Saturday 14 December
Chelsea 0:1 Bournemouth
Another farce. We just ran out of steam and ideas long before they got the advantage of VAR to score an undeserved winner.
What a week, a Brexit moron with a majority in Downing Street and a weak performance against another weak opponent.
We never looked like scoring. Tammy Abraham could have sat on the bench. It is too easy for teams to sit deep and defend, not good defensive sides but poorly organised, patched-up, disheartened teams that are getting their first win in half a dozen.
It is incredibly depressing. That is twelve points we have dropped in the last five games.
Frank said we need to work harder, but he said that after West Ham and after Everton and he can’t keep using it as an excuse.
We shouldn’t be so harsh, this is a young squad and one competing in Europe during the week and at Premier League level at the weekend. They looks leggy after Champions League commitments. It is no accident that Leicester City are flying so high when they have a week off between games. The break from European competition until February and the week off after Christmas should recharge the batteries.

Sunday 15 December
Liverpool 1:1 Chelsea
Another dire result in a rubbish weekend. The women fall further behind Arsenal after drawing against rock-bottom Liverpool. Beth England., with her 11th league goal, continued her fine form on a quagmire of a pitch. Their goal was scrambled through a dozen legs before creeping across the line. We dominated the rest of the match but couldn’t find a winner. Emma Hayes condemned the state of the Prenton Park pitch but the result was more down to our lack of cunning in the box.
We need a holiday.

Monday 16 December
Bayern München in the round of 16. It could have been worse and it could have been better and it does mean we are returning to the stadium where we won the cup with the big ears in the first place. Bayern might remember that night in their own way. They will be thinking that revenge is dish best served in March but we have a good chance.
Real Madrid and Manchester City were drawn together in the battle of the soulless super-clubs. Borussia Dortmund got PSG. One of Atalanta and Valencia will be in the quarter-finals in the easy draw. Liverpool got Atletico Madrid, Lyon v Juventus, Tottenham v RB Leipzig and finally Napoli vs Barcelona.
The Champions League draw was somewhat overshadowed by the quarter-final draw for the Continental Tyres League Cup. Aston Villa at home in case you are wondering.

Wednesday 18 December
Chelsea 4:0 Huddersfield Town
A succession of tap-ins provided a woeful defence saw Armando Broja score three and Myles Peart-Harris angle in the other one. There was time to miss a penalty and thump the bar but all in it was a comfortable return to the FA Youth Cup.

Friday 19 December
Martin Peters passed away. The team of ’66 has lost one of its best players. A West Ham, Spurs and Norwich player doesn’t often get a mention here but the achievement of the 1966 team still shines, all these years later, as the best we have ever managed.