This narrative that Isak now has a chance to oust Ekitike from Slot's preferred starting XI is so forced. Isak is injury-prone, and Liverpool bought both of them so neither would be overloaded. Slot will (understandably) chop and change his line-ups to suit different opposition.

I often wonder if franchise T20 cricket would have ever caught on if India hadn't won this tournament

“Yes, that’s a real pickle”

Havertz said he’d be “back soon” at the end of August… WTF is going on at Colney?

I really don’t fancy Ødegaard’s chances against Joelinton and Guimaraes

I don’t think calling up *another* Surrey player is a surprise at this point

WHY IS THE UK MEDIA PAYING ATTENTION TO MEDICAL ADVICE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COUNTRY?! HE'S CHATTING SHIT AND IF HIS 'CLAIMS' CAME FROM THE LEADER OF ANY OTHER NATION, EVERYONE WOULD DISMISS THEM AND NOBODY WOULD CARE.

Who remembers?

Madueke went to the Club World Cup, so he had a shortened pre-season. Since then, he’s played in every game for Arsenal and England. The relentless schedule is damaging footballers.

Good evening from the Benyon dialysis ward at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

For 56 minutes Sky News and BBC News interrupted everything else and carried a Reform UK feed live, uninterrupted, unchallenged. The stream spluttered, froze, pixelated - dozens of times - still they stuck with it. FOR ONE HOUR. This is an editorial choice. No other party gets this coverage. ~AA

Seriously. A one-hour Party Political Broadcast. Followed at the top of the next hour with top story billing and a highlights package. Exactly how will this be "balanced" across their coverage? Where is Ofcom? Where is Nandy?

This is my main concern tbh. In a vacuum, Arsenal getting 10 points from their opening 5 games isn't horrendous. However, context of how other teams have performed cannot be ignored. Liverpool have a 100% record and are doing better than last season, despite not playing well.

Very enjoyable 👌

Gary Neville is absolutely livid 🤣🤣🤣 💉💉💉

How about 93 minutes?

It’s an absolutely bizarre way to set up when you’re playing against attackers as good as Foden and Haaland. If they do what they do best, then you leave yourself struggling to fight back and restore parity.

A low block is Arteta’s kryptonite, so you can’t really blame Pep for doing it

We could play all night and we still wouldn’t score. Same as against Liverpool. Dire and very worrying.

I could make sense of starting with this midfield against Liverpool, especially at Anfield. However, nobody would’ve questioned lining up more positively at home, with an actual no. 10, even against Man City. Arteta watched City beat Napoli and shat himself.

I guess but football and cricket are very different sports. Setting up conservatively in football leaves you at risk of losing through variance, such as bad refereeing or a freak goal.

Hopefully this tosser gets done for assault

It is also important to note that these figures are from the first 6 months of 2025, so well before Reform’s party conference (when they also received a lot of coverage). The state broadcaster is spoon feeding us Reform’s messaging and overselling their position in the UK’s political landscape.

This does not look like “impartiality”. It looks like propaganda. www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/how...

If anyone at the BBC says it’s an impartial broadcaster, then they are gaslighting you

Desperately hoping the Strictly curse hits Tom Skinner like a ton of bricks

Casemiro scored and then decided he was done for the day

When my wife insists we go to Gunwharf Quays on a Bank Holiday Monday:

So a colleague has taken his daughters to Reading v Leyton Orient for their first ever live football match. Do I call the NSPCC?

“Well done, it’s Wolverhampton Wanderers”

Well that lasted long!

With Slow Horses returning next week, I am dedicating my afternoon to finding an Apple TV+ free trial

🎶 My acca is terrified 🎶

The two most expensive footballers in British transfer history are on the bench, and Liverpool carve through Everton at will regardless. I’m tired.

Cheering on David Moyes’s Everton in 2025. Time is a flat circle.

Aldi’s product packaging designers remain undefeated

New guilty pleasure: listening to Heart Club Classics on the way home from dialysis on a Friday night

Good. Apple finally released a ‘base’ iPhone that doesn’t (completely) take the piss

This is disappointing and poor from Sheffield United. Squad numbers are nearly meaningless now, in a functional, match day sense. The concept of 1 to 11 starting XIs is dead. Numbers are given meaning by the players who wear them. Retiring one number is a kind, easy and inconsequential gesture.

This is hilarious, because late night talk shows were dying - there’s loads of data about falling viewing figures - but Trump and the right wing of American politics has made them relevant again

Good evening from the Benyon dialysis ward at the Royal Berkshire Hospital

Arsenal having elite merch is no fun if the Adidas also-rans get it too

Well it took nearly 20 years, but the FCC Family Guy episode actually happened

Just booked tickets for this year’s pantomime in Reading

Mignolet?!

Playing JRPGs on the easiest difficulty setting because life is too short >>>

👌

You mean to tell me that a team that’s reliant on Conor Gallagher and an ageing Antoine Griezmann aren’t very good?!