Third test event announced as a pre-season friendly against Roma

Just had the email. Saturday 9 August as predicted.

Saturday 9 August v Roma.

Our girl dog is called Francessca Bella (Bella). A loose connection to Francesco Totti.

I thought about naming my next boy dog Totti, but I might a few worried looks on the local park. Torn between Sheedy and Muller.

Bella Ciao, which we played at Goodison and couple of years back.

A full house would surely mean every facility, restaurant, bars etc will be used.

I've been trying to ignore them daft rumours of a pushback...

But perhaps you should check with the caterer who leaked this one, rather than expect transparency from the official channels. He might have a better idea…

As a purveyor of that daft rumour I can deny that it's a daft rumour.

And they have just anounced the new corporate facilities for those who want and wish to pay for them.

I know we have been scarred in the past, but this is a different regime now. They won't won't be making announcements if there is no substance in it.

The 3rd test event will tell us a lot. Maybe we will have to play a few games away Who knows?

The infrastructure needs addressing, but then Goodison has hardly been the best place to get away from after a match.

I can think of worse. Brighton, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal spring to mind.

Even Wembley.

Whether that"s changed or not I don't know.

You know yourself if you throw enough men and money at things you can oftensort the problems.

Roma are a great club and it will be a good test. If we had vision, I think we should have been thinking big 2 or 3 years back and got on the phone to see if we could have pencilled Bayern Munich in for the first ever game, 40 years on. Or maybe Juventus and play the 85 Super cup 40 years late. Even Rapid Vienna 40 years on would have been a really nostalgic link to the past handing the baton onto the future.

If we had played 2 home games, one if them could have been members priority. Me and my boys have season tickets, but the club are now charging 65 quid for membership plus to provide a day priority on ticket sales. They are holding fans to ransom. If you don't pay it, you've got no chance of a ticket. I think it would be fair to give members first crack at one game to make their membership more value for money, to show they are valued as fans and to allow loads of kids a chance to get into that new ground, who otherwise won't get a look in.

Ergo, if it is scheduled, then presumably the powers-that-be are already satisfied and this is a rubber exercise as opposed to a true "test" to see if the whole building collapses or something?