The Blues

Typical that in the year I reduce my fervour for Chelsea, they go and get into the UEFA Champions League final. Of course nothing has been won yet.

But in all the years that I cared, they got to the semi final and lost. But that was with Jose Mourinho. How he made me smile with his antics. There was a savage beauty about the well-drilled teams he sent out. They crushed and yet never ran amok.

But the self-styled special one is long gone.

And now in the winter of my discontent, his baleful successor, Avram Grant, makes glorious summer in the competition. Maybe I should have turned from them earlier.

Since tonight's second leg of the semi final was only being shown on the cable channel, I had to venture out to a cafe to watch it.

Having predicted that Liverpool would go through on penalties after the match ended 1-1, I was not at all surprised to arrive at the cafe as they were taking in Liverpool's equaliser.

It must be said Liverpool looked the likelier to win within the 90 minutes and they did start extra time with more zest.

But to watch Chelsea go 3-1 up was great. But then a touch of the old pre-Mourinho Chelsea crept in and you knew that a two goal advantage with eight minutes remaining still wasn't quite enough.

Moreso since the players seemed to be trying to retain possession but were too inept to perform this basic task and kept gifting the ball to Liverpool who promptly scored a second with four minutes to go.

An equaliser would have sent Liverpool through and even me into despair.

As it was the nervous few minutes passed and two English teams will fight it out in Moscow in three weeks.

My approach is since Manchester United have already won the trophy twice in their history, it's time for somebody else to win.

I know it doesn't work like that. it would be good if it did. It would be brilliant if Jose were still around. He'd look so good lapping up the adulation.

Maybe he'll be in work somewhere next season and my heart can go back into supporting a team.