Dan

Load of absolute rubbish mine today. Really did land everything about as unluckily as I could've done - unless Strasbourg pull something out of the bag.

Imagine Martin at Man City or Arsenal though. He could produce some absolutely biblical scorelines. They'd make Sheffield United look like Maldini and Nesta.

He looks a good player, he's got something for sure, but I think at his age and lack of long term form it's too big a gamble for us in our position. I mean Blackburn can demand probably £20mil here and we'd be mental to give them that at his age. I'd take him for a reasonable fee but we'll get stung.

St Mirren landed. I was on all of them except for Gladbach. The beauty of it again - you only need to land one of them to profit. I've settled I think on the method of picking four games that finish before the start of my 'freeze' game. That way you can guarantee you won't waste a freeze on an eventual dud while retaining the possibility of a maximum payout. It does make things a bit of a grind beforehand and it's absolutely shite if you back a losing acca filler but I think it's the most effective way to maximise your freezes. I had all four of those accas just needing the team to take the lead for my winner. St Mirren going ahead landed me £280. I needed Augsburg for £210, Darmstadt for £330 and Chaves for £775! All lost but still around £200-250 up just today. Absolutely tonnes of games for people to go for today. I've gone for the ones in bold, but I think you could justify any of them really. I have three freezes left: Eibar v Cartagena (8/1) Feyenoord v Excelsior (9/1) PSV v RKC Waalwijk (11/1) Zwolle v FC Twente (19/2) Hamburg v Nurnberg (6/1) Arsenal v Everton (12/1) Liverpool v Wolves (14/1) Man City v West Ham (20/1) Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano (10/1) Lyon v Strasbourg (6/1) Got to go hard today I think because there may never be a better day than this from now for it. Loads of leagues finishing and sooner or later they are going to nerf this. It's like a free money glitch.

Fair play to Brighton - have sensed it's gone on a bit of a downer and acted accordingly. Another example against what we chose to do two years ago. I've long suspected that De Zerbi has clocked out of there and that's linked to their downturn.

We have the club most obsessed with family friendly image of anybody.

They're the worst semi finals in playoffs history. Absolutely awful.

Butterfly effect. If there's no VAR, the cup final is probably something totally different. If we're going up the hypotheticals route.

Neither. I will still have the odd moan about them. VAR doesn't proof you from shit referees and whatnot. It's referees bias in games that still winds me up. But having seen how its played out with technology I shalln't be calling for it again. Even semi-auto offsides - looks better than all the geometry we have to put up with on the replays but still doesn't look quite as instantaneous as I'd hope. I'm not fundamentally anti technology, but it has to be fit for purpose, has to not threaten the flow of the game, has to not take away from the enjoyment. Goal line technology for example - brilliant, people bring up one particular mistake with it but that sums up the success it has been, you can point to literally one failing. VAR is an absolute shambles every single week in the Premier League and those who think its good in Europe I can only assume just don't actually watch any European football. If you could get offsides and whatnot instantaneously then I'd hear the case for it but surely those who are pro VAR must be pining for a seriously improved version of it rather than the absolute dog shit we've all had to endure *five* years of. Surely nobody is actually advocating for the current version of what we have.

The laws are full of grey areas and interpretation. So you're still leaving it open to randomness and variance. Referees will watch a decision back and not be able to agree with each other - that's the nature of the rules. Footballs rules aren't black and white enough for you to ever achieve 100% correct decisions. I don't think you're going to get it much more accurate than you have it now. But you've lost the spontaneous goal celebrations and whatnot. An absolutely enormous price to pay for something that isn't ever going to actually work out as we hope. They will compromise this summer and go for reform - for the fifth summer running, and we'll be having these discussions again in a years time. I'm hopeful one day that we'll finally eradicate VAR after this but it won't be this time around. Time will do its thing. It's a stain on the game.

It's not the technology but the refs in just about every single instance are incapable of using it effectively. Makes you wonder.

I do think at Real Madrid where the objective is simply buy the best players, where they can attract nearly anybody it's bound to work better there, but I still think it's a force for good. Its why in a perverse way I actually don't mind Real Madrid winning things because it's a victory for this type of almost freestyle. Watching everybody play the same mechanical football just ensures less upsets, ensures repeat winners etc... I wish more upcoming coaches had that Ancelotti mindset in a way. This is no call for hoping Ancelotti or Real Madrid dominate everything but more a counterbalance. Football is healthier for variety.

I think I'd almost have to see the funny side if we spent £15mil on a goalkeeper this summer.

But then on the flip side the potential returns are much higher. I'm going to try and find out about this and see what I find.

One of the selling points of VAR was that we'd have less of this. If anything we've had even more. Given how its played out this is no surprise - as VAR puts a greater emphasis on the officials.

I've been wondering exactly this - I've never actually known the answer to that.

I think another possible tactic for this going forward, which is a good shout actually, is to make the intended freeze pick game #5 - so at least that way you'll guarantee you don't waste a freeze on a bet that lost. It's probably your best chance of landing the massive wins as well. Tempted to stick a few together for the weekend. I did £20 on Dundee the other night and just cashed out for £262. Just feels unbelievably easy at times.

It's a very interesting quote. I think I do align with that belief talking entirely personally more than I do the Pep way and that's while having total admiration for how good Pep actually is. I think there's a lot in that - Pep is of such a level that so many try to emulate what he does but I do think it's too common nowadays that coaches will stifle the flair somewhat. I think it's made for a poorer spectacle. I'm glad Ancelotti with this mindset is still producing loads of success. I can't help but think Vinicius wouldn't be anywhere near both as effective and as fun under most other managers.

Notice how they have to go away and try and fix it 'every' single summer since it was introduced? Sometimes the resolution is the simplest one.

It's another thing that'll expose the disconnect between fans and the authorities. The Premier League want it despite it harming their league. I think even those who support the use of technology would concede that it's been largely diabolical since introduced. Fully expect the same journalists who've been bashing Spurs fans in the last 48 hours to take the pro VAR stance as well.

It's good news but I don't think they'll actually go through with it. Too many clubs pretending it hasn't been a disaster for the game which it has been. Fear Wolves' anti VAR stance is a bit too much driven by outcome bias and assumption that it's used against them rather than how bad it's been for the game in general. Would be fantastic if they did get rid though. I was no fan from the start and even I can't believe quite how utterly dire it's turned out.

I'd say the chances of Rudkin actually leaving are still tiny. Can see a situation where we create another role to bring somebody else in alongside or something like that.

For any criticisms I've had of him I'm already quite liking his attitude around trying to improve other facets of the club. He is indirectly telling us that he thinks Rudkin and whoever are hopeless and that's a good thing. Confirms what plenty of us have known for ages. It didn't take him long to cotton onto this lot at all - but then it wouldn't when you've come from a well functioning operation at Man City.

Kompany gets away with murder. Burnley drastically underperformed this season.

Alaves and Dundee tonight. Think possibly Spurs too.