Sciatika

Much as I'd like it to, I don't think it works like that. All we can say is that we were the sixth-best team in the league and that we had a better second half of the season than the first. What we have to do is get off to a really good start next time, try not to drop any points for the first half-dozen games (which will be very hard), and then see where it goes from there.

I liked Gus Hiddink

VAR league table: Which club has been wronged most – and who has benefited (archive.ph)

I've said it before, but let's take a punt on Elijah Adebayo as a backup to Jackson. He is 1.93m tall, strong, and good disciplinary record. He has managed 10 goals in 32 games in his first term in the Prem in a weak Luton side. Given Chelsea's additional creativity, I'd expect him to get more. He had an injury this term, but only the odd issue in previous seasons in the Championship. Goals Assists Played Goals per 90 Mins per Goal Total Shots Conversion Accuracy 10 0 32 0.54 167 30 33% 53% He is 26 and his last contract was in 2023, so probably a couple of years left. Transfermarkt says his contract value is about €12.00m, but they always underestimate it. Luton has been relegated, so he might be amenable to a move especially given various incidents in the past while playing for them. More, think of the income the club would get from having his full name on their shirt - "Elijah Anuoluwapo Oluwaferanmi Oluwatomi Oluwalana Ayomikulehin Adebayo"

Mikel Arteta considers what he is going to say to the Mysterons (aka Arsenal fans).

There were a whole bunch of decisions in the first half that I have no idea why they were made. Why was Cucurella booked? How is missing the ball and treading on Conor's foot not a foul? There were moments when bodies were strewn across the pitch, and play would be signalled to continue only to be stopped because one player leaned into another slightly. Were we going back to a previous foul, or did something occur that was not visible in the replay? Players were pulled back, and the foul was given the wrong way. Did I miss something? It was absolutely bizarre.

No Solanke?

U21 side lost away to Spurs U21 in the semifinal 2-1 with a 90+4 minute goal. Bit disappointing for the kids.

Cesc Fabregas and Ron Harris were visiting training this week. A strange combination.

Ramirez is so strong.

It might be that Emma has run out of places on the bench. She has to consider needing attacking players who might be needed for goal difference.

4-2-3-1 I think with Carter at RB and Cat just behind Mayra in the 3 with Reiten left and Kaneryd right.

It's not a deal I would have done. I have already said that I think we should be concentrating on PSR. Having said that, I often wonder about the motivations of so-called ITKs, or do I mean low-grade journalists? These people want to be noticed. Integrity is not high on their agenda. It is in their interest to inflate fees as much as possible because that way, people quote them raising their profile. There is almost no jeopardy because even when a deal is agreed upon, the actual values are rarely disclosed, and no one bothers to see how accurate those reporters were in the past. Agents, players, clubs and even fans collude in it. Agents want to be seen to get the best deals so they can sign up more players. Players want to be seen as more valuable than they are. Clubs want to be seen as big, swinging d**ks who "do the big deals", and fans want evidence that they have the "best" club that spends money on the "best" players. For fans, it's the hope that kills you off. If the player does not live up to the inflated fee (which they have nothing to do with, and even if they did, it may not be right), the fans see them as having no value rather than having lower value.

According to Teamtalk, the deal is worth £26m plus add-ons.

EA SPORTS 2023/24 Player of the Season nominees (premierleague.com) Is that the award you are thinking of? Why is VVD on there?

He was, Along with Foden. Haaland, Isak, Odegaard, Rice, van Dijk and Watkins.

In my perfect world, Sheffield United would win 1-0 with a shot in the 93rd minute would bounce off the post and go in off Romero's backside. Or alternatively, a throw back to the goalkeeper goes in because the Spurs keeper is having a drink

It's not the same game for various reasons, especially biological ones. The rules are the same, but the manner of play is different. Women have less pace, are not as physically strong, have less stamina, are less mobile and so on. Put another way, they are not evolved to hunt for prey, to be able to accelerate and turn quickly. However, women are better than men at some things. For instance, while women are not as good at sprints, they are better at the kind of long-distance running in races that take days. Physically, their pelvis is a different shape along with innate differences to the shape of the spine that are needed to carry and give birth to babies. Women tend to take fewer risks than men because of the effects of male hormones on the brain. In the men's case, this creates another evolutionary advantage. The loss of a few men makes little difference to the success of the human community and so risk-taking is an advantage to the collective. Women are often better at being able to deal with pain (again childbirth). A myriad of differences mean that women play the game slightly differently. That doesn't make the women's game less enjoyable, as long as you don't expect them to play the same way the men do. Most importantly, it is competitive because they are all in the same boat. The competition is the most important thing.

I don't understand this. The Strasbourg squad's average age is 24.4, while Perrin is 25. Eight outfield players are older than Perrin, and there are only two under 20. Both are 19.

The foul by Pedro (or rather the second foul) was given and taken by Chalobah. People like Pedro get up my nose. They commit endless little niggles, treading on people's feet, grabbing and pushing and so on. Then, when you push back, they pretend to be the victim. It's not quite the same, but my strategy in 6-a-side is to 'ease' them into the concrete wall at speed.

Does anyone know where we are with Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia?

I have been accused of being a tad optimistic recently, not without some justification. However, I would like to point out that I am not the Chelsea fan on Reddit who suggested that we might still get into the top four and qualify for CL next season. He argued that Spurs could lose to Sheffield and Villa lose to Palace, placing us fifth if we beat Bournemouth. So far, so good, but then they thought that Villa might get a large deduction for PSR breaches, leaving us fourth. Even I am not that optimistic.