Chelsea bound:

Looks like the deal is done now. Shevchenko is Chelsea bound. What a sad Monday morning! Makes you lose all interest to work today. It's not that Chelsea are a team I hate, but they just have the money to buy anyone - absolutely anyone - and that kinda leaves a distaste in the mouth.

But, Sheva will light up the Premiership and all the zombies out there will get to know what a great player he is!

A distant dream...Again

Last weekend's playoff final against Watford all but sealed Leeds United's Premiership fate. After the 3-0 loss at the hands of Watford - who gain promotion now - Leeds have to claw their way through the championship for one more season, and try to fight it out next year. Losing at the final hurdle always hurts, and hurts badly, but they can be proud of their performance this season. After relegation from the EPL, things were going from bad to worse for the Yorkshire club with Administration looming large. But, somehow, with Kevin Blackwell and Ken Bates, Leeds united have risen again, with new hopes and emerging stars.

One more season on the cards now...Then maybe,just maybe, we'll be back in the Premiership!
No matter what - Marching on Together!!!

Hail the Kings of Europe!

Last night was 'the night' for Barcelona! After the defeat at last years Tournament at the hands of Chelsea, they claimed the scalp of Chelsea on their way to the Finals and became the eventual winners. To recap a bit of the game, it started as lively as ever with Henry going really close to giving Arsenal the lead. But after 17 mins, there was drama when Lehmann brought down Eto'O outside the box and though Giuly scored, the ref had already blown his whistle so the goal was disallowed. To make matters worse ,Lehmann was sent off and a freekick was given outside the box - which Ronaldinho uncharacteristically send wide! Arsenal had to 'sacrifice' Pires - in what could be his last appearance in the Gunners shirt - in order to bring Almunia on to keep their changes alive. And Almunia made the save of the day -immediately after coming on - from Eto 'O who turned Campbell inside the box and fired at the goal, but Almunia managed to turn it on to the post and deny Barca.

From then on, Arsenal were on the back foot fighting for possession with Henry helping out in defence and then trying to turn it into attack. But on the 36th minute, Arsenal stunned the Barca supporters as Campbell powered a thumping header past Valdes and into the back of the net from a Henry free kick. 10 Man Arsenal had just taken the lead against mighty Barcelona. The Catalans were frustrated as the solid Gunners defence thwarted all that was thrown at them. Henry had to help in defence and then go up field for attack. It was a time when all the neutral fans - including me - felt sorry for Arsenal. Here they were, against all odds, in the final and then they get their star keeper sent off but are still fighting tooth and nail and score the opening goal too. What more did they have to do to win??? In fact they knew they had to lots and lots more to keep Ronaldinho, Eto 'O and Giuly at bay.

Arsenal go into the half-time with 10 men and the lead, but will it be a game of two halves? One change as the teams emerge - Iniesta on for the injured Edmilson, and Arsenal with the same 10. The second half begins the same way as it had ended, with Barcelona continuously attacking Arsenal and leaving Henry a bit frustrated. In fact the Gunners were playing a 4-5 formation with Henry moving into attack as the lone striker. Iniesta, who had come on in the second half, was certainly making things tough for Arsenal with his long strikes and searing runs through the gunners defence, but Almunia somehow manages to maintain the lead. By the 60th min, Rijkaard knew he had to make changes and so off goes van Bommel and on comes the dangerous Larsson to add more fire power to the Barca attack. 10 mins later, they make yet another change and bring on Belletti for Oleguer. In a couple of mins, Arsenal make their first 'real' change of the game, by replacing Fabregas with Flamini. Rijkaard had read the game well, and Larsson's deft touch unleashes Eto 'O who fires the ball past Almunia to bring Barcelona back into the game. The Gunners are shattered! The Arsenal corner is gloomy. The chants of "1-0 to the Arsenal" are no longer heard!. They all know that this could cost them the cup! Disaster for Arsenal as, 4 mins later, the magnificent Larsson sets up Belletti who finishes from close range to score his first goal for Barcelona - and probably the most important one! The entire Arsenal bench is stunned. All is quiet on one side of the stadium. On the other side, the Spaniards light 11 flares and smoke fills the stadium. Arsenals dream has been shattered in 4 minutes. Henry looks at the sky with a sad shake of the head. Almunia stares at the ground which seems to move beneath his feet...The game is all but lost for Arsenal.

Arsenal make their final change of the game and bring Reyes on for Hleb, but with just 5 mins on the clock, things do look bleak for them. The final whistle is heard and almost the entire stadium erupts!!!. Barcelona are the Champions of Europe! - arguably the best club in the world! Scenes of tears and laughter can be seen all over the field. A sad and angry Henry gesticulates to the referee and a few Barca players about the way in which the game had been won! But all said and done, Barcelona had ended Arsenal's dream of the elusive trophy! On a day when Ronaldinho, Eto 'O and Henry were the talking point, I would say, Larsson made the difference between winning and losing. And Henry put in a fabulous performance to outshine Ronadinho. The Brazilian was not at his dazzling best. For the Gunners, the Cup which seemed in their grasp had eluded them at the final hurdle. But Henry and the Gunners will be and should be proud of what they had done here. Barcelona are worthy champions and they celebrate as Henry cuts a dejected figure on the field but in the end, Barcelona were deserved winners...As Puyol lifts the trophy high into the French sky!

Barcelona:Valdes, Oleguer (Belletti 71), Marquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst, Deco, Edmilson (Iniesta 45), Van Bommel
(Larsson 61), Giuly, Eto'o, Ronaldinho.
Subs Not Used: Jorquera, Motta, Xavi, Sylvinho.
Booked:Oleguer, Larsson.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Pires (Almunia 20), Silva, Fabregas (Flamini 74), Hleb (Reyes 85),
Ljungberg, Henry.
Subs Not Used: Bergkamp, Van Persie, Senderos, Clichy.
Booked:Eboue, Henry.
Sent Off:Lehmann (18)

Countdown to the Final

The stage is set and the final is just hours away!. The much awaited Champions League final clash between the fantastic Arsenal and the Mighty Barcelona will have all football fans glued to the screen. Though it is cited as a fight for control between Henry and Ronaldinho, the threat comes from all the sides: Reyes, Deco,...The list goes on. Arsenal have maintained a clean sheet for the last 10 games and that by itself gives an idea about the water tight defence they have. Barcelona on the other hand have the fire power to wreak havoc in the gunners defence. The game in Paris will be for ultimate supremacy in Europe and the fact that both the teams are unbeaten so far proves that the winner is indeed a worthy Champion!

At the end of the game...Will it be Henry?Or Ronaldinho celebrating? Will it make Rijkaard the successful manager in Europe this season or will it be Wenger? Can Lehmann maintain his clean sheets or will Valdes' performance eclipse it? So many questions...Just one answer - the winner takes it all!...At 19 45 BST, in Paris, the action begins...The fight for final Glory between two eternal super powers...Here on earth!
Ciao!

Nooooooooooo

The news that Shevchenko is on his way out of Milan and probably to Chelsea gives me a bitter feeling in the pit of my stomach!Believe me, I don't have anything against Chelsea, and in fact I do like Lampard and Terry a bit more than lot, but there is a strange feeling when someone you like moves away to a diff club. Maybe it's the fact that Chelsea are interested in him that makes me feel a bit sick. I used to love the club when they had Zola and Co., but sadly now it has become a rolling club which buys anybody it wants! And frankly, I don't like that one bit!

The prospect of Shev playing in the EPL is fantastic - more people will get to know him - but if he stays at Milan, I'll be more than happy about it!

Marching on Together

Things finally seem to look better for the Mighty Whites (We still are!). After the 2-0 second leg win over Preston, it's one game away from the EPL. Hulse and Richardson were on target which was enough to give a 3-1 aggregate win. Though Leeds are through to the finals, the game at deepdale had it's casualties. Crainey and Cresswell were given their marching orders in the second half and that will be a major blow for the Yorkshire Club in the Finals. But they do have a few resources up their sleeve to cover up and hopefully pull them out of the Championship and into the Premier League.

There was a bit of drama during half time - with a power failure at the deepdale stadium, but was soon restored. Looked like things became dark at deepdale during half time and for Preston after 90 mins.

So off to the finals we go...Marching on Together...Waiting for the EPL...