Source: SKY_Sports
Cech named top Czech
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has been named the Czech Republic's player of the year for 2008.[LNB] The Blues shot-stopper has now been named as his country's top performer on two occasions - the previous time coming in 2005.[LNB]He beat off competition from Juventus legend Pavel Nedved, who finished as runner-up, and Atletico Madrid defender Tomas Ujfalusi, who took third, to take the crown.[LNB]"Thanks to everyone who voted for me," Cech said on his personal website.[LNB]"Those people must have rated my performances over the course of the whole year and not just the unlucky match against Turkey."[LNB]Cech is referring to a fixture during the group stages of Euro 2008 when a rare handling mistake on his part saw the Turks progress to the quarter-finals of the competition at the Czech Republic's expense.[LNB]SluggishThe towering shot-stopper has made few mistakes of that calibre since, but has been unable to help Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table.[LNB]The Blues continue to trail Manchester United by four points in the title race, with a 1-0 defeat against capital rivals Tottenham on Saturday doing them no favours.[LNB]"We missed a great opportunity to close the gap on Manchester United. There are no excuses though," said Cech.[LNB]"We simply failed in the game. We were sluggish and until about the 60th minute we could not get into a good tempo.[LNB]"Then we had several chances, pushed Tottenham into their own half, but they survived thanks to a good performance from (Heurelho) Gomes."[LNB]
