Aquaman on Fire

Hard to stomach being on this site any longer considering what it's become. Blue Sky seems the place to be, so follow me over there - bsky.app/profile/tombon…

If the result was given to him without the caveat then that's on the messenger, not him. You can't go second-guessing every bit of info you're handed. You should be able to have a basic assumption that your team are competent and not misleading you.

It's impressive how many people, including leading journos, seem to be confusing the fact Starmer knew the outcome of Mandelson's vetting, with him knowing that there were significant misgivings/potential overruling of the judgment.

Labour appears to be getting serious about ‘breaking the link’ - this is the single biggest thing they can do to tackle energy bills in this crisis and beyond. The benefits are huge, in the last crisis this link cost the taxpayer £70Billion. I wrote this for the FT a few months ago - and have been sharing the numbers with DESNZ and the Treasury for some time. ft.com/content/fdd78b…

A HUGE, narrative-breaking moment for the UK car market New EVs are now cheaper than petrol cars on average, says Autotrader Last yr CCC said price parity was due by 2028 – and it's already here And EVs are already MUCH cheaper to run than petrol

@henrywinter Or do those players just feel more elite because they are in the easier leagues and can show off their talent on lighter schedules? Not saying it's definitely the case, but it's something to think about..

... also mindset. Bayern, PS-G etc far more front foot than AFC. PL definitely best-marketed, most competitive league (bottom v top etc). But most elite players abroad – Kane, Olise, Mbappe, Vitinha, Dembele etc. Column on a complicated subject… 2/2 open.substack.com/pub/henrywinte…

How much of a point does Arteta have about intense schedule? Nuanced debate. Rice played 10 hours more league football than Kane this season. PL doesn’t have a winter break, loves pre-season tours, engaged in 2 domestic cups. Yet AFC in "less challenging" side of CL draw... 1/2

FT Arsenal 0, Sporting 0 - Arsenal reach back to back Champions League semifinals for the first time in their history. Five goals conceded in 12 European games.

@YankeeGunner White knuckling is very harsh. We've been good.

Halftime and we’re just about okay. At the moment this looks like a broken team white-knuckling their way through this game. No belief. No quality. Just enough application. Hopefully enough to see us through. The only thing that fixes this short term is getting players back.

@OWS1892 No need for the chart crime putting the months out of order. Just undermines your point. Still good improvement if you presented them chronologically.

In case you're wondering why the far-right have suddenly upped their attacks on poor Brits claiming benefits, it's cos channel crossings are down.

Oxford University has done the maths on "drill baby drill" vs a fully renewable UK. Maximum North Sea extraction: saves households £16–£82/year. But ONLY if the government takes every penny of tax revenue and hands it back to households. If they don't, zero benefit. Full renewables: saves households up to £441/year. Recurring. Every year. Indefinitely. The North Sea runs out around 2040. Renewables don't. The analysis was done using January 2026 prices — before the Iran war sent oil to $116 a barrel. Even with cheap fossil fuels as the baseline, renewables win. This isn't ideology. It's arithmetic. Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford. March 2026.

@mattpyzdrowski @TheAthleticFC swap Pickford and Martinez and Raya and Alisson and it's a decent list.

Taking form this season as well as sustained excellence into consideration, I ranked the top 15 goalkeepers in the world for @TheAthleticFC. Who did I get right? What would you change? 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71886…

@judeinlondon UC covers in-work benefits too.

There are only circa 700k vacancies in the entirety of the UK

@afcDW Plus he's been back what, two months, after missing basically a year? His level is about where I expect considering that. Pretty good! Plenty more to come.

At the weekend I saw someone being smug in hindsight about people who wanted Havertz back from injury. Was too annoyed at Arsenal to respond at the time, but yes, we wanted him back as a CF option. We didn't know Eze & Odegaard would be injured and he'd be playing midfield.

Biggest week of our season. Could go to the semi-finals of CL for the 4th time ever. Could make it near impossible for Man City to win the league, at their gaff. ... and all the heavily liked content is fans talking about sacking the manager because they are protecting their feelings? People would rather manifest the worst-case scenario than buckle in for a magnificent week of jeopardy? Honestly, weak knees everywhere. Even with my own writing. We've all got to pick it up. It's deeply unhealthy to be this upset when we're in a moment like this. I'm going toxic positive all week. It's the only way. I'm dreaming until Arsenal properly break me (I know how the film ends, but I paid my money)

@ArsenalVPodcast @YankeeGunner @clivepafc @PoznanInMyPants @timstillman_ Lads the negativity is insane in this one. You're talking like it's already over. We've been poor, but City still aren't anything special. Before Chelsea their previous two results were draws to relegation-battling teams! I need some perspective, please.

NEW!🚨 Episode 991 - Arsenal’s Title Dreams Turn To Nightmares After Bournemouth Loss @yankeegunner @clivepafc @poznaninmypants @timstillman_ 🔴What’s broken? 🔴Match analysis 🔴What can Mikel change? 🔴Defining moment for the “project”? LINKS BELOW 👇

@Rory_Talks_Ball Stylistically this game was exactly what so many have been crying out for. Aggressive, taking chances to progress quickly. The trade-off is playing that way means it often fails. Some fans seem to want us to play hyper-aggressively and make 0 errors 🤷‍♂️

I don’t think our fans even know what they want half the time Annoyed that we don’t take risks and move the ball forward quickly Annoyed when we try things and they don’t come off This entire move is very nearly perfect from Rice

Last month, Man City dropped points to relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest at the Etihad. They followed that up with more dropped points against then relegation zone dweller West Ham. They then lost home and away to get dumped out in the UCL 5-1. No one died. They simply moved on and kept believing. You can stay moping about Bournemouth or look ahead. It's your choice.

Its 28 actually. Horrible Arsenal is first in the second half of the season. We are still in prime position to win the title and its up to us to get it. Get behind your team like there is no tomorrow, because the moment to support them is now! What you do, how you react, the vibe you bring online and to the stadium affects results. Talk in the summer. Support now. Stop listening to haters.

Arsenal have extended their lead over Manchester City in the last three Premier League gameweeks. The players need reminding of this, because the entire narrative would have you believe City have gained 9 points.

@scottjwillis Yup. Matches my eye test. Their 1st was an unlucky deflection to the one spot in the area it was a guaranteed goal, and their second was an uncharacteristic defensive lapse. Other than that we were better.

Arsenal 1 - 2 Bournemouth - Deserve to Win Meter

@_Zeets Let's be fair. They're knackered and have constantly been struggling along with half a squad available.

This team gets into the last part of the season and just forgets how to play football