Back on Mar. 3 - after yet another dispirited and disjointed loss by Chelsea in a Barclays Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion - Roman Abramovich had seen enough. The following morning, Chelseas Trigger Happy Owner gathered with his sheriffs CEO Ron Gourlay and senior advisor Eugene Tenenbaum, a University of Toronto graduate at Chelseas plush suburban training facility in Cobham. The team had been summoned in for an all too rare Sunday morning stint. Abramovich had spent most of the previous week on the training pitch at Cobham bedecked in a club UEFA Champions League ski jacket and appeared to be relishing in the role as the worlds richest ball boy as Andre Villas-Boas put his charges through his paces. The presumption? Abramovich was sending the message for the world to see that he was standing by his beleaguered man. In reality he was running the rule over Villas-Boas assistant Roberto di Matteo to determine if the ex-player was of the necessary stock to guide the club for the rest of the season. As Villas-Boas packed his bags with Tenenbaum, Gourlay and Di Matteo alongside Abramovich ripped into the players for forcing his hand in putting Villas-Boas into the over populating pasture of ex-managers under the House of Abramovich. Seemingly working his way through a starting XI of managers in record time, Di Matteos appointment on Mar. 4 represents the ninth boss in SW6 since the unscrupulously media savvy microphone shy Abramovich took ownership of Chelsea FC in summer 2003. Whilst the talent budget has topped out at over $1 billion coaching severance payments are estimated to have added £100m to the Abramovich bottom line. The Swiss born, ex-Italian international Di Matteo arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 1996, earlier that spring at EURO 96 Di Matteo excelled for an under performing Azzurri. Ruud Gullit convinced enough to break the then club record fee when paying Lazio £5m for the 26-year-old. Di Matteo slotted into Gullits system seamlessly and along with fellow members of the Nazionale Vialli and Zola they took Chelsea on a European footballing odyssey the like of which the club had not witnessed since them halcyon early 1970s. When under Ron Chopper Harris Chelsea defeated European Aristocracy in the form of Real Madrid in the replay of the 1971 European Cup Winners Cup Final. The original final had ended deadlocked and UEFA staged the replay some 48-hours later. Imagine that Mr. Wenger. It was during a European match Di Matteos still rising career came to the most terrifyingly abrupt of endings. Playing back in Switzerland where he started his professional career Chelsea went into St-Gallen for a first round, second leg UEFA Cup tie. They came out of it defeated, Di Matteo with a horrendous triple leg fracture. Forever the fierce competitor on the pitch, a charmer off it after 18-months of recuperation and rehabilitation Di Matteo was left with no option but to hang up the boots. In his four full seasons at the club, Di Matteo picked up six medals, including two European, scored three cup final winners at Wembley including the very last goal at the original stadium at the 2000 FA Cup Final. His last appearance for the club purely symbolical when the then club manger Claudio Ranieri arranged for Di Matteo to lead Chelsea out at the 2002 FA Cup Final. His legendry status cemented when as part of the clubs centenary celebrations in 2005 he was named to the All-Time Chelsea XI. Upon retirement it wasnt back to the Alps but as someone often seen out and about on the streets around Stamford Bridge always willing to stop for a chat, a photo or autograph his passion for food and the explosive London gourmet scene saw Di Matteo take up part ownership in a local area restaurant. It was during his playing time at Chelsea he quenched his thirst for coaching when taking and completing his UEFA Coaching Badge. It would be almost a decade removed from the classroom before he took up the reigns of a club when in the 2008 pre-season he was named the manger of MK Dons, a club in the third tier of English soccer. His rise was vapor rapid. Two years, later he was managing a club in the Barclays Premier League. If the appointment of the 34-year old Villas-Boas was somewhat of a shocker the return of a club legend as an assistant was less so. Di Matteo afer all was walking in a path well Chelsea trodden. He was simply following in the footsteps of the likes of Ray Wilkins, best known as Ancelottis sidekick, who was originally appointed as deputy to Vialli in 2000 and Steve Clarke who stepped up from the youth coaching ranks to sit alongside Mourinho. Di Matteo inherited a Chelsea side that was the worst performing one since Abramovich became the keeper of the Stamford Bridge Castle. Worse than that the what happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room mentality had long since disappeared. Senior players were alienated by Villas-Boas, the varnished veneer was completely stripped bare when a mere few hours ahead of Chelseas Round of 16 first leg at the San Paolo heated exchanges occurred between Villas-Boas and two of the clubs most senior players and Euro veterans. Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole were overly hostile as they questioned the reasoning behind dropping them along with Michael Essien to the bench for such a pivotal match. Ironically Villas-Boas last match in charge of Chelsea back on Mar. 3 was overseeing a 1-nil defeat against West Brom. Di Matteo had been fired by that very same club some 12 months previously. Fast forward less than two months and 15 matches later and with just a solitary defeat courtesy of a very later marker away to Manchester City the diminutive Italian has not only re installed a winning culture such is the confidence he has instilled throughout the club that famous grin is back on the face of the worlds wealthiest ball boy. In doing so and almost exactly a decade to the date, Di Matteo gets to lead out his club at the FA Cup Final again. This time, its not in a ceremonial role. Then two weeks later, he gets opportunity to finally remove the European Cup bridesmaid banner from Chelsea when they stride out in their opponents own backyard looking to make the awful memories of Moscow 2008 slip away from Chelsea feet forever. If history is any yard stick the name Chelsea FC will finally get to be etched on one of the most famous of trophies that there is in all of world sport. Munich has previously hosted three European Cup Finals. Each time a debutante has walked away with the hallowed silverware. MATTERS OF THE MIND If we accept that Sir Alex Ferguson is the Zen Master of football kidology, what to make of Roman Abramovich. More to the point his own personal open ocean cruise liner that officially goes by the tag of a private yacht. Actually the worlds grandest such vessel it measures well over 150 metres in length, comes resplendent with six decks and wait for this its very own mini-submarine. Sailing into the Barcelona Harbour shortly after Chelsea had disposed of Benfica in the quarter-finals the yacht quickly became the toast of the town, a Barcelona tourist hotspot. Especially so in the 24 hours leading up to Tuesdays second leg with many hoping to get a glimpse of the Chelsea owner. They would all be sorely disappointed. Abramovich was back in London. Spotted shopping close to Stamford Bridge a few hours before Tuesdays extraordinary match. PARTY HEARTY With demand for tickets outstripping supply where some newspapers are reporting by the incredible margin of 20 to 1 the London based website sportingintelligence.com reported early this morning that UEFA has organized a viewing party to beat all viewing parties. 65,000 unlucky souls unable to get their mitts on a ticket to the Fußball Arena München can instead purchase a ticket to the officially sanctioned public screening that will take place at the München Olympiastadion – Bayerns old stadium. Just like the real event itself supporters will be segregated. The screening will form the show piece of week long events in the Bavarian capital ahead of the final. Scheduled to kick off 20h 45 local time Saturday night, May 19. THE MUNICH SIX Ludicrously, three players from both Chelsea and Bayern Munich who received yellow cards in their respective semifinal second legs will all miss out on what likely would have been the biggest match in the entire careers. Stubbornness, not discipline the reason why. For the 2010 World Cup and making amends for mistakes previously FIFA declared an amnesty. Whereby all players on a yellow card going into the Quarter Finals automatically had them wiped from their record for the semi final. Only a red card like John Terry rightfully received Tuesday night would see the players banned from a World Cup Final. With plenty of time to convene by the stroke of a pen the UEFA disciplinary executive could restore the six players to their squads. In doing so it would come with the added benefit of enhancing Anglo-German relationships on a night when upwards of 50,000 Chelsea supporters will literally be mingling on the Munich streets with hundreds of thousands of Bayern fans. Jerseys Cheap Paypal . Sure, Manchester United was once relegated after losing 1-0 at home to City but results elsewhere on that day in May 1974 meant the Red Devils would have gone down even without a back-heeled goal from former United striker Denis Law. Jerseys Cheap Basketball . Simmons has averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in six games for the team while shooting 44 per cent from 3-point range. http://www.jerseyscheapwholesale.us.com/ . But the out-of-character move paid off as he scored at 3:41 of overtime to give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in NHL action Friday night. Jerseys Cheap NBA . A rainy Monday night in Miami with an old skipper on the bench resulted in yet another June loss for the Marlins. Jerseys Cheap Authentic . Following a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Nov. 30, the Flames picked up consecutive wins for the first time since Oct. 9-11 as they bested the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 on Wednesday night.OTTAWA -- Jason Spezza always believed he could score in the shootout and on Monday he was finally able to prove it. Spezza scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the Ottawa Senators a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. This was Ottawas first shootout win of the season after losing their four previous attempts. "Id been good in the shootout historically," said Spezza. "You take pride in that stuff and especially when youre losing games. There was definitely a little extra fist pump and it felt good." Spezza wasnt the only one feeling relief at winning in the shootout as Craig Anderson was clearly elated after stopping Sean Couturier to seal the win. "Its about time," said Anderson, who made 25 saves. "I think weve been in this situation a few times and havent been on the right side of that and (Monday) we find a way to get two points and thats really all that mattered. Youve got to be excited about two points." Clarke MacArthur struck twice for the Senators (12-14-5) in regulation time. Patrick Wiercioch and Kyle Turris also scored for Ottawa. Michael Raffl, Jakub Voracek, Luke Schenn and Kimmo Timonen scored for the Flyers (13-14-3). Steve Mason stopped 30 shots. With the win the Senators put an end to a five-game losing streak on home ice. "Home ice has been a struggle and we want to give the people something to cheer about," said Spezza. "Weve been frustrated with the fact we cant win and it was nice to finally send the fans home happy." Turris gave the Senators a 4-3 lead with his first in eight games as he carried the puck from his own end, moved in along the side boards and fired a shot that went in off Luke Schenn at 8:21 of the third. The lead was short lived as Timonen tied the game with his second of the season with a floater from just inside the blue-line. Trailing 3-2, the Senators tied the game early in the third as a Bobby Ryan rebound went in off MacArthur for his second of the night. "Anytime you go in the third period with a lead you want to keep it," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux. "You want to make sure everyone is accountable for what they do and they were able to get a couple of goals. We fought back and got a point, but its tough to lose in a shootout.&quoot; MacArthur now has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in his last ten games.dddddddddddd "(MacArthurs) probably been our most consistent guy all year," said Spezza. "Even at the start of the year when he wasnt scoring you just knew it was a matter of time and now that he is hes driving us offensively and doing a lot of great things. Hes been a heck of a pick-up." Ottawa got off to a better start in the second and was able to take the lead on a power-play goal. Ryan made a back pass to Wiercioch who scored on an open net to make it 2-1. While the Senators will definitely take the two points they admit there remains a lot of room for improvement. "It was good to get rewarded," said MacArthur. "Were still sloppy in some areas. We still can play better, weve still got to play harder if we want to win every night." The Flyers regained the lead with two goals in less than a two-minute span midway through the period. Voracek tied the game on a power-play goal and shortly after that Luke Schenn made it 3-2 with a shot from the boards. Anderson, with traffic in front, never even reacted to the shot until he heard the crowd of 15,786. Raffl, with his first NHL career goal, gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at the eight-minute mark of the first. "Its nice to get the first goal, but it would be even nicer with the win," said Raffl. "Its kind of disappointing at the same time." Ottawa did manage to end the period tied 1-1. Spezza fed MacArthur who broke in alone on Mason and was able to get a stick on a bouncing puck to pick up his tenth of the season. This was the final meeting between the two teams this season with the Flyers winning the series 2-1. With three games in the next five nights the Senators see an opportunity to gain ground in the standings. "This is a great week for us to get some points," said MacArthur. "If we want to get back in the hunt youve got to string some games together so thats what it comes down to." Notes: D Eric Gryba and C Mike Hoffman were healthy scratches for the Senators. a The Flyers were without C Vincent Lecavalier (back fracture, indefinitely). LW Tye McGinn was recalled from the AHLs Adirondack Phantoms and was a healthy scratch Monday as were D Erik Gustafsson and D Hal Gill. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
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