Being Arsene's number one apologist there is a question that has been floating around out there that has been bothering me for a while: why did Wenger play a weakened side against Shakhtar and Braga away? His critics accuse him of arrogance and obstinacy; the fall out of these decisions being that we came runners up and now, unnecessarily, have to face Barcelona.

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I never want to come across as an MLS apologist when I write about the business of soccer.

At times, it may seem that I'm going easy on Major League Soccer. On the other hand, there are times when I've blistered the league bosses or taken the whuppin' stick to individual clubs.

There is a feeling in the air, a sort of sea change, following Sunday's final. You mostly find it on apologist message boards and blog comment sections, but some have written long form posts on it. It's the idea that "entertaining football" is a crass Americanization, a romantic revision born in Mexico 1970.

Just like the Petronas Twin Towers were once the tallest buildings in the world, Chelsea has been sitting atop the rankings, looking down at everybody. Then two losses and a draw later in Premier League play and Chelsea is now looking up at a handful of clubs that rise well above it in the rankings just as various Asian skylines have added buildings that tower over Petronas – or at least are a little bigger.

It's no better a day later. Nothing will happen until the end of the season, but I'm afraid nothing's going to change either.
The list of parties responsible for Liverpool's poor season is overwhelmingly long, and includes any of the scapegoats you'd imagine. The manager, the owners, nearly every player who's pulled on the shirt, referees, and general misfortune.

This week we introduce for your delight and detestation "Trichotomous Triptychities" - omnispectric occultations and notes from the underground world of football.
You might find this blog at: http://trichotomoustriptychities.blogspot.com.
To aid you on your route to participatory revelations, we list our first six days of twittering for you below.

"Bloody foreigners, eh? Coming over here, taking our jobs. Disgusting, innit mate?" The sort of xenophobic nonsense you'd expect to be spouted from the spittle-flecked lips of an "I'm-not-racist-but..." Griffin apologist in a Dagenham boozer - not by a Premier League footballer. And yet Spurs midfielder John Bostock has decided to make public his gripe that the club's "foreign contingent" are

As a Catholic I know full well that the Church is a long way from being perfect...the abuse scandals and they way they weren't dealt with immediately are as heart-breaking as they are unforgivable. This piece isn't an apologist rant saying they've all got it in for us...it isn't evangelising and holding Catholicism up above all others it is just a plea for people to call a spade a spade and instead of taking immense glee in screaming about paedos and smugly, superciliously writing off believers as deluded just take things on their merits.

As a Catholic I know full well that the church is a long way from being perfect...the abuse scandals and they way they weren't dealt with immediately are as heart-breaking as they are unforgivable. This piece isn't an apologist rant saying they've all got it in for us...it isn't evangelising and holding Catholicism up above all others it is just a plea for people to call a spade a spade and instead of taking immense glee in screaming about paedos and smugly, superciliously writing off believers as deluded just take things on their merits.

Goals of the Week

A few GotW round-ups for you. First off we have Romain Poyet (2:06) with a stunner of a volley for Brest. 101greatgoals.com has a top ten list, with the goal of the week going to Pavlyuchenko for being on the receiving end of Gareth Bale magic against Inter.

The rage. It returns.

Let's talk about the excuses that everyone will make, and then discount them.

The players in squad were tired. Yes, they were. But rotation is a no-no, it's something to be scoffed at, something RAFA did. But it's also a necessity when there's three matches in six days.

Dashed confusing from start to finish. Two points lost or one point gained? What the devil is Gomes playing at? And what the dickens inspired BAE to perform thus?

First Things First: Two Lost or One Gained?

Oh that I were more technically savvy, and had the faintest blinking idea how to set up some sort of voting contraption to gauge popular opinion on whether this was two points dropped or one gained.