Monday 21 May
Ji So-Yun is not only the best female footballer in the world but she is ours for another two seasons. The South Korean midget-marvel has developed as a footballer as Chelsea women have climbed to the top. After this season’s semi-final in the Champions League Ji is aiming for better next term.
Becky Spencer is leaving the women’s team for pastures new and first-team football. Becky has been behind Hedvig Lindahl for the goalkeeper’s jersey for the last couple of years.
Tuesday 22 May
West Ham have plumped for the mysterious charms of Manuel Pellegrini to replace David Moyes. After a relatively sterile period with Manchester City he at least knows the league. We can’t see him doing much at West Ham but then that is a huge recommendation.
Arsenal have gone for PSG serial failure Unai Emery. Having failed to progress in the Champions League with the most expensively assembled squad in football history, it is a bit of a stretch to see what Arsenal see in him. So much the better for us if he leads them confidently into years in the wilderness.
Wednesday 23 May
Chelsea Ladies have officially been renamed Chelsea Football Club Women. Which is a step forward, if a mouthful. We have always referred to them as the women’s team and ignored the Ladies tag. The ladies at Chelsea are the inadequate number of toilet blocks set aside for women to pee in at half-time, Chelsea women are a fine group of players who go from strength to strength.
Thursday 24 May
VfL Wolfsburg 1:4 Lyon
This match was open and even until extra-time when Wolfsburg fell apart. Despite taking the lead with a deflected shot the Germans, who had played extra-time at the weekend in their domestic cup, wilted.
Lucy Bronze left Man City last summer to win the Champions League and succeeded at her first attempt. It is Lyon’s fifth crown and will give our women something to aim towards.
Saturday 26 May
Championship play-off final
Aston Villa 0:1 Fulham
Fulham will join us in the Premier League next term after John Terry’s season ended in Wembley disappointment.
Fulham have only been gone since 2014 but four years feels like a long time to be without our posh neighbours.
Tom Cairney’s goal handed the Cottagers a first win at Wembley. On loan Tomas Kalas and Lucas Piazon have both played their parts in Fulham’s successful season and Chelsea will be keen for more of our youngsters to bolster them next season.
Over in Toulon, one of those youngsters scored an England U21 winner against China. Tammy Abraham scored the last-minute winning goal and provided an assist for the equaliser as we fought back from a goal down. Jay Dasilva made his U21 debut alongside Jake Clarke-Salter and Fikayo Tomori.
In the evening the gormlessly unpleasant filth from Madrid stole another Champions League. They should have been down to ten-men when defender Sergio Ramos body slammed Mohamed Salah into the turf. The clearly premeditated, WWF move broke or dislocated the Egyptian’s shoulder. If you can’t beat them, foul them out of the game.
Ramos should be banned from all competitions for a year for deliberately injuring a colleague. And, yet, this evening’s referee, Milorad Mazic, didn’t even give a free-kick.
Madrid should hang their heads in shame at the level of cheating they employ. From the diver-in-chief at the front to the savages at the back.
Remember that these scum were only in the final because they bought a referee and the game against Juventus.
Gareth Bale did score a cracking goal with a bicycle-kick but the goalkeeping mistakes and the disgusting, serious foul-play distracted from the rest of the occasion.
Sunday 27 May
League One play-off final
Rotherham 2:1 Shrewsbury Town
Rotherham return to the Championship a year after being relegated, while poor old Shrewsbury lost at Wembley for a second time this season. Defender Richard Wood scored both Rotherham goals as Shrewsbury added this defeat in the play-off final to the one to Lincoln City in the Checkatrade Trophy.
