Q&A with Letter of the Weekend winner Dinesh Bora

When and why did you start supporting Chelsea?

Well I wouldn’t say I am a life long supporter of Chelsea but it started after the 2006 World Cup which piqued my interest in football. I decided to look up the players who had played in the tournament and found that a few of the top players had played for a Premier League side named Chelsea.

I was curious, who were they and were they any good? I later found out they had won 2 consecutive league titles and had spent alot of money buying many of their players.

It finally came down to a process of elimination. I decided against Arsenal and Liverpool because I thought they simply weren’t that good and that Manchester United were a club on the decline (and how wrong I was!). So I chose Chelsea and have been a supporter ever since.

Who is your favourite player and why?

My favourite player is Michael Ballack. Although he has not been at his best since leaving for Stamford Bridge after the World Cup, I have been fan of the Germany team and was impressed with his performances in the World Cup despite carrying an injury. I also love his goals, especially the one against Austria in Euro08.

What was the worst football game you have ever watched, and why?

Since this question does not confine me to Chelsea matches, I’d have to say the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final second leg (last year) where Singapore took on Vietnam.

I was frustrated at how Singapore wasted their chances to put the match beyond doubt (which they could have been 5-0 up) like Chelsea in recent matches. I thought they deserved to be knocked out by the Vietnam team.

Do you think Guus Hiddink can help save Chelsea’s season?

Yes I think he can ,the Dutchman is very talented and is famous for turning under-achieving teams into top teams. I do not expect him to win every or any of the competitions Chelsea are still in but he might get some silverware if he does his job really well and of course, a spot in the top two of the Premier League.

Which clubs do you think will end up in the top four positions (and in which order) at the end of the season, and why?

1st Manchester United
2nd Chelsea
3rd Liverpool
4th Aston Villa

No matter how much I hope it will happen, Manchester United are not going to drop 9 – 10 points even if they have to play Liverpool and Arsenal again but the matches are at Old Trafford where the result will be a United win. Liverpool are not likely to remain 2nd for long as they crack from the pressure of regaining top spot and will fall to 3rd.

And sorry Arsenal supporters, but your team has done very badly this season even if they have beaten the Devils and the Blues this season, they slip up against smaller teams like Hull and Stoke.