The next few weeks and months are going to be tough for us all. Take care in what you do, who you mix with and just be sensible. Listen to the advice being given, especially relating to the elderly. They need looking after, of course they do but do so from a distance. Don’t put them at risk…
Ok I’ll admit it. Sky Sports are filling the sporting void pretty well. With the rain peeing down all day, a look back at some of the playoffs they showed made good viewing.
My local team Reading were involved in one, not a good one either as Brendan Rogers and his Swansea team got one over our old boy Brian McDermott. Ironic really as It was McDermott who replaced Rogers when Reading sacked him. After losing the playoff, Reading went on to win the Championship the following season. The best way to secure promotion because these playoffs look heartbreaking for the fans of the beaten team.
The whole playoff system seems stupid to me but of course, they suit the television companies and Wembley, the FA and whoever else gets line their deep pockets from them. But why is it that every league has a playoff for promotion, yet in the Premiership, the top four places are left as they are in terms of getting to play in the Champions League?
Can you imagine it though. The top two go straight into the Champions League with the next four placed clubs playing off for the last two places with the ‘losers’ going into Europa? I’m surprised the FA haven’t thought that extra money earning scheme?
What do you think about that idea then?
Arsenal did have a kind of playoff of their own a few years ago. It was the year one of Italy’s great dishes played its part. Lasagne.
Who could forget the 2005/06 season. Toots fans were suffering with nosebleeds with their team so high up the league and with ninety minutes plus added time away from a Champions League spot at our expense, the bragging rights rumbles had already begun on the white side of north London.
Arsenal had booked their place in the Champions League Final for the first time so could be forgiven for fielding a weakened team for the final game of the season but no, the day was too special for that.
Arsenal: Lehmann, Eboue, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Hleb (Van Persie 79), Fabregas, Silva, Pires (Ljungberg 74), Reyes (Bergkamp 79), Henry.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Djourou.
This was our final game at Highbury before our move to The Emirates, a move which would make us bigger and better. Yeah right!
Toots had to travel to West Ham, needing only to equal our result to secure that prestige 4th spot but on the morning of the game, a stomach upset ripped through their squad and they lost 2-1. All sorts of rumours followed regarding their food being tampered with but it was simply rotten luck I’m sure. Or rotten food. Lol
Anyway, with us thrashing Wigan and West Ham causing an upset, top four was ours. Taking part in the Champions League the following season had been secured. And yes, I mean take part because other than that 2005/06 season, we’ve never really competed. Facing Barcelona in Paris was never going to work for us though, not after going down to ten men against the club everyone barring Arsenal fans wanted to win.
Had we have beaten Barcelona, the end of our days at Highbury would have been perfect really. Especially having put the neighbours in their place. It’s a shame this current season looks like it’ll be ending prematurely because for the first time in a few years, I reckon we were on course to do the same this campaign.
Although probably not with a Champions League as the prize…
Catch up in the comments guys…
Good morning Rico, I like your idea of playoffs for the Champions League and Europa places.
They should provide some tasty matches at a time in the season when so many games are pointless and too many players are looking forward to their time on a Caribbean beach, or packing up ahead of their departure pastures new.
Gotta go, appointment at the G P surgery. Back later……I hope. 😉
Morning all from Costa Del Cornwall……………………try surviving in this heat Covid-19 bastard!
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Here`s an Idea!………or is it too simple!……….how about the Government issues rationing cards(did it in the war just ask Kev) for essential items such as hand sanitiser etc`, then people would only be allowed X amount per week and there would be no panic………..Oh and not forgetting toilet paper as I dont know how I would have a shit without it!
Love that final game against Wigan, the outcome for the Spuds was very arousing, especially with my Parrott singing ………..Fcuk off you S##rs!
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Morning all.
Our major supermarkets are opening for an hour each morning ONLY to our senior citizens.
Brilliant idea imo, as these are the poor buggers most at risk, and also who seem to be missing out on the essentials due to scumbags hoarding as if they’ll never see the light of day again 🙂
Our government is also giving all pensioners a cash payment of $750.00 to help them a little, so small but important steps.
Small businesses are also eligible to payments, and so they should be.
I know I’ll be suffering for a while as all glass comes from China, and at some stage the supply will slow or even stop!
I can’t believe governments have allowed us to be so bloody dependent on a single country!!
Morning Cicero, all.
Scott, excellent idea and it’s been mentioned here too but as always, we’re a bit slow to catch up. It’s the elderly I really feel sorry for…
Hi Rico, too many selfish arseholes stocking up on things, totally ignoring the fact that they’re creating the shortages and making things so hard to source.
It’s all about them, and it’s a joke.
There you go Scott , since the end of the last war as movement of goods and people has become more prevalent most capitalist economies have worked on the buy it cheap and sell it high principal. Whilst I am not completely against profit for entrepeneurs I have always believed that certain things should be kept in house.
Today we are told that major production companies are being requested to manufacture respirators and breathing equipment , the first things they say is where do we source the parts from ? Oh China ? ok.
Who is building our latest new sparkling electricity plants ? you’ve got it China . Who is providing our G5 and who is taking over British steel ? HS 2 high speed rail is hopelessly over budget and who is the knight in white armour coming over the hill to rescue things ? once again it’s China .
The worlds dependence on the Chinese has been allowed to creep up on the western world and until we all start to look after ourselves we will be held to ransom .
What a pleasure it was to visit my G P surgery. Only one person in the waiting area, I arrived at 8.45 for a 9.00am appointment, checked in and was immediately called in by the nurse, all smiles the blood sample was swiftly taken and I was on my way home before 9.00. NHS at it’s best!
Potter, Yep, and Nobody dares criticise China for their part in this current crisis!!!
Piss weak is how I’d describe a lot of the current national leaders, and the obvious one that stands up for his own country is laughed at.
Imagine that-a President/PM who dares out his/her own country above all else!!
The hide of the man 🙂
Had my bloods last week and went today at 8.40 for the results . Same result surgery empty in and out in 20 minutes and apparently my heart is happy and the respiratory system is fine so that’s my M.O.T. for this year . Hopefully I will be around for the next one.
Good to hear, Potter!!
Same old Scott. People can be so thoughtless.
Great point made Potter.
My GP surgery is shut….
Morning Rico and the House
Potter my Blood test wed then MOT
My GP has said she will phone me with results.
they dont want the old ones in the sugery.
I should add ther are 11 cases of the viorus in my postcode area.
It’s the way of the world today, Rico, unfortunately.
Brilliant, Rico.. especially the line about the spud fans having nosebleeds as their team were so high up the league!! 😄 love it!
What a beautiful day, well weather-wise, just been on a 5 mile walk with my dog. Lovely!
Do you get to the Madejski much? I’ve only been once, which was the 7-5 in the league cup – what a game! What a night!
That’s rough Rick , up here in sunny Norfolk we were completely free until the visitors arrived and holiday makers came back . Now I thinkt here are 4 in the county and 3 are about 60 miles away by road so that will be one hell of a sneeze.
Hi Rick, same here re GP, phone calls only.
Thanks Sue, not much re the Mad Stad but I was there for the 7-5 match, with my family, all Reading fans. They bombed me with texts at halftime but I had the last laugh on the journey home in the car.
Haha Rico, I bet that was a great journey home!! Bet they were all stunned! I had to sit amongst the Reading lot! Those last 2 goals we scored, the whole row I was in leapt up and cheered… and after Chamakh’s goal, the guy next to me ripped his shirt off to reveal his Arsenal top, needless to say he was removed! Was one of the best games I’ve been to!
Spooky Sue, I was sat with the Reading fans too, only way I could get in there.
Love your story and yes, a great game. After the final whistle blew.
Odd name for dog Sue, hope she lives up to it, that’s if she is a she. Here Lovely!!! Has a certain ring to it. 🐩
I collected my medication on Friday, there were posters up saying if you’ve been to Italy recently to contact 111.When I got the stuff home I noticed a label on the box – manufactured in Milan Italy…
😂😂😂 very good, Cicero… although sorry to disappoint you.. her name is Coco. I’m seriously going to have to word things differently when you’re about!!
Omg if things aren’t from Italy, they’re from China!! We’re doomed…….
Although a good idea to let the elderly( what age is elderly classed as?) go into the supermarket for an hour on their own, I`m not sure what good it will do as I was behind some in LIDL`s earlier and they took 2 hours to unload their trolley and pay at the till!
What breed Sue, lab or golden retriever? Lol
They were the exception though Lc. Perhaps that’s when staff could help out a bit.
What amazes me, saddens even, is that I can’t get a home delivery for the next three weeks from Sainsbury’s, Ocado or Waitrose for the next two weeks at least. So nor will the elderly should they be told to stay indoors.
She’s a staffy, Rico 😍
That’s ridiculous.. it’s all very well saying stop panic buying – yeah right like that’s going to happen – I noticed more and more things were out of stock last week… crazy goings on! Whatever next? Actually I hate to think…
It may not last Rico, but in my town there has been no queuing as seen on TV in some towns and Cities and lots of smaller buisnesses and many people are on social media offering their services to deliver and go out and buy goods for any elderly people who cannot get out.
We have a tight community here who will always help out without the reliance on government.
Maybe I`m too gullible to think the government could help out more if the situation gets more serious like postponing rates, mortgages, rent, water, gas, electric and any other bills etc etc!………………ludicrous as it may sound the Government has the power to do whatever it likes in exceptional circumstances as desperate times call for desperate measures and they just like when they can do a compulsary purchase order on peoples homes if they need a new motorway, airport etc they can force componies aswell with new emergency bills and powers etc`.
Love a staffy Sue, always feel they get bad press.
Sainsbury’s was empty this morning, no rice, pasta, potatoes, onions, nothing…
I had a phone call on Friday from my G P surgery asking if I had recently returned from abroad and was I feeling well generally. I relied that I haven’t been out of Norfolk for a month and I felt fine, They then said it was ok for me to attend the surgery for my appointment but if I felt unwell over the weekend I should phone them.. Very sensible precautions I thought.
We did the usual weekly shop this morning, many of the shelves were bare but we got all we needed with one exception, white bread flour, despite trying Aldi, Lidl and Sainsburys we were out of luck. Amazing what people were stocking up on, a guy in the checkout queue next to us had two trollies, one contained twenty-seven two litre bottles of water. One thing we are not short of in Norfolk is water.
Here is hideous Lc, just people panicking unnecessarily imo. All I can say is they must have big houses with all the stock people are buying. Lol
I couldn’t get harvest grain bread flour Cicero, but plenty of white. We should swap. 😂
Where the hell are people storing all these items, in an underground bunker?? It is crazy!! Saw online women fighting over toilet roll… people stealing toilet roll from shoppers having just left the shop! Bloody hell, be riots and looting next!!
The supermarkets are going to have to chain up the trollies and hide the baskets so customers can only buy what they can carry to the checkout.
Good old Norfolk,Bullards brewery in Great Yarmouth and the English whisky company already make their own hand sanitizers for in house use .
They have offered to up production for the NHS but are having trouble getting tax relief on the alcohol that they already have in abundance.
Source Eastern Daily Press .
Staff stealing from hospitals and care homes is the lowest of low. Catch them and sack them I say.
Highbury !!! … 93 years of memories !!!
I maintain the same opinion regarding the League decision
Potter I hope the hand sanitiser they produce is better than some of the beer they’ve turned out over the years. 😉
Having listened to the PM this evening, there’s no chance this football season will be finished. I wonder if the powers that be will open the transfer window early..
https://www.skysports.com/football/live-blog/11095/11958262/what-are-footballers-up-to-during-coronavirus-outbreak
Kolasinac looking mighty fine!
And the Mustafi picture is so cute, can’t stand that Tubes fella though, typical Chelsea fan, nauseating.
So we are expected to have non essential contact, no going to pubs or restaurents to avoid close gatherings and keep a safe distance of 2 metres away from people!…………….have you ever been to a supermarket and the person behind you in the checkout queue is 2 metres behind you?…………no, they are stuck to you like fcuking velcro!……….sometimes they are still fcuking stuck to me when I get in the car and drive away!
Hi Scott I agree with you about helping the elderly people I know its hard I have 2 disabled children one 18years old and the other 21 years old both attend scope Victoria, and we try to go shopping when our kids are there even then I have to watch the shopping trolley why my wife select what little is on the shelf as we had 1 lady try to pinch our shopping out of the shopping trolley make you think how hard was it during the 1st and 2nd world war to find healthy food.
by they way have they mentioned any thing yet about suspending greyhound racing or can you still race them at the moment.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1239660963776913412
What a goal
Great strike, great player and a great shame his career was ruined by injuries.
Morning Sue, all.
New post up now