I’m not. I’m basing it on every single player judged across every game this season and their overall play and contribution for the entire season. Saka wins hands down for me

Simeone take Atletico to top of La Liga. Emery's yellow subs finish 7th place. Have it all to play for Weds.

Saka for me, player of the season

Congratulations Atletico Madrid!

Pépé has been very effective and I'm really looking forward to him taking it to another level next season.

But Saka still takes it for me.

As I’ve said, Saka is my player of the season. But “hands down”? I think that’s over the top. He’s had a number of poor games. Certainly more poor games than Tierney.

I’m pleased for them. If I have a favourite Spanish team, it’s probably Atletico Madrid. As I’ve highlighted before, it represents one hell of a turnaround for them. Last season when they had Partey the top three were Real Madrid first with 87 points, Barcelona second with 82 points and Atletico third with 70 points. This season without Partey the top three were Atletico first with 86 points (an increase of 16 from their total last season), Real second with 84 points (a fall in 3 points from their total last season), and Barcelona third with 79 points (a drop in 3 points from their total last season).

Sure, Real and Barcelona both dropped 3 points from last season. But the big turnaround was Atletico winning 16 more points than they did last season. I’m not saying selling Partey explains Atletico’s improvement. But it certainly coincided with it.

Not that I follow La Liga very closely, but the addition of Luis Suarez might have been more of an influence than the subtraction of Partey.

Interesting list. Heard of these clubs but not in this manner.

I suspect you’re right. If you are, what a signing Suarez has been.

Steve Bould has been sacked

Mertesacker wielding the axe

Edit: I’ve missed the obvious pun there.

Could he be the reason why Arteta kept sidelining the promising youth players? Was Bould trying to divide their allegiance?
I take this as positive news for the future of the club. Eliminates unnecessary distractions while Arteta re-builds the team.

Wow. That's big news. I assume we'll have a litany of rumours an such as to why. Hodd may know but may not wish to say why, which we'll have to respect for obvious reasons.

Bould's stature within the club makes this a huge thing. Remains to be seen the fallout.

The U23’s that he managed only avoided relegation on the final game of their season with a 90th minute equaliser I think. You’d have to think the sack is only performance related.

Europe explained for next season

I’ve read verbal explanations of it several times in recent weeks and found it too confusing.

That diagram makes it clear at last.

However I’m one of the old school who believes that falling out of one competition into another is a nonsense.

Granted we've had very fine youth squads but with the senior squad underperforming as well, it seems a bit harsh. It's one season. Or has it been on decline for a while?

It just seems harsh to me. Maybe not to anyone else. I assume he's got a good core of players to do better but still...hmm...still seems harsh and the question begs, is it more than performance?

May very well be but...

American politics and the political parties have devolved to the point that they are no longer able to conduct regular business of the country. They disagree on just about everything. Literally, even when they agree on something (infrastructure spending), the opposition party will scuttle the President in power. Trump was right to want massive infrastructure spending. So was Obama before him and and so is Biden now.

The only thing both parties will agree on? Staying in Afghanistan. The polls say the masses of both parties want us out. 20 years is more than enough. However, the Congresspersons of both parties have criticized Biden's move. Obama campaigned on getting us out, Trump did as well, Biden did as well.

The push back is also coming from the Generals. Why? The question begs. Money. The military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned the American people about 60 years ago is at its most powerful.


There are all sorts of companies with their fingers in that pie. Yes, the big defense companies are well known: Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed, etc. But many people don't know that toy manufacturer Mattel was in that industry during the Vietnam war. Airline maker Boeing, Rolls Royce gets about a quarter of its income from defense. Many of these defense companies are 'blue' states. These companies provide 1000s of jobs and put a lot of money into the coffers of politicians running for office. So, they have their bases covered. The most progressive Congressman or Senator have fought a President on leaving Afghanistan. The biggest concern are the generals. Trump, as a 'lame duck' President ordered all troops out of a variety of areas including Afghanistan and was simply ignored and made to back down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQDOHlbHeWg&t=396s

and Biden is getting push back from his own party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E5-twoJ4Fk

We spend roughly a fifth of our entire budget on the military. Hundreds of billions of dollars annually. My older brothers all served, the eldest in Vietnam, another in Kuwait, and 2nd oldest (from what I was told by a cousin but not by him) his ship re-fueled and re-stocked the British navy in the middle of the Atlantic during the Falklands. Also, several cousins in every war since Vietnam. I wouldn't exactly call us a military family but in a way we are. I know as much as what goes on in the military from a soldier's perspective as one can. The one common theme I saw from all who saw combat is they became pacifists. They saw the futility of it.

I fear our military is an entity unto itself. By law, our military is under civilian control, hence the President is the 'Commander in Chief' and a civilian appointee is the Secretary of Defense for all the military branches.

Quietly they think the military is its own boss. I think it may be true. The military has been trying to goad Iran into a conflict for a few years now. Probably as a proxy war for another country or countries.

Hi Rich,

Must have been a big call after 30 years, he's almost become part of the furniture.

On the other hand, I imagine he's been very handsomely paid over that time period so can have no complaints if the club feels the need for a change in direction. Plus, with his CV he will walk into another coaching job if he so desires, not that he will need the money.

Very few people are indispensable and sometimes ruthless decisions have to be made. Look at Wenger.

Absolute belter of a song.

The irony of Trump using it at his nazi style rally’s was missed on many.

Then how can he be player of the season ?

I’m not having a pop btw and I think he’s been he’s been a burst of fresh air and real talent but how can that be the case.

If anyone doesn’t understand the importance of the NHS in the UK I’d advise you to watch the documentary currently running on sky “The Crime of the century” about the opioid crisis in the US.

Absolutely gripping and very hard to fathom as what’s happened is so totally bonkers

Because he’s had more excellent games than Tierney, as well as more worse games. I think Rich saying Saka was player of the season hands down is over the top. But he’s still my player of the season.

Fair enough I suppose, can’t be much in it then.

Pépé would be slightly miffed though having scored twice as many goals as Saka playing roughly the same number of games from the position on the other flank

I agree there’s not a huge amount in it. That’s why I responded to Rich saying it was Saka hands down. Pépé is a decent shout, but for me he’s probably in third place. Also, although Leno has made a few errors I’d say overall he’s had a fine season.

Also honourable shout for rob holding who’s done well over the season.

Could be pure comedy later if we finish above spurs

Definitely synonymous with the times. This is one of my favorite songs and coincidentally, my eldest brother couldn't stop listening to it for a time.

Morning Soc, I don’t follow the U23 in detail but do tend to see all the results and write ups so for me it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Bould was moved on.
A lot of the media sticking the boot in to Arsenal for shifting on a club legend. Surely everyone has to be judged purely on performance. Probably the same media types who criticised Chelsea for moving on Lampard and are now praising that decision because Tuchel is quite simply a superior manager.
We’ve been slaughtered for having no plan, for accepting mediocrity and drifting as a club. Moving Bould on is a proactive decision as part of Mertesacker overseeing the entire youth operation. The true judgement will end up being made on that decision by the performance of whoever replaces Bould but it does show there is a plan and an ambition to be better.

The defence generally has done ok, 3rd best defence in the league and it has felt more like individual errors at times rather than a dysfunctional defence. If we could be 3rd top scorers as well as having the 3rd best defence then we're be in the champions league positions.

on Pépé, he's certainly had his best season, but a lot of that is down to recency bias as he's probably been our best player over the last 15 or so games. He only started 4 of our first 19 games in the league this season and got sent off for a silly headbutt in one of those. Thankfully it seemed to be a turning point. 8 goals and 3 assists in the league, if we want to get top 4 and Pépé is to be a starting winger then he needs to be getting double figures for both next season. As does Saka

Ronny RayGun did the same with that Springsteen tune too.

No Bellerin in the squad.

Feels like that might be the last we will see of him.

If that turns out to be the case, I wish him well. 10 years at the club and at his best a top quality player.

No Willian in the squad either. Haven't read anything about him being injured, so rumours he's off might be true?

Still making strange decisions though. How can Martinelli not start this game.

Partey getting closer to his first. Could it come today?

Leno; Chambers, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Pépé, Ødegaard, Smith-Rowe; Aubameyang.

Agreed. His knee injury robbed him of a little bit of that pace that gave him an edge. Still a good player and top professional, and I think he can do very well in a less demanding league.

Moss will win this game. Wait and see.