Commiserations and Congratulations

My last post was about the tension leading upto Swansea's must-win game last Sunday and the build-up to the World Snooker Final. We'll look at both of those events plus the big matches that took place on Sunday containing the title contenders, Chelsea, and Manchester United.

I think we all know by now where I'm going to start this week. I was at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday trying to shout my boys into a play-off place. Unfortunately for the 17,630 that gathered there on Sunday, Swansea City were unable to do what was needed to claim the final play-off place, despite having been in the play-off places for over 4 months. We can look back now and be proud of the boys, but I don't think anyone thought any less of the club, players, or backroom staff on Sunday despite the dissappointing 0-0 draw with Doncaster Rovers. Swansea had many chances to score both in the first and second half to score but couldn't take them despite knowing that they only needed to win this game and theyd get a shot at playing in the Premier League. The 2 most controversial moments of the match however, came in the 4 minutes of injury time that was played at the end of the normal 90 minutes. Firstly, the penalty claim. After some good work by Darren Pratley, the ball was lofted into the box towards the onrushing Craig Beattie, who would have connected and probably given Swansea their much-deserved goal except for the terribly timed and downright awful challenge that came in from Doncaster defender Sam Hird. Hird not only grabbed Beattie's shirt, but also tripped the Scotsman as he was about to connect with the ball. What did the referee say?? No penalty. For me, at this level, that simply isn't good enough. You could show that penalty claim to someone who has never seen football before and even they would say its an absolute stonewaller. The crowd was delirious as to how the ref didn't give it. Indeed, even the linesman said no. But having seen it live and on television replays, I can tell you now that it was an absolute stonewaller and that the referee and linesman are a disgrace for not giving it. I know I'm a Swansea fan and it may seem biased of me to say that, but trust me when I say this, if I had been impartial, I could say whole-heartedly it was 100% a penalty. Second contentious decision was the decision to disallow a last-gasp Lee Trundle goal. On television replays, I have to admit it looks like handball, and perhaps from where the referee is standing it looks the same, but I was right in line with where Trundle made contact with the ball, as should the linesman have been, and it quite clearly hit his chest before bouncing onto his arm, which by my definition is ball to hand. Most people in the crowd thought it was a goal, the stadium announcer thought it was a goal, the stewards thought it was a goal, and there were no appeals from the Doncaster players, and surely theyre in the best possible position to adjudge it. For me, disallowing that goal was a bad decision, but then again, we've had bad decisions all year and so it comes as no surprise, but it does leave me, the fan, feeling very numb at a performance which ordinarily would've yielded a lot more. Even if it was a handball, those are the sorts of decisions and luck that we quite simply haven't had, and I suggest the FA take a good look at all their referee's before next season as some of them simply aren't good enough at this level. So, the play-off picture looks like this, Blackpool v Nottingham Forest and Cardiff v Leicester. One of those 4 teams will be able to plan for Premier League football next season, whilst some of us must lick our,extensive,wounds and wonder if next season will be the season it finally happens.

In a quick recap of the title race, it's going down to the final day of the season. After Chelsea won 2-0 at Anfield, which has been all too easy this season, Manchester United knew they needed a win at the Stadium Of Light and that win came through Nani's goal midway through the first-half. Games that are left?? Chelsea face Wigan at home, who have pulled out a couple of unlikely results this season, and United host Stoke. Could be a tense final day this Sunday.

The World Snooker Championships. The pinnacle of the sport. The chance to join a legendary list of player that contains the likes of Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan. The final was played over 4 sessions, 2 Sunday, 2 Monday and was between the World number 9, The Thunder From Down Under, Neil Robertson, and former Champion (2006), and runner-up (2004), a man who has lost his way in recent years but looks back to his best after these 2 weeks in Sheffield, The Pocket Dynamo, Greame Dott. The way these 2 men has been playing, it looked like we were in for an absolute crackerjack of a final, and they didn't disappoint. The final result, after much toil and strain, was Neil Robertson being crowned World Champion with a margin of 18-13. It has to be said that Dott did look quite tired throughout the match, but he gave as good as he got for a long, long time which led to this final finishing at 12:55, just 15 minutes outside the legendary black ball final of '85 between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor, which, to this day, remains the latest finishing time for a World final. I have to say, looking at the way he came through the tournament to the final, perhaps Neil Robertson deserved to win it. I mean in the second round, he came back from 11-5 down to beat Martin Gould 13-12 and you don't come back like that unless you've got some serious talent and drive to get there. Then he went into a quarter-final against the charismatic Steve Davis, a man who ousted disgraced John Higgins earlier in the tournament and beat him 13-5. That takes some doing and you cant really have a dig at a man who came through some tough, tough matches with such style and charisma. Mind you, Dotty didn't have it easy, especially in his semi-final when he came up against Mark Selby, a man who had ousted, former champions Ken Doherty, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan. He came through that match against Selby 17-14, but the strain of that match showed through in the final with Dott looking visibly tired as commented on by Peter Ebdon, a man who Dott had actually beaten earlier in the tournament. So well done to Neil Robertson, a man who has given Australia their first World Champion in this age-old and much revered sport. Robertson said that he hopes his win give Snooker a boost in his homeland. Either that or he won't call himself Australian anymore. All joking aside though, who knows when, aswell as the Chinese invasion, we may have an Aussie invasion at the Crucible as well.

So there are my congratulations and commiserations in what has been an emotionally turbulent week of sport for myself and for you out there. I hope you've enjoyed this blog as I always try to make it as readable as possible and I love the fact that people read it and get a little kick out of it. So cheers everyone, see you soon. Probably Saturday after all outstanding issues in League's 1 and 2 are done with. Laters