Great as it would be to see Boro back in the Premiership one day, I don't see that happening any time soon. Dull a prediction though it might be, I imagine we'll probably stay somewhere in the middle of the Championship - that's about where we deserve to be. A bit of an improvement so we end up in the top half would be nice. And no more losing to Leeds.

No doubt they're happy just qualifying for CL, the financial income from that is huge for the club. It is incredibly strange/frustrating how they manage to improve when needed when they're about to fail but can't do the same for when they're on the verge of achieving. It's a big mental problem with the team, there's no experience winning things. I've always said a trophy is a trophy, you should want to win everything possible, but wouldn't sacrifice the CL for it. CL qualification is priority but still really think actually winning something would be great and do wonders for the team's confidence.

Bugger

Ooof! That's a huge blow:

Hmmm, wonder what these "aspects" were. Will Podolski and Giroud be enough to compensate? I guess this means Arsenal will sell him now to avoid him leaving on a free next summer...

As for my team, I'm glad that Di Matteo got the Chelsea job in the end. After the drama of last season I'd be very happy with a Top-4 finish and to challenge for the cups again, anything greater than that would be a bonus. I'm hoping that Torres will continue his improved run of form, Hazard I'm less convinced by (I got sick of seeing his name pop up in the Gossip Column on BBC Football every other day!) but I'm interested to see Marko Marin in action.

Qualifying for the CL is not enough to keep the best players. Wenger is proud of the fact that every full season he has been at Arsenal they have qualified for the CL. It is also around 5 or 6 years since they have won anything. While players want to play in the CL the also want to win things (or to at least challange for things) which is why the best players wind up leaving (with Robin van Persie looking like the latest to jump ship).

Speaking as an Arsenal fan, I don't blame him for wanting out. A player of his ability should be winning trophies and he won't do that at Arsenal. Unfortunately the club's ambitions seem to be qualifying for the Champion's League and making a tidy profit, but if the best players continue to leave they won't even get that.

On the other hand, RvP has typically been injury-prone. Last season was something of an anomaly and I wonder if, with him approaching 29, this might not be a bad time for Arsenal to cash in. I just hope he doesn't go to Manchester City. I couldn't take that.

So Sevco have been voted into Division 3, 25 out of the 30 SFL clubs voted this way so quite overwhelmingly. I'm pleased some justice has been done, though I question whether they should be allowed in at all, rules still being bent to allow them in (lack of 3 years credited accounts). I hope the forthcoming season sees Scottish football grow and a new challenger emerge (I'm saying it'll be Dundee Utd), then we can get on with the reform of the game and get rid of the bumbling bigwigs who have been telling us Scottish football will die without Rangers at the top.

Bayern's new CL shirt:



I need to own this. It's sexy.

Anyways i'm glad the Euros are all over and done with and it's back to club football. I much prefer that and am getting excited for when everything kicks off properly in August!

In terms of lovely looking football tops I think the Everton away is a real winner


PSG is lovely too


And think Celtic's away is one of the best they've had in years

Team GB men's team have won 3-1 against UAE. A draw or better against Uruguay and we are through to the quarter finals.

Spain on the other hand are already out after back to back defeats (the latest 1-0 to Honduras).

The Women's Team GB matches have been pretty cool too. All wins so far in football

Been a bit disappointed with the men's team, but the women's team are doing well. Good to see Spain are out, especially thanks to GLORIOUS NIPPON.

Reading all those volumes of Captain Tsubaba finally paid off.

The coverage of the Team GB Men's team seems to have been really low-key so far.

I liked how Stuart Pearce basically came out and said 'we won that cause I made an awesome substitution' for the UAE match. Modesty...

Both substitites scored shortly after coming on. I think that counts as being a good move.