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I've been thinking about the Champions league, and the dearth of top teams we've had this season. Bayern, Barca and Juventus are usually elite, 3 of the best in the world. But recently they've been bullying their respective weakened leagues with unspectacular football and calling it a 'success'. PSG have yet to ascend past that same level. Spurs were outplayed for huge stretches of the game by Dortmund, probably were the worse team for about 100 of the 180 minutes, but during those 80 minutes scored an outrageous number of goals considering, then they were outplayed by City and won again. They're far from a special team. Only 3 teams this season can claim to be great champions. Ajax, Liverpool and City. City are gone. Only Ajax or liverpool 'deserves' to win this seasons CL, as they are 2 of the truly special sides this season. If Spurs beat Ajax then liverpool you all have my permission to spack out. I know I would. And yes. The above means I feel robbed whenever a decent or nomark team just sort of jimmies their way into the CL final and wins it (see 2012, 2004) But that's football for you.

How the battle of Winterfell should have ended...

Done

I bet you that will hit the football grapevine around Europe, how to take a corner against Barca, but saying that I bet the fuck the Barca manager/coaches will make sure they DON'T do that again!!

Gary has received criticism over the years but he has always been appreciated by Chelsea fans. At his best, he plays in the tier below the top centre backs in Europe, a good player but not the best which explains why he has at times come under scrutiny during his time with us. Just because criticism exists, it doesn't mean there's not appreciation though. He has had some big performances for us over the years, in big games which shows he's not fully out of place on the big stage and that he can belong there. I remember some colossal performances in finals, in big league/cup matches and in the Champions League in particular which will always be remembered fondly by me and other Chelsea fans. He's a typical Premier League defender, he's great at last ditch stuff, defending the area and also very dangerous in the opposition box which is something I miss especially when you compare him in this department to Rudiger, Luiz, and Christensen who are all dreadful really at this, particularly attacking the opposition box aerially. Cahill's best seasons were under Mourinho and Conte in their title-winning seasons and he's been a great squad player over the years and also a reliable starter in certain seasons (like in those title-winning seasons mentioned). The criticism purely comes from the fact that he's not in that top tier band of centre backs and I have to admit I think the criticism he has received during his time with us is justified. His denunciation was more prevalent in times in which he was a regular starter or after mistakes. An example of how the criticism manifested itself, was in 2014/15, he was taken out of the team about halfway through for Zouma because of poor form and it took him a good while to win his place back, Cahill was mostly very good that season but his limitations were definitely on show at times which would remind you perhaps of his true level. The criticism came out perhaps more at times because for periods we had this overreliance on him, an overreliance on a player who wasn't in that top tier of centre backs and the fact that we didn't have another central defender who was in that league already or someone who looked to have the potential to get there. Then suddenly Zouma came on the scene, someone who excited the fans, someone who quickly became a fans' favourite, someone who added pace to a slow back line and more importantly (with time) looked to have the potential to reach that league of top centre backs. Don't get me wrong, Cahill had performances of the highest level, just he wasn't that level regularly enough nor did he look capable of reaching that top tier. We got everything out of him really which is all you can ask for. He was definitely consistent mind, an overall evaluation of 'very good' and someone who will be remembered fondly by me and Chelsea fans. Thank you, Gary, you've definitely worked hard and achieved a lot.

It would be a harder game for us but I'd still prefer to see a Liverpool Ajax final. In fact I was hoping we'd draw Ajax in each stage of the knock outs just because I thought it would be an awesome clash and I wanted the chance to play them. It's the kind of matchup that you want to see for your club, playing another really special side, and not one you come across every day.

For anyone who loves spiders, @nudge?

That's a one in a lifetime moment. https://streamable.com/vgdav

Just watched some videos on YouTube to remind myself how it sounds. It depends on the woman and how strong the accent is

Bought a bottle of this today: Költ. Apparently a mixture of Kölsch and Alt. I do not condone this, but I have to at least try it.

Another example of a United player wasting his time on stupid nonsense because he thinks that he's made it just by getting to a big club. Focus on football ffs.

Nah this is more like it for @Dr. Gonzo

Happy belated Birthday, Gonzo!

DR41... what a legend

Parrot Trapped On Roof Keeps Telling Fire Crew To "F**k Off" Tom Wood in FUNNY I think we can all agree that firefighters do a pretty good job. They're out there risking their lives to keep people alive, keep people safe, and they'll even tip out to rescue an animal if it gets in danger too - that's one of the benefits of having huge ladders lying around. Well, whilst we're all massively grateful for the sacrifices and risks that they take, it seems as if not all the animals are so thankful. Jessie, a yellow and blue Macaw parrot, told the fire team that came to rescue her exactly what she thought of them, using some language as colourful as the tropical bird's plumage. You see, Jessie had been stuck on the roof of a house in Edmonton, North London, for around three days. Eventually, the London Fire Brigade attended the scene with the intention of getting the bird down from them, however, all they got was an earful after the birds started hurling expletives at the crew. Despite the fire volunteer bringing up a lovely bowl of food and a fluffy towel to try and coax her down, she just kept telling him to "fuck off". That's not very nice, is it? It's also a bit rich coming from an animal that can actually fly but has still found itself stuck on a roof. LFB Watch Manager Chris Swallow said: "Jessie had been on the same roof for three days and there were concerns that she may be injured which is why she hadn't come down. "We then discovered that she had a bit of a foul mouth and kept swearing, much to our amusement." https://www.ladbible.com/funny/animals-parrot-trapped-on-roof-keeps-telling-fire-crew-to-fk-off-20180814?fbclid=IwAR2aorQrRxqNe1X2DyEIytJyrkP3aepQd60YU-m9qvHfU-4sWFf9eeaIim8

Damn!! that's both beautiful and bloody frightening... such power and agility, If it had jumped left instead of right he would have been on the top of the fence!! You really wouldn't want to get caught in the open with one of them bearing down on you...

The more I think about these episodes, the more I dislike this season. They have dropped the ball completely, but they had their hands tied by HBO stupidly ordering a short season. If it was 13 episodes, I think the quality would have been on par with the rest of the show. What a cock up. Next week there will be a big battle, so basically we have one episode to tie up numerous stories. Great.