Monday Bloody Monday

I have been drunk. A lot. I have also played some football. I have been busy this weekend trying to balance the drinking of excessive amounts of beer and still being able to turn out for two football matches. It is no easy task. You really have to wonder how Tony Adams and Merse managed it all those years. Still, I got what I wanted; two comfortable wins and a goal to boot. Even playing fullback for 45 minutes was fun, bouncing burly centre forwards off my wiry frame, and overlapping on the counter. It is a doss though. Compared to playing on the wing, fullback is like a walk in the park. That’ll probably upset a few people, but hey, it’s true.

Anyway, I’ve got some catching up to do after the weekend. You will have seen the results of the internationals no doubt, and will be aware that Eduardo and Tomas Rosicky scored for Croatia and the Czech Republic respectively. Thankfully there have been no injuries to report, and it’s good to see Lassana Diarra get 90 minutes for France, even if it was at right back. Hopefully he’ll be up to speed by the time we have to play Spuds and will be ready for selection in the squad.

A quick glance at the news feeds then.

Cesc Fabregas has been voted Arsenal Player of the Month, polling just over 50% of the vote. No real surprise there as the Spanish player has been awesome so far this season, scoring goals and doing his normal trick of being generally amazing. What is surprising though is that the guy everyone loves to hate, Alex Hleb, came in second. What?! I thought I was literally the only person who didn’t want him to go in the summer. Whilst it’s true that he can be the single most frustrating man in a red and white shirt, he has shown flashes of brilliance and I’m certain that before long we will get to see the real Alex Hleb. Once he figures out how to play his game on the right side, instead of the middle, old Hlebby will be a potent weapon much like our departed chum, Bobby Pires.

Another interesting story is that some bloke from America is planning to come and train with us in January. Some dude called David Beckham? I dunno, you may have heard of him, but all I know is that he’s some kind of attraction at LA Galaxy often seen sitting on the bench in a suit. He must be the mascot or something. Apparently, this Beckham bloke is going to train with the first team squad as the US “soccer” season finishes in the New Year and he wants to work on his fitness. Expect to see pictures of a bloke in suit at London Colney on Arsenal.com then. In all seriousness, having Beckham at the club might provide some of the players the chance to see a model professional in action and tap into some of the experience the former England captain possesses. There’s no down side to this as far as I can see and if it helps raise the profile of the club a little bit more, then so be it.

Also worth a read (and it is a loooooooong read), is this piece in The Times. It’s all about Arsene Wengers ‘dark side’. The Frenchman is quite the hothead by his own admission and also admits that sometimes he loses it. No shit. However, it is a good read and a good insight into the mind of one of football’s luminary figures. As ever, Arsene comes across as an intelligent and articulate thinker and still seems to have the knack for making everything sound totally reasonable.

Finally, let’s all laugh at tribalfootball.com. They are reporting that Johan Djourou will be “recalled” from loan in January. Yes, quite.

Sorry this is so late. Blame WordPress

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Wenger Signs On The Dotted Line

Morning all,

It seems like there has been a little bit of action on the news front, so instead of writing some guff about what I think about stuff, I thought I’d write something about what other people think based on facts rather than my own spurious guesswork.

I couldn’t write a blog today about Arsenal without mentioning first the excellent news that Arsene Wenger has finally penned a new deal worth a reported £75,000 a week. The four year deal sees the Frenchman staying at the club until 2011, coincidentally the same year that Cesc will either have to sign on again or move on for nothing. At 57, Wenger’s new deal means he will be 61 when the contract expires and we should really start some contingency planning for when he does decide to step down as manager. I am of the opinion that he’ll be offered a position at the club other than manager when this eventuality does occur, but what that’ll be is anyone’s guess. However, he might well decide to sign for another 4 years and retire at the normal age of 65. Hopefully when he does decide to call time on his tenure, he’ll do so as the most successful manager in the history of Arsenal.

I mentioned Cesc above, and there is an interesting story doing the rounds at the moment. In an interview with Radio Marca (Spanish radio causing trouble again – who’da thought) Cesc admits to having talks with Real Madrid in July. When you consider that AW stated during the summer that he did not give permission for anyone to talk to Cesc about a transfer, then you have to wonder what is going on. Surely this is a case of “tapping up” a la Cashley, and as such there should be some action taken by the club/UEFA/FIFA/God. I would enjoy nothing more than seeing Real getting a beat down from…well, anybody. However, Cesc seems happy at Arsenal, saying,

“We spoke for a long time. But it is absolutely not true I struck a deal to join them next year.”

“My decision to stay was clear and emphatic. I’m certain I made the right choice. No matter how long I may live, I will always know I was correct to stay. There were many reasons but chief among them was my respect for Arsene Wenger and the love I have for Arsenal.”

I’m a big fan of Cesc. He’s filling the void as my favourite player that Dennis’ retirement created and with each passing season he goes up in my estimation as a player. Mourinho will tell you that Lampard is the best midfielder in the world, which we all know not to be true, but if you can tell me how, based on this season’s form, that Cesc isn’t the complete package then I will take my hat off to you. I don’t normally wear a hat, but I will put one on and then take it off, as is my commitment to my belief.

It’s not all sweetness and light at The Grove though. We’ve got some disgruntled players in Bendtner and Lehmann. Nicklas is a little peeved at being left out of the squad that faced Portsmouth.

“I didn’t get any explanation. I don’t know why he did that and I’ll demand to know why and have a talk with Arsene Wenger when I get back. But what is said will stay between us.”

Oh he’ll “demand” and explanation will he? Not sure The Boss will like that. No doubt he’ll set him straight and Bendtner will be seen skipping down the halls at London Colney licking a big lollipop.

Also, Jens has the arse. When asked about whether he’s lost his spot as number 1 or if his Arsenal career is over, the German mentalist said,

“Such interpretations really get on my nerves.”

Oooh. Get him. But the stopper also added,

“Arsene Wenger will put me in the team again. I will play again.”

Good attitude Jens. And through his enforced absence and the competition created by Almunia’s solid displays, I expect to see an invigorated Jens back on his game.

Finally there’s some stuff worth reading about Kroenke in The Independent.

And now I’m off to do some work. Lucky me. Happy Friday.

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