RandoEFC

West Ham scoring a screamer to nick a match in which they've barely existed was the only way this was going to end. We need a whole week of fucking shooting practice before next weekend. Played well, looked only one winner but missed chances, missed chances, missed chances.

Has to be comfortably the most awful era of Formula One and we've got 23 more races this year and all of next year before a meaningful rule change.

Areola about the 6th goalkeeper who's saved his best performance of the season for Goodison Park...

1-1. Header from a corner. Pickford has had nothing to do as well ffs. We've had plaudits for scoring goals from set pieces but we are garbage at defending them.

Beto scores. Cracking cross from Garner for a free header.

Falkirk 0-0 at half time of course so it's a no. Watch them score 30 seconds into the second half and win 3-0 .

Welcome to the new season. Same as the old season.

Poor game as expected. Beto missing a penalty on the brink of half time. We are an absolute career ender for strikers. Typical us that last weekend we saw an opponent reduced to ten men for the first time all season and then can't see it out with 10 minutes left and then today we get our first penalty of the season and miss it. Hard, hard watch. Both teams there for the taking.

I think you'll be fine. Forest should be getting at least 6 points deducted so you'll be effectively 7 clear of them and 5 clear of Luton and you only have to keep ahead of one of them to survive. I think Luton's little purple patch is fizzling out as well.

Is there worry in the Brentford ranks? I was surprised to see Norgaard and Frank had commented on Everton getting points back. Still don't see a set of circumstances that sees you or Palace in real trouble with Forest having a sizeable deduction coming and Everton potentially as well.

Mine for the weekend.

My Hulkenberg slowest in Q1 prediction looking smart so far.

Good grief. How. The. Fuck. Have Alpine managed to build a slower car than Haas?

Free Practice today. I'm treating any challenge to Red Bull to be a bonus this season. Hopefully the Mercedes/McLaren/Ferrari/Aston Martin battle behind them provides the intrigue and entertainment like it did last year. Behind Verstappen, you could see Perez, Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris and possible Piastri be pretty interchangeable throughout the year.

Results - Gameweek Two Casualties (4) Another week, another thinning of the field. First to fall this weekend was @Rucksackfranzose after he backed Real Sociedad to beat Villarreal at home. He wasn't rewarded for avoiding the big guns as this visitors ran out 3-1 victors. Almeria, who are still yet to win a game in La Liga this season, have now hilariously taken 5 scalps off us in two weeks, this time due to a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid, who were backed by title contenders @nudge and @Viva la FCB along with @CaaC (John). Unlucky folks, just one point in this round. See you in France! Survivors (7) We aren't miles away from tie breaker territory here after just two Gameweeks, but a select few have made it over two hurdles. Only two teams were backed with any success this week, and @Michael, @Lucas, @Stan and @Storts were made to sweat as it took over 80 minutes for Real Madrid to break the deadlock in their 1-0 win over Sevilla. It was a much more comfortable weekend for @6666, @Pyfish and @Tommy, who profited from Girona's 3-0 victory over ten-man Rayo Vallecano (although two of their goals didn't come to extra time either. That's 2 points guaranteed for you guys. All eyes now on @6666 to see if he can press home his advantage over @nudge and @Viva la FCB in the title race. Preview - Gameweek Three Below are the fixtures for Gameweek Three, starting on Friday. Celta Vigo vs Almeria Sevilla vs Real Sociedad Rayo Vallecano vs Cadiz Getafe vs Las Palmas Valencia vs Real Madrid Villarreal vs Granada Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis Mallorca vs Girona Athletic Club vs Barcelona Osasuna vs Alaves Good luck!

I won't lock anything in until Friday. I've got pre-season predictions and Bahrain predictions in now from 8 people which is good. I assume @MUFC is leaving it until after Free Practice. I'll give @DeadLinesman a message on WhatsApp.

Pole Position - Which driver will post the fastest lap in Q3? Verstappen Podium - Which drivers will finish the Grand Prix in the top three positions? 1. Verstappen 2. Leclerc 3. Perez Random Driver - Predict the finishing position of this week's random driver, Lewis Hamilton. 4th Bonus Question - A simple one to start off - which driver will qualify last/slowest (before grid penalties) for the first race? Hulkenberg

Predictions - Bahrain Grand Prix Look out folks, the first race bizarrely has qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday. Therefore, the deadline for these predictions is qualifying on FRIDAY. This is also the deadline for the season predictions so make sure you've got those done as well if you haven't already! @RandoEFC @Stan @MUFC @Tommy @nudge @Whiskey @The Palace Fan @Coma @DeadLinesman @OrangeKhrush Pole Position - Which driver will post the fastest lap in Q3? [INSERT DRIVER] Podium - Which drivers will finish the Grand Prix in the top three positions? 1. [INSERT DRIVER] 2. [INSERT DRIVER] 3. [INSERT DRIVER] Random Driver - Predict the finishing position of this week's random driver, Lewis Hamilton. [INSERT POSITION] Bonus Question - A simple one to start off - which driver will qualify last/slowest (before grid penalties) for the first race? [INSERT DRIVER]

World Drivers' Champion: Charles Leclerc World Constructors' Champion: Mercedes How many different drivers will win at least one race? 4 How many different constructors will score at least one podium? 7 Which driver will have the most retirements? Gasly Team-mate championship battles - which driver will score the most points from each team? Red Bull - Max Verstappen Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton Ferrari - Charles Leclerc McLaren - Lando Norris Aston Martin - Fernando Alonso Alpine - Esteban Ocon Williams - Alexander Albon VCARB - Daniel Ricciardo Sauber - Valtteri Bottas Haas - Nico Hulkenberg

6 points isn't irrelevant though. It just so happens because of the way this season has gone that those four points back change the table quite dramatically in our favour. We're still 15th when we would have been 13th without any points penalties. If we were only good enough to get 34 points this season then 6 points would be deemed equally severe to 10 points because either would probably have got us relegated. They have to draw the line somewhere. They've made their case for why there needs to be a points penalty because transfer bans and fines won't hack it, but 10 points was insane given that it's a heavier penalty than going insolvent. I'd rather it was less but 6 points seems like a reasonable middle ground and if we'd been docked 4-6 points in the first place, there would have been a very different reaction. The fans probably still protest and the club probably still appeals because you've got to try and get every inch that you can but I doubt it goes quite as far as Parliament and causes as much of a stink as 10 points did, and I don't think Everton would have had as much sympathy from the majority of the media if it had been 4-6 points to start with. Everton were guilty. They admitted it and most of our fans accepted it too. The debate was always about mitigating factors and the proportionality of the penalty.

That approach is just as made up as theirs though. Where does the 10 even come from in the first place? Plucked out of thin air.

I think the main thing is that they've realised they can't give Everton a 10 point penalty for this when it's only 9 points for going into administration, and that if Everton had done the same thing in the EFL then it would have been a 6 point penalty. Or something to that effect, I haven't read the full document. I don't think they have any qualms about sending us down. We should be 12th or 13th if we hadn't been docked points. Everton had already got out of the relegation zone before getting any points back and I think on the balance of probabilities that we'd likely have stayed up without getting any points back (provided there isn't another heavy slam from our second offence).

Why would you say that? If your interpretation of this whole mess is that the Premier League are out to protect Everton then that's an interesting interpretation to say the least.

Chelsea should have been able to go for the throat in extra time yesterday and Liverpool should have been the ones hanging on for penalties. Chelsea surrendered possession and territory and tried to hit Liverpool on the break. The risk then is you concede a corner or a wide free kick and then you're at the mercy of the goalmouth scramble. Poch is unlucky in a sense because Chelsea had their chances and it's on the players for not taking them. Kelleher did well in that one on one against Gallagher but Gallagher still has to score. There was the goalmouth scramble as well where the ball could go anywhere and Kelleher ended up catching it. It could very easily have gone the other way. But when push came to shove, Chelsea went into their shell and Liverpool continued to play the way they wanted to even with so many inexperienced players on the field. I think the point about Chelsea as a club losing their winning mentality is a fair one but I also think a lot of responsibility lies at the manager's door. Chelsea ultimately had the better and more experienced players on the pitch but it was Liverpool who had the backbone to take the initiative.

Of course it doesn't but I don't trust the Premier League to act in good faith after all of this.