Cheers Rafa, you won me over – now go and manage Everton

Hi. I’m Ted and West London Sport have asked me to do a blog on Chelsea, mainly for next season.

I thought I’d get cracking straightaway though, just in case they change their minds, bearing in mind they only asked me when another Chelsea fan they suggested it to decided they couldn’t commit to a regular blog.

So really they should have called me ‘Second choice Ted’ which would have been better than ‘Shed End Ted’ – the ridiculous name they’ve insisted on giving me. Why, I don’t know.

Apparently, I’m such a miserable so-and-so I’d be ideal for writing about the slings and arrows of following my beloved Blues.

Whatever. All I know is that if ‘Shed End Ted’ is really the best name they could come up with, I wouldn’t hold out much hope of this blog being worthwhile.

What has turned out to be worthwhile – and I never thought I’d end up saying this – has been this season.

Not only that, the season is at an end and so this Rafa nonsense can finally be put to bed. Thank the Lord.

The appointment that should never have happened has ended better than anyone could possibly have predicted: a stable club all teed up for the next fella (Jose?), Champions League football for next season and another trophy – which neatly completes the European treble.

But this happy ending seemed unlikely when the Spaniard made his way to the dugout for the first time when Manchester City visited Stamford Bridge in November.

I expect even Rafa was amazed by the extent of the anti-Rafa reaction; it was poisonous. Simply horrible. Fans felt betrayed and it showed.

The wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time. How on earth did it come to this. Why?

Despite the overwhelming sense of anger and utter disbelief, I actually felt a bit sorry for the bloke.

Seven months later and his name is still not being sung. But I reckon if he walks around the pitch after Sunday’s game for the traditional end-of season lap of honour, he will get a decent reception.

He deserves it. I reckon respectful applause and appreciation could be coming his way from a decent majority.

I respect the way he has handled himself, the job he has done, his bottle and the dignity he has shown. He has managed the squad well through a potentially disastrous period.

On the flip side, that squad is so full of talent an 11-year-old would probably get a top-four finish and reach a final or two. Harsh but true.

I have been impressed by what he has done, but let’s not get carried away. The facts point to a more than decent job – but it’s not the stuff of miracles.

His greatest achievement is not winning the Europa League, it’s stopping the squad imploding and, more importantly, setting it up nicely for the new man.

Should Chelsea challenge for the Premier League next season then I reckon Rafa will rightly deserve great credit – that will be his legacy.

He got the team and club back on track. In that sense his appointment was a complete success.

Winning the Europa League was wonderful. But if you want to be picky, he only had to see off a couple of reasonable sides en route and a talented but very beatable Basel team in the semi-final.

Benfica were clearly a quality side. But it was not staggering tactical nous that got the Blues through, it was spirit, grit and togetherness. And our Euro luck obviously played a part.

Pro Rafa: great job, European trophy, stabilised the club, managed the squad well during an exhausting campaign and secured Champions League football.

Anti Rafa: Domestic cup failure, league failings, dodgy substitutions, strange tactics and inability/refusal to confront the fans’ issue from the outset.

Whatever your take – and I still maintain he should never have been appointed – the siege mentality seemed to work.

So thanks Rafa. You did a fine job with my club. You acted with dignity, you won a cup, helped get Frank his record and ensured a Champions League return.

We’ll dwell on the many positives. It’s very much appreciated. Nice one.

I actually quite warmed to you. And given what I and every Chelsea fan I know thought of you before, that is a pretty remarkable achievement.

And you didn’t do too bad out of it yourself either. I hear the Everton job is going? Remember that ‘small’ club?

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