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:

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - How Good Was Arsenal's Season?

By Shane Thomas

It's part of the post-match ritual of any final. The losing team's fans trudge off, disconsolate. The winning team's fans stay in their seats, vocalising their joy in the form of odes to the heroes of the occasion. For them, and the players, their work is done.

Health and Safety Doesn't Matter Here

CONTENT NOTE: Some of the embedded links depict head collisions.

By Shane Thomas

In the aftermath of Chelsea's comfortable 2-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, it would be easy for one to focus on Arsenal's propensity to be outmaneuvered by a direct rival yet again, or even the childish altercation on the touchline between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho.

Previewing The Premier League 2014/15

By Shane Thomas

For swathes of last season, Sky Sports proffered the line that it was probably the best season in Premier League history. Beyond shameless self-promotion, Sky made the common mistake of confusing drama with greatness.

Beware The Little Horse

By Shane Thomas

Not long ago, I threw some self-indulgent shade at Chelsea re-hiring Jose Mourinho last summer. However, after their accomplished 1-0 win over Manchester City on Monday, the media narrative appears to be showing the Portugese much favour.

The Three Horse Race

By Shane Thomas

NOTE: Please bear in mind, that the predictions in this piece may change, and are based on the squads on the respective teams as of 13th August.

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."

Sian Massey. An Official We Need To Focus On

By Shane Thomas

Come the end of the 2012/13 Premier League season, Chelsea's 4-0 victory over Stoke is unlikely to be a game to last long in the memory. However, the match had an occurrence that could have long-lasting ripples, and not just for football.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Theo And The Newly Found End Product

By Shane Thomas

It's been a while since Arsenal have been the major football story that didn't lead with the words "crisis", "transfer window" or "spending", often accompanied by the words "lack of". However, Theo Walcott's coruscating hat-trick against Newcastle not only sent the Gunners up to 5th in the Premier League table, it also brought the topic of his contract status into sharp focus.

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").

The 2011/12 Premier League Club Review

By Shane Thomas


One of the most common misnomers in sport is the word "great". Greatness is often ascribed to a sporting event or occasion when what one means to say is "eventful" or "dramatic".

There's no doubt that this past Premier League season was chock-full of excitement and drama, but great is was not. Greatness comes from a high standard of excellence. So while this season wasn't the greatest (that probably goes to either the 1998/99 or 2007/08 season), the past nine months were arguably the most dramatic seen on these shores. In the order of where each club finished in the league table, let's go through the clubs:

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.

Tigger and Tiger: Let Battle Commence

By Shane Thomas


Euro 2012 isn't for another three months, and the London Olympics are still a way over the horizon, but Sunday night saw what potentially could be the most momentous sporting story of the year.

Rory McIlroy won the Honda Classic, becoming golf's new World Number 1 atop the rankings. However, it's not McIlroy's impressive victory that should set tongues wagging, rather than the man who finished as the runner-up in Florida, and pushed him all the way; Tiger Woods.

Paging Nurse Ratched To The Asylum

By Shane Thomas

Want to see goals? Then the Premier League's been the place to be. At the time of writing England's top division has produced 294 goals, 42 more than Spain's La Liga, and 68 more than Italy's Serie A. Matches - particularly those between the established elite - have been thrill-fests; Chelsea's 3-5 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday being the latest in an ever increasing line of high-scoring games.

And while it's no doubt been entertaining, my pleasure at watching Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge for the first time in nearly four years was tainted by a simple thought: What in the name of holy hell is going on with the defences in the Premier League this season?

English Football's Laughing Cavaliers, But For How Long

By Shane Thomas

Manchester United: Premier League champions, more league titles than any other English side, kings of all their survey, arguably the greatest manager of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, unbeaten so far this season. They are the division's top scorers, playing some of the most exhilarating stuff in the land. The sheer joy of their play has turned them into the game's laughing cavaliers.