-out games.. Well, we only have to look at the Championship play-off's for blood and guts football.. I hate it when your worse fears are realised.. (almost like the World Cup for England last year..).. Oh well, there's always next year..and hopefully two teams with a less lofty opinion of themselves..(and I'm a United supporter..!)

[EastSaxCol]

You may in part agree with this view?

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/05/...accuse_mou.html

And correction. Sevilla beat Espanyol in the UEFA cup and not the ECWC.

[ThaiPauly]

Mouthwatering Cup Finals never liveup to their expectations.

Last year was a great final..as has been said this one was a damp squib, you would think that with so much resting on the outcome it would have been better...but it was no better than their boring 0-0 in the league 10 days ago.

So we really should not have expected that much from it anyway.

Worst final in years.......but congratulations to Chelsea.

PS....Didn't Roman look smart???? You would think he could afford to buy a suit for Wembley!!

[farangconnection]

Unfortunately most football fans these days want to see goals. If last nights matcth had finished 20-20 all those lot would have been tossing off in their pants, saying what a wonderful game of football it was. The reason no goals were scored last night, you bunch of dummies, is because of the fact that both defenses hardly put a foot wrong. Or would most of you have it that , both sets of defenders played terrible.

Just remember one fact about football.

A forward can have the most terrible game of his career, but if he strokes in the winner through a mis-kick he is a hero.

A back can play like a demon, not letting anything through, but after 119 minutes he makes a minute error of judgement that lets the other team score, then he is a <deleted>.

By the way, the UK Telegraph went as far to say, that after an ordinary move, Drogba was left with a mere tap in. Sorry, I watched another game.

The Sun reporters watched yet another F.A. Cup final, saying that United were by far the better team, and should have won.

I really think that most of the UK lot were hoping in their hearts that Man U won, and when they didn't they cut the game to pieces. I thought that only one team played football out there last night. United were the ones trying to stifle the game. And they nearly succeeded. I didn't realise Ronaldo was playing until late on.

Why is it that we only get the one match in Thailand, and the matches that these pundits see, are not shown over here?

[muckypups]

Indeed, both defences did play very well. I understand football well enough to know the difference between a kick and run 10-9 and a game that was played in the manner of "don't take any risks". I had foolishly hoped that the both teams would enter the match with an adventurous spirit: they didn't. As Mourinho said to his players before the game.. "do you want to be happy during the match.. or after?" I take that to mean don't worry about the spectacle, the results the thing. Fair enough, Congratulations to Chelsea, FA Cup winners. That I'm of the opinion both teams served up a gruelling 120 minutes is a perfectly valid point of view.

[farangconnection]

And also it's funny all the England knockers( from the English camp) Do you lot of tossers not realise that in a world pool, England along with Argentina, were the only two teams to go through the campaign undefeated.

[scousemouse]

As soon as I saw the team sheet and discovered that Ferguson had gone for Fletcher instead of smith or solskjaer then we all knew the match was going to be a drab affair with neither team committing to much up front and one mistake would cost you the match which in the end would most likely go to penalties.

In the end it was a well crafted and underrated bit of play between Drogba and Lampard which won the game for chelski. I was glad it was won in normal , extra time , we dont want to see a game decided by penalties ( unless its Liverpool !! ).

[John_Rambo]

Unfortunately most football fans these days want to see goals. If last nights matcth had finished 20-20 all those lot would have been tossing off in their pants, saying what a wonderful game of football it was. The reason no goals were scored last night, you bunch of dummies, is because of the fact that both defenses hardly put a foot wrong. Or would most of you have it that , both sets of defenders played terrible.

I think most people, particularly the neutrals watching, want to see an attacking creative game. Most football fans can appreciate a 0-0 in which both sides are creating chances and are pushing for the win.

As well as the defenders played on both sides, it has to be said that both teams failed for most of the match to really commit to attack because they were scared of being caught on the counter (a very legitimate fear). It's no real surprise, games between the top four are almost always like this one nowadays.

Personally i thought it was an excellent one two for the winning goal, and i thought Chelsea just about shaded the match, but there wasn't much in it.