There’s no disgrace in losing to Juventus in the Champions League. Its not like they were some unheard-of Swedish part-time minnows who scraped into the Europa League on alphabetical merit. They’re Juve. They’re frikkin’ massive. And they’ve made it to the C.League final twice in the last 3 years. Yet still it hurts. But more because it brings to an end our run of 17 games without defeat. And I hate statistics like that. Because I don’t want my world to crumble in the fallout. Now we shall see the real magic of Pochettino if he can rally the troops for Sunday’s match at Bournemouth. A fixture which lacks the inevitable romance of playing Italy’s biggest team in the most prestigious tournament in the world of football, but its just as important.

Meanwhile there’s a tale of two nations being played out right here, right now. Two what could be termed ‘rogue states’ but only one is. That one is Russia in the wake of the latest death by really weird manner in Salisbury. Though no-one’s actually died yet and most tragically, if anyone does die soon its most likely to be the policemen who was first there to try and help the Russians.

They haven’t stated yet exactly what the nerve agent used was. But they know and if they know that they’ll know where it comes from and if they know that then they’ll know for sure… that the Russians did it. They always do. Though Boris’s premature accusations have only given credence to the Russian persecution get-out of ‘everyone accuses Russia, even though we’re cuddly and nice, so typical of the West’. The same ‘west’ who, for some reason, feel unable to take action against Russia blanket bombing civilians in Syria, killing hundreds of children, every fucking day.

The other nation that would be ‘rogue’ but instead is our ‘greatest ally and bestest friends forever’ is Saudi Arabia. Prince Whatever (big fat geezer with a beard wearing a dress, you know the one) was accorded not just the full red carpet treatment, but lunch at Liz’s too. And as he’s not a head of state, that is big. Like lunch would have been. Prince looks well fed. And we do lots of trade with Saudi, especially arms. So we look after them and entertain them at The Palace. Otherwise they’d use another nation’s bombs to murder half the civilian population of Yemen with. And we wouldn’t want that. Not me, nor The Queen, nor Theresa May.

Its all fucked up.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx