Who has been going around smashing knees in training? It really has to stop. Unfunny jokes aside this is no laughing matter, I don’t want to sit here whinging and moaning about this again, I really don’t.

Good morning to you all,

Its an up and down day on the Gooner front. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

As you are not speaking loud enough, I will have to make that decision for you. Let us get rid of the negative stuff first and end on a brighter note. I mean I can’t have you leaving Arsenal Vision with a frown on your face can I?

Firstly, the unconfirmed Frimpong news is most definitely confirmed on Arse.com. Unlucky Frimpong will face 6-9 months twiddling his thumbs at home and eventually the gym before he can come back into action.

Emmanuel is a strong kid, and he is also only 18 so he has plenty of time to get his career back on track. It must be really gutting for him as he was starting to make a name for himself to both Arsene and the Arsenal supporters. He couldn’t have dreamed that he would have had the chance to play against Seedorf, Gattuso and Flamini and then 24 hours later against Celtic. He had a fantastic pre season and I was looking forward to keeping an eye on his upward curving season. Like I said yesterday, he will be sick to his stomach when the Carling cup comes around, a competition that he was surely going to be part of. I shall repeat what I just said, he is young and this is only a minor set back if taking into consideration his whole career.

I am sure he will still be a student of the game whilst his knee is strapped and protected. He can and should be studying every Arsenal game, watching Alex Song stepping back into center half as Thomas Vermaelen strolls forward looking to unleash his hammer of a left foot.

Frimpong has plenty to learn and not all his learning needs to be done on the pitch, I hope Aaron Ramsey’s studying has put him in good stead before his full physical recovery. You never know, a number four shirt could be up for grabs next season and if there is one player who can take it then it is Ramsey.

Getting back to the injury problems for a second.

Two knee problems in a row, first Samir and now Frimpong. Who has been going around smashing knees in training? It really has to stop. Unfunny jokes aside this is no laughing matter, I don’t want to sit here whinging and moaning about this again, I really don’t. I don’t want to jump the gun either because lets not forget that we are barely a week into the new season, and everything can sort itself out in the next few weeks.. BUT this isn’t really the fresh start we were looking for is it?

I kind of like the idea of the new season starting, we have all of our squad bouncing around in training ready to be selected by the manager if needed. Then as time goes on someone picks up and injury and a few weeks later another one is out. By that time the first player is back and bouncing around in training again etc etc.

Instead we start the season with a list of injured players and a couple of fashionably lates. One of which has picked up Xavi’s DNA and picked up a sore throat the other is trying to get over the trauma of greedy disease spread viciously by Robben and Sneijder.

This links on well to my good news but I haven’t finished the bad as yet, so I will get back to that.

I hope this is just one of those erm first weeks and then everything will be fine until January when Vela will pick up a bruise on his left buttock which will heal a day or so later. Then the next injury can be all the way in April and I won’t really care what injury that is and who it is for because we would have won the league and champions league by then.

Yes, yes I know. I am exaggerating of course I am. But I would gladly settle for a normal injury list what is normal I hear you say, just the average will do. Jot down all the injuries from all the clubs in the league and give us the middle number. That would be just fine, I would be extremely confident about our chances this season, with or without a fourth center back and with or without a new goalkeeper.

Call me crazy, I know many will not hesitate to do so but I really believe that our injury problems are far worse a problem than any other perceived negatives at the club right now.

Speaking of goalkeepers, apparently Fulham have turned down an Arsenal bid of £2 million. Apparently the same amount as we bid back in May. I don’t know how true that actually is, it is just the latest gossip, or not so latest gossip that is doing the rounds.

I can understand Arsenal not wanting to pay over the odds for a 37 year old. At the same time if Wenger wants additions to that area then he will have to reach a compromise with some club and some player before the close of the window.

I would expect some last minute haggling over the coming weeks. Somewhere in between £2.5 – £3 million should do the trick, the trick being to actually sign the player which isn’t really a trick after all.

Personally I cannot wait for the window to close and for Arsene to be able to know which players he has and for the players to know who their team mates are going to be. It must be a little unsettling for the players, especially the ones who are either going to get replaced or the ones who will have to work alongside said player.

Continuing down my evil road of negativity, a certain William Gallas looks like making the switch from Arsenal to Tottenham. I actually feel a little neutral and unattached to the possibility of Gallas leaving Arsenal for those lot. I guess because when people take steps down you usually feel a little sorry for them. I feel sorry that Jay Simpson has to take a step down to Hull City and the same for Gallas but without the feeling sorry part I guess.

What idiot in his right mind would leave a first choice spot at Arsenal for a team who have flattered to deceive for so many years. The truth is William Gallas was a fine player for us last season, I still stand by my view that he was our best center back for the time he was on the pitch but I have become resigned to the fact that he has left the club, I would have rather he went to Juventus but if Tottenham are the only club who are willing to reach his excessive contract demands then so be it.

I will look forward to him throwing his hands up in frustration and barking at his team mates when he realises what an amateurish club he has joined.

Gallas the character is allegedly not flavour of the month amongst the Arsenal players so if Gallas leaving increases the harmony at the club then its thumbs up from me. I think we may have uncovered another little gem in Koscielny and once he can settle into Premier league football then I don’t think we will be missing Willy G the rebel MC too much in the longer term.

I hope that Tottenham sign him and his big wages, then they take the lead against Young Boys at White Hart Lane. Tottenham dominate and spurn chance after chance. Bentley missing an open goal, Crouch hitting the crossbar etc. In stoppage time when the scummy fans are hugging each other and jumping around at the prospect of joining Arsenal in the competition that Arsene has got our club in every season since coming to these shores. A Young Boys player, preferably that Spud fan hits a daisy cutter across the wet turf and it skids through Gomes’ hands and into the Tottenham net. 1-1 the final whistle blows and Spurs crash out without any juicy Champions league money to play with along with a hefty Gallas contract to have to pay.

I don’t want to lower myself to the level of a Tottenham fan because all they can usually wish for is something to go wrong for Arsenal because they are to put it bluntly, shite. But wouldn’t that be great. It would be worth putting on a Tottenham are shite street party, allowing all the kids to stay up late and celebrate, champagne being poured all over north London. Well the cleaner part of north London at least. Balloons being let go into the sky, ‘Tottenham remain the laughing stock’ cards handed out to our neighbours.

In the words of Kevin Keegan.. well you know the rest.

On that brighter note *sigh* lets get onto some more warm and positive news.

Continuing on my injury theme from earlier, we have some key players ready to take on the mighty all conquering Blackpool on Saturday. Le Gaffer has said basically that Cesc, Djourou, Song and Van Persie are ready to beat down anyone who comes face to face with them while Denilson is ready to swing punches but not quite beat down as yet as he hasn’t had any erm punches? or is that football or training since the end of last season.

As much as I am frothing at the mouth at Nasri’s injury, I would gladly lose a Nasri and gain a Cesc, Song, Van Persie and Djourou oh and a on bench Denilson. Although, needless to say I would rather have Nasri fit along with the players coming back.

We (for the time being) have a pretty good squad for the weekend, hopefully the weeks training can put all the players in great condition for the up coming games. Especially with Chelsea over the horizon.

I was going to do a little early team prediction but I don’t know what to do with Chamakh and Van Persie in a 4-3-3 so I will wait until Saturday morning and my Match Thoughts article, just to bide me a little more time. I suppose not much will change until then will it? Wenger will either play Van Persie on the right or Chamakh on the right if both play I guess.

So I couldn’t wait after all. Just fill in the blanks I guess, I have the feeling that Teo Wolcat may even get a start, who knows so stop trying to guess and just wait for Saturday initt?

Chamakh has had some more very nice positive words to say about Arsenal. Every time he plays and speaks I feel more and more impressed by him.

Something happened last night that will be happening for many years to come. The Arsenal youngsters beat and outplayed their Manchester United counterparts 2-1 in Ireland. From what I hear Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was the best player on the pitch on the night and Wellington Da Silva scored his first goal for Arsenal. A first of many I hope. I would never hype up a player but Wellington is a mixture of Maradona, Messi, Vieira, Bergkamp, Pele and Mean Lean all rolled into one. But like I say, don’t over hype the lad, let him grow naturally.

The thought of my three year old son watching the likes of Aneke, JET, Wellington, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs, Frimpong and co in future for many many years is just fantastic and is one of the reasons why I am such a proud supporter of this wonderful, wonderful club.

Right that is just about enough waffle for one day, match thoughts tomorra.

Until then.

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