Drogballs' Weekly Thoughts

Chelsea Falters, ManYoo Crowned Champions

A part my soul will die after typing the following line.

Congratulations, ManYoo, for winning the title and you guys deserved it 100%.

Ouch. Okay, back to point. With the heat of the race heating up over the past few months, it was finally extinguished at The Emirates Stadium on Sunday after Chelsea failed to get all three points and effectively ending their title chase.

Since Abramovich bought over the club, Chelsea had never played the chasing pack until this season, with ManYoo in their best and all Chelsea could do was to keep chasing and at times, it looked like it was hanging by a thread.

There were times when it looked like ManYoo could do with the biggest cock-up in the history of the Premiership, surpassing the great Newcastle team back in 1996, managed by Kevin 'I'd love it!' Keegan. But they showed character and were were unfazed by Chelsea's constant harrying. With the Blues hot on their trail weekly, they made it to the finish line with some poise.

And to finish the race right at the backyard of their most bitter rival must have made Fergie smiling like an idiot despite knowing that Chelsea still COULD delay the celebrations. But deep down, he knows it. Just that gut feeling from the wily old manager who ply his trade longer than I am on earth.

That's why he probably didn't watch the Arsenal-Chelsea game and was having a whisky, playing golf as he said.

Perhaps that sort of attitude made ManYoo who they are today. The little bit of arrogance yet with some style. You see it in Ronaldo, don't you? His rise to stardom was much helped by the farce during the World Cup and since then, he was different gravy from the rest.

Rooney, said to have a disappointing season by some of the press, replied them by scoring a grand total of 21 goals. Maybe too much expectations heaped on the shoulders of the scouser but I don't think anyone expects him to score 40 anyway. Although overshadowed by his enemy in Gelsinkirgen, he's still a integral part of the winning team.

Do I still need to mention Giggs, Scholes and Neville? Their experience probably got United through the last stage of the season when so much pressure were on the team and all the focus and spotlight of the world are probably on them.

Comparing Chelsea's injury this season to ManYoo's, it's a far cry to be honest. You could say that ManYoo were pretty 'lucky' with it but towards the end of the season, you could see the injuries started to pile.

Although their results went a little awry in some cases like the one against Boro and Portsmouth, they still managed to scramble past the finishing line .

Chelsea on the other hand probably paid the price for their 'luck' that was shown to them in previous seasons. Cech and Cudicini were out for a period of time and how unlucky is it to lose two key goalkeepers in the same stretch? Tells you a story about how even with two goalkeepers, it's never safe.

They have tripped and bungled in certain parts of the season especially towards the end when it seemed vaguely possible for them to catch up with ManYoo, failing to capitalise on two or three occasions. Newcastle and Bolton comes to mind.

Lightning don't strike the same place twice but Chelsea's downfall could probably be plotted back in February when they lost to a certain team that kicked them out of the Champions League recently.

Whatever it is, the news is out and although we'll have to get some earful from our fellow ManYoonited fans in the coming months but truly, it's hard to argue as to who are the real winners this season. From day one, they steamrolled past everyone and ground out the right results when necessary.

Well done. (I'll probably write more about this in another separate post because I really have a lot to say!)


Charlton Relegates, West Ham Hanging On

It's quite a surprise as to how West Ham, despite having a really indifferent season, are still hanging on for survival in the Premiership to this day and dragging on the relegation battle down to the wire.

But perhaps just, by the skin of the teeth. But it might also just be a delayed judgment from the London club.

With the title sealed, signed and delivered to ManYoo, there is still one thing that hasn't been confirmed and that's the number 18th spot in the Premiership.

And no, it's not a nice place to be.

Financial implication aside, how painful is it to see a long time regular of the Premiership losing their top flight status? Charlton for example, was relegated last night after failing to win at the Valley. And what an apt name for them, anyway.

They've been made the model of any promoted club that wished to stay while Wigan and West Ham were probably the opposite. They had a fairy tale first season in the Premiership and then went on to crash and burn in their second. How did they do it? Well, it's quite easy when complacency creeps in.

When Mascherano and Tevez signed for West Ham, big things were expected from the Argentinian duo. As a losing side from last season's FA Cup Finals, lots of expectations were heaped on them to do well and go a step further that is Europe but they faltered.

Wigan, meanwhile, has turned from a club that drew lots of attention to the club nobody cared about, even their fans. A rugby town by nature, the 'fans' aren't probably long time supporters and is it any surprise that they all left when Paul Jewell's Wigan lost 3-0 at home to fellow strugglers, West Ham.

They sold some influential players like Jimmy Bullard and Arjen De Zueew in the summer and they never looked like the Wigan last term. Heskey is back to his 'causing his club to relegate' shocker while Henri Camara was a spectre of his former self.

Wigan will face Sheffield United away next while West Ham will visit Old Trafford. Who has got the easier game? Answer is probably none because both are tough teams to beat especially away. And if West Ham thinks that Fergie might play his reserves against them, then they might be in for a shock because I believe they're in for a celebration and would love to put up a good show for their fans before their celebratory finally takes off.

In all, their destiny is in their own hands and it'll be interesting to see who stays up. My heart tells me West Ham, though.

All Results:

Man City 0-1 Man U

Everton 3-0 Portsmouth
Fulham 1-0 Liverpool
Newcastle 0-2 Blackburn
Reading 0-2 Watford
West Ham 3-1 Bolton
Wigan 0-1 Boro
Villa 3-0 Sheff. Utd
Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea
Charlton 0-2 Tottenham