S5M13: A big week

Since the last time I pressed publish, a hell of a lot has happened. I've had some great stuff in my personal life, which is always nice (classic footballer interview phrase) and some major stuff professionally too (see the news for more details).

And then there was Paris.

I got home last Friday night and had a push notification on my phone with the headline waiting for me. 2 hours of rolling news later I went to bed, and then resumed on the Saturday morning.

It's sickening, scary and outrageous all at once. It's difficult to process such a sustained, sophisticated attack on joie de vivre. The footage of the match at the Stade de France with the explosions audible was just bizarre.

I think it all feels more personal as a football fan - or a music fan. The ability to create a mental image of what happened, but translocated to your own sacred space. The cursory searches that you're subject to, The realisation that for all the bile spewed at the opposition players and fans, you'd drop it all in a heartbeat for real life.

Sport has a phenomenal redemptive power. It is the eternal optimist. The renaissance followed at Wembley, with a raw, emotional crowd and stoic guests. I've been singing the Marseillaise in my head for the last week. My own act of rebellion. For they shall not win.

To this week's predos:

Watford vs Man Utd -  MAN UTD
Chelsea vs Norwich - CHELSEA
Everton vs Aston Villa - EVERTON
Newcastle vs Leicester - DRAW
Southampton vs Stoke - SOUTHAMPTON
Swansea vs Bournemouth - DRAW
WBA vs Arsenal - ARSENAL
Man City vs Liverpool - MAN CITY
Spurs vs West Ham - SPURS
Crystal Palace vs Sunderland - CRYSTAL PALACE

Total odds: 511/1 (Paddypower)

Good luck guys