That’ll be the end of the weirdest football season ever, then.
It’s been a proper journey. And we finished 9th in the toughest league in the world.
Amazing.
Bring on the goosebumps. Maybe the odd tear.
It’s been a difficult last few weeks to the campaign, but overall, I couldn’t be prouder.
Here’s a thing I spotted on Twitter today (I have lost where from though).
I’m not claiming that it’s the be-all and end-all of the traffic problems that major cities around the world face, but it might go some way to sorting them out.
I don’t have the figures in front of me (or anywhere else either, actually), but I would imagine that bought shit does mean more trucks on our roads. Therefore, stopping buying shit should also mean fewer trucks.
It all makes sense. So there you have it, if you don’t like trucks, simply stop buying shit.
Problem solved.
Baxter Dury had the 6000 miles… Album Of The Year title all wrapped up for 2020.
Then came lockdown, and the effects of lockdown. I know that feeling.
And suddenly, a new challenger approaches: it are Doves, with their first new release in 11 years.
And the first two tracks from The Universal Want are very special. We’ve already had a look and listen at Carousels. Now, here’s Prisoners:
Sure, two tracks out of ten doth not a summer make, but the signs are very good, aren’t they?
Now firm date for release just yet, but I’m looking forward to this in exactly the same way that Baxter probably isn’t.
I’m about to walk the beagle in the sunshine, but I did want to put this quick prediction out before tomorrow.
As described above, some pubs in England re-opened today. Some people thought that this was not a good idea, that it wasn’t the right time, that people would abuse the privilege.
Well, there’s never going to be a right time, and some people will abuse the privilege, and those are the images that we’ll see in the newspapers and all over social media this weekend.
None of this sort of thing, illegal until just this morning:
Because that doesn’t fit the narrative.
There’s already been condemnation that the Government allowed pubs “to open from 6am”. No-one cared to expand that they was because they told pubs that they couldn’t open at midnight.
If you don’t want to go to a pub, don’t go.
I’m not going to a pub.
You choose.
But it’s like:
Only by forcing people to make the right choice can we have freedom to make our own decisions.
But don’t tar everyone with the same brush.
Pub owners (already a dying breed) have worked hard and spent a lot of money getting their businesses ready for today. Please don’t join in with the rabble and undermine their efforts or their right to earn a living.
Mixed feelings (did you see the title of the post?) after last night’s football.
Happy (that’s the first bit) to see the return of Premier League football, albeit in weird, unsettling circumstances. And happy to get our first game out of the way: a wholly lacklustre affair at an empty Villa Park.
Not Happy, though (second bit now) about the goal that never was:
Just look at all those faces They know. All of them.
Clumsy, sure. Messy, maybe. Maybe undeserved, even. But they all count.
Or usually they do, anyway.
But despite the fact that this was way over the line, the technology didn’t pick it up.
Why?
Hawk-Eye (the company responsible for the goal line technology) later told us:
“During the first half of Aston Villa v Sheffield United match at Villa Park, there was a goal line incident where the ball was carried over the line by Aston Villa goalkeeper, No. 25 Nyland.
“The match officials did not receive a signal to the watch nor earpiece as per the Goal Decision System (GDS) protocol. The seven cameras located in the stands around the goal area were significantly occluded by the goalkeeper, defender, and goalpost. This level of occlusion has never been seen before in over 9,000 matches that the Hawk-Eye Goal Line Technology system has been in operation.
“The system was tested and proved functional prior to the start of the match in accordance with the IFAB Laws of The Game and confirmed as working by the match officials. The system has remained functional throughout. Hawk-Eye unreservedly apologises to the Premier League, Sheffield United, and everyone affected by this incident.”
Quite why it wasn’t then referred to VAR, no-one really knows, but that’s only fuelled the number of conspiracy theories going around about this which are now rivalling 5G, the moon landings (or lack of them) and Bill Gates inserting vaccine chips (or whatever) in all of us.
For this morning at least.
Because if that extra point keeps Villa up, it will cost another club tens of millions of pounds. And if those two lost points means that we don’t make the Champions League this season, that will cost us tens of millions of pounds.
Perennial Premier League favourites Man United will be chuffed though. Just saying.
Such are the implications and fine margins* of modern day football.
Of course, all this can be sorted out immediately by using the “definitive replay”. Because the goalie and the defender (and all the other players) can be removed from that image:
Sooo… Even if they were in the way, they won’t be once that is released.
When it is released. Then we’ll know. Any time now. Coming soon.
…
…
…
If, of course, it was switched on. *cough*
Onward. Upward. Newcastle on Sunday.
* this one wasn’t very fine