Champions League Final 2010-2011 - Football was the winner !

When the playoffs are finished, we'll announce our season awards. It has been a truly memorable season. Last nights Champions League final was a display of how to play proper football. Barcelona were truly awesome and played Manchester United off the park. It was truly a privilige to watch such a performance. Often finals have failed to spark, but last nights match was a classic. The statistics do not lie. Barca passed the ball around United for virtually the whole match. United had the first five minutes and Rooney scored a superb goal, but for the rest of the game, they were chasing shadows. How do you play against such a team? I suspect that Sir Alex Ferguson won't be the only manager having nightmares last night. I can't imagine that Jose Mourinho was too chuffed with what happened.

Sir Alex hasn't enjoyed his two visits to Wembley in 2011. United were 2nd best in both games. At the FA Cup Semi final, United started well and could have scored twice in the first 25 minutes, but then looked tired and jaded and ultimately couldn't cope with the physical power of a Manchester City team, who simply looked like they wanted it more. Last night, United again started well, but this lasted about five minutes. In the cold light of day, United have had a good season. They won the premiership, came runners up in the champions league and the Glaziers have undoubtedly banked a few hundred million more. The dilemma for the Glaziers is what next. Even if they gave Sir Alex £200 million, would they get anywhere near Barca any time soon? I doubt it.  Fergie's last target, to overhaul Liverpool's total of five European Cups looks as elusive as ever.

Realistically, the only team who might have stopped Barca this season were Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. After the Spanish cup final, I thought this was a realistic possibility. Fortunately in the battle between Football and Anti Football, Football won and Real got a well deserved spanking. At least United tried to play football, even though it did them no good whatsoever. If you are going to get a hiding, at least do it with dignity.

Perhaps the most ominous thing for the rest of football is that this Barca team look as if they are only just starting. There was talk the Guardiola may leave Barca. If he does, unless he wants to start a career outside football, he must be mad. Would anyone bet against Barca being the first team to retain the trophy in the Champions League era?

So what message does last nights match send to the rest of Football? Hopefully to play the game properly. Pass the ball to feet, play with your head up, keep moving and play the game in the right spirit. I can't remember a single occasion where the physio was on the pitch giving treatment following a bad tackle. Even more pleasing was the lack of hystrionics and rolling around on the floor. All of the goals came from open play, rather than well drilled set pieces. I just hope that some of the billionaires and oligarcs look at the match, look how Barca have evolved and realise that such a team cannot be built overnight. Last year was not Barca's year in the Champions League, but they stuck by Guardiola. Look what happened.

Where are Hillans expenses?

Lynne Hillan made an undertaking to publish her expenses on a monthly basis on the http://leaderlistens.com/  website. She's been leader for three months now. Still no sign of her expenses. Come on Lynne, get with the plan.If you don't we'll have to conclude that there's something amiss.

The Barnet Times ruined my holiday

I'm a Manchester City FC fan. I wanted to be in the one place in the world where I could be sure everyone felt like I did about the Champions League final. We've been in Barcelona since Monday (more on that later). We had a great time or at least we did until Thursday. Around lunchtime, my phone started going non stop, texts started appearing. A friend said "have you seen the front page of the local paper?". No, of course I hadn't. I'd been up drinking champaign till 3 am, watching cars hurtle past the hotel, horns blazing.

Seems that I was on the front of the local paper. Sooner or later I will discuss what it all refers to, but just between you and me dear reader, I'm livid. Tom Johnson, the reporter, is on holiday today, but I will be speaking to him next week. I know I'm probably not flavour of the month at the Times, for calling them the Barnet Tory Bugle, whilst referring to their coverage of the Sheltered Wardens campaign (until 2 weeks ago, when it became much better), but surely they have heard of the basic concept of good manners.

You see, I hadn't got a clue that my name would be plastered all over their little paper. They printed a whole front page, casting me as a central character, without even having the decency to give me a bell, check the accuracy, ask if the detail were correct, or even ask my opinion of the story. I used to write a blog for them, so it's not as if they didn't know the number - Tom has called me on occasion before, for background to stories. They specifically state that they spoke to the two other main protagonists in the story, who declined to comment. I wouldn't have had anything to say, but a heads up that the phone would have been ringing would have been nice. As it was, I had to leg it back to the beach, find an internet cafe, look at their website, take loads of calls, answer loads of texts, all of which cost me a small fortune.

I've no idea whether you can make a PCC complaint when a paper sticks you on the front page without telling you, having not even bothered to call you to check the facts with you. I've been warming to the Times of late, but I regard their behaviour in this matter as harrassment.

If the editor Charlie Strong or Tom Johnson, who wrote the report care to ring to explain why my views on a story about me were irrelevent, then assuming there is a good reason, I'll put it down to journalistic zeal. Charlie, Tom - the ball is in your court.