This blog comes to you live from Australia where in sunny...no wait, rainy...no, windy Melbourne has greeted me with a plethora of sport...or not.
I'd hoped to bring you news of a vast array of sporting events from the colony but for a country and indeed a city where sporting contest is a religion I'm finding it rather atheist at this point in time.
Perhaps its my fault for visiting during the few so-called dry patches on the sporting calender. March is tradionally the transition between summer and winter sports whereby the cricket, golf and tennis is done and dusted and the rugby league/union and AFL isn't yet into full swing.
In saying that though both cricket and footy is still being played and the confused expressions on the locals faces tells a story.
By all accounts the current one-day series which reaches its climax later today between Australia and Sri Lanka has been one to remember.
Tight matches, brilliant individual and team efforts to boot. So it bloody well should...it stretches over 15 matches! If you hadn't had any good cricket in that amount you'd be worried.
For many the highlight has been the performance of the touring Sri Lankan side. The talented, plucky and hungry underdog has showed us all what it means to play a game for the love of it and your country (are you listening Kevin Pietersen).
Add to that they are playing for no wages as the governing cricket body can't afford to pay them a penny. If they win this evening then the prize money will be shared amongst every member of the squad, playing or not, even those whom went home due to injury. Bravo!
Brett Lee laments betting his match fee against the Sri Lankans
I had hoped to bring you football (or soccer as its so wrongly referred to here) news this time around.
However after almost a week here the only real event has been feeling tha the A-league is heading the wrong direction with poor crowds and even poorer standard games. So the least said about it the better really.
Besides it is hard to ignore the major football story that broke on Sunday, the demise of the 'not-so-special one mkII.
You can't but feel sorry for AVB at this moment in time, he really didn't have a snow flakes chance in hell for the moment he walked into Stamford Bridge.
His arrival came with the vision of a dynamic and vibrant young manager willing to change the style of play and attitude of the English game. Unfortunately he didn't have a squad full of Messi's - rather just a big mess!
Chelsea never had the players to formulate a slick 4-3-3 attacking passing side and yet AVB pressed on with his remit, perhaps because he knew no other way or indeed was directed as such by Tsar Abramovich.
The outcome was always going to be the same. Ageing squad of players, big egos, demanding fans and an even more demanding top office. After a string of poor results and more importantly a likely exit from the Champions league had seen the Gulag warden cleaning and readying his Kalashnikov.
AVB is not totally blameless. Many armchair sportsfans has seen his tactics falter against sides who'd simply been disicplined and canny enough to expose the weaknesses of this Chelsea side.
From here AVB can get the perfect view of his high defensive line
It will be interesing to see how Matteo deploys his team and tactics this weekend against Stoke.
You'd hope he'll be able to run the side without any pressure from above. Given that he is only a stop gap until the next poor sod has a wad of oil-stained roubles waved under his nose.
Who'd want a job that doesn't secure you even with a near 70% win ratio? Grant, Scolari, Ancelotti, et al all had above 60% win rates and some even delivered silverware and league titles.
Clearly the Tsar is obsessed with the Champions League more than ever before and therefore only a winning European cup manager will do. As such options are slim at best.
All of Chelsea wants Jose to return but with Real Madrid leading La Liga and still in the Champions League perhaps it's not so simple? Maybe if he beats Barcelona in the final...then the door will open.
Some had said Rafa has thrown his hat in the ring, merely in the hope he can get Nando to remember he's worth 50mil and not 50p.
Pep Guardiola has also been touted as the man to save the day. Who'd be crazy to leave the Nou Camp during this dynasty of players? They've just routed last years German runners-up 10-2 on aggregate, Messi scores 5!
Perhaps tearing apart teams does get a bit dull after a while, he certainly wouldn't have the problem at Chelsea.
Does this look like a man who'd swap Messi for a mess?
No doubt somebody will, the Chelsea kit man is already sewing a great big target on the back of a tailored Armani suit.
Hooroo sportsfans!
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