However the people who gave the green light to the Arsenal fixtures deserve the vuvuzela being blown outside their window at 3 o’clock in the morning every day for the duration of the whole season as punishment

So the rumours that were doing the rounds yesterday came true. No we are not signing any random number of goalkeepers but we certainly are facing Liverpool at Anfield on the first day of the new season. A tricky start to the new campaign, especially when you glance along the fixtures and see that Chelsea start at home to West Brom and Manchester United are also at home to newly promoted Newcastle United.

It is pretty much impossible to tell how difficult or how easy that game will be until we get to the end of the transfer window, especially as Liverpool are currently without a manager.

I have just heard on Sky Sports news that we are away from home in five of our six domestic league games after champions league group matches which is bloody awful. Tottenham are home in five of the six games. That is terrible news, we have often looked jaded after CL games and having to travel away from home at some difficult grounds is going to be an issue, especially once the inevitable injuries kick in.

These are the away matches that follow midweek group games.

Sep 18 – Sunderland (a)
Oct 02 – Chelsea (a)
Oct 23 – Manchester City (a)
Nov 06 – Newcastle (h)
Nov 27 – Aston Villa (a)
Dec 11 – Manchester United (a)

Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United away from home after Champions League ties? I don’t like that one little bit and it stinks.

Oh and incase you were wondering how the fixtures turned out for Chelsea and Manchester United, well the Mancs have four home matches, two away and the Chavs have three home and three away. Five of our six games are away from home and two of those five are against the top two sides of last year, another is against big spending Manchester City. I am not happy about that in the slightest and I am sure Arsene will be livid about the hand he has been dealt.

I won’t stress too much for now, unfortunately we have a long time until we get to that stage. In the meantime we have plenty of world cup action to keep us erm.. occupied.

This whole World Cup lark is a little strange. Not many teams impressing so far, Spain getting beaten by the Swiss, Cesc left to stew on the bench. If Cesc was fit then he should have been introduced. Why Del Bosque decided to keep two sitting midfielders in Alonso and Biscuits or whatever his name is, when the Spanish were in desperate need of midfield runners to compliment their ball possession. Cesc scored more than the whole Spanish midfield last season put together. Anyway, that really isn’t my problem.

I was impressed with Chile in the earlier match, they look like good fun. It is the first time that I have seen them play and was most impressed. Number 7 Alexis Sánchez looks like a real exciting player. He is only 21 years old and is contracted to Udinese. The ITV commentry team said that Real Madrid are looking at him and I can see why. He actually reminds me a little of Cristiano Ronaldo. Direct, quick, runs with the ball and isn’t affraid to commit the full back. I look forward to the Chile vs Spain game, probably more than any other group game. Sanchez vs Capdevila could be a key battle.

Now that I have said that, it will be a dull 0-0.

Back to Cesc Fabregas, I listened to his comments yesterday about Spain’s preparation for the opposition and how Arsenal just work on themselves. For once, I heard the interview before reading the twisted versions afterwards and I can assure everybody that it is the usual media rubbish. Cesc was asked the differences between how Arsenal prepare and how his national team do, Cesc just answered the question. Cesc did not say, Arsenal should do, or Arsenal need to do, or that Spain are better because.

We already know that Arsene works on the players strengths and he wants players to express themselves, this is often why so many players love playing for Arsene because Arsene gets the best out of them and players improve under his guidance. There is an argument as to which method is the more effective and I may perhaps write about that another time but Cesc was absolutely not having a dig at the club.

Messi has come out and said how much he wants Cesc to join, blah blah. I don’t even write about Barcelona players speaking anymore. That is the first time for a long time. If I wrote about it all the time then I would be writing about a new Barcelona player every day and that is certainly not what I am about to do.

Before I get onto the usual exciting transfer rubbish rumours. I want to write about the vuvuzela which has been the talk of the world cup.

Personally people can enjoy a football match how they like, it is their right and if vuvuzela is their cuppa tea then drink away. But for me, I do not think it adds an atmosphere to stadiums. Supporters are at stadia to support, roar your team on, encourage and applaud the players you pay to watch. Blowing on a noisy instrument does not do that for me. I have no problem for those who wish to use them but I much prefer the traditional sound of a crowd singing and cheering.

Arsene seems against the idea of them, and here is why.

Wenger said:

“It kills one of the charms of football – the songs, The vocal support disappears. Also I must say it is not very nice to sit through a game while a guy blows one of those in your ear. I find it uncomfortable. On television it might look amusing but when you are confronted with it on a daily basis – even at the airports – it is an absolute nightmare.

“I would sign a petition to get rid of them tomorrow. For me it’s World Cup South Africa – yes, vuvuzela no.”

I couldn’t argue with that. If I had a season ticket at the Emirates and I had someone sitting next to me ‘Bzzzzzzing’ in my ear every other week I think I may end up wrapping it around their heads and we don’t want that. However the people who gave the green light to the Arsenal fixtures deserve the vuvuzela being blown outside their window at 3 o’clock in the morning every day for the duration of the whole season before having the instrument wrapped around their heads as punishment.

Quick transfer round up.

German play maker Mesut Özil is deciding between Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea, if the clubs are prepared to meet the £20 million price tag.

Arsenal are set to hijack West Ham’s bid for old man Juan Roman Riquelme to fill in for the departing William Gallas. He can pull the strings from the defence. After all the best form of defence is to attack, right?

After picking up Joe Cole on a free, Wenger is going winger crazy with a move for Dutch trickster Ibrahim Affelay. We have tabled a €14 million bid for the player.

Laurent Koscielny is kicking and screaming about his desire to play for Arsene Wenger. He wants the clubs to agree a fee so he can complete his dream move.

Barca are only willing to go to £37.5 million for the average and overrated Cesc Fabregas who has no end product. Arsenal should take the money and thank Barcelona for being so generous. Barcelona are so kind that they are going to give us Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wenger is going to agree. With Gael Clichy on his way to Barcelona perhaps Ibrahimovic can be our new left back along with Riquelme at the back.

Needless to say, all of that is a pile of steaming brown stuff, apart from the Laurent Koscielny part which all sounds very real to me. I would like our center backs to make a decision on their futures now, it is all dragging on a little too long for my liking. Once we know what is happening to them then Arsene can make his moves or not.

Right, enough transfer rubbish for now, I am off to get some work done.

Back tomorrow.

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