Drogba, Di Matteo, David Price, and a bit of disappointment.

Well now the football season has finished, I feel in a little bit of limbo and a bit like it’s time to take stock of all things sports. There is really only one place to start though. 

Cometh the hour; cometh the man!

Well done Chelsea. As much as I don’t want to, I have to doff my metaphorical cap to Roman’s boys for the grit and determination they showed in Munich last night. And their big man for the big occasion stepped up to the plate again. Having scored the goal to take them to extra time and penalties, he then stepped up to take the crucial fifth penalty to wrap it all up. Could Didier's last ever kick of a ball for Chelsea be the most important? What will they do without him when he leaves for Russia in the coming weeks? Or will Mr Abramovich break the bank (or rather make a minor dent in his wallet!) to keep him? It wasn't all about Drogba though. Lampard and Mikel were very good in midfield, and let's not forget that Petr Cech saved three out of six penalties taken against him on the night! I can't ignore the fact that John Terry should have stayed in the stand with his suit on and left his team mates to lift the trophy without him. No class, no morals. Not surprised. He'll get what's due to him after Euro 2012, but that's another matter.

What now for Roberto Di Matteo?

In any normal realm of sport, if a manager wins two out of the four trophies they entered at the beginning of the season, notably one of which the owner has been trying to get his hands on ever since he bought the club in 2003, he might expect to get the job on a full time basis. However this may not be the case for Roberto Di Matteo. I would not say that things looked frosty between Di Matteo and Abramovich, but the Russian did not look like he was about to whip a multi-year contract out of his pocket and say ‘Sign here my friend! You have harmonised this club and made my dreams come true, so I will give you the time and money to rebuild this team…’ Sadly, I won’t be surprised if the Italian doesn’t even get a look in. Pep Guardiola resisted the lure of Liverpool; will he be able to do the same with Chelsea? (And their owners bottomless pockets!?) Time will tell.

Future heavyweight champion of the world?

 Congratulations to David Price on becoming the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion at Aintree last night by beating Sam Sexton. I think Price has the ability to go all the way to the top and could really challenge the Klitschko brothers’ domination of the division. I don’t think he is quite ready to beat them at the moment but a couple more ‘learning’ bouts and he won’t be too far away. Sam Sexton hasn’t been knocked out too often, but the way Price clinically finished Sexton off in the fourth shows he hits accurately and very, very hard!  People may say that he has never really been tested, but if people keep ducking him (namely Tyson Fury) what is he supposed to do? He can only keep beating opponents that stand in front of him. Super-stardom is surely not too far round the corner.

Australian superstar Casey Stoner

 I was disappointed and saddened this week to hear of the intended retirement from MotoGP at the end of the season by Casey Stoner. He is already a double world champion, and could add another before the year is out, and if he sticks to his decision he’ll be retired at the age of twenty seven! Valentino Rossi said after hearing the announcement ‘It's bad news for the world of MotoGP, at the end of the season we're going to lose a great rider and a great rival, but it's his decision.’ As a slight upside, Rossi did say that he intends to continue for another two years at least. Maybe Rossi is a contender for Stoner’s bike; His Ducati has been such a dog to ride that you couldn’t blame him.   

SPORT SHORTS  

Nineteen days until Euro 2012 starts, and a few surprises when the England squad was announced this week. No Aaron Lennon? No Micah Richards? Only four strikers when Rooney is banned for two thirds of the group games? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm not sure my self. COME ON ENGLAND! 

England have taken the upper hand in the first test match of the summer at Lords this week. With a 155 run lead after the first innings, the number one test team in the world will take some catching. Also, well done to England captain Andrew Strauss on his century; he'll be glad that the the proverbial hairy primate is no longer on his back!   

Well done to West Ham United for their win over Blackpool in the N-Power championship play-off final.  The return of three former Premier League teams makes for an interesting season next year.

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