Arjen Robben's Final Failure

By Shane Thomas

It's morbidly self-indulgent for one to look back over what they have written in the past, but it turned out quite useful in this instance. After the 2010 World Cup final, I wrote of Arjen Robben's performance, "A good performance from the Bayern Munich man, but the bottom line is he missed two great chances that would have given the Netherlands the World Cup. When his chance came to seize the occasion, he choked."

Premier League 2015/16 - The Top Four

By Shane Thomas

Is it me, or does the gap between Premier League seasons feel smaller each year? Regardless, we're back again, so let's have a close look at the probable top 4 come next May:

World Cup 2014 - And The Winner Is...

By Shane Thomas

When asked to compare the World Cup and the Champions League, commentator Jon Champion opined that the Champions League may be football's gold standard, but the World Cup remains the pinnacle.

So with that in mind, here's a brief rundown (accompanied with ill-advised prognostications) of the teams likely to ascend to the aforementioned pinnacle. So before you ask, no, there will be no look at England in this post.

La Decima - Real Madrid's Favourite Toy

By Shane Thomas

This was a story of wanting. It was made up of persistence, ego, and greed. But ultimately, it was about a want. A desperate, edacious, grasping want.

Mourinho and Chelsea: The Perfect Match

By Shane Thomas

So, it's official. A special one returns. It bears stating that Jose Mourinho's first press conference in England is alongside Bob Geldof's, "Give me the money!" in terms of memorably misquoted utterances. Despite what the press would have you believe, Mourinho never dubbed himself, "The Special One." He dubbed himself, "A special one."

The Walking Dead Follow The Script

By Shane Thomas

There is a sporting aphorism favoured by football journalists, pundits, commentators and bloggers in moments of incredulity. "You couldn't script this!" I remember the filmmaker, Spike Lee expressing similar sentiments before the final game of the epic series of matches between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees back in 2004 (for which I highly recommend you watch the 30 for 30 documentary, "Four Days in October").

La Decima: Real's Obsession. Mourinho's Salvation

By Shane Thomas

When Real Madrid president Florentino Perez moved to get Jose Mourinho as the head coach of Los Blancos, it seemed something of a no-brainer. Mourinho had just delivered an unprecedented treble for Inter Milan, with the coup de grace being a 3rd European Cup/Champions League title. This was all the more significant as it was Inter's first since 1965 - despite their worldwide renown, Inter had been perennial underachievers in Europe's top tier competition.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal's Listlessness Continues

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 0-2 SCHALKE

Arsenal moved from a state of slight concern into discernible worry after their second moribund display in five days, which resulted in a deserved loss to the Germans, Schalke. To paraphrase the sporting aphorism, Arsenal lost 2-0, and were lucky to get nil.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Lethargic Arsenal Narrowly Avoid Greek Tragedy

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 3-1 OLYMPIACOS

Arsenal secured their second successive win in this season's group stage of the Champions League, and once again, it was a hard fought victory, with many nervous moments for the home support.

Champions League Final Special

By Shane Thomas

It's not easy to sum up Saturday's astonishing night in Munich in a blog post. So I won't waste time trying. The links below are my best attempt to appraise one of the most extraordinary nights of what was been a pretty extraordinary season of football:

How Chelsea's extraordinary campaign could only have been scripted beforehand:

Ratings for both starting XI's in the Champions League Final:

How rolling the dice finally paid off for Roman Abramovich:

Arjen Robben falls short yet again in a major final:

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Gambler Who Could Afford To Keep Rolling The Dice

By Shane Thomas


It's seldom that a person succeeds in any walk of life without having something of a gambler's instinct. Playing it safe only gets you so far, and in football, Roman Abramovich is a man who's rolled the dice ad nauseum.

Chelsea vs Bayern Munich - Match Ratings

By Shane Thomas


CHELSEA:


Petr Cech (8)

Has atoned for some sub-par performances earlier in the season, with some stellar displays at the back-end of the campaign, and he was brilliant again in Munich. A major part of the rearguard that kept Bayern at bay for 83 minutes, and his two saves in the penalty shoot-out played a crucial role in Chelsea's victory.

The Keys To Beat Bayern Munich

By Shane Thomas


In a few hours time, Chelsea take to the Allianz Arena to contest the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Chelsea have endured a turbulent season, and have reached Saturday's final in spite of the lack of stability at the club. After a 6th place finish in the Premier League - their worst league position since 2002 - they are left needing to win in Munich to compete in the tournament next season. Bayern - with home advantage - go into the match as favourites, but not overwhelmingly so. Here's four key areas that could expedite the West Londonders upsetting the form book yet again:

Survival Of The Fittest: Chelsea Reach Champions League Final

By Shane Thomas


BARCELONA 2-2 CHELSEA

(Chelsea win 3-2 on aggregate and reach the 2012 Champions League Final)

Well it was never going to be dull, was it? An unforgettable night in Catalunya ended with Chelsea upsetting the odds and knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League. An incredible rearguard frustrated the holders and ensured that a tough week for Barca had a miserable denouement.

Episode 46 - 2011 in Review (Part 2) w/Greg Blanchard

We take a trip over the Atlantic Ocean for our second part of the retrospective on 2011. As we bring an American onto the show, it only made sense to review the sports that keep many North Americans in thrall. However, in the interests of balance we also look at the last 12 months in "sarker", better known as football to most of us.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Why Carlos Tevez Is The Least Of Roberto Mancini's Problems

By Shane Thomas

While the football world is currently ablaze with disgust and outrage over the conduct of Carlos Tevez on Tuesday evening, the Manchester City players and manager, Roberto Mancini would do well to put the furore to the back of their minds.

Tevez's behaviour may have infuriated many, but it's nothing more than a sideshow to what was a lacklustre performance in a 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich. The former captain may not have helped things by allegedly refusing to come off the bench, but it was not the reason why City lost.

The Passing Carousel Spins Barcelona To Greatness

By Shane Thomas

BARCELONA 3-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (Barcelona win the 2011 Champions League)

Wembley saw a coronation as Barcelona won their fourth European Cup, putting on a display of football befitting a side who are undoubtedly now the finest on the planet.

Barcelona vs Manchester United - Match Ratings

By Shane Thomas

BARCELONA:

VICTOR VALDES (7)

Has quietly developed from Barcelona's weak link into one of Spain's finest keepers. Raced off his line to make some crucial interceptions when the game was still alive. He may be forgotten when this game is talked about but Valdes played his part.

The Perfect Ten Saves Barcelona From The Dark Side

By Shane Thomas

REAL MADRID 0-2 BARCELONA (Barcelona lead 2-0 on aggregate)

A double blast of late inspiration from Lionel Messi lit up a turgid game in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Messi scored both Barcelona goals as ten-man Real Madrid suffered defeat in the third of four series of classicos between the two Spanish giants.

Richard Swarbrick & Gareth Bale - Turning Sport Into Art

By Shane Thomas

Bit of a quick one readers. As this blog's been non-stop about Arsenal for the past month, I think a quick blast of Tottenham will help redress the balance.