Speaking of Cesc, I’ve heard that the quartet of him, Flam, Hleb and Rosicky are often referred to in the dressing room as the “Spice Boys. Can you imagine how Cesc and (to a lesser extent) Rosicknote would feel seeing two of their closest pals leave?

Afternoon all,

The news today is dominated by two of our midfield stars this season, Messrs Hleb and Flamini. And it is not good news.

Hleb has unsurprisingly received a three-match ban for his bitch slap on Man Mountain Murty, who complained more than Bernard Hopkins. With the recent ban for Jeremie Aliadiere for a similar offence and MotD’s constant highlighting of the incident, its was wholly expected. So the Belarusian is now suspended for the rest of our games this season. And with rumours of Inter swirling around him like chocolate sauce swirled in vanilla ice-cream, do you think we’ve seen the last of the twisty-turny genius in red and white?

IF his rendezvous with Inter officials did actually happen (on the eve of a big game, no less) then he has committed the same sin that Cashley Hole did in 2005. Back then we gave the c*nt an increased contract (£70,000 a week) for a year, but deep down he was still disgruntled and was gone the following season. If the scenario with Hleb is the same, surely this time we should just cut our losses and get rid ASAP?

I hope it is just a case of his agent shit-stirring and trying to wrangle a new contract, but even then the situation is pretty rotten.

The clock keeps ominously ticking for Monsieur Flamini to sign on the dotted line. With the revelation that he was a Juve fan as a kid, and Peter Hill-Wood’s comments that we have “pushed the boat out” to keep him here, his future as a Gooner looks bleak. If he returns to fitness after his deadline passes, will he go back into the team and risk the wrath of the boo boys?

For him to go now would be a crying shame. Having toiled for years as a back-up central midfielder or a full-back, he has finally broken through and has built up an excellent understanding with Cesc. And so has Hleb actually. When we were flying at the start of the season, the way that trio linked up was a joy to watch, it was almost telepathic. The game that always sticks in my mind is the first-half away to Villa. So to rip-out two-thirds of it would be a MAJOR disadvantage for next season. No more “transition” please.

Speaking of Cesc, I’ve heard that the quartet of him, Flam, Hleb and Rosicky are often referred to in the dressing room as the “Spice Boys. Can you imagine how Cesc and (to a lesser extent) Rosicknote would feel seeing two of their closest pals leave?

Whatever happens, the one thing that remains true is that players come and go, but The Arsenal’s here to stay.

In more positive news, reserve team skipped Harvard Nordveit has been suggesting that he can fill our gap at centre-half. You have to admire his confidence, but the young lad is only 17. Defenders usually mature in their late 20s. He is already way ahead of progression – at the age of 17 he should be in the under-18s side but instead is leading the reserves, indicating that he is a bright prospect. His arrival at Arsenal reminds me a lot of when Big Phil came: all the major European clubs were after him and he brought a reputation of being mature and a good reader of the game. Unfortunately I don’t have Arsenal TV, so if anyone has done some scouting on him during the recent reserves games then enlighten us by dropping a comment.

And that’s enough from me. Could anyone bear to watch the Scouse/Chav game last night? I didn’t see a single second of it, decided to immerse myself in three hours of Smallville. In fact, I haven’t seen a full 90 minutes of a non-Arsenal game all season, although that might change tonight. C’mon you Blaugranas! Vamos Thierry!

Squid Boy

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