https://twitter.com/_halfspaces/status/ ... Hl-CXnx61w
This is what Ramsdale has brought this year.

By my calculations he scored five...

Yes, early hours, a tad too much red and covid too much for my CSE level arithmetic. Having re-calculated I now fear we may get relegated...

Including one off his back when he got in the way of a shot. We could have done with him having that sort of luck for us.

What’s ‘snogging’ called these days?

That’s worth a smiley.

My gut is telling me Man Utd are the ones we will ultimately be fighting over for 4th. Our games in hand are very, very tough. Of the challengers for 4th they have the best squad. I know I shouldn't and its highly disrespectful but I just don't think West Ham will ulimately be in the mix. They may just end up proving me wrong and a middle finger if they get 4th but at this time I just see Man Utd, then Tottenham and then West Ham when May/June comes.

Something else I guess, perhaps simply ‘kissing’.

‘Snogging’ seems to be back there with ‘hip’ and ‘with it’ and ’groovy’ and ‘far out man’ and ‘square’.

What am I missing here? Everyone is saying that our three games in hand are the really tough ones.

Since we have 19 games left then why is it those particular three?

A reminder of the BBC pundits top 4 predictions from the start of the season. No idea what Jermain Beckford was smoking thinking Leicester would be in there at Liverpool's expense, but the rest backs up my thoughts that pretty much every pundit had a nailed on 4 teams for the top 4 - and we weren't even a footnote

Perhaps I’m better qualified to be a pundit than any of them?

Wolves have only conceded 2 goals 3 times in the league. They've not conceded more than 2 at all this season.

They last conceded 2 goals in a game 14 games ago. Only Palace, Villa and Brentford have scored 2 past them.

Thursday is a huge game. Win and we're 5 points head of them with a game in hand

Well, only because those 3 games v Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool are the 3 games we should have already played had they not been postponed.

Strange that none of the teams that have scored two against them are top sides.

These days the term "hooking up" seems to cover everything that starts with a S, ranging from shaking hands to sodomy

Fabian Ruiz is a name that has been floated that we're interesting in to bolster our midfield in the summer. left footed and quite brilliant. A definite upgrade on Xhaka (only 24 yellows and 2 reds in 250 career games for a start).

His contract will only have a year left to run with various outlets saying £16m would get him. That is probably 1/3rd of the price he was being rumoured to be available for a few summers ago. He'd be a steal at twice the price I think.

???

The point is that Spurs and United also have roughly the same number of games remaining against the top sides. So our games in hand really are games in hand.

(One of these Spurs sadly got 3 points for this weekend, so perhaps that counts as one less game in hand over them. If you want to think of it that way!)

That was my reading of it. The front half of our season seemed to be particularly top loaded with toughies.

Although as any season draws to a conclusion then lower teams suddenly start playing out of their skins.

https://twitter.com/DaleJohnsonESPN/sta ... cGyA3N6nZw

Not just the prem suffering from poor refs. This clean tackle was given a 2nd yellow card. Not even close. Aurelien Tchouameni is primed for a big move this summer.

This is crazy stuff, and shows how overrated Man Utd were going into the season. Half of these 'experts' didn't have Liverpool in the top three either. Absolutely mental.

On that note, I wonder if Burnley can do some damage to Spurs on Wednesday. They've had some good results and must be feeling a glimmer of hope.

I do remember both you and Bernard making this point, even before United got Ronaldo fever.

I hope so. Their new centre forward looks quite tasty.

I get that, but if the 3 games in hand are treated as 'free hits' then we'll still be 4 points behind Man U. Ultimately the 4 most crucial games we have left are the home games v Wolves and Man U and the away games v Spurs and West Ham. If we win those 4 then we'd only have ourselves to blame if we don#t get top 4 as we'd have thrown it away

I'm mildly optimistic. We seem to be more consistent than our rivals against the lower teams, which is where the bulk of our remaining games lie. Spurs and United--who have brilliant matchwinners (like Kane) but are less cohesive--are the kind of sides than can beat or lose to anyone on their day.

Aren’t pecks on the cheek kissing? Would have thought something a bit more passionate with the use of tongues would have some sort of slang name.

I agree. I listed the remaining games Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and West Ham had against each other plus City, Liverpool and Chelsea the other day and from memory they all had five left, with the same number at home and away. Sure, Tottenham have now played City away, and sadly won it. But I think our games in hand should be seen as just that.

Ref klaxon warning! Martin Atkinson will take charge of Arsenal v Wolves.
We’ve received a red card or conceded a penalty in every game he’s officiated this season, and he’s handed out more cards to Arsenal than any other team (as have most refs probably )

I'm resigned to the probable fact Xhaka will be like Mustafi and Denilson and end up playing more games than their lack of talent suggestst they should for a club like us.

...Xhaka isn't as bad as the aforementioned but he should be a back up, not a starter. Especially with our status and ambitions.

Yes I wondered that too, but as I can't count properly I was a bit wary of asking. 19 games left? This Hoy variant is running wild...

Ha ha. It must be catching.

15 games. Oops.

Well I wish him the best in Denmark.

Hope it goes well Old Man. Keep yer pecker up!

So do I Zed - wholeheartedly. In my view he was second only to Cesc in terms of the talent that has emerged in the Prem period. I’m not just talking about The Arse. Not sure there’s been an England-qualified player with more potential to emerge in the last 20 years.

Jack is a stunningly talented player who has been brought down by injuries. It’s actually quite tragic, not just for us but for England. He should have been ruling the roost for both.

I get that he’s not right for Arsenal. But I am astonished that he has had to go to Denmark to get a game.

To me he still has potential DHD. He's only 30 and has maybe 4-5 years left, depending on any future injuries. Doubt he'll get England call up again.

Better to have a new club than none at all. Even if he went to an MLS club, it would be a chance to play again.

Can’t be that much of a shock. Bournemouth and a serie B club in Italy decided againest offering him a contract . People suggesting we should have picked him were so wide of the mark. I’m slightly surprised that someone like Leyton Orient didn’t offer him a gig.

I have a feeling you will see an unsuccessful stint there with a handful of games then a retirement. Such a shame, career ruined by injury really

https://twitter.com/philipNo10/status/1 ... jM3vgSQ1ZQ
Not to labour the point about McTominey the other night but this is a late barge and contact with the head. In rugby you get sin binned, red carded or sanctioned for these sorts of things.
McTominey is a player who does like to get stuck in, he's a big lad as well, I don't think he gets the cards his actions on the pitch deserve and we've seen how this ends. Refs are there to protect the players as well as officiate the game, letting this sort of thing go continuously unchecked will lead to more serious injury - as if this kind of head injury might not be serious enough in itself.