Myths, Legends and gods.

 Until last week I considered the writer's block a myth, invented by lazy writers. Speaking of myths i used this last week to look at the incredible career of Lionel Messi and i feared if he continued this way up until the end of his career, future generations would consider his career something that was invented (of course supporting this would be an annihilation of every video evidence). But then i looked up the number of goals that the Brazilian legend Edison Arantes do Nascimento a.k.a Pele scored and they are so many it's ridiculous but he is still considered human. So Messi can sleep safely knowing that his career wouldn't be considered mythical by any means.

Super Frankie Lampard

The last football week has been about legends. There is Frank Lampard, scoring his 200th goal for Chelsea Football Club and 28th for the three lions, he now has 163 league goals, same number as the great Robbie Fowler and 12 behind Thierry Henry making him the 4th highest goal scorer in the EPL. Why the powers that be at the club have failed to offer the best goal scoring midfielder that football has seen and possibly Chelsea's greatest ever player at least a year extension on his contract is a mystery. Oh yes there have been mumblings for him to be made a knight the realm, i think this is the least he deserves for his service to the English game.


Then there is the Leader, Captain, Legend, no this isn't about John Terry so keep reading, scoring his

226th league goal, all in the Italian Serie A and all for the glory of Rome, he now has one other

Roman (albeit from the other side) to beat. Francesco Totti who started out as a gladiator spilling

...immortal

sweat and blood for the eternal city deserves a statue of himself in the Pantheon were mere mortals especially the Bianconeris (not talking about Udinese, Siena, Ascoli, or Cesena, though all wear the Black and white) can come to worship and learn at his feet. Just in case you didn't get that, Francesco Totti is now Leader, Captain, Legend and god.

Please see the Polls to vote below.

Manchester United vs Real Madrid, Match Postmortem

This Post is Dedicated To Mrs Titilayo Adeyinka, at whose Funeral Ceremony This was Inspired.

In a match filled with contentious decisions, Higuain's disallowed goal, Nani's sending off, not sending Rio Ferdinand off for clapping in the ref's face among others. I fear it is the decisions taking at the trafford training centre that counted against this united team, a team good enough to make it into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League but were eliminated by spanish giants Real Madrid.

Early Bath: Nani receiving his marching orders

Sir Alex Ferguson has earned respect deservedly from managers, players, journalists, the Queen and myself. But I think he would do well to learn from 'the only one', Jose Mourinho, not because Mou has a better head-to-head record in matches against him, or because he's a better man manager or because he is a better tactician. It is simply because he is more thorough

 We all know Sir Alex is not one to shy away from criticizing match officials if he feels his team has been wronged. He didn't attend the press conference because he was beating himself up (i would not be surprised if he did literally) for not preparing this team for the occurrence of a sending off, something Mou does every time.

This was evident by the way the team played after the red card. The task was straight forward if not easy, they had to keep doing what they were doing before the incident (deny Real Madrid space). For the first minute they looked like they could hold out, and with the fans behind them they believed they could, but the number of fans behind you wouldn't make up for lack of preparation.

Sir Alex, this one is on you not Nani or even the match officials.

Now let us sway hearts from such trivial matters and attend to more pressing needs.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE RAFA?

Interim, care-taker, temporary, acting, short-term, these are are words that have been used to describe many managers (some might say all) in the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea football club. Guss Hiddink, Roberto Di Matteo, Avram Grant and now Rafa Benitez have all been called one of these. 

Never in my short time of  watching football have I seen a manager hated by the fans of the team he coaches as much as Benitez is. Benitez isn't hated for his tactics, (even though it is a contributing factor, seeing as the club is looking to adopt a more expansive style of football), or for his man management skills (don't ask Materazzi). It is his infamous press conferences that have made him so unpopular with the Stamford bridge faithful. 

Due to the high pressured nature of their jobs, managers tend to have episodes like the one Benitez had yesterday, he now has more than five to his credit. 

Why did Rafa's newest rant installment include citing the club not backing him by calling him interim, as a reason for the team's bad performance? 

That the appointment of Rafa Benitez was short term wasn't a secret, it's even in his contract that he is interim. Avram Grant was called interim, he took Chelsea to their first champions league final. Guus Hiddink and Di Matteo were also called interim, the team did better under them than under those they replaced, they both delivered trophies. Hiddink the F.A Cup, Di Matteo the F.A Cup and the Champions League (same number of trophies Benitez has won in all his time in English football).  

So is the club calling him interim the reason for Chelsea playing badly? NO! 

He also blames the fans for the team's poor performance. 

 I agree that there is some truth to this, as fans singing 'we don't care about Rafa' doesn't create a positive atmosphere. But Benitez didn't expect the Chelsea fans to welcome him with open arms after his press conferences, in one he said: 

"We don't need to give away flags to our fans to wave - our supporters are always there with their hearts, and that is all we need. It is the passion of the fans that helps to win matches, not flags". If you don't know already,here he was taking a swipe at Chelsea fans. 

In another he said: 

"Chelsea is a big club with fantastic players, every manager wants to coach such a big team, but I'll never take that job, in respect to my former team Liverpool, no matter what. For me there is only one team in England and that is Liverpool". 

 Just like the appointment of Sam Allardyce wasn't popular with Westham fans but after he helped them qualify back into the top tier of English football winning games, there they had no choice but to back him, Benitez knew that the only way to get the fans on his side was to keep winning games. In fact there was a time when Chelsea had a good run of form in December 2012, the 'boo-boys' were quiet. 

So is Rafa blaming the fans right? Maybe, managers have made worse excuses. Are they the reason for the team's poor performance? NO! 

Who is to blame for Chelsea's woes you ask? 

The answer might surprise you, but it is SIR ALEX FERGUSON. Yes you are reading it right.  

All problems have a starting date, Rafa's problems and now consequently Chelsea's started the day he decided to engage in mind games with Sir Alex in the 2008/2009 football season, when he had his famous conspiracy theory press conference. He was still at Liverpool and they were in contention for the English Premier League trophy. Liverpool eventually lost out to Sir Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United team and Benitez hasn't been the same since. 

Like problems that end after a while (A pick me up for Arsenal fans), Chelsea's problem will expire when Benitez's contract does or maybe before (depending on Abramovich). This isn't to say they don't or wouldn't have other problems but the 'Rafa problem' will be gone. Many are saying Benitez has committed managerial suicide with his latest outburst, I say there is still a chance of redemption. 

 I should recommend he sees a Psychotherapist but why pay all that money, I say confront Sir Alex and take your marbles back!!!