The Charity Shield this weekend signifies the start of the football season. Okay, that and the Championship. I don't count Scotland, because it's a two horse race and unless you have three horses, it isn't worth it.
But it could be argued the Premier League is actually a four horse race and while I can't see Arsenal winning it, I never thought I'd see the day The Clowns were playing in Europe, so shit does happen sometimes.
But I'm looking forward to the football this weekend and I fancy it will be taken seriously by both teams as neither side is going to want to lose to the other and fingers crossed, we might see some decent football at the same time.
To strengthen or not to strengthen
But, the season does start soon and there was a thing yesterday about the manager saying something about needing to strengthen and then, a thing later that his quotes were taken out of context.
Managers, players and clubs can say anything these days and immediately retract it, especially when you have the press in your pocket. What do you believe? Well, you believe the first - the second is usually only said after they've seen the reaction or they've had their wrist slapped.
A case in point is this statement to be made by Mr Lerner. Dropping it in a forum post as a throwaway comment was a plan and the plan was to learn exactly what they had to say in this statement to appease as many as possible. Mr Lerner isn't going to say something and retract it - he is going to tell us exactly what we want to hear.
I'm not sure what happened yesterday, but McLeish should be given no more money this summer and none in January either. Money is spent in January only if desperately needed and if it is, he should be out of a job and it will be spent by someone else.
The manager of a football club should have to prove himself first and I suspect, in line with secret plan policies and the secret plan road map to Premier League success, that is exactly what the club are doing; making him prove himself.
If they're not, they're not learning and that would suggest we have bigger problems at the club and that would be a worry. Although, it could be that Mr Lerner has more money than sense and he gives him an extra £30mn to spend and this was all a ruse to lower the price of incoming players - we will believe anything won't we.
Fantasy football
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