Boards

Two very different london teams score two vey different late goals in two very different finals with the end result being victories for both.

I'll let DK and the rest talk about the Champions League final but as far as the play-off final went I've never enjoyed a game of football less than that. Apart from the two minutes when West Ham scored it was an absolutely nerve wrangling torturous 88 minutes. It was painful to watch made all the worse by Blackpool being the better team. But as we saw twice on Saturday it's not always about the better team winning.

West Ham winning meant I didn't even begrudge Chelsea winning which was a strange feeling. Still I got my schadenfreude fix with Tottenham now not being in the Champions League next season.

- Just a brilliant day, all in. Glorious weather in Munich all day Saturday, got to have a few drinks with a really good friend I haven't seen in years, got to have a few more with a several thousand new friends, teaching a load of Bayern fans the bouncy on the Munich underground ... Perfect even before a ball was kicked.
- It's a really, really impressive ground, even if it does a little bit like the Michelin man took a giant shit.
- Bayern absolutely murdered us but made very few genuine chances. Gomez is another of those players with a formidable record who I've never personally seen play well. Pretty glad that continued.
- Picking Bertrand and then how Bertand played: the two biggest displays of balls I've seen at Chelsea in a long time.
- I've absolutely no time for anyone who doesn't still rate Cech as among the best 3 or 4 goalkeepers in the world. Yeah, maybe he's not as great as he once was, but that's only because of the ridiculous level he was once at. He's brilliant, an absolute hero.
- Didier Drogba. Didier fucking Drogba.
- Not really sure how I go back to normal life at work tomorrow. The last few days have been utterly surreal. I know Chelsea are a huge global corporate monster type thing now and that Chelsea have won a European Cup over the last few years isn't a huge surprise (although it is bizarre that it's this season in particular they managed it) to many, but it never even occured to me that I'd see my side lift the biggest trophy in club football when I was first shoved into a Chelsea shirt. Wow.

Europa League again next season for us, and I'm sure Chelsea and Arsenal will strengthen as we get weaker. Feeling pretty low about football (especially with my "other team" Luton failing in the play-offs for the 3rd successive season yesterday too).

Not a fair indicator, imo- the Liverpool and Newcastle games were effectively thrown in favour of CL football, while the Arsenal one would have been if only they'd managed to score. Losing to City at the Etihad, and very narrowly at that, is par for pretty much any club and manager now, too.

As benni says, the job he's had since March is not the job that that needs to be done from now on. He clearly had the ability to do the interim job and to an extremely high standard. Can he convince the board he can do the other job? Who knows.

Personally, I'm not convinced he can take us forward, but I'd 100% give him the job. There are two or three managers in football who are not gambles and WILL get you success. None of them are available. So we'll have to take a gamble. Why not take a gamble with the man who is Chelsea through and through, the players (most of them will still be there next season) like, won the FA Cup and the biggest trophy in club football?

some less so than others. Often the talk straight after finals is what players are going to be brought in, who will be the manager etc. Pardew made a good point on Saturday in saying that this can all be discussed next week, until then let the players and managers who performed heroics enjoy their moment in the sun rather than talking about who will replace them.

Easily the most torturous sporting event I've ever endured full-stop, nevermind football. Don't think I even smiled when Vaz Te's goal went in, my eyes just slowly rolled back in their sockets and I fell into a deep sleep for the next 14 hours.

Wish I'd missed the Champions League one as well. As much as I dislike Chelsea and didn't want Abramovich to win the cup, the game was so dull I actually stopped caring long before Bayern scored. I liked the coin toss for the penalty shoot-out, the ref did a sort of reverse backhanded catch. That was good. As was Luiz's penalty run up. Wish I'd watched it with some Spurs fans though.

All four suspended players trained at the Alliansz on Friday, and all four participated in training and tactical sessions during the week. I thought it was a nice touch, tbh- keep them all involved, make it all about the team. SO FUCK YOU, LUCIEN.

Don't make me watch the footage again. Anyway, given it could be argued his brainfart in Barcelona was almost as big an impediment to them getting their hands on the trophy as their final two opponents, it still takes some stones to swagger around like James Brown in his pomp at the presentation ceremony.

The man's an arse and, if it's true that he was wearing shinpads, clearly slightly unhinged, but the outcry is a bit much, no? Personally found it all pretty funny.

Whatever else you think of Terry, it's pretty clear that Chelsea means a lot to him, so it would have been a bit of a surprise for him not to celebrate the biggest night in their history. Yeah it was lacking in any humility or self awareness, though that surely surprises nobody, but of all the things to despise the man for, this should be a long way down the list

Usually a keper just says 'Luck innit?' or something profound. Cech it turns out had watched 2 hours of Bayern penalties from 2007 onwards, studied every player and had it already worked out. With Robben, he figured that he was left footed, tired and looking for placement so that's why he went where he did.

(didn't want to stay up, so...) I don’t think I’d want to swap avoiding relegation last season for what eventually happened – the year in the championship was in its own way far more enjoyable than another slog to survive in the premier league – admittedly easier to say knowing it’s only for a finite period.

But it’s like a good curry clearout – one of the last home PL games I went to last season lined up with a midfield of Luis Boa Morte, Jonathan Spector and Radoslav Kovac. FUCKING HELL. The club feels a little like it’s been detoxed.

You're not wrong that it never looked that convincing. There were maybe only a few more than half a dozen games where it all properly clicked - but most of them came in the last few weeks which is a good sign.

I wouldn't have chosen Fat Sam, but it's likely he would have been in charge whether they stayed up or not last year. But his caution probably suits staying up in the top division more than pounding away to win the championship.

Genuine answer though - no idea. Last promotion through the play-offs - with a team that probably on paper looked worse than the current one - finished the first season back in 9th and coming within a minute of winning the FA Cup. You can never tell

as I've just about got used to managers in post match interviews talking about how strong West Ham are, how quality the squad is and how they can't afford to match their financial muscle. And next season it will be the exact opposite and we'll be rejoicing picking up draws at home rather than moaning about it.

much easier being there. not going to lie, i avoided the penalties completely. probably the reason we won, along with my lucky shirt, not going to munich and having chips for lunch that day (trust me).

i think mikel and ashley cole both had great games on saturday night.

really glad west ham won on saturday. spoken to a few people about this and they seem mystified, but i'd much rather play west ham than blackpool twice a season...

I was in the Elbow rooms for a stag do on Saturday, where 7 skin head West Ham shirt wearing men were also watching the game. They mainly spent 2 hours shouting 'Fucking CUNT' at the telly in an environment full of young Shoreditch folk playing pool (not including us, obvs).

I just can't fathom WHY they'd choose that place to watch the game? They barely had the sound on, the screen was tiny and there was no atmosphere whatsoever. Baffling...

I was in the downstairs of a bar on Denmark Street. Most of us there watching it were neutrals enjoying the game and it wasn't that busy and quite expensive - I only was in there 'cos I was playng a gig across the road so it was convenient; it's not somewhere you'd go by choice.. The 8 or so massively anti-Chelsea Hull fans were really, really incongruous.

In reality though, it's supposed to be considered a separate mini-tournament to see who goes up rather than anything to do with the league - the actual finishing places are already decided so Blackpool would still be considered to have finished 5th regardless of whether they won at the weekend.

So the champions thing isn't entirely inaccurate, even if looks - and is - a remarkably stupid choice of song

Really doesn't fill me with confidence. He seems to have a decent track record in terms of results, but that fact that he's had eight pretty successful years at Lewes and none of their fans have a positive word to say about him says a lot.

I'm going to give you updates every day. We could obviously keep Modric at the club if we wanted to, but honestly, I don't think it's in the club's best interests anymore. He'll be 27 by the time next season comes round, his chances to play in the Champions League are running out, and I just think, if we keep him at the club, he'll be too resentful to be effective. Hopefully we can get a decent figure for him and invest the money wisely. Apparently we're looking at Kwadwo Asamoah - if that's true, it can only be as a replacement for Luka. Bale will stay, I think, at least until the end of next season. Vertonghen still wants to come, which is something at least. Next season is going to be so fucking hard - even if we start it well, I'll know that can count for absolutely fuck all.

He ended the season well, so it's easy to focus on the good stuff, but he also had long, long periods of doing nothing much but sloppily gifting possession to the opposition. If he can stay focused on a match to match basis, he could be a great signing, but people have been saying similar things his whole career. Realistically, I can't see him being worth whatever it is we manage to negotiate him down to.

Obviously you'll have seen more of him, but I'd say he's worth keeping as much for the space he creates for others as for anything he actually does with the ball, though I guess it depends on quite how silly his wage demands are.

Modric is definitely off and whilst it's going to be a big blow hopefully we can get a decent replacement with the money. Don't think Bale will leave either.
If we had got Champs league next year then i wouldn't have wanted us to sign Ade as we could have got someone better. As it is i can't see anyone decent wanting to come to us.

Obviously don't know much about him, but from what I've seen, he seems to be almost the opposite of Adebayor - not the classiest of players, but gives his all every match, which I'd very much prefer. Regardless, picking up someone from South America, who'll see a move to the Premier League as a step up whether we're in the Champions League or not, could be the way to go. Would also (having mentioned my preference for grafters) absolutely love to see Berbatov return.