I’d just like to say that, just like you, Mr, Mrs, Ms, They, Whatever, Football Fan, I have about the same degree of interest in ‘pre-season friendly’ matches that I do about Women’s football. And yet, just look how that one turned out after last Sunday!!! Now I’m an honorary Lioness (I’ve no idea what that means, I’m just jumping on any winning bandwagon around) and wear my hair in a ponytail in their honour.

And today the other big ‘why fucking bother’ of football created yet another moment of re-think. The friendlies one.

Friendlies are to warm the players up, get them back to match speed, before the season starts. You can spend 15 hours a day in a gym but it’s not the same as spending 90 minutes on a pitch. Even if that pitch is in Luton. But a few years ago ‘friendlies’ became a good little ‘earner’ for the clubs. You play in Reading, you have to pay for the diesel getting there. But if you play in Saudi Arabia or Buenos Aries or Hong Kong, you get paid a lot of money. And the Saudis probably give you a barrel of diesel to take home. Sort of a ‘party bag’.

Chelsea won some worthless piece of silverware earlier this summer break by beating PSG in Abu Dhabi. No one cares. No one went. Unless they were given jewels and Lamborghinis and diesel for playing there.

But today, everything changed. Today the whole concept of a ‘pre-season friendly’ took on a new dimension. It got unfriendly. It got a bit more real. People actually took notice. Ok, I actually took notice. But only because someone told me it was being played, half way through.

For the first time ever, a North London derby, the most important matches in ANY season, was played in Hong Kong. Ok, that in itself wouldn’t normally cause me any degree of excitement or joy. But the fact is: we won. We thrashed Arsenal. Ok, 1-nil doesn’t sound much of a thrashing, but trust me; even though I didn’t see one kick of it, a thrashing it was. Psychologically. And possibly psychiatrically. Either way, it’s a fantastic result. And they gave us a cup. ANOTHER one. We don’t win one for 30 years and then 2 come along together. Phah! We’ve barely got room in our trophy cabinet for it; maybe we’ll lend it to Arsenal for the season…

Basically, don’t you tell me any match is ‘only a friendly’ from now on. They’re important games. BIG games. You can read into it whatever you choose, for me, it is absolute proof and guarantee that we’re going to win the league. And the cup. Probably champions league too.

Very happy Thursday

A xxxx