We made it - and survived dry Boxing Day.

So we all survived dry Boxing Day after all. What a relief. And what a lovely day I had. I’ve been advocating this change for years. In fact, I’d go further and take the same break as most of Europe. Why not? Coaches and managers are always complaining about players getting too may minutes on the grass. It would give us all time to draw breath.

It also puts the EFL front and centre, which is no bad thing. The Championship is a terrific product - curse free (sorry, VAR free). It makes such a lovely change to watch a match that isn’t governed by some clown in a Slough bunker. I love it.

VAR remains the worst thing football ever inflicted on itself. Has it made the game better? Has it hell. Seriously, what has it improved? Nothing is the answer. I hate it.

I’ve been in VAR rehab trying to embrace it over the past few weeks, looking to give the guys a break, but I’m afraid I’ve fallen off the wagon. It drives me mad.

Have we stopped arguing about decisions? No. Has it brought uniformity? No. Consistency? No. Has it raised standards? No. And that ridiculous automated off-side system we use is a joke. That is if it’s working. It’s nowhere near as good as the CL system and useless if you can’t look directly across the pitch. The angle we use simply can’t be accurate. It’s like some sort of cartoon action. Hopeless.

I mentioned on Twitter I was 100% behind Sean Dyche’s view after the game at Forest. Of course Dias has got to go after committing a second yellow card offence. He knew exactly what he was doing. What was the difference between that challenge and the one Danso was booked for at Palace last night? Only that Rob Jones was shit scared to get a card out again because he was reffing City.

And as for the winning goal - wow. I didn’t expect Jones to see the offence, but where was VAR? You see - useless. What’s the point?

I’ll be a tad kind to Jones here and admit he’s not the only one overawed by reffing City. All the guys are. They must be. I can’t think of another reason they freeze when they do. I mentioned this recently and I’ll do it again - Guardiola’s teams have always been masters of the dark arts. Always. So keep a closer eye on them guys and be honest.

Graham Poll admitted - in his book - he used to ref United differently. He said he was scared to make big calls against them because he didn’t want to fall out with Fergie. He knew if he did he wouldn’t get another big game at OT for six months or so after a row. Case closed. It happens.

As for Dyche, he’ll probably get into trouble for telling Forest fans what he really thought. But why should he? I’ve argued for years that coaches and players should be allowed to express reviews true feelings post match. Why not, if it’s done in a respectful and thoughtful way? Isn’t the PL played in a country that values free-speech? Isn’t it all part of the entertainment? It certainly is in other sports, so why not PL football? It’s a nonsense that we gag them. I’d love to see a coach take legal action when fined. He’d win.

I like Thomas Frank. I thought Spurs might just have got it right when they appointed him and I hope I’m proven correct, but if he thinks beating a Palace team out on their feet is something to get excited about he’s wrong. It was a good night out - and three points - but nothing more.

Here’s one for you - how many of Tottenham’s starting X1 last night would get into one of our top teams?

Arne Lost might just have found a team at last - a team that doesn’t include Mo Salah. But again, beating Wolves isn’t anything to get excited about. Wolves should be charged with brining the game into disrepute. They are hopeless. Two points? Eleven straight defeats? You’d say that was impossible if it hadn’t happened. I feel for their fans.

Bournemouth can’t buy a win at the moment either. Losing Semenyo might tip them over the edge. What did I tell you about his likely destination? It looks like we got another one right, but nobody remembers or likes it when I do that. 😂.

Bournemouth might be about to discover what the likes of Charlton and Southampton have found out the past - that you can’t keep going to the well and finding water. Eventually it runs dry. Brighton should take note of what’s happening along the south coast again.

What a run Villa are on. What an irony it would be if Emery doesn’t just stop Arsenal from winning the title, but nicks it off them. Right now Villa are in the race, but I think they’ll come up short, only because they don’t have the depth.

And I’m pleased to see Fulham in the top half. They were victims of some shocking decisions early season and have done well to recover. Good luck to them. Have a great new year. See you in 2026, when there’s going to be some really exciting things happening. Stay tuned.