That Was The Week That Was...

MONDAY
OLE GRAIL, TORRY PARTY and VIVA ESPANA are just three of the rotten puns filling up the back pages of Monday's newspapers, so no prizes for guessing who won the final of Euro 2008 last Sunday. Yep, Liverpool's Fernando Torres was the hero as he scored the winner for Spain against Germany in Vienna, but, as virtually every media outlet is at great pains to point out, Spain were the best team in the tournament, playing the most adventurous football of the lot, so in the end FOOTBALL was the real winner. Unless you're Michael Ballack of course, in which case football is a cheating spouse who causes you to lose three finals and a league title in a single season...

Martin O'Neill was full of praise for Luis Aragones's side during the tournament, but he doesn't seem best pleased with events in his own team. Wantaway Liverpool target Gareth Barry complained that his manager spent more time chatting away on the BBC during Euro2008 than he did tending to matters at Villa Park, but Martin O'Neill hit back Monday, insisting that Liverpool's £15million offer for the player is not enough. Considering Rafa Benitez considers Peter Crouch to be worth the same amount, we can't say we disagree...

Meanwhile, Chelsea have continued their irritating habit of not being able to stick to working hours by signing Deco...at 8 o'clock at night. This comes after sacking Jose Mourinho early in the morning and hiring Luis Felipe Scolari during another team's Euro 2008 game, so we (and presumably many others) are getting a little sick of Chelsea's devil may care attitude. Mind you, Deco seems happy enough, insisting: "I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things." The right time?