A Farrago of Positivity

"But I made it very clear a few weeks ago - and again recently - what the future will be after 30 May. I don't have to do that again."

- Guus Hiddink, who's sick of repeating that he won't be Chelsea manager after May 30th

We're playing Blackburn later tonight, but I'm not concerned about that. It's only Blackburn, after all. We beat them 4-1 or 3-0 or something like that earlier on in the year. We're on a high after squeezing through to the CL quarter-finals on penalties. And we've got the Owl to hoot up and down that right flank.

I'm heavy into positivity at the moment.

Villa's bubble seems to have popped. Martin O'Neill is worried about the tie against Tottenham, and they've some pretty difficult matches in the next few weeks. There's the real possibility that the Arsenal could be 4th again after this weekend.

Best of all, Hiddink's not going to stay with Chelsea. As an Australian, I love Guus Hiddink nearly as much as I love Arsene Wenger. I know Guus is a bit of a mercenary who's coaching Russia because of the mega-roubles he's earning, and he's driven by the pursuit of financial fulfillment as much as he is by personal achievement. But when I think back to that brief period when Guus was manager of Australia, all my memories are golden.

I've been a bit confused now that Guus is Chelsea manager. It is my duty to hate everyone associated with that club, and with certain players, it's a pleasurable task. They don't have very lovable characters at Chelsea. But Guus? When I see photos of him in his Chelsea tracksuit, I don't know what to think. In my mind, he's still the lovably gruff old dude who helped us qualify for the World Cup. And yet, he's Chelsea, so I can't love him anymore.

It's been a strange time for me. I feel like a kid in the aftermath of a messy divorce, who's forced to spend his Saturday nights watching his father slick back his hair with brylecream and trying to act twenty years younger. I'll be a lot happier come 30th May, when Guus goes back to Russia and gives up the odiousness of the Chelsea post, and the Arsenal have secured 4th place, won the Champions League and the FA Cup, and in the middle of advanced negotiations with Valencia for David Villa and David Silva.

Positive thoughts, tonight.