Football: The Return of the Special One

It is now confirmed that Jose Mourinho has returned to manage his beloved Chelsea after a ropey 3 years in Spain managing the giants of Real Madrid. First time round, he announced himself as the 'Special One' in his first English press conference, and he certainly lived up to that label as he won back to back Premier League titles, an FA Cup, 2 League Cups and a Community Shield. Personally, I think it is great that he is coming back - the passion, controversy, ability and personality of the man will contribute amazingly to what already is set up to be an enthralling new campaign. 

As well as Mourinho, the best league in the world will also be host to other brilliantly entertaining managers such as Ian Holloway and Paolo Di Canio.

So excitement has now filled the lungs of pretty much every Chelsea fan, but is the return of the Special One really the missing piece of the puzzle? I suppose only time will tell. 

Just one thing to add, I do believe that the Interim boss, Rafael Benitez, did an incredible job at the blues amongst a time of turmoil and anger around the club. His calm, tactical and thorough nature of management really shone through, and the results came as he led the team to win the Europa League, and the side also finished 3rd in the Premier League. IMO, he is an outstanding manager and Chelsea fans should appreciate and, at the very least, respect the work of the Spaniard at the club.

But now we all make way for Jose - show us what you can do 'Special One'.

Football: England vs ROI Review

Wednesday night's game ended in a draw at Wembley in a game which was seen as a bridge builder as much as a game of football. England and the Republic of Ireland have a history of tension and this was the first time the two sides met since the abandoned match in 1995 where crowd trouble marred proceedings. The game itself ended 1-1, with West Brom's Shane Long giving Ireland the lead, before Frank Lampard equalised before half time. That is how things ended, and although England dominated possession for most of the match and proved to be much the better team, they could not break down a resolute Irish defence. All in all, Ireland came out much the happier team and although some key players were missing for England, they look far from the finished article ready to win a major tournament.

Football: Young and Old combine as Palace hit the jackpot

Yesterday afternoon we saw Crystal Palace promoted to the Premier League as they won the Championship Play Off Final at Wembley. The game was a cagey one, with few moments of real quality. Both sides' defensive units were very impressive, but it was one 20 year old who stood out from everyone else - much to the pleasure of Manchester United I am sure. Wilfried Zaha, who will join the Premier League Champions this summer, was the player who influenced yesterday's proceedings. Most notably, he won the decisive penalty in extra time after proving just too skillfull for Watford defender Marco Cassetti. He was a constant threat all game and for me, was the main difference between the two sides. 

It was the veteran Kevin Phillips who stepped up in the 105th minute to expertly slot home the penalty won by team mate Zaha. He showed no signs of nerves, and showed huge bottle against his former side in a match worth £120 million, to lift the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. The 39 year old talisman is in doubt whether to continue his playing career for one more season in the Premier League with Palace, or to finally hang up his boots after an illustrious career stretching over 20 years. If yesterday was his last appearance as a player, then there was no better way to sign off than in the way he did, and in the way he has been so successful in the game - scoring goals.

Expanding the Empire

After an enjoyable and successful 8 months or so of running the 'Economy Hutt', I have decided to create another blog in another passionate area of mine - sport. This blog will be reports, opinions, updates and alternative thinking in the thrilling and dynamic world of sport. The two main sports I will take interest in are Football and Cricket, in which I have both played in and watched for years.