Chelsea-bound Ballack is ballacked; Wolves' Hoddle misquotes as Championship race turns

Michael Ballack appears to have made, through his agent, good publicity over his talks with Chelsea. His manager at Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness, feels the Germany captain is more interested in money than in pursuing a change in team for sportive achievement. It may well be, yet if a player wants to move, his motives why are immaterial though they may fare ill with his current supporters. Hoeness said Ballack will leave with Munich's blessing and good luck but it's questionable the Bayern fans will think so when Hoeness has made a statement like that. I personally wonder why Chelsea wish to seek a 29 yr old midfielder who can be temperamental, according to rumours, and is not accustomed to not playing regularly. Yet with Frank Lampard and Ballack in front of Claude Makelele, it makes a great midfield greater, perhaps at the expense of Michael Essien or Makelele.


I've been intrigued with the Championship race for promotion. Reading are already guaranteed their lift and congratulations go to their supporters and the club for an excellent season that has achieved a goal difference of 64, and their chairman wants them to achieve the maximum of 110pts as they currently stand with 4 games remaining and 98pts. Sheffield United are within touching rights with their away win yesterday at Cardiff, and if Leeds fail to win against Reading at Elland Road, then Neil Warnock will have taken Sheff Utd back into top flight football once again, since Dave Bassett achieved it some 16 years before. That would leave the third team curently out of Preston North End, Watford, Crystal Palace and Leeds. 6th place is some 4pts away from 3rd, so it is still too close to call, however one team outside the quartet may have counted their chickens too soon, pessimistically.

Wolverhampton Wanderers drew 1-1 against Watford yesterday, and remain in 7th place. They have 3 more games remaining, need to win all three and also need 6th place Palace and/or 5th place Preston to lose all four of their remaining games, to stand a chance of breaking into the quartet at a steal. Even then, it would go down to goal difference, which Preston and Palace are more superior, so it a very tight glimmer of hope for Wolves, but no doubt a win yesterday would have been very helpful. Post-match, there occurred a difference of fact between a Sky Sports interviewer and coach Glenn Hoddle:


SSI: "Given that, very briefly, on your future, given that Jez Moxley in the programme today, the chief executive, has again reiterated that getting to the play-offs is a minimum requirement, does that undermine your future here?"

Hoddle: "No, it doesn't, and what you said to me before the game, he didn't actually, you need to read his notes again cos obviously you didn't read them, did ya?"

SSI: "Well I did, what he.....

Hoddle: "He didn't say that it was a complete disaster,....

SSI: "......said was it would be a complete disaster

Hoddle: ".......he didn't say that. So go and read them, then come back and maybe you will apologise one day, but, you know, probably won't because you will move on to the next game, cos I read them and he didn't say that, he said they were disappointed, we're all disappointed, we're all disappointed, course we are."

The Wolves chairman said in the programme notes:

"It has to be said that most of us feel that this season has been a complete disaster because of where we are likely to finish in the league table."

Mr Moxley went on to say finishing 7th would be nice but, in terms of expected achievement, is as good as finishing 21st. This would indicate the chairman would be bitterly disappointed with the draw and does not see 5th and 6th teams dropping enough points to allow Wolves to take advantage.


RedsMan.