Imagine how great it must be to know that the probability of your team getting a penalty is at least every other game? That’s what United have been treated to this season as, yet again, a penalty went their way. A very, VERY, soft penalty that I’d wager for seven or eight teams out of ten results in the referee telling the player to get up.

I don’t watch enough of United, but it feels to me that one in two of the penalties they’ve had this season has been either ‘soft’, or just plain ‘wrong’ and the penalty they were awarded by Jon Moss at Villa Park also comes to mind when I think about recent examples. It puts United into the semi final of the Europa League and we just have to hope that Inter Milan can do the business and get to the final and turn them over if United also get there. Penalty advantage aside.

I guess we should be thankful because in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer I don’t think they have a master tactician and hopefully if we don’t get an army of referees begging for them to be given a leg up next season, we’ll see a bit more truth behind that team. Although they do have a very good looking forward line now and have really lucked out in Greenwood coming through their ranks.

But heck, less of that horrid entity of a football team; let’s focus on The Arsenal and whilst Willian’s medical was supposedly done yesterday I suppose we just have to wait for that final confirmation now. Then when that happens I’ll have practically nothing to talk about because I’ve spoken about him so much in the last week! I’ll already be looking at the next deal that we need to make to feel like we have a chance of competing for the top four next season.

So let’s just park the Willian chatter for now and focus on actual stuff that has happened, which is that we’ve had a couple of young lads confirmed as heading out on loan yesterday in Zech Medley to Gillingham and Zak Swanson to MVV Maastricht on loan. Makes sense as they weren’t really close to the first team and if it builds up their experience whilst also increasing their value then I’d say go for it.

I have to say that given we are in need of the cashola, I am surprised we don’t send more players out on loan every season, because it helps the players grow and it also increases their value if they have a good season. I guess these days you have scouts that go to the youth games too but there’s nothing quite like a comparison to a player when they are on loan in an adult first team squad in a season. Even if it is in a so-called ‘lesser’ league, the experience and knowledge gained is valuable and Medley will do well to get himself plenty of minutes and see how he kicks on. It does make you think though; there were times last season where some fans suggested we just play the lad in central defence for The Arsenal, but the fact he’s gone to League One Gillingham shows that he simply wasn’t ready for that kind of exposure. Hopefully a season roughing it in that division will help his career; he’s already got the physical attributes – he’s six foot five – so if he can grow and prove he’s got the mental strength to kick it in what will be a very physical league, then perhaps he returns as quite some player for The Arsenal in future.

There’s not really a lot else kicking around at the moment to be honest with you. Arsenal are due back from training in about 10 days time ahead of the Community Shield against Liverpool a week later, but given that this weird pre season has barely even started I don’t really see that as a massive talking point. Getting ourselves back into Europe via the qualifying routes mean we don’t have to play any earlier preliminary rounds which is a good thing, but I suspect they’ll be a couple of games that will be organised by the club before the big kick off in September. Whether or not Arsenal have all of their players ready and in place remains to be seen; with only about ten days until training starts and the transfer window closing in October, I have a feeling we’ll do what we always do which is to let things rumble on a little bit too long and be well into the season before our squad takes shape – both incomings and outgoings.

So we wait. Let’s just hope that we’re not waiting too long though.

Until tomorrow, friends.