The postponement of last Sunday’s north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal didn’t sit comfortably with a lot of observers.

Yes, Arsenal had one or two COVID cases in their team, but that alone would not have been enough for a postponement – many clubs have fulfilled fixtures despite having four or five players struck down with the virus. However, because Arsenal also had injuries, suspensions and players away on international duty at the African Nations Cup, the Premier League granted permission to call the match off.

As decisions go, I’m not entirely sure that was the right one. Making allowances for a global pandemic is one thing, but stretching those allowances to cover bookings, injuries and international call-ups is quite another.

Making allowances for a global pandemic is one thing, but stretching those allowances to cover bookings, injuries and international call-ups is quite another

However, I’m not blaming Arsenal for this. They asked, they presented their case, saying they were short of players, and the league ruled on their side. All clubs would want to field their strongest team in all games, especially for one against their local rivals. But in granting this request, I fear the league has strayed too far from the original parameters of their pandemic plan.

I said a few weeks ago that these postponements were making a mess of the season for some clubs and handing others an advantage. And I stand by that claim.

With the number of COVID cases – hopefully and thankfully – starting to recede in England, I don’t think we will be seeing too many more requests for fixtures to be moved. But I think in the interests of clarity and fairness the league should set clear guidelines, like anything up to five cases the game goes ahead, anything over and it is called off. Otherwise, we may see other clubs with one or two cases topping them up with injuries and suspensions to avoid fielding weakened teams.

To be honest, those limits should have been set from the word go. If they had, then we probably wouldn’t be looking at the sort of fixture Armageddon we are going to have to deal with over the next few months…

Glass half Fulham

When a team is relegated from the Premier League it tends to do one of two things. Either wallow in self-pity and become a mid-table beacon of despair and mediocrity. Like, for example, this season’s version of Sheffield United.

Or it can take the league by storm to prove that relegation was little more than a flesh wound and their rightful place is at the top table of English football. Step forward Fulham.

The way Marco Silva’s team are dismantling the Championship right now is quite something to behold.

At the time of writing, they are top of the table after 26 games, five points clear of their nearest rivals. But it’s not just about their position, it’s about the way they are blowing away opponents with the sheer number of goals they are scoring.

In their last three matches alone they have scored an incredible 19 goals. They won those games 7-0, 6-2 and 6-2 and, in doing so, became the first team in 68 years to score six or more goals in three consecutive games.

So far this season, in those 26 games, they have found the net an incredible 70 times and are well on the way to shatter the record for most goals scored in a Championship season, currently the 99 scored by Reading in 2006.

I can understand Fulham fans maybe having been a little hesitant when Silva was appointed at the start of the season to replace Scott Parker. Although he had a decent spell at Watford a few years ago, he didn’t do much at Everton and Hull City, and had been out of work for a while.

But there is no doubting he has rediscovered his mojo with the London club this season, building on the good work done by Parker and pushing the team to what appears to be a whole other level; a level that other Championship teams are finding impossible to cope with.

I know there is almost half a season left to play and bubbles even more impressive than this one have burst in the past. But if I were Fulham’s owners, I would already be getting ready and prepared for another top-flight campaign next season.

And, if I were Reading, I would be preparing to wave a fond farewell to that goal-scoring record.

Woman of the year?

Looking for an inspirational story about adversity, football, determination and how to be a role model? Then read a little about Nadia Nadim.

Nadia was born in Afghanistan and lived there until her father was killed by the Taliban in 2000. In the wake of that tragedy, Nadia, 11, and her family fled to Denmark where they started off living in a refugee camp. But none of that has held Nadia back from trying to make the most of her life. And boy, I think it’s safe to say she is making the most of it.

Not only does she speak a rather awesome 11 languages, she has also enjoyed a glittering career as a professional footballer, playing for clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 34-year-old is also a bit of a Danish international legend, playing for her adopted country 99 times and scoring 38 goals in the process.

Recognition of her achievements have come from far and wide, and in 2018 she was named by Forbes as among the powerful women in international sport.

Last week, because all that wasn’t enough, she added another feather to her cap, qualifying as a doctor after five years of studying. And that while continuing her football career at the highest level.

Stories about turning adversity in triumph just don’t get more inspirational than Nadia’s.

E-mail: james@quizando.com

Twitter: @maltablade