Tomatina time is on the cards for Rafa and Blues

WE'RE winding our way towards the end of the season and if you cannot get too enthused about the Uefa Under-12 championships or whatever is supposed to quell our thirst for the beautiful game this summer, then it is understandable if one looks towards their holidays.

What better than some sun to get over the absence of a World Cup or Euros and I've had the idea to pop along to the Spanish city of Bunol.

It's a sleepy place that comes to life once a year when it's Tomatina time.

Then it's open season. The population spills out into the streets and throws tomatoes at each other for an afternoon.

But then I thought why do I have to go to Spain when no doubt we'll be able to watch a similar event down the King's Road in west London.

For surely all those Chelsea diehards will be out in force to throw tomatoes at Rafa Benitez when he celebrates the capture of the Europa League with the obligatory open-top bus parade.

I can't quite get what Rafa the Gaffer has done this season to ruffle the feathers of the Stamford Bridge loyalists so much.

It's not his fault his name isn't Mourinho.

And it's difficult to listen to Ray Wilkins on Sky lambasting him at every opportunity when it was only a while ago, shortly after Butch was sacked as Chelsea assistant manager, that he admitted he didn't know why Didier Drogba took the Blues' corners.

I have no doubt that Rafa's boys, even without John Terry, will get the job done against Benfica on Wednesday.

And then everyone will be heading to the greengrocers and getting the district line to Fulham Broadway.