Ok, Real Madrid beat neighbours Athletico in the Champions League final last night to officially end the entire official football season, in any properly official way. Its over. Finished. Normally gone til August but for the transfer mania that generally erupts about now even though no-one decent will actually put their name to a contract before 11.59pm on 31/8.

Before those Madrids decided which would be the euro-champs, there was the (financially) biggest game in football, anywhere in the world. Bigger than the world cup final, bigger than the FA Cup, bigger than winning any of Europe’s most elitist leagues, bigger than the Superbowl. Hull beat Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship playoff final. Yes, Hull came third in the (old) second division and win a prize, effectively of… well, reports range between 100 and 200 million quid. No-one can get it more precise than that. With the new tv deal coming into effect next season, the Premiership teams get a pay increase from an annual payout of £more-than-you-could-ever-imagine up to £totally-fucking-obscene-for-a-bunch-a-morons-kickin’-a-ball. That’s a big increase. Approximately 152% divided by 16% of 98%. A lot. More than even Jose Morinho will earn in the next 3 years.

Just as a new measure (like we need another) of just how ridiculous the world of professional football has become; the 12 million a year that Manchester United will pay Jose does NOT include his image rights. They’re still (bizarrely) owned by Chelsea. So if United want to sell Morinho scarves, or mugs, or t-shirts, they can only depict the Portugezer’s legs, arms or bottom. Not his face. Unless they buy a ‘license’ from Chelsea.

12 mil just doesn’t go as far as it used to…

However; this summer we are blessed. Instead of the football-free-void into which so many people sink in depressed misery, having to actually talk to their wives for a bit, playing with their kids, all that awful shit that football normally excuses, we have the European Championships.

We can all paint our faces (metaphorically if you’re not man enough to do it for real) with the cross of St George and root for our national team as they play the finest of foreign scumbags and slimeballs who seem to forget who invented the bloody game.

And the big question is: do you take Daniel Sturridge and Marcus Rashford to the tournament?

Rashford, definitely. The kid is spectacularly brilliant and can win matches. Whilst Sturridge is on a ban. Oh, not from football, no, he hasn’t played long enough to get a red card over the last 6 seasons. No, he’s been banned by BUPA. They’ve withdrawn his membership to their health insurance and refunded his money. He was on course to bankrupt them by 2017.

Daniel Sturridge is (theoretically) a wonderful striker. Who has been ‘injured’ for 90% of the past 2 years. And is injured NOW. Why are they even having the conversation?

Come on England

Happy Sunday

A xxxx