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      Furious Spurs boss Antonio Conte says VAR blunders should be ‘impossible’ and reckons he could do better from his sofa

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      ANTONIO CONTE claims it should be “impossible” for VAR to blunder — and reckons he could make better decisions from his sofa.The Tottenham boss is still furious Harry Kane’s last-gasp Champions League ‘winner’ against Sporting Lisbon was ruled out by video refs.
      Kane’s last-gasp goal was disallowed for offsideCredit: Rex
      Conte was left furious and the referee swiftly sent him offCredit: Alamy
      And Conte insists the red card he was shown for protesting — which will see him banned from Tuesday’s showdown in Marseille — was unfair.
      The Italian said: “It’s impossible to make mistakes with VAR, you have a screen, you have time. When I stay at home and I see the VAR image then, for me, it is easy to take the best decision.
      “Instead, then you see they take the opposite decision.”
      Kane’s stoppage-time strike — 14 seconds from the end of the game — was disallowed for offside.
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      But Conte, 53, added: “You score, qualified for the next round, you are celebrating. And then you stay for five minutes to look at the situation with VAR — they take the decision and you don’t know if it’s right or wrong.
      “This is not football because you cut emotion, the emotion of everybody, and especially the players because you don’t know.”
      Conte’s red card for entering the pitch against Sporting means he will not be in the dugout or allowed to communicate with players in Marseille.
      And defeat could see his Tottenham side exit the Champions League.
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      Conte, who did not appear to realise he had copped a ban, added: “It’s a pity, especially because I didn’t insult anyone.
      “It was only because I came on to the pitch, then to be banned from an important game.
      “If you book me, then it shows me not to come on to the pitch — but now it’s in the past.” More

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      Antonio Conte banned from Tottenham’s crunch Champions League clash in Marseille in huge blow after VAR-rage red card

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      ANTONIO CONTE will be banned for next week’s crucial Champions League match at Marseille.The Spurs boss will also not be allowed to directly communicate with his players or staff or enter the dressing room next Tuesday.
      Antonio Conte was sent off after VAR ruled out Tottenham’s winner against SportingCredit: Reuters
      It comes after he was sent off by referee Danny Makkelie in the closing stages of Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at home to Sporting for blasting the decision to disallow Harry Kane’s stoppage-time strike.
      A red card shown to an official in a Uefa competition carries an automatic one-match suspension.
      Conte will have to sit in the stands of the Stade Velodrome, where Spurs need a draw to qualify for the last 16.
      Article 69 of Uefa’s disciplinary regulations states: “A team manager/coach or other team official who is sent off or suspended from carrying out his function may not be in the technical area or communicate directly with the team’s players and/or technical staff during the match.
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      “In addition, a team manager/coach or any other team official who is suspended from carrying out his function may not enter the dressing room or tunnel before or during the match.”
      Spurs can appeal, and are still deciding whether or not they will.
      The club are also awaiting confirmation from Uefa as to the exact reason for the red card.
      But Conte is also in danger of further punishment once referee Makkelie has handed in his match report for the Group D fixture.
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      Conte was still seething when he spoke afterwards and Uefa may also investigate his post-match comments.
      During his short press conference, the 53-year-old accused VAR of being dishonest, creating “big damage” and insisted it would not have disallowed Kane’s goal had it been for a “top team, in an important game” before he walked out after one question.
      The England captain sparked wild celebrations with a 95th-minute winner which would have sealed Spurs’ last-16 Champions League spot.
      Emerson Royal headed the ball against a Sporting defender but Kane was deemed to be offside.
      And, after a four-minute video review, ref Makkelie disallowed it. More

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      Raging Antonio Conte storms out of Spurs press conference after ONE question after VAR rules out late Harry Kane winner

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      FUMING Antonio Conte launched a scathing attack on VAR for “damaging football” – and being biased against Tottenham.Harry Kane sparked wild celebrations with a 95th-minute “winner” which would have sealed Spurs’ last-16 Champions League spot.
      Antonio Conte was too ‘upset’ to continue his press conference beyond two minutes
      Ref Danny Makkelie showed Spurs chief Antonio Conte the red card for protesting at Harry Kane’s stoppage-time goal being disallowedCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      But after a FOUR-MINUTE review, Dutch VAR Pol van Boekel told his compatriot ref Danny Makkelie to disallow it for offside.
      Tottenham boss Conte was sent off as he furiously protested, while raging fans booed the officials.
      The Italian later stormed out of a press conference after just one question as he blasted: “I don’t see honesty.”
      He went on to say: “VAR is doing a lot of damage.
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      “I want to see if, in another stadium of a big team, they are ready to disallow this type of goal. I’d like to know this.
      “I feel a lot of injustice. I don’t like this type of situation. I see no positive things.
      “I would like to see if VAR is so brave enough to make an unfair decision.
      “This decision creates a big damage to the club.
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      “I don’t see honesty…I’m REALLY upset! ” 😡Antonio Conte left fuming at VAR decision and leaves press conference after one question 😳pic.twitter.com/4YFr0OFGtu— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 26, 2022

      “I hope the club understands this and they speak with the people they have to speak with.
      “The club has to be strong, otherwise it is only the manager speaking. It creates big, big damage.”
      Emerson Royal headed the ball against a Sporting defender in the build-up but VAR Van Boekel deemed Kane to be ahead of the ball.
      Even the official VAR photo looked inconclusive.
      Now, Tottenham still need a point at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome next Thursday to progress into the knockout stage.
      Conte added: “The ball was in front of Kane and the goal is a goal.
      “I don’t understand the line they put. It is very difficult to comment on this decision.
      “I don’t comment on the referee’s decision but the VAR this season in between Prem and Champions League, we are unlucky.
      Goal should have stood, says Mark HalseyDUTCH VAR Pol van Boekel’s controversial decision to rule out Harry Kane’s late would-be winner for offside was very, very tight.
      The fact the ball deflected off Sporting defender Flavio Nazinho before it reached Kane is irrelevant because it was not a deliberate play.
      Secondly, the fact the ball went backwards off Emerson Royal’s head before it reached Kane does not matter either, the direction of the ball never does.
      It is whether Kane was closer to the goal line than the ball and the second-most rear defender when it was played.
      If Kane was judged to have been behind the ball, he would have been onside.
      Technology isn’t foolproof and can we say Kane was definitely in front of the ball when Royal headed it? I’m not sure.
      It took around four minutes to check and if it is taking that long we shouldn’t be disallowing goals like that.
      It was very difficult to tell if Kane was a toenail in front or behind the ball.
      If that’s what the VAR is looking for and it takes four minutes, you can find whatever you want to find. 

      “We are only the team that has repeated a penalty.
      “And every penalty I go to see if the keeper moves on the line and then I see it a lot of time.
      “I want to see a repeat of penalties in the Prem. We are not so lucky with VAR. I think they create a big damage.”
      Heartbroken Kane added: “I don’t really know what to say to be honest I’m just absolutely gutted it ended like that and not with a win.
      “To take the positives we showed great fighting spirit and it’s all in our hands for the final group game.”
      While team-mate Matt Doherty added: “You can see from the celebrations we thought we won it.
      “I don’t know what happened at the end.
      “I thought because the ball went backwards and hit a defender it was a different phase of play. I’ll have to look at the rule book.
      “A few of us don’t have a clue what happened.”
      The late mayhem came after Rodrigo Bentancur cancelled out Marcus Edwards’ opener against his old side.
      Conte is the only man sent off in both the Prem and the Champions League this season.
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      But he claimed he was given the red card only because he was the most famous person on the pitch!
      He added: “All the people come inside (the pitch) after the decision to disallow the goal and then they came to give me the red card, maybe because I was the more popular person on the pitch.” More

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      West Ham 2 Bournemouth 0: Watch Zouma’s ‘volleyball’ opener as VAR lets goal stand after calls for handball in build-up

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      KURT ZOUMA scored his first goal since THAT shameful cat-kicking video as West Ham benefited from two PURR-fect VAR calls.In the summer, the controversial Frenchman was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping a fragile feline in a social-media post that went viral.

      Kurt Zouma nodded in a fortuitous goal to put West Ham into the leadCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Zouma scored a dubious goal which had Bournemouth players incredulousCredit: Getty
      The opener was contentious as West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer appeared to handle the ballCredit: Sky Sports Premier League
      Kehrer seemed to suggest the ball hit his chest – Bournemouth disagreedCredit: Sky Sports Premier League
      Though he stole the headlines last night for the right reasons, the Hammers defender had a nervous wait to find out if his goal against Bournemouth would stand – as the visitors complained about a ‘volleyball-style’ handball in the build-up.
      But having recently chastened Stockley Park officials – he said they should have gone to Specsavers – boss David Moyes was grateful they did not cave into the Cherries protestations.
      The usually-beleaguered men in front of the TV screens rightly agreed with the on-field decision by referee David Coote – and even gave West Ham a late spot-kick for handball.
      This hard-fought result means West Ham lie in tenth place now, having risen SEVEN places in a congested table.
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      And reaching their highest position in this stop-start campaign will ease any anxieties there may have been about their previous close proximity to the bottom three.
      Under the tutelage of interim boss Gary O’Neil – who played in midfield in West Ham’s promotion-winning season a decade ago – Bournemouth have become a hard side to defeat.
      It is all a far cry from the 9-0 annihilation at Liverpool – a record Prem loss – in late August which left Scott Parker’s job untenable.
      Since coming in, O’Neill has witnessed three Premier League managers get sacked, two Monarchs sit on the Buckingham Palace throne and three Prime Ministers take up office.
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      What O’Neill has done impressively in his time in the South Coast hot seat is tighten up a leaky defence, particularly on their travels.
      It was clear from the beginning that Bournemouth came here with the sole purpose to counter-attack and frustrate the opposition front line.
      And until he came off with an injury, their centre forward Dominic Solanke had two chances to score on the break for the visitors but was both times stopped by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
      Down the other end, two brilliant saves in three first-half minutes from Brazilian goalkeeper Neto thwarted the claret-and-blue troops.
      One was a fine fingertip save to turn over a thunderous strike from Aaron Cresswell.
      The next was a solid block from Tomas Soucek from close range even though Gianluca Scamacca was flagged offside in the build-up.
      The West Ham opener arrived shortly before half-time – to great relief around the London Stadium – but Bournemouth stars marched straight to the ref because the Jarrod Bowen corner struck the hands of Thilo Kehrer.
      In the midst of the pinball shenanigans in the Bournemouth box it was Zouma who applied the final touch.
      Said Benrahma wrapped up the points from the penalty spotCredit: Getty
      The goal was no more than Benrahma deserved for an energetic performanceCredit: Getty
      VAR was needed for the second goal too as West Ham bagged the three pointsCredit: Sky Sports Premier League
      And once VAR correctly ruled in West Ham’s favour – it was not deliberate and did not lead directly to the goal – the French defender celebrated for the first time since scoring against Liverpool in November 2021.
      While the poor cat felt the full force of his boot, ten of his 11 Prem goals have now come via his head.
      O’Neil was furious and received a yellow card during the break when he told Coote: “That’s a handball, that’s a fact.”
      For the second half, Neto did not reappear, having pulled a muscle in his right leg in innocuous fashion as he hoofed upfield a clearance.
      In his place came Mark Travers – his last appearance was THAT Anfield mauling – and he was tested on the hour mark by Declan Rice’s chested volley from distance.
      Bournemouth made some subs in the second half and gave the home side a few scares with some forays forward.
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      But Bournemouth substitute Jordan Zemura had his head in his hands when a penalty was awarded against him for handball in stoppage-time from a Vladimir Coufal cross following VAR intervention.
      Said Benrahma, who took over the duties from Bowen, did not miss from 12 yards as Moyes’s team won for the fifth time at home in all competitions, a record since the days they used to play at Upton Park.
      Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neill was fuming at both goals been given against his teamCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      David Moyes was delighted with his side’s performance in a solid home winCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      What Pep Guardiola said to Mo Salah after hot-tempered Liverpool win over Man City revealed by lip reader

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      RIVALS Mohamed Salah and Pep Guardiola were spotted in discussion just after Liverpool’s thrilling 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday.And a professional lip reader reckons they spoke about one of the controversial refereeing decisions from the game.
      Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah spoke to each other at full-timeCredit: Reuters
      Salah scored the winning goal in a thrilling encounter at AnfieldCredit: PA
      Salah and Guardiola sportingly shook hands after the high-octane encounter, which was settled by a strike from the Egyptian King.
      They also had a quick chat, which led to speculation from fans what they could be talking about.
      Liverpool ace Salah, 30, covered his mouth as he spoke while City boss Guardiola, 51, talked openly.
      Professional lip reader John Cassidy has analysed their interaction, and while Salah’s words remain a mystery, he believes he has broken down what Guardiola said.
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      Via the Mirror, Cassidy reckons Guardiola said to Salah: “Have a good season, good game, you too, what’s up?
      Guardiola was then hidden behind Salah momentarily.
      But when his mouth came back into shot, Cassidy believes he continued: “There’s no doubt about it, not maybe – definite. It’s definite, definite.”
      The Spanish gaffer could have been talking about Phil Foden’s disallowed goal.
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      City believed they had taken the lead when Foden found the back of the net, only for VAR to rule it out for an Erling Haaland foul on Fabinho in the build up to the goal.
      Guardiola was left fuming by the decision, and told Sky Sports after the game: “The referee came to the coaches [before the game] and said play on, play on.
      “There were a million fouls. But after we scored a goal, he decided it is not play on. This is Anfield.”
      Meanwhile, some fans are convinced Salah HANDLED the ball seconds before scoring the winning goal.
      New camera angles appear to raise questions about whether the ball lightly touched Salah’s arm, which under current rules would mean the goal should not have stood.
      Salah netted the winner after spinning away from Joao CanceloCredit: Getty More

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      40-minute waits for VAR, live TV blackouts on a Sunday… will the Premier League EVER think of the fans?

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      AT Elland Road, a crowd of 36,700 waited for 40 minutes after a ‘power surge’ cut communication between ref Chris Kavanagh and his VAR overlords.It wouldn’t be entirely true to suggest that supporters of Leeds and Arsenal waited patiently on Sunday.
      The game at Elland Road was delayed after a power cut issue before the gameCredit: Getty
      There were chants of ‘F*** VAR’ and much mockery at the whole charade playing out before them.
      First players had a kickabout to keep warm, then headed back to the dressing rooms, then re-emerged and warmed up again before Mikel Arteta — perhaps too fond of watching himself on Arsenal’s Amazon documentary series — held a public team-talk on the pitch.
      There is nothing more worthy for anyone to shout at any sporting contest than the words: “GET ON WITH IT!”
      The vast majority of supporters would have mentioned that we had somehow managed to stage football matches for a century and a half without VAR — and that this still occurs at every level of the English game other than the Premier League.
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      Those who paid good money and travelled on this nation’s creaking transport network to watch the match live would have been happy to carry on regardless without decision-making technology.
      They could have lived without the thrilling prospect of seeing Kavanagh with his hand to his earpiece, travelling to his ‘referee review area’ to consult his monitor, while they were of course unable to rewatch any contentious decisions themselves.
      Most paying punters hate VAR, a system which means they never know whether they can safely celebrate goals — and also leaves them knowing far less about what is going on than any armchair fan.
      And on Sunday, those armchair fans able to watch Leeds v Arsenal live would have been in the United States, Australia, Canada, India and several other nations, but not in the UK.
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      Supporters of Leeds or Arsenal who couldn’t get a ticket had to rely on radio commentary or illegal  streams. This is a bizarre anachronism.
      While anyone who cares about the football pyramid understands the Saturday 3pm blackout on live coverage, why the limit on broadcasting games on congested Sundays?
      This Sunday, four Premier League matches kicked off at 2pm, including Leeds v Arsenal and Manchester United v Newcastle — four of England’s best-supported clubs — yet only Aston Villa v Chelsea was screened live. It will be the same next Sunday.
      This nonsense is in the interests of no one and now feels like something from a previous century, as with BBC news readers telling you to, ‘Look away now,’ when the results come on before Match of the Day. It cannot last.
      But then genuine supporters — whether at the ground, or unable to be — are the last people on anyone’s minds.
      It was TV companies and their pundits who campaigned hardest for VAR, along with many managers and players who clearly had not fully thought through the concept of making these subjective decisions on the basis of endless slow-motion replays.
      Manchester United fans in the UK could not watch Cristiano Ronaldo and co play Newcastle on Sunday on live TVCredit: Reuters
      And then there is the fact that VAR, like any other technology, is subject to gremlins — as highlighted at Elland Road.
      There are no time frames in the Premier League’s rules as to how long such a delay could have lasted.
      But had the power cut continued, at some unspecified point, Leeds v Arsenal would have been restarted without VAR, rather than been postponed or abandoned.
      The counter-argument is that playing one, or more, fixtures without VAR would compromise the ‘integrity’ of the competition.Which would only be a reasonable point if VAR was any good.
      Arteta ended up delighted that VAR had been restored because Leeds had an injury-time penalty award overturned in Stockley Park.After his team’s 1-0 win, the Arsenal boss claimed the long wait was worthwhile.
      But we all know that shocking decisions can be made with or without VAR.
      And the hopeless Kavanagh proved this by awarding two West Ham goals courtesy of handballs against Fulham the previous Sunday.The introduction of VAR was supposed to be a giant technological leap forward.
      But those kicking their heels inside Elland Road for 40 minutes — and who might have waited considerably longer — certainly didn’t feel as if they were experiencing some vision of a glorious, sunlit future. More

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      Moyes labels ref ‘ridiculous’ & says VAR official ‘should have gone to Specsavers’ after West Ham draw with Southampton

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      RAGING David Moyes claimed VAR official Simon Hooper needs to “go to Specsavers”.And the West Ham boss said it was all “ridiculous” referee Peter Bankes’ fault that West Ham drew 1-1 at Southampton.
      David Moyes blasted VAR after seeing West Ham draw with SouthamptonCredit: Rex
      Moyes also lashed out at Peter Bankes after his role in Saints’ openerCredit: Getty
      Moyes was left seething at Romain Perraud’s opener for Saints after Bankes collided with Jarrod Bowen and stopped him from making a tackle.
      Asked whether West Ham should have won against Southampton, Moyes said: “The real reason is the referee gets in the way of the ability for us to defend.
      “The ball comes out and Jarrod Bowen goes to get the ball and the referee blocks Bowen from  getting to it and the boy scores from it. Ridiculous, it really is.
      “Wait until you see the angles and the pictures and you will soon see how terrible it is that he allows it to go on.
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      “Maybe you just have to say that the referee was in a really bad position.
      “The referee’s right in his line. Jarrod can’t round the referee to get the ball.”
      Skipper Declan Rice added: “The ref was stood right in the way, but he didn’t touch the ball, so that’s why he didn’t give it. It is one of them.
      “The ref is saying he has not done anything wrong. It is a split-second decision and they have scored a goal.”
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      Later, both Bankes  and Hooper  missed a judo-style foul on Tomas  Soucek at a corner, with Moyes suggesting the VAR needed his eyes tested.
      Moyes added: “Whoever was on VAR today needs to go to Specsavers.
      “The penalty kick on Soucek is a judo move  by the player who is  marking him.
      “There must be new rules in football, which are you can grab them right around the waist and you can hold them.
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      “Then you can put them in a judo move, where you slam them down.
      “He gets him and throws him right down, it’s unreal. It’s not the referee, it is VAR.” More

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      VAR outrage for Fulham as West Ham awarded goal despite ‘blatant’ handball from Scamacca who didn’t even celebrate

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      FULHAM are up in arms after West Ham were awarded a goal despite Gianluca Scamacca appearing to handle the ball.The Italian scored to put the Hammers 2-1 up and despite a check with VAR the goal stood.
      Gianluca Scamacca appeared to handle the ball in the build up to his goalCredit: Getty
      With the scores level at 1-1 Lucas Paqueta found Scamacca with a clever through ball, but the Italian seemed to use his hand to bring the ball under control.
      He did not hesitate though and beat onrushing goalkeeper Bernd Leno with a delicate chip.
      Interestingly, Scamacca did not celebrate his goal – perhaps thinking it would be ruled out.
      Leno immediately began protesting, as did defender Tim Ream, with the pair pointing to their arms to indicate a handball had been committed.
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      VAR looked at the incident and examined the possible handball several times from multiple angles.
      But VAR concluded that Scamacca did not commit a handball, which sparked outrage from Fulham boss Marco Silva who received a booking for his complaints.
      Fans on social media were also in uproar at the goal being allowed to stand despite replays proving Scamacca touched the ball with his hand.
      One supporter wrote: “It’s about as blatant handball as you’re ever going to get 🤣 And the fact they checked it twice to deem it acceptable is corruption in itself.”
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      Another added: “This was a double handball. Scamacca himself knew he did something wrong.”
      And a third said: “VAR have dropped a clanger there. Clear handball by Scamacca.”
      With Fulham chasing an equaliser, Michail Antonio scored in the 91th minute to make it 3-1 to West Ham and wrap up the points.
      Fulham defender Tim Ream said after the match: “The majority of us expected Scamacca’s goal to be ruled out – Bernd Leno pointed out that is why he wasn’t celebrating. There are swings and roundabouts though, hopefully one goes in our favour.” More