Abacus

Just realised I'd forgotten to panic about Norwich getting out of it. I'm back up to a 7.

If ever we win the league, I look forward to all the lucky results being disallowed by the eagle-eyed RTG Pools Panel, thus proving we didn't.

You're allowed to draw a foul. There's nothing even unsportsmanlike about it, it's just another way of beating your opponent. Grealish did it all the time for Villa. I was chuffed for Wood - had a few decent touches prior to that too. He does seem better playing it on the deck than as a header-merchant.

Oxford level. I imagine Sunderland fans are chanting is this a library? But they'll be genuinely asking.

I'm still not exactly a fan, but thought he had a decent game last night. I think it's pretty impressive that he's gone from a liability to someone quite dependable recently. That has to be credit to Howe. With Joelinton, it turns out he needed a whole different position. With Krafth, he's managed to get performances out of someone playing in the same position - a position that from all previous evidence I didn't think he was capable of playing in. Nice work.

That was a £25m penalty right there, at least.

Be great if Graeme Jones turned up and photo-bombed it.

It was quite an achievement when they finally won at new Wembley to win a pizza.

We're 7 points clear of the relegation zone, have 5 teams below us and with arguably our best player to come back from injury. My main takeaway from last night's game was how truly dreadful both teams were, there's not much to fear from either. Both would snap your hand off to trade places with us. Famous last words, but I really do think it's between those two for the last relegation spot. With just a point between them, a better looking run in, and an experienced manager, I think I'd rather be in Burnley's shoes than Everton's right now.

The Fry Who Loved Me.

Found his training plan; 10am - Introductions 10.15 - General banter 10.45 - Lap of the pitch 11.00 - Tea and biscuits 11.15 - Let's play! 11.45 - More banter 12.00 - Tombola 12.10 - Steves to bring the cones in 12.15 - Lunch 12.45 - Siesta

"Pre-season is going to be crucial,” Bruce said. “I’m going to set up a training camp, maybe Portugal. I’ve done it before – I’ve set up a training camp so that they can have a holiday. “From 10am to 1pm they’re still ours, rather than coming to the training ground where there’s nobody here for five-and-a half weeks." So...he's set up a training camp so the team can have a holiday? And, this is better than them going to the training ground whilst there's nobody there (i.e. because he isn't there because he is on holiday)? Meticulous. I also assume those 3 hours of training include lunch.

Exile mentions Yemen on twitter. Frank Drebin is also impressed.

Despite the drubbing we just had, we end the weekend the same distance away from the bottom 4, but with everyone having one less game to play. So we're arguably better off than when we started. Still think we'll finish above both of these. That means, like a typical blinkered optimistic fan, I can be upbeat about it however Wednesday goes. A draw and we're the same distance above the bottom 3, with both sides having lost a game in hand and having dropped 2 points they'd probably both be counting on. An Everton loss, and they're still 6 behind us with only one game in hand and a rough looking run-in. Plus, it would be quite funny to see them go down, as they're surely the least equipped for the drop. A Burnley loss and they're ten points behind us with only one game in hand. Their run in looks better than ours, but losing a 'winnable' game like this could well knock them out for the count. Wouldn't miss their style of football either. So, I'm just looking forward to it really. Either one or both of them are dropping points whichever way you slice it.

I don't know what's happened. He was banging them in against Fiji.

I personally think that HBA's touch and technique was on a different planet to anything else I've seen. That's not to take away from St Max or anyone else, I just don't think there's anyone he can really be compared to. Scored two of the best goals I've ever seen in person at SJP, but probably only comparable only to St Max in that there's a buzz around the stadium whenever either picked up the ball, and that's kind of why you go. But ultimately, HBA was a supreme talent either without the will to succeed or badly mismanaged. Or a bit of both.

Ooof! Cracking goal. Hopefully they get a pummelling and making our game vs Spurs a free hit.

Very much enjoyed the Sun's headline on England's World Cup draw. "It's Iranian men! Hallelujah!" That should be played before their every match instead of their normal theme tune.

Hi marra, what university is this dissertation for?

That's what I thought. But (from media reports anyway) the case does link to the removal of SD signage from the ground and part of the defence seemed to be that the club had received no sponsorship money from SD, so I wondered if it wasn't quite as clearcut in separation of the club from PCP. Especially as PCP are directors and apparently under a management contract to run the club day to day, including making executive decisions like removing the signs. I don't know, obviously, this isn't my area - it just seemed a bit of a coincidence to me is all, hence why I chucked it in as a possibility.

Anyhow, I am wondering about this lack of sponsorship announcements, as that's one of the key ways we can grow. Wondering whether they need to resolve the Ashley legal case first, or if we have them lined up but need to get them past the PL's new tests, or are waiting to confirm for certain what league we're in next year first. Or, maybe a combination of those.

Mate, honestly, that was a joke and I've seen it dozens of times here and elsewhere. Let's say someone buys a new kettle. You'll then get someone saying "Look at me, look at me, I have boiling water. Pathetic". As if having access to boiling water is some kind of luxury thus making the person actually saying it the real butt of the joke, so really nothing to take personally. It's a deliberate over-reaction to something quite mundane for comic effect. Look at me, look at me, trying to explain jokes. Pathetic.

The only way they make money off Chelsea is an ESL style arrangement, where their 'big name' means that they're guaranteed a part of the Champions League pot in perpetuity. So expect to see that idea, or a variation of it, coming back fast. But even with that TV money already, they were already losing about £75m a year. And then of course we're heading for a global recession where TV ad money isn't going up forever. Wouldn't be surprised to see a few other US owners realise this and bail out.

I liked it when they abused Keith Downie for missing the big scoop of the last transfer window. Which was when a silly fat DJ broke into their training ground to announce the breaking world news signing of the pensioner Jermaine Defoe to their seaside non league shanty town. I bet Keith feels a right wally now.

Big. Bigger. Biggest. Then there's joint biggest. (And that's grammarramatically correct.)