Good afternoon Positive Arsenal fans,
Top performance and a 5-1 result that accurately reflected our dominance in the midday match. It barely seems credible to me that a few months ago the prospect of a game ‘on the road’ even against clubs around the bottom of the PL seemed to fill the players, the fans ( and me) with the jitters. From the start there was a disciplined approach from our lads, with concentration good and the ball rarely squandered. Our performance today was by no means faultless but we did far more well and right, with the error(s) few and far between. Toward the end I thought there was a brio in our play, a sense that every time we moved over the half way line a goal was 50/50, that I have has seen for a while.
Goals win matches and all five of our strikes were at least good, and with one in the good going on exceptional bracket. Ramsey’s goal was a thing of clockwork precision and, as it brought us a two goal cushion over the home side, decisive. Hector’s back heel flick was sublime, Aaron’s clever diversion into the corner of the net quite beautiful. To that point, 67 minutes gone, our opponents were still in the match. Afterward it was a matter of how many we would win by.
Laca and then Auba’s movement was too sharp for Fulham all afternoon. Allow either to take a position on the 6 yard line with the ball at his feet and his back to goal and you, my defensive friend, have trouble. Alex Iwobi put in another creative performance, the main spring of our left sided raiders. He improves week to week in picking the right pass in and around the opposition box. Nacho, despite his culpability for the Fulham equaliser, put in a fine attacking display all afternoon. I thought Holding and Shkodran held the line well against a Fulham side who do indeed look like “they have goals in them” to quote the excruciating Robbie Savage.
My man of the match though ? Well he comes from Uruguay, and he’s only five foot five. Competent, combative and Torreira seemed to be running as hard in the 93rd minute as he was in the 3rd minute.
The home side ? They have a bit of football quality about them in midfield and up front. Schurrle, Seri, Sessegnon all possess a good touch and, particularly the German, a football brain. FFC are better than the Cardiff and Toon sides we beat. At the back though ……..If they don’t learn how to lock the back door then it will be a brief return to he top flight.
Finally peruse the Premier League table with me. We sit, briefly though it may be, in third spot;
I think I would have probably settled for that, if anyone had asked me in August.
Anyway, roller skates on. It is all kicking off at St Mary’s.
Positively Arsenal 
The loan deal for Nelson was a credit to the new team
Looks like the demands for a new winger is just another item to add to the list of bollocks broadcast by our billy big blaggers after their embaressing gegenpressing confirmation bias exposition in pre-season, which ignored the football on the pitch and the new gaffers slight, tiny little bit increase in playing out from the back. Which was highly amusing.
The new direct style of one touch football that they are all now admiring after last weeks display will be news to Chelsea who as champions in the 2017 final were grateful that the score wasn’t 3-0 at HT to (Ramsey and welbeck both hitting the post, Cahill off the line!) the Arsenal, or 3-1 at FT (Ozil hitting the post!).
What is so encouraging about that third goal is that it was:
An Arsenal goal. Not tika taka, but tika taka on fast forward, an English style of football, for an English climate, but not an English style as Mike knows it. The Arsenal style as it has always meant to be played (in the old gaffer’s own words).
Shame the blaggers don’t pay attention to the football on the pitch. Or what Welbeck brings to team whenever fit and firing. But hey. We can’t have it all I suppose.
Whilst they’ve been gurning over the selections the rest of us have been enjoing this run, the goals, the hopeful improvement in the Away form though after the five goals spanked past Everton at Goodison last season I’d advise the Experts to wait till after one or two games before any premature projections, though I suppose they have business to run, advertisers to impress etc etc etc. Nevermind the football on the pitch.
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Ramsey on his contract situation
“Everything has been going great with the club – we thought we were in a position where we had agreed a deal but that’s no longer the case,” Ramsey said. “So I just have to carry on playing my football and do my best for Arsenal this season and I’ll leave the rest with the club now.
“Am I disappointed? That’s a decision that they have made and things happen in football and you just have to get on with it and carry on playing the best I can. That’s all I am concentrating on and giving my best for Arsenal.”
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Good lad
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On this day in 1996: Ian Wright scored a brace in a 2-0 win at Blackburn in Arsène Wenger’s first ever game in charge of Arsenal
Arsenal’s XI vs. Blackburn (A): Seaman; Dixon, Keown, Adams, Bould, Winterburn; Platt, Vieira, Merson; Wright, Hartson.
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Jeorge Bird
@jeorgebird
54m54 minutes ago
Gedion Zelalem back running outside again as he steps up his recovery from his latest injury setback.
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Our Carabao Cup tie at home to Blackpool has been chosen to use VAR in
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Or pretendy pigmob VAR
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well marky a lot will depend on the ref and how he feels about VAR
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seemingly Ainsley Maitland-Niles has returned to full training
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Used to both contract sagas and them tending to end with the players exit but this Ramsey one is certainly different.
Still some chance it ends with him staying, I suppose, but doesn’t seem likely at present.
Some key information missing, namely what was the offer and how did it get withdrawn?
Might never get the answers to it. Thought I was accepting it fairly well, despite it not being what I want, until talk of him going to Utd got into my mind.
Horrible. Any prem team the same- horrible.
He’ll keep working hard for us while here though, that’s for sure.
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Cheers Thierry
Apparently he plans on trying to take our excellent under-18 coach Ampadu to Monaco with him.
So wouldn’t take up offer to work with club, and now looking to take a quality coach.
With legends/friends like these eh.
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a few weeks ago the same rag said he would take Gilles Grimandi with him to be his no.2
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AFCPressWatch
@AFCPressWatch2
2h2 hours ago
Arsenal v Sp*rs
Sun, Dec 2
KO: 2.05pm (SKY)
Man U v Arsenal
Wed, Dec 5
KO: 8pm (BT)
S’oton v Arsenal
Sun, Dec16
KO 1.30pm (Sky)
Arsenal v Burnley
Sat, Dec 22
KO: 12.30pm (Sky)
Brighton v Arsenal
Wed, Dec 26
KO: 5.15pm (Sky)
Liverpool v Arsenal
Sat, Dec 29
KO: 5.30pm (BT)
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He’d be better taking someone who knows about managing a football club – Sam Allardyce for example.
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i think if henry is appointed the manager of monaco, he will do well. although he will find out that wenger’s record at the club is untouchable despite monaco being better funded now than when wenger was there. i dont have anything aginst him, infact i want him to succeed as a coach and face those criticism arsene faced. he can end up becoming a brilliant coach but wenger is a genius
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I want to see as many as possible of our ex players become great coaches/managers, Thierry, paddy, Arteta, Freddie, Per, the lot.
We might need them one day, and if Unai is as good as I believe he is, that day could be sooner than we may think (not that I am worrying about UE being poached at this time, but I doubt we will see wengers loyalty again)
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Does seem as if Ampadu is off.
Always hard to know exactly what’s what with youth coaches etc, but results, performances and player development seem very good to me under Ampadu, plus I like what I see from interviews.
Thierry at Monaco? Think I’m a bit weird in comparison to most supporters as I don’t really go in for hero worship and like even with our very best players of all time.
It’s just completely separate for me what a player can do on pitch and all the rest, with a massive focus on the present and anything that is good for the club.
I do generally like our players, especially some, and imagine them as good guys (versus all those utter bastards from Spurs, utd, Chelsea,etc), but am not the most forgiving if I feel they do anything to harm the club etc.
Wish him well though, Ampadu,too, if he’s off- so long as they don’t try poaching any of this cracking bunch of youngsters we have!
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The problem is people don’t understand that a great player can also be a great big arsehole.
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For those who have 10 minutes free time on this largely football free Saturday take a look at a Guardian article about the explosion of young footballers coming out of Sarf London, with the development of our own Eddie, Emile and Reiss described.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/12/why-future-england-squads-will-have-heavy-south-london-accent
There is no historical context or reference in the piece but it did strike me worth looking back to previous generation with Rocky from Lewisham, Michael Thomas from Lambeth, Wrighty a Greenwich boy and the still ridiculously under-rated Paul Davis from Brixton.
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It does seem Ampadu is gone to Monaco with Henry, so it will be interesting to see who gets to replace Ampadu.
Ken Gillard was assistant to Ampadu so may step up to top spot, or we may seen U23 assistant boss Ryan Garry get it. U16 boss is Trevor Bumstead and the U15’s boss is Greg Lincoln, either of them could step up.
Maybe this is the right time to give Robert Pires a job at the club.
I’ve seen Aliadiere’s name mentioned for the role.
Per Mertesacker is head of the academy so it will be his first real big decision, might he take the role on himself, i really doubt he could do both jobs. Per is bound to have lots of links in the game, and many former team mates, both at Arsenal and from his other clubs, that may be good for the role as Arsenal U18 manager.
on the topic of our U18’s, another one of our lads scored yesterday, Sam Greenwood got one for the England U17s
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After the first 45 minutes it stands 5:5-Thomas #Brdaric(35.), Jan #Schlaudraff(40.) as well as Mike #Hanke(44.) on 96-page and @ThomasHitz(37.) as well as Max #Kruse(45.) for the world selection still met! 👏 #H96 #NiemalsAllein ⚫️⚪️💚
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Hannover 96
Verified account @Hannover96
4m4 minutes ago
Weiter geht’s in der #HDIArena! 🙌 Und den ersten Treffer nach der Pause erzielt kein Geringerer als Per @mertesacker selbst (46.) – jetzt allerdings im Dress der Weltauswahl! 🚀 #MertesHomecoming #H96 #NiemalsAllein ⚫️⚪️💚
Translated from German by Microsoft
Continue in the #HDIArena! 🙌 and the first hit after the break is no less than by @mertesacker itself (46. Now,) – However, in the dress of the world selection! 🚀 #MertesHomecoming #H96 #NiemalsAllein ⚫️⚪️💚
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Hannover 96
Verified account @Hannover96
4m4 minutes ago
Update von #MertesHomecoming: Nach 73 Minuten steht’s 8:8! 😁 Die letzten Torschützen: @IvanKlasnic17 (57.) und Max #Kruse (65.) für die Weltauswahl sowie Mike #Hanke doppelt (62./73.) und Denis #Wolf für Mertes #H96-Freunde! ⚽️ #NiemalsAllein ⚫️⚪️💚
Translated from German by Microsoft
Update from #MertesHomecoming: After 73 minutes it is 8:8! 😁 the last Scorers: @IvanKlasnic17(57.) and Max #Kruse(65.) for the world selection as well as Mike #Hanke double (62./73.) and Denis #Wolf for Mertes #H96 friends! ⚽️ #NiemalsAllein ⚫️⚪️💚
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LTArsenal™
@ltarsenal
4h4 hours ago
Arsenal’s updated December schedule:
2nd-Spurs(H)
5th-United(A)
8th-Huddersfield(H)
13th-Qarabag(H)
16th-Southampton(A)
22nd-Burnley(H)
26th-Brighton(A)
29th-Liverpool(A)
New year’s day-Fulham(H)
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that list of game will include a CC qf if we beat blackpool, and it would be played 18th or 19th of December
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Chris Wheatley
Verified account @ChrisWheatley_
3h3 hours ago
Gibbs on Mertesacker: “When I first met Per he was a very serious guy. He immediately demanded respect. After a while he became a big friendly giant of the team and became the person everyone would go to if they had some problems. He became the father of the changing room.”
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Another touching Guardian football story:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/oct/13/football-mad-girl-fame-boys-refused-to-shake-hand
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Thank god for the EPL break as I was able to twist LaboGoon’s arm and have him do an article titled “Phil Neville has Sick Feeling About Refereeing” at http://uniteforvar.com/?p=1332
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Good afternoon all,
Foul weather here as I presume it is all over the UK.
Did anyone watch the Dutch v Germany game last night ? The home side had a lot of young players and seemed far more disciplined than in their shambolic WC qualifiers over 17/18. Frenkie De Jong of Ajax – just 21 – remember the name. The Germans though ….. they look as though they are suffering from a shocking hangover from the World Cup. While the 3-0 result flattered the hosts, with two late goals for Holland finally killing off the Germans, Low’s boys were disjointed and toothless all night. Joachim wont last long if this downward slide carries on.
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
44s45 seconds ago
Half-time: @ChelseaFCW 0-2 @ArsenalWFC
Strikes from Kim Little and @VivianneMiedema have given us a two-goal lead at the break 🙌
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The DFB having allowed the fallout from the summer to fester and simmer, with those upstairs above Lowe impervious & having entrusted the onfield leadership and legacy created by Lahm, Schweiny and Mertesacker to the bickering Kroos Krew I guess that it could be a while before they recover from their disintegration.
Perhaps not as long as it took France a decade ago but it certainly looks like some damage has been done.
Mertesacker. A great player for Germany, legend is the term I think, and yes a great player for the Arsenal too (whisper it as this runs counter-NARRATIVE being pumped out by blaggers).
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
10m10 minutes ago
What a finish! @JordanNobbs8 received the ball on the right wing and found the top left corner from the tightest of angles 🔥
🔵 0-3 🔴 (52)
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
7m7 minutes ago
AND IT’S FOUR! 💥
@bmeado9 teed up @VivianneMiedema inside the box, who found the bottom right corner with a composed finish 👏
🔵 0-4 🔴 (57)
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
1m1 minute ago
NOBBS HAS HER SECOND! 🔥
@bmeado9 played an inch-perfect pass behind the Chelsea defence – and @JordanNobbs8 fizzed her effort into the bottom right corner 🎯
🔵 0-5 🔴 (68)
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This is the best summary of the footy alongside Adrian Clarke that I can find & recommend for your pleasure (please go easy with the links to the mancunian grunts, enough with their gibber-jabber. Thanks).
However our old friend The Brain also missed that the new gaffer first played 442 in pre-season with Özil and Auba that day. Which was interesting.
For me the tactics vary with the players and Welbeck being the all rounder that he is can play as a Target Man (which is why he’ll still be a loss to the squad next season as Eddie won’t be a target man).
The new gaffer truly is a student of his old guru, in his own words.
A fluid 4231/442 with two strikers and a ten somewhere in the mix. Diaby and Song behind Fabregas with Eduardo playing on the Left when defending a lead and joing the striker in other phases of the match? Except the new gaffer has older more mature, expensive and expeienced players in those roles? Yes. We can appreciate exactly how and why the new gaffer coaxed an Arsenal goal out of his players, he had been following how the arsenal play for some time!
I had imagined that he wasn’t into whatever it is that Arsene and Young Pep were experimenting with over the last two or three seasons (don’t ask me!), but then again with injuries forcing his hand he was happy to throw an inexperienced AMN on at LB ahead of Lichensteiner against City. Therefore I also imagine that the new gaffer will have some tricks that are less familiar as the season progress’ like or similar to Pep’s and Arsene’s latest variations on these tactics which I couldn’t even begin to describe.
There’s another good article on the tactics by Tony Atwood over at Untold.
What both these two articles emphasise is that as an attacking football team The Arsenal have successfully been coaxing and tempting opponents out of their own defensive postures to create the spaces for the many goals that the arsenal have been scoring this season, certainly drawing out the opponent more effectively then over the last two seasons (basketball doesn’t even come close to football for me and the no backwards pass rule is one reason!).
You’d imagine that the coaches would want to marginally reduce the number of decent chances conceded, not all as that would be irrational from an attacking team set up to attack, but still have an ambition in lowering the GA column to at least 45 as a maximium.
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lost a comment with a link!
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4231/442 variations going back a decade (Eduardo on the left after or when holding onto a lead/closing out a game) was the theme, along with a robust appreciation of Unai’s attacking commitment to the tactics that have been inspiring him over his career, I mention no names regarding said inspiration! Hehe.
Fulham wasn’t the first time he’d gone with the above set up, in pre-season we saw Aubamayang and Özil up top. But as always it’s the players that make the tactics, and with Welbeck able to also play that target man role (hence allowing Giroud to go) there are many variations that the new gaffer can play with.
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Arsenal Women
Verified account @ArsenalWFC
17s18 seconds ago
Full-time: Chelsea 0-5 Arsenal
We’ve maintained our place at the top of the @FAWSL table thanks to goals from Kim Little, @VivianneMiedema (2) and @JordanNobbs8 (2) 🔥
COME ON YOU GUNNERS! 👊
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Koscielny has announced his retirement from International football.
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the chelsea women’s manager emma hayes was far from gracious in defeat today, she claimed arsenal women were lucky with all 5 goals, i kid you not.
by the way, once AFC went 3 up, the CFC team put in some very nasty tackles.
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Koscielny said today that he hopes to fight for a first team place at AFC again, but as he has not started full training yet he is not sure what level he can return to.
if he can’t make a full recovery to the top level, maybe AFC should consider him for the U18 head coach role. Imagine having per as head of the Academy and Kos U18 boss, Fred U23 boss.
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Koscielny gave up that WC Winners medal playing through the pain barrier, on behalf of the Arsenal.
Limping and grimacing (he wasn’t smiling!) his way through many matches evidentially arsenal players were and have been capabe of playing through the pain barrier unless you had your own eyes wide shut, like the many blaggers groaning on about ‘defensive coaching’.
Hard not to admire his commitment to the club as club captain last season.
But forgive me for being repetitive, the club made an error by asking too much from his body. He was not brittle boned or injury prone, his tendons are shredded.
Conversely given Southgate’s comments and concern for the athletes this morning on the short pre-season in the one season in living memory when other PL clubs had more players then AFC playing in the final round of the WC we can see that AFC do make an effort to look after their players, more then most in teh PL in spite of the horror story that was the Cazorla injury (not sure what the club could have done there, other then send him to Spain from the beginning…).
So the managment of Torreira as he staggered his way through his delayed pre-season was admirable, of Laczette last season as he hobbled his way back to full fitness, of the low constitution of Ozil, it can all be seen in a very positive context.
The big difference between the old and new gaffer is not this ruthless subs routine as Trumpeted by The Confirmation Bias Krew (our dear Blaggers) but the timing of subs for players who need to come off/rotate for fitness reasons: fifteen minutes earlier (at HT or thereabouts). Huge difference! A Brave New Era!! (I don’t blame the new gaffer for the cock up with his star player’s contract, the player who just might have scored the best ever goal Unai’s Arsenal will ever score, same as with the old gaffer…)
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“Koscielny gave up that WC Winners medal playing through the pain barrier, on behalf of the Arsenal.”
If you are right about his “shredded” achilles tendons, and it was a AT that ruptured, would not that have just happened a game later or three games later etc with Arsenal or France ? He was unlucky but at 32-33 the body is wearing out. I hope LK does return but he has a steep hill to climb.
As we all accept what agent’s say as gospel this little gem caught my eye a month ago too !
https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/05/koscielny-considered-offers-to-leave-arsenal-before-suffering-achilles-injury-7916341/
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The relationship between intensive training, medical supplements (legal or otherwise), invasive procedures, rest or lack of it and long term health is a worry – and the problem is that it is often a long time before the full effects are known.
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Young athletes want to play, and clubs want to maximise their availability. The ethical lines are vulnerable and often hard to find. I sense that the Arsenal is no longer as concerned about long-term welfare as it was under AW.
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Andy,
I would have thought that you would have admired the athlete gritting his way through the pain.
“If i am right”?
As per the comment from Tim above, the former or professional athelte and the professional physiotherapist whose commentary makes the Bergkamp Wonderland after match shows worth listeing in to (when he is on it!) rest was the only way that Kozza w=could have played with less pain, as his chronic ondition is, well, it is chronic (according to the Experts).
The interesting nugget of information that the physiotherapist passed onto his listeners was or is that given the enforced rest after the rupture that upon his return that Koscielny may well have a season or two where he can play with more ease, movement, and less pain then we all saw last season, well, when i saw all I have to discount the unqualified Experts in defensive coaching, given the commentary from the qualified experts in Physiotherapy. I can’t explain as personally I don’t know my arsenal from my elbow, though i did kindly inform you that the safety fears at the spuds new stadium were good reason to laugh (a few years in advance of great businessman Levy arriving at this predictably embaressing phase of his project).
Therefore if he will be in less pain then last season !upon his return then hopefully Kozza will be able to help to contribute towards the success the squad will achieve this season before assessing whether to return to Lorient next year etc. Obviously he only kept on playing for the national team as he wanted to play in that WC otherwise he should have done a Giggsy much earlier. Rest! If that is all too much, please refer to Southgate’s comments on rest too.
Cheers.
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< 'scuse the typos, typing on Lunch.
I don't know about anyone else but I have great faith in the powers of rest. And sleep!
Can't beat a good power napZzzzzz…
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