The victory of money and anti-football

[scottish]

I hope Roman Abramovich thinks his money has been well spent. Eight years in pursuit of the big cup has finally paid off. But what a woeful way to win. This wasn't so much parking the bus as an entire fleet of jumbo jets. I believe this Chelsea team are the most uninspiring winners since the bore that was the 2003 Old Trafford final. Football generally follows the pattern of the winners of the major tournaments. In which case let's hope for something special at the forthcoming European championships. France circa 1998-2000 and Spain 2008-10 to be the template not Greece 2004.

Even more disturbing is that this is the third major competition in recent weeks to be determined by who has the deepest pockets and who regards the game as a hobby. Worse, all three of these successes have, at their heart, men who you'd cross the road to avoid, let alone wish to have a beer with. Whilst neither Real Madrid nor Manchester City can be accused of the stultifying football which personifies Chelsea, their title victories are down to a policy which starts and ends with the cheque book. You might argue this is nothing new but in each of the three cases, the runners-up - Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Man Utd, no matter how loathed they may be outside the ranks of their own support, have a history of bringing players through their own ranks in addition to the big-name signings. Who do Chelsea have to show after eight years? City and Real are much the same.

As for the men at the heart of these teams which look set to battle for next year's Champions League, consider them well. Jose Mourinho, the arrogant eye-gouger, a man whose teams are always, in his view, cheated when they lose and never do so fairly. Carlos Tevez, he of the 'RIP Fergie' banner, a man who spent more time on the golf courses of Buenos Aires than on the pitches of the Premiership. A man who should never have been allowed to play for his club again. Then there's John Terry. Suspended last night on account of his own stupidity yet he had the gall to pull on a strip for the trophy presentation. We will see more of Mr Terry this summer, not just at Euro 2012 but also in the courts - and I don't mean Wimbledon. Innocent until proven guilty of course. But we live in the era of evidence on YouTube. And of course he has a past - from public pissing to 10K guided tours of Stamford Bridge to parking in disabled slots to having a monumental piss-up at Heathrow as stranded American travellers watched the events of 9/11 unfold on the TV.

What a guy.

Here then are the public faces of the champions of Europe, Spain and England - Terry, Mourinho, Tevez. My god, they make Joey Barton look like a saint.

[Gorgiewave]

A satisfying rant. One might add that Rangers belong in the same category.
And that of the €19bn bailout just received by the Spanish banking group Bankia from the near-bankrupt government, €400m would have been unnecessary if Real Madrid paid off their debts.

Not a cheep on this from the morons at As and Marca.