Que sera sera...
Well done, Chelsea! I'm still pinching myself because that turned out to be a much better weekend than I had dared to hope for, football-wise. Too bad Daylife is letting me down in the celebratory pictures department, although at least there is this gem:
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Lucky Micha! Who wouldn't want an armful of Flo Mo? Here's hoping we see plenty more happy moments like that over the next six games!
People are still going on about the disgraceful pitch ruining the spectacle of the beautiful game but I thoroughly enjoyed the match (apart from my nerves!). Didier doing the business at Wembley once again, Ballack's glorious cross for Flo, and Super Frank running the length of the pitch in the 90th minute to score his 22nd goal of the season, not to mention JT's superb marshalling of the defense, certainly qualify as beautiful in my book!
I used to think O'Neill was a decent if limited manager and a fairly nice man, but there's a littleness about him that's been more and more apparent in recent years. Maybe he showed his true colours earlier this season when he refused to accept Anelka's apology after Nico accidentally slid into him on the touchline--after being shoved there by a Villa player. Now instead of being gracious in defeat and acknowledging that a team who only mustered a single shot on target in 90 minutes was outclassed in the end he launches into a bitter, small-minded rant about a dodgy penalty and the type of challenge you see a dozen times every weekend.
Here's some free advice, Martin: instead of encouraging your players to go down like the proverbial sack of spuds at every opportunity, try teaching them to concentrate on (a) putting in decent crosses and (b) getting on the end of them. And before you attack the integrity of another team's captain because of what you consider dangerous play, have a look closer to home and a word with your own Stiliyan Petrov (who seriously injured Joe Cole last season) and James Collins, who went flying in late and two-footed on Saturday but fortunately, like much of Villa's attacking play, completely missed his target.
For the record, in last year's semi-final against Arsenal the Blues should have had a penalty for Silvestre simultaneously fouling Drogba and clearing the ball with his arm. This year Mike Dean (that man again) denied Chelsea three clear penalties in the fourth round match away to Preston North End, and in the sixth round match at home to Stoke City the slightly less inept Martin Atkinson ignored a blatant Faye shove on Malouda. But, yeah, other than those five decisions you could say that Chelsea always get penalty calls our way in the FA Cup. *eyeroll*
Yes, Howard Webb is an awful referee--I'd be the last person in the world to dispute that--but he wasn't doing Chelsea any favours on Saturday, unless you count decisions like awarding a free kick against Anelka for being simultaneously fouled by two Villa defenders. The 'clear-cut' penalty incident was anything but; Agbonlahor initially tugged Mikel's shirt to pull him off balance and then twisted to go down over the Nigerian's leg as he fell. As for Terry 'attempting to end Milner's career' the booking may have been the only decision Webb got right; it was a standard case of two players challenging for a bouncing ball with raised boots and only one making contact. Something tells me if Milner had gotten there first and accidentally caught Terry on the follow through we would not be having media hysteria over a shocking leg-breaking tackle. And just in case people like Martin O'Neill have forgotten, the last time Webb was in charge of a Chelsea match at Wembley he allowed an offside goal to stand, failed to award a goal that everyone in the stadium could see had crossed the line, and booked Lampard for diving rather than awarding a penalty for a trip that was visible from other galaxies. Obviously Webb has it in for the 'smaller' teams.
Please. Nice try, Martin, but must do better. Although the concept is unfamiliar to the British media there are these little things called 'facts' that you may want to acquaint yourself with the next time you want to gain the world's sympathy. Until then you certainly won't have mine.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Lucky Micha! Who wouldn't want an armful of Flo Mo? Here's hoping we see plenty more happy moments like that over the next six games!
People are still going on about the disgraceful pitch ruining the spectacle of the beautiful game but I thoroughly enjoyed the match (apart from my nerves!). Didier doing the business at Wembley once again, Ballack's glorious cross for Flo, and Super Frank running the length of the pitch in the 90th minute to score his 22nd goal of the season, not to mention JT's superb marshalling of the defense, certainly qualify as beautiful in my book!
I used to think O'Neill was a decent if limited manager and a fairly nice man, but there's a littleness about him that's been more and more apparent in recent years. Maybe he showed his true colours earlier this season when he refused to accept Anelka's apology after Nico accidentally slid into him on the touchline--after being shoved there by a Villa player. Now instead of being gracious in defeat and acknowledging that a team who only mustered a single shot on target in 90 minutes was outclassed in the end he launches into a bitter, small-minded rant about a dodgy penalty and the type of challenge you see a dozen times every weekend.
Here's some free advice, Martin: instead of encouraging your players to go down like the proverbial sack of spuds at every opportunity, try teaching them to concentrate on (a) putting in decent crosses and (b) getting on the end of them. And before you attack the integrity of another team's captain because of what you consider dangerous play, have a look closer to home and a word with your own Stiliyan Petrov (who seriously injured Joe Cole last season) and James Collins, who went flying in late and two-footed on Saturday but fortunately, like much of Villa's attacking play, completely missed his target.
For the record, in last year's semi-final against Arsenal the Blues should have had a penalty for Silvestre simultaneously fouling Drogba and clearing the ball with his arm. This year Mike Dean (that man again) denied Chelsea three clear penalties in the fourth round match away to Preston North End, and in the sixth round match at home to Stoke City the slightly less inept Martin Atkinson ignored a blatant Faye shove on Malouda. But, yeah, other than those five decisions you could say that Chelsea always get penalty calls our way in the FA Cup. *eyeroll*
Yes, Howard Webb is an awful referee--I'd be the last person in the world to dispute that--but he wasn't doing Chelsea any favours on Saturday, unless you count decisions like awarding a free kick against Anelka for being simultaneously fouled by two Villa defenders. The 'clear-cut' penalty incident was anything but; Agbonlahor initially tugged Mikel's shirt to pull him off balance and then twisted to go down over the Nigerian's leg as he fell. As for Terry 'attempting to end Milner's career' the booking may have been the only decision Webb got right; it was a standard case of two players challenging for a bouncing ball with raised boots and only one making contact. Something tells me if Milner had gotten there first and accidentally caught Terry on the follow through we would not be having media hysteria over a shocking leg-breaking tackle. And just in case people like Martin O'Neill have forgotten, the last time Webb was in charge of a Chelsea match at Wembley he allowed an offside goal to stand, failed to award a goal that everyone in the stadium could see had crossed the line, and booked Lampard for diving rather than awarding a penalty for a trip that was visible from other galaxies. Obviously Webb has it in for the 'smaller' teams.
Please. Nice try, Martin, but must do better. Although the concept is unfamiliar to the British media there are these little things called 'facts' that you may want to acquaint yourself with the next time you want to gain the world's sympathy. Until then you certainly won't have mine.