SATURDAY ROUND-UP

DECLAN RICE STARS

Can you believe it? Yesterday, I spent 1,200 words writing about a tree I didn’t like and completely forgot that Le Grove turned 17 years old on the 6th of September.

Happy birthday to LG… card is in the post.

I say it every year, but thank you to all of you who have joined me (and my Dad way back when) on this daily journey that has now added audio into the mix. I’ve averaged about 326 posts a year over that period, and this year, I’ve personally recorded 110 podcasts. I’ve got to be honest, it’s a strange obsession that’s totally out of control, but thank goodness it’s something social like writing and talking about Arsenal, and there are some folks out there who want to listen (YOU).

We’ve had quite a year. I moved the website, we doubled down on podcasting, the membership has really picked up, and now I’ve set up an archive domain so I can give people access to the previous work over the next year or so. Early next year, we’re planning a merch partnership, and we’re hoping to do a show in New York and London. Should be fun!

So, what do we have today?

CHELSEA OWNERS ARE LOOKING TO SELL. That is amusing. Bloomberg is reporting that there’s a broken relationship between the two owners and that one has to buy the other out for the club to heal. It’s delightfully messy, a total distraction, and it must be very concerning to the investors who have watched cash being burned at a rate never before seen in football. The strategy, it turns out, never existed… their owners thought they were the smartest in the room, and they’ve built a giant mess they’ll struggle to undo. I love it.

Riccardo Calafiori limped off in the 70th minute of his match for Italy, but the coaches say it’s not serious. Again, I don’t mean to belabour the point, but how are we on an international break after the summer we’ve just had? Why should our new 22-year-old signing even be in the firing line three games into the new season? It’s bonkers.

It was a fine day for Declan Rice. He scored the first goal and assisted the second as England beat Ireland, a team he represented when he was younger. He delivered the biggest insult possible… the non-celebration celebration. Personally, I’d prefer the Adebayor knee slide. Don’t give me the fake respect; I know you’re cheering inside. This is woke footballer virtue signalling, I’m afraid. I won’t have it.

It was interesting to watch the usual suspects go nuts about national anthem politics. Lee Carsley is Irish, so I’m not shocked he doesn’t want to sing our anthem. He’s been representing England for a number of years, and no one noticed. Bringing patriotism politics into the personal choices of an Irishman is insanely boorish behaviour - that, I’m afraid to say, is woke virtue signalling. I won’t have it. Expect a strongly worded letter from me if you’re doing it in the comments.

What I do like about Lee Carsley was his forceful rejection of the chatter about Mason Greenwood being included at the national level. Call me woke, but I find the desperate attempts of his PR agency to normalise his disgusting, abusive behaviour extremely painful to watch. What makes it all the more depressing is seeing the comments from young men begging for his return. The trend of fake masculine influencers pushing misogynistic content to teenagers is worrying, and the result is what you see in the comments about Greenwood. Some things don’t deserve a path back, I’m afraid.

Final bit… Arsenal dropped an essay on how amazing Raheem Sterling was when Arteta was coaching him.

Bold piece to put on the .com, but I’m here for the propaganda all night long. Raheem is the best signing of the summer, and he’s winning us the league.

Ok, that’s me done for the day. Enjoy your evening, and I’ll be back in the mix tomorrow with more fabulous gardening insights. x

P.S. Get ur fresh AOP below.