Win2Win Racing
31st May 2009, 01:50
Guus Hiddink's traditional African dancing was not as accomplished as his coaching - but he earned the right to say his Chelsea farewells in any manner he wished after leaving the FA Cup for Roman Abramovich to remember him by.
Abramovich, at least according to Hiddink, joined this somewhat unorthodox conclusion to his short, but hugely impressive, spell in charge at Chelsea before a private meeting in a Wembley sideroom between coaching staff and players.
Hiddink, who conjured up intriguing imagery by revealing "my whole body moved in the African way", reported back that it was emotional, as was to be expected, and tinged with sadness that the job well done is now over (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8075436.stm).
Chelsea's renaissance under Hiddink was confirmed by a deserved win against an Everton side (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/8060989.stm)who finally found a mountain that even their reserves of resilience, heart and no little ability could not help them climb.
It was a fitting end for Hiddink, whose class at his chosen profession is matched by his personality. In the moment of victory, he still found time to personally console Everton's players, speak glowingly of his opponents and even apologise to the media for keeping them waiting to speak to him.
He will be missed by the Premier League (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/may/30/chelsea-guus-hiddink-fa-cup-premier-league). Chelsea, you fear, will miss him even more.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/hiddink595.jpgChelsea's players presented Hiddink with a watch to mark his time in charge, which does not quite sound like a fair exchange for the FA Cup. It has, however, been time well spent after he repaired broken spirits, rebuilt confidence and, most importantly, restored silverware to the Stamford Bridge trophy room after taking on the rescue mission from the wreckage of the Luiz Felipe Scolari era.
Hiddink has provided a coaching masterclass at Chelsea, and even the shock of Louis Saha's history-making goal for Everton after 25 seconds, did not break their stride. It all happened too quickly for Hiddink, who admitted he missed the goal, but the remaining 89 minutes led to a merited reward for both coach and players.
The only regret, said Hiddink, was that he was not in Rome with Chelsea to face Manchester United on Wednesday after coming within a few seconds and several desperate refereeing decisions of beating eventual Champions League winners Barcelona.
Chelsea dominated possession after Saha's strike, playing in the attractive manner associated with Hiddink, and even though Everton's in-built fighting spirit kept them above water, there was a certain inevitability about Frank Lampard adding the winner to Didier Drogba's equaliser.
Hiddink admits he has been moved by the Chelsea experience - and the question for Abramovich and his comrades is how to replace him. AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is apparently the answer (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8043480.stm) - but he has some job to follow Hiddink.
Ancelotti's appointment has the feel of a Scolari-style punt. He does not have the rounded world coaching experience of Hiddink. Hiddink's success has placed pressure on Abramovich to handle the succession more effectively than when Scolari replaced Avram Grant.
He has been helped by the rejuvenation of the previously disaffected Drogba, and the ever-present and undiminished match-winning (make that FA Cup-winning) quality of Lampard, but he has managed and manouevred his squad superbly.
Hiddink, without a hint of patronising, lavished praise on his Everton counterpart David Moyes - whose growing maturity at Goodison Park makes it a mystery why he has never been mentioned as a possible contender to take over at Stamford Bridge.
This was not Moyes', or Everton's best day, but the body of work he has produced this season is a powerful reference point for his ability. Everton lost to a superior side at Wembley and there is no shame in that.
It was a simple reckoning for Moyes (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8075474.stm). And he also made the valid point that with Yakubu (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/7757624.stm), Mikel Arteta (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/7904813.stm) and Phil Jagielka (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8018896.stm) in various states of injury at Wembley, he was stripped of his equivalent of Drogba, Lampard and John Terry.
He at least ended his post-match briefing with laughter on his dark day when the James Bond (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM) theme blared out of a mobile phone at the precise second he finished his final answer. Sadly for him, Hiddink was the special agent and Chelsea the team on a mission as Guus returns to Russia with love.
Moyes was apparently later interrupted again by the theme from "Mission Impossible" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8075486.stm) on another phone. Highly-appropriate and potentially the signature tune for the next part of his task, invading the top four.
He needs financial backing chairman Bill Kenwright currently cannot give him if he is to do that, but it will not stop him trying.
Moyes is a canny operator in the markets. This is the man who signed Tim Cahill, Arteta, Jagielka, Steven Pienaar and Joleon Lescott for the grand total of £12m.
The talk must turn to how to progress again. Can Moyes repeat the trick with the purse strings pulled tight and Everton's rivals such as Manchester City and Spurs gearing up for the big summer spending?
For now, however, he is allowed a brief period of reflection on a season that has brought another fifth place in the Premier League and an FA Cup Final appearance, albeit a losing one.
Everton need strengthening in all parts of the pitch and Kenwright will again have to somehow facilitate Moyes' ambitions. It is to be hoped Everton's fans are not forced to hear the words "having Yakubu, Arteta and Jagielka back will be like three new signings." Moyes needs actual new signings, not pretend new signings.
Pienaar has developed into an outstanding talent in recent months while Marouane Fellaini (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8047494.stm)was one of Everton's better players in possession at Wembley.
Sadly, the creative edge to make the difference was missing and this is where the absence of Arteta was keenly felt. Moyes was rightly glowing with pride about Everton's players, but if the top-four goal is to be achieved, they need more and better.
The foundations are in place (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/05/moyes_everton_can_defy_odds.html), now an extra layer of quality needs to be added on top. Kenwright has already outlined the difficulties, so Everton and Moyes face a pivotal summer.
Everton's downfall came via poor ball retention that gave Chelsea momentum and opportunities - and a deficiency cruelly exposed.
For every hero thrown up by Wembley there is a story from the other end of the scale. Sadly for Everton, it came in the dejected form of Tony Hibbert.
Hibbert is a lifelong Everton fan, an honest professional who pledged his future to the club on the same night Wayne Rooney signed his first professional contract at Goodison Park. This will have been arguably the worst, most harrowing, day of his career.
It was an act of merciful release as well as a tactical necessity for Moyes to end his torture at the hands of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda at half-time. It was a weakness Chelsea probed as ruthlessly as a heavyweight boxer inflicting blows on a glass-jawed opponent and the heart genuinely went out to poor Hibbert, who received little or no assistance in his task from Leon Osman.
Everton's players deserved the magnificent support they had behind them on Saturday - but the day belong to Chelsea, an in particular Hiddink.
He admits he has been bitten by the Premier League management bug, and despite only half-jokingly referring to himself as "the old man", that mind is as sharp and nimble tactically as ever.
It will be no surprise to see return to England - maybe back at Chelsea one day? And he will be welcomed, along with his African dancing.
More... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/05/hiddink_a_hard_act_to_follow.html)
Abramovich, at least according to Hiddink, joined this somewhat unorthodox conclusion to his short, but hugely impressive, spell in charge at Chelsea before a private meeting in a Wembley sideroom between coaching staff and players.
Hiddink, who conjured up intriguing imagery by revealing "my whole body moved in the African way", reported back that it was emotional, as was to be expected, and tinged with sadness that the job well done is now over (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8075436.stm).
Chelsea's renaissance under Hiddink was confirmed by a deserved win against an Everton side (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/8060989.stm)who finally found a mountain that even their reserves of resilience, heart and no little ability could not help them climb.
It was a fitting end for Hiddink, whose class at his chosen profession is matched by his personality. In the moment of victory, he still found time to personally console Everton's players, speak glowingly of his opponents and even apologise to the media for keeping them waiting to speak to him.
He will be missed by the Premier League (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/may/30/chelsea-guus-hiddink-fa-cup-premier-league). Chelsea, you fear, will miss him even more.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/hiddink595.jpgChelsea's players presented Hiddink with a watch to mark his time in charge, which does not quite sound like a fair exchange for the FA Cup. It has, however, been time well spent after he repaired broken spirits, rebuilt confidence and, most importantly, restored silverware to the Stamford Bridge trophy room after taking on the rescue mission from the wreckage of the Luiz Felipe Scolari era.
Hiddink has provided a coaching masterclass at Chelsea, and even the shock of Louis Saha's history-making goal for Everton after 25 seconds, did not break their stride. It all happened too quickly for Hiddink, who admitted he missed the goal, but the remaining 89 minutes led to a merited reward for both coach and players.
The only regret, said Hiddink, was that he was not in Rome with Chelsea to face Manchester United on Wednesday after coming within a few seconds and several desperate refereeing decisions of beating eventual Champions League winners Barcelona.
Chelsea dominated possession after Saha's strike, playing in the attractive manner associated with Hiddink, and even though Everton's in-built fighting spirit kept them above water, there was a certain inevitability about Frank Lampard adding the winner to Didier Drogba's equaliser.
Hiddink admits he has been moved by the Chelsea experience - and the question for Abramovich and his comrades is how to replace him. AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is apparently the answer (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/8043480.stm) - but he has some job to follow Hiddink.
Ancelotti's appointment has the feel of a Scolari-style punt. He does not have the rounded world coaching experience of Hiddink. Hiddink's success has placed pressure on Abramovich to handle the succession more effectively than when Scolari replaced Avram Grant.
He has been helped by the rejuvenation of the previously disaffected Drogba, and the ever-present and undiminished match-winning (make that FA Cup-winning) quality of Lampard, but he has managed and manouevred his squad superbly.
Hiddink, without a hint of patronising, lavished praise on his Everton counterpart David Moyes - whose growing maturity at Goodison Park makes it a mystery why he has never been mentioned as a possible contender to take over at Stamford Bridge.
This was not Moyes', or Everton's best day, but the body of work he has produced this season is a powerful reference point for his ability. Everton lost to a superior side at Wembley and there is no shame in that.
It was a simple reckoning for Moyes (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8075474.stm). And he also made the valid point that with Yakubu (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/7757624.stm), Mikel Arteta (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/7904813.stm) and Phil Jagielka (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8018896.stm) in various states of injury at Wembley, he was stripped of his equivalent of Drogba, Lampard and John Terry.
He at least ended his post-match briefing with laughter on his dark day when the James Bond (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM) theme blared out of a mobile phone at the precise second he finished his final answer. Sadly for him, Hiddink was the special agent and Chelsea the team on a mission as Guus returns to Russia with love.
Moyes was apparently later interrupted again by the theme from "Mission Impossible" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8075486.stm) on another phone. Highly-appropriate and potentially the signature tune for the next part of his task, invading the top four.
He needs financial backing chairman Bill Kenwright currently cannot give him if he is to do that, but it will not stop him trying.
Moyes is a canny operator in the markets. This is the man who signed Tim Cahill, Arteta, Jagielka, Steven Pienaar and Joleon Lescott for the grand total of £12m.
The talk must turn to how to progress again. Can Moyes repeat the trick with the purse strings pulled tight and Everton's rivals such as Manchester City and Spurs gearing up for the big summer spending?
For now, however, he is allowed a brief period of reflection on a season that has brought another fifth place in the Premier League and an FA Cup Final appearance, albeit a losing one.
Everton need strengthening in all parts of the pitch and Kenwright will again have to somehow facilitate Moyes' ambitions. It is to be hoped Everton's fans are not forced to hear the words "having Yakubu, Arteta and Jagielka back will be like three new signings." Moyes needs actual new signings, not pretend new signings.
Pienaar has developed into an outstanding talent in recent months while Marouane Fellaini (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/e/everton/8047494.stm)was one of Everton's better players in possession at Wembley.
Sadly, the creative edge to make the difference was missing and this is where the absence of Arteta was keenly felt. Moyes was rightly glowing with pride about Everton's players, but if the top-four goal is to be achieved, they need more and better.
The foundations are in place (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/05/moyes_everton_can_defy_odds.html), now an extra layer of quality needs to be added on top. Kenwright has already outlined the difficulties, so Everton and Moyes face a pivotal summer.
Everton's downfall came via poor ball retention that gave Chelsea momentum and opportunities - and a deficiency cruelly exposed.
For every hero thrown up by Wembley there is a story from the other end of the scale. Sadly for Everton, it came in the dejected form of Tony Hibbert.
Hibbert is a lifelong Everton fan, an honest professional who pledged his future to the club on the same night Wayne Rooney signed his first professional contract at Goodison Park. This will have been arguably the worst, most harrowing, day of his career.
It was an act of merciful release as well as a tactical necessity for Moyes to end his torture at the hands of Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda at half-time. It was a weakness Chelsea probed as ruthlessly as a heavyweight boxer inflicting blows on a glass-jawed opponent and the heart genuinely went out to poor Hibbert, who received little or no assistance in his task from Leon Osman.
Everton's players deserved the magnificent support they had behind them on Saturday - but the day belong to Chelsea, an in particular Hiddink.
He admits he has been bitten by the Premier League management bug, and despite only half-jokingly referring to himself as "the old man", that mind is as sharp and nimble tactically as ever.
It will be no surprise to see return to England - maybe back at Chelsea one day? And he will be welcomed, along with his African dancing.
More... (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2009/05/hiddink_a_hard_act_to_follow.html)