That seems to be the gist of every blog and every message board across the land as someone in the FA pushes a few buttons, chats to the Police, the fans and trys really hard to piss off Sir Alex. It's rather amazing how much debate can be generated by the publication of a set of football fixtures that, in essence, we already know. We know that all 20 teams play each other, home and away, over a period of roughly nine months. It's always been that way but now it all has to be (over) ANALYSED to the nth degree as fans, pundits and journalists try and determine whether this (relatively) random set of matches gives one team or another an advantage.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a bit of a "Pub type" debate about it and with no "proper" football for over 11 weeks the media have to write about something, it can't all be transfer rumour. However, I seem to remember the days when all we really needed was to know where and when we were going to be on the first day of the new season. That was all that we needed to keep us going over the summer months (well those who couldn't actually enjoy other pursuits or sports for 10 weeks or so). 

And the thing is that even that pleasure has been taken away from us because despite knowing the first game of the season, we really don't yet know when it will take place. For that privileged information we await the decision from the people in real control, SKY TV. For it is they who determine the fact that fans have to travel silly miles on a Monday night or for a Saturday lunchtime kick off.

For me, that's the real issue and not who we play when but who determines it. It buggers up any plans I have to come back (by plane) as until the TV executives actually publish the "real" fixture list I can't book a flight or plan a thing so let's save these discussions until July or whenever they come out.

....and that's not necessarily a bad thing even if the press will probably try and make something huge out of it. However, I don't think many of us are going to lose too much sleep over it and it sure beats seeing those from up the road gloating over a victory. However, I haven't really seen the game so cannot say too much about the actual performance other that  I hear that Bendtner needs to work on both his finishing and attitude.

What has been lost in all of this is that last night was the first time, under Arsene Wenger, that we've been beaten by a lower league side in any cup competition. Compare that record (and with us playing a mixture of reserves/youths in many games) to that of most Premier League sides and it's fairly impressive. Burnley wasn't the worst place to lose in that they play decent football and their manager, Owen Coyle, said some good things about us last year. 

Anyway, the main thing is to attempt to forecast which team, whoever is playing, will actually turn up on Saturday against Wigan. I don't think that, at the moment, I have a clue what will happen and I guees we're all pretty much of that mind.

For some strange reason last night I was thinking about the name of Burnley's ground and it had completely left my mind. Any normal person would just shrug and move on but I couldn't let it go and I just had to remember (not google or wiki it) and finally, after an hour or so, I managed to drag the words Turf and Moor out from one of my last remaining brain cells. This is the worst sign of getting older - memory loss and, in particular, sporting trivia memory loss is the unforgiving nemesis of the ageing process. When once you could name every ground (old & new) of every club, their nicknames, all the World Cup winners, every FA CUP winning team since the war and the attendance of your first ever game...... suddenly it all goes.

Oh well never mind.

Tonight it's Burnley and there's a team that conjures up the past. The youngsters out there may not realise that Burnley were once a top club, though, to be fair, it was around the time Spurs last won the league so there aren't many who remember. In the 70s they were a Division 1 team but like many before them they faded and so very nearly were relegated from the football league but avoided that fate by winning the last game of the season in 1987 in front of a huge, emotional crowd. One thing they have, of course, is a fine history which brings me onto....

My personal "most hated man in football", Peter Kenyon, who has said without a smirk on his face that Chelsea will not need any of Roman's loans from next year. If there is any truth (and there is a word Kenyon has little idea of) in this then that would surely mean a huge reduction in wage bill or maybe they'll just get rid completely of that expensive youth system that has produced..... erm....still thinking on this one.....oh there was him....what's his name... oh the guy with the funny haircut at Wolves....and that's about it.