Funny situation, isn't it? We're a top English club, with top-level ambitions, and one week into the new season, we're still up shit creek on the goalkeeping and defending fronts. As far as goalkeepers are concerned, our fate is tied up in the hands of a few people: Shay Given and Mark Hughes. Now, is it me, or does the situation suck? Arsenal. Our fate in their hands. Oh well. I suppose when we've got Uncle Scrooge as our manager/accountant, this is what happens.
Manciti have a Shay Given to throw away (and not to us), and we've got to literally grovel for a Mark Schwarzer. Sweet.
So our ultra-low in self-esteem goalkeeper Manuel Almunia will start against Blackpool, backed up by an insanely optimistic Lukascz Fabianski. Even sweeter.
As far as our defenders go, there's some talk linking us with some French Squillaci guy. First things first: the only Squillaci/Schillaci I know is Italian, goes by a dog first name, and is probably now 50 years old. Second, we've been linked to every other defender out there, so until he puts on his Arsenal shirt, I ain't going be bothered with this.
Oh yeah, there's the news that Nasri's out for a month or so. No surprises, and at least we'll have a reasonably comfortable (touch wood) run while he's out. Surely we can deal with Blackpool, Blackburn, Bolton, Sunderland - and one Champions League game - without him, right? Right? Right?!! OK, fine...
Not looking so far, Blackpool boss Ian Holloway's in the right frame of mind for Saturday's game:
"We're going to go to the Emirates and I just hope we don't get absolutely embarrassed — because that could easily happen."
I'm not sure it could easily happen. I just hope it does. Not some 6-2 thing, but one of those 7-0, 9-0 things that Chelsea have done in the recent past. I think us fans deserve it. It's been too long since our Middlesbrough and Everton romps.
People are talking about "rushing" Cesc back for the game, given Samir's injury. I'm not too sure about the "rush" part of that. I mean, he was off to Mexico for a meaningless international, and played 45 minutes, so it won't be much of a "rush". Just put him, and get it over with. There's been too much talk of him and Spain, him and Barca, him and Pique, him and Puyol. He needs to do the business for his employers. Now.
A final note on my little Old Trafford sojourn. I was walking around, and looking at these shirts that I could not at first comprehend: "Chicharito". Number 14. Took me a while, wondering why people were wearing the name of a dorito on their backs. So now I know. Javier Hernandez is Chicharito, or as I am told, "Little Pea", coz of his green eyes. Funny. Good thing he doesn't have dark brown eyes. He'd be little shit or something.
Anyhows, after that initial thought, I was brought back to a point I'd made earlier before. About getting a good, one-word Spanish/Portugese name. That's what Carlos Vela needs. He could indeed be "Little Shit", but so long as it sounds good (most things do in Spanish), very few people out there are going to realise, and I'm sure a Little Shit will score more goals than a Vela.
Till tomorrow then. When we'll unveil a new defender and a new goalkeeper. Quite why it's so difficult for Schwarzer to get over here is unclear to me. Maybe I could help:
- From Craven Cottage , walk to Kingwood Road (SW6) Stop: FL
- Take Bus 430 towards South Kensington. Stop there.
- Use the South Kensington Underground station. Take the Piccadilly Line towards Cockfosters
- Stop at Holloway Road
- Walk to Arsenal FC (Emirates Stadium)
Maximum travel time: 1 hour 17 minutes. We all do it. It's not too difficult, and Mark Hughes has nothing to do with it.
Till tomorrow.
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