Two men answered their critics in the best possible way in the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool last night at Stamford Bridge.

Didier Drogba has taken a great deal of criticism over the last few days. He has been heavily criticised by just about everyone from Rafa Benitez through to the likes of me. Last night he did his best to answer those critics. He did this by simply doing what he does best. He put the ball in the back of the net on two occasions and took Chelsea through to their first ever Champions League final.

In doing so, surely we can all now believe in Avram Grant as the manager for this team. He took over from the 'special one' to the dismay of most at Stamford Bridge and the slight amusement of many others. He has always believed he had the ability to succeed. In fact, Avram Grant has now achieved what Jose Mourinho never did. His team fought and scrapped until they had nothing else to give. They have reached the final of the Champions League.

It is hard for many people to acknowledge Grant as being a worthy successor to Mourinho, but his performance of leading Chelsea to be joint leaders of the Premiership with two games left and having a place in the Champions League Final, is surely more than enough to begin to convince the doubters.

So after all the criticism these two men have taken in the recent past, I'm sure the feelings of excitement and joy in the Grant and Drogba households this morning are just that little bit more special.

In the next three weeks Avram Grant may well take Chelsea to an historic double. We should remember that the team he took over earlier in the season were struggling to find any form. Anyone who saw Chelsea's home draw with Rosenborg shortly before Mourinho's departure would never have believed they would find themselves in the final.

So I think Messrs Drogba and Grant deserve all the credit they will get for last night's achievement. It must be a great feeling to prove so many people wrong.

Tuesday 29th April was a very sad day for football in England. Forget Manchester United beating Barcelona in the epic encounter at Old Trafford. I'm talking about the alleged woeful, terrible and despicable decision of Manchester City owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, to relieve Sven Goran Eriksson of his duties at the end of this season.

This is a decision that defies logic and belief and should rightly send shock waves around the world of Premier League football. I believe that there must be a backlash against this ridiculous demand for immediate success. Manchester City will finish ninth at worst at the end of the season. They have completed the double over Manchester United and have improved considerably on last season.

Sven Goran Eriksson has done an excellent job at the City of Manchester Stadium and deserves a pay rise, not the sack!

It is easy for me as a non Manchester City fan to say this, but I really hope that City supporters get together to demand a rethink from the owner or take drastic action such as boycotting games if he doesn't.

The Premier League is being taken further and further away from the fan on the street and this decision is just a decision too far. It must be reversed and we must regain control over our national game from the money men who simply don't understand football.

I don't remember ever being quite so disgusted on hearing the ridiculous actions taken by an owner of a club. The man quite obviously doesn't have a clue. I was no major Sven fan when he was in charge of England but his club record is second to none and he has been doing a fine job of sorting things out at City.

We are always hearing about 'Player power'. It would be nice to see that used by the City players in support of their manager.

Come on footy fans, let's do what we can to bring the game back to reality.

Not many teams concede six goals in a game in the English Premier League. In fact, nobody managed to get more than four against my beloved Watford last season, and only Chelsea and Manchester United managed that.

Last night's 6-2 defeat at home to Arsenal was the fourth time Derby had shipped six goals in a game this season after Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool had all managed the feat before. West Ham and Arsenal, in the game at the Emirates, had put five past them and Tottenham and Manchester United hit four. Even Championship side Preston scored four against them in the FA Cup.

With just two games to go Derby sit with eleven points and only one win all season. They have conceded eighty-two goals in their thirty-six games and scored only nineteen. They need four points from their last two games to equal the worst ever points tally in the Premier League and they are just not going to get them. They travel to Blackburn next, which will probably be a damage limitation exercise, and then entertain Reading, who might be fighting in that game for survival. I don't see Derby picking up another point.

So the question is, was it worth getting promotion? The exhilaration felt by the staff, players and fans after their play-off final success last May was unrestrained. It was what everyone at the club had worked for and dreamt of. They knew it would be tough in the top league and in reality, they may well have expected to suffer relegation. They would certainly have expected a relegation battle.

What they wouldn't have expected was the total humiliation that the season has been. The club are going down with a healthier bank balance and a decent manager, but it will be a remarkable performance if they can turn things around sufficiently next season in the Championship to recover from this season and mount a serious challenge to come back.

This season in with the big boys could have done horrible long term damage to the club. You only have to look at the big clubs at the lower end of the Championship to see that any exit from the Premier League can be enormously damaging, let alone one so ignominious as the one Derby have suffered.

I truly hope that Derby can regroup in the summer and put this last season down to experience and move on. They have a good fan base, a fine stadium and a well respected manager. The first few games of next season will be absolutely crucial and will be key to the club's short and medium term future.

I hope they can recover quickly but I do fear for them.

Just when everything seemed to be going well for Manchester United and they were being rightly acclaimed as worthy champions and potential Champions League winners, just about anything that could possibly have gone wrong on Saturday, went wrong at Stamford Bridge.

It wasn't simply that they lost although that was bad enough for them, it was the manner of the defeat and all the baggage that went with it.

For whatever reason, Manchester United failed to turn up for the first half. Chelsea dominated the game and went in at half time with a deserved 1-0 lead and probably should have had the game wrapped up already. United couldn't keep the ball and seemed intent on proving that they could play the 'long ball game' every bit as well as Chelsea. They can't.

The reds were then handed a lifeline through an horrendous error by Ricardo Carvalho. How glad I was that I'd written an article earlier that day describing Carvalho as 'magnificent'.

Wayne Rooney took his chance with style and it looked as though United would get the draw they required. A late penalty by Michael Ballack following a Carrick handball gave Chelsea the three points and although the visitors finally found some attacking quality and created a couple of good chances, it would have been a travesty if they had got anything from the game.

If it was only a poor performance and a defeat that Sir Alex had to contend with I'm sure he could deal with it. Two wins against West Ham and Wigan and they are champions after all. But there was so much more that went wrong.

Nemanja Vidic was injured again, taking a blow from Drogba's knee that would have knocked out a mere mortal! Wayne Rooney hobbled off and never looked comfortable. The behaviour of the players on the pitch was questionnable as they constantly surrounded and harrassed the referee Alan Wiley.

The penalty decision was hotly disputed by the players on the pitch and after the game and by Sir Alex and his staff afterwards. I have seen the incident several times now and I don't understand their arguments. It was handball. Simple as that.

After the game Rio Ferdinand kicked a wall in anger and accidentally kicked a female steward in the process. He has apologised and the steward has accepted the apology. Hopefully that will be the end of that incident.

On the pitch after the game the Manchester United substitutes were involved in some sort of scuffle with the Chelsea ground staff. The FA have requested the CCTV footage of the incident.

All in all this was not a glorious day in what has been a great season so far for Sir Alex and his team. They have just two days to recover and prepare for the visit of Barcelona. I hope that Saturday was a 'one off' and United's season doesn't unravel before our eyes at the very end.

Thierry Henry has had a difficult time since his move from Arsenal to Barcelona. At the Emirates he was a hero. He was the big star and he could do no wrong. In English football he was regarded as one of the best, if not the best.

At Barcelona he became one among many superstars. He needed to impress a whole new set of fans, a new set of players and a new football nation. So far, he has failed in that task.

So does Henry regret his move from the safety of Arsenal to the difficulties at Barcelona?

The answer is no. He has said this, "I don't regret stuff in my life. Stuff happens for a reason. You don't regret stuff that you thought about. I don't regret it."

But then again, he said this, "But England... I watch every game that I see on TV. I was watching Stoke City versus Crystal Palace. I will always miss it. There has been since I arrived here a lot of speculation from day one but, hey, go back where? There's only one team for me in my heart. It took me a while to understand what that club, Arsenal, meant."

No, he is happy, he said this, "People who know me will tell you, I'm the same in training, I'm the same in life - I cannot act. If I'm not happy, I'm not happy."

Or is he? He said this, "But there's only one team in England for me. Everybody knows the love and affection I have for Arsenal. I was so into it, I became a fan."

Come on Thierry how do really feel? "I'm happy - I don't regret leaving Arsenal."

Ok so that's settled then. You are definitely, totally happy? "Everybody knows the love and affection I have for Arsenal. I was so into it, I became a fan."

I'm glad Thierry has cleared that up for all of us because before that interview he did with the BBC I was unsure as to whether he regretted his move or not.