Ramsey's loan folly, The Sun today, Harry in control at Spurs

Rambo - no need to be on loan

I mentioned in the blog last night that I felt Aaron Ramsey would surely be a better option than Denilson in midfield. Obviously the Welshman has been out of action at Arsenal for nearly a year and has been loaned to Cardiff City to get some match practice. Between now and the end of his loan he will get a maximum of five matches in the Championship (assuming the loan is then not further extended). After writing last night's piece I got to thinking about the cup games played by Arsenal in January. With two games against Leeds, two against Ipswich and one against Huddersfield we have played five games against sides from the Football League. There is no reason why Rambo couldn't have played in those matches, given that he has been sent out to play at that very level, but alongside inferior players at Cardiff than he would have played with at Arsenal. I wrote in January that I was concerned about the real motives for loaning Ramsey again and that, when Wenger starts talking about "match-fitness" being required it is a sign that he no longer fancies the player concerned. Abou Diaby had played twenty minutes of football in around four months until yesterday, but I haven't seen him getting loaned out to obtain some "match-fitness." I hope to be proved wrong and that Ramsey does come back and play for Arsenal, but until that time I remain concerned for his future at the Club.

I've read the match report from yesterday in today's Sun newspaper. It's written by someone called Antony Kastrinakis (I don't care if I may have spelt that wrong as, if he can write inaccurately, then so can I). According to this reporter the Arsenal penalty was very debatable. What? Why do these people write such nonsense when everyone who has actually bothered to watch the game (including the action replays) can see quite clearly that the defender knocks Bendtner over? Obviously it is indicative of the standard of "reporting" one would expect from The Sun, but that makes it no more acceptable. I just wish Arsenal would ban these people from their press-box as they don't deserve a place at our ground. Kastrinakis also publishes a table today of Arsenal's 14 penalties this season, and laments that Man Utd have been awarded "just 5." Clearly Arsenal are conning referees if they are managing to get more spot-kicks than the press' beloved Mancs.

I've just watched the usual deadline-day Sky interview with Harry Redknapp. As with every one of these interviews Harry told the reporter that there would be no arrivals or departures at Spurs. He then went on to say that he didn't know if the Chairman might be doing a deal or two that he knows nothing about. Does this mean that Redknapp doesn't say who comes and goes from his Tottenham squad? It certainly appears that way. He knew nothing about Van Der Vaart's transfer in September, and reckons he knows nothing about their bid for Sergio Aguero last night. What a way to run a football club. There may be major issues with Arsenal's transfer policy but at least there is no doubt that the Manager is the man making the decisions at our place.

Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield - without Cesc? Nowhere.

Fabregas and Bentdner - combined to save Arsenal today

It's strange really. It's strange how when Frank Lampard sees yet another shot deflected in to the net we hear how it's his "nine millionth" goal for Chelsea. It's strange how when Peter Crouch saw a shot deflected by a defender, and then pushed in to the roof of the goal by the 'keeper, he was credited with his first goal for Liverpool. It's strange how when Nicklas Bendtner has a shot deflected in to the net the media want to say it's an own goal. It's also strange how, having scored the opener (in my book), and won the penalty that provided the winning goal, and having been the only Arsenal player to win a header in his own box today, and having worked his socks off alone up front in the second-half, people still see fit to slag off Nicklas Bendtner. Why do these people go to the game? They clearly form their opinions on the uninformed forums and message boards which are awash with Arsenal doomsayers, where Bendtner is second only to the likes of Denilson or Eboue as a hate figure. It may surprise the uninitiated to learn that Nicklas Bendtner has 42 goals for Arsenal in 141 games, of which only 72 were starting appearances. Is he a top player? No, of course not. Is he a more than reasonable member of the squad? Absolutely, he is. Every club needs squad players. Not everyone can be world class. If they were then they'd be first choice at another of the big clubs. Just because a player isn't Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry the Arsenal fans seem to want to destroy them, no matter what evidence is placed before them, and Bendnter did just fine today. Okay, he missed a chance or two but when Fabregas came on and he got some service Arsenal finally got back on the front foot. Enough of Bendtner, and on to Cesc Fabregas...
Huddersfield were destroying Arsenal in the second-half. The Gunners had no answer to them, particularly in the air (it's surely no coincidence that no Djourou means no headers won by Arsenal at the back). The midfield was being severely overrun with only Diaby putting in a performance anywhere near worthy of the name (though he was badly at fault for the equaliser). Denilson and Rosicky were frankly awful. Over the past few weeks Denilson has lurched from one bad performance to the next. His display today was a new nadir for the Brazilian. I refuse to accept that Henri Lansbury and Aaron Ramsey would not be doing a better job than Denilson right now. Then came Cesc Fabregas. From the moment he came on Huddersfield's players seemed a little awestruck and all their forward momentum seemed to disappear. From our point of view Fabregas' introduction saw Rosicky move out of the centre (and out of the way, quite frankly). My Dad said that it seemed as though his introduction sent a message to the players that the Manager wanted them to win the game after all. Arsenal's collective pace was quicker and Bendtner started to turn the defence towards their own goal while Fabregas sent passes over the top. Make no mistake about it, Fabregas was the key man and, without him, we would probably be out of the FA Cup this evening.
No match review is complete without a comment on the inept refereeing and today is no exception. Sebastien Squillaci was sent off in the first-half, and correctly so. But why was McCombe not red-carded for fouling Bendtner for the penalty? I didn't like Fabregas' brandishing of the imaginary cards at the referee, but his argument was quite correct. The big Dane was about to slot the ball in to the net (or at least have a clear shot from about ten yards) when he was barged over by the centre-half. Clattenburg's erratic refereeing was a feature of the final quarter of the match and it culminated with the disgraceful booking of Fabregas for the offence of being shoved to the ground by a Huddersfield player. Cesc Fabregas has been booked six times this season. There is something seriously wrong with English football when that is the case. The reporter on Radio 5 reckons the penalty was a harsh decision as Bendtner "went over a bit easily when he was fouled." So it was a foul, but not a penalty? Public service, unbiased reporting at its very best there. Sadly I didn't catch the name of this particular cretin.
Kieran Gibbs had a nightmare today. I know he's played very little football recently but it was hard to escape the fact that he looked like someone who'd wandered on to a football pitch in the middle of a game, such was his lack of idea as to what was happening. I've been saying for a long time that I would rather see him playing than Clichy, but the Frenchman has produced an upturn in form in recent weeks, while Gibbs is seeming to go backwards. If Kieran gets in the England squad ahead of Everton's Leighton Baines then there is something not quite right. A run of games would do the boy no end of good, I'm sure, but we're not in a position to give him that run now. Other maligned players of note today were Almunia, who remains glued to his goal-line it appears, but made one outstanding save in the second-half, and Arshavin who put in a shift today, particularly in the first-half. The little Russian also made one tremendous tackle in the Arsenal penalty area having tracked back all the way and denied Huddersfield a certain equaliser. Credit to both of them on this occasion I think.
The biggest thing to happen to Arsenal today was the injury to Samir Nasri. Quite how a player pulls a hamstring after more than half-an-hour I don't quite know. Arsene has said it might be a serious one and that means at least 3-4 weeks out of the first-team. With Arsenal's medical record in recent times we can afford to be very worried indeed. It's no secret that Samir Nasri has been Arsenal's standout performer this season and it's typical that we should lose a key player at this important stage in the season. The return of Abou Diaby may negate one or two problems, provided he stays fit, but he is not really a replacement for what Nasri has had to offer since August. Get well soon Samir, we need you. In the meantime, everyone get down and pray to whatever God it is you believe in - even if it's Dennis Bergkamp.
One final thing to say about today - 59,375 was the "official attendance." On Tuesday night it was 59,387. So, according to Arsenal, there were only twelve fewer people in the half-empty stadium today than in the packed arena that saw the Ipswich game (which itself was apparently 200 fewer than the Wigan game the previous Saturday in front of a near-empty away section). Why do they lie? The groaning from the crowd at today's attendance announcement showed what the fans think of such nonsense. Sort it out Arsenal.

Tomorrow sees the transfer window close for the season. I will be amazed if Arsenal make any signing that would help us between now and May. We all know what areas need more depth, and that signings in that area could be the difference between winning the Premier League and finishing second or third. I beg you Arsene, spend the money and give us the chance to win it. As in 2008 we are just one or two players away from being a side that can win the Premier League. Arsene Wenger looks set to make the same mistake he did then - by not strengthening the squad where it is palpably necessary. By midnight tomorrow we will know for certain that we have/have not made a signing or two. My breath is not held.

Huddersfield Town (h) preview - Manuel's return

Herbert Chapman's ghost will surely walk abroad tomorrow

Arsenal's fourth round FA Cup tie throws up a match between England's first two dominant football clubs. In the 1920's Huddersfield Town were the most successful team in the country, winning three successive League Championship's. The FA Cup Final of 1930 marked a sea-change, however, as Town were beaten by a certain side from North London. Throughout the 1930's there was no team to rival the mighty Arsenal. One man linked both club's and their success - Herbert Chapman. Herbert's bronze bust was the main feature of the marble halls in Highbury's East Stand, created by the famous sculptor Jacob Epstein, following his death from pneumonia in the middle of Arsenal's own hat-trick of consecutive Title's. A couple of years back Arsenal donated a replica to Huddersfield Town and, while the original has been put back in place at Highbury following the redevelopment, the new stadium has its own copy alongside the busts of Arsene Wenger and Dennis Hill-Wood at the directors entrance to the ground. Bob Wall, Arsenal's legendary secretary, said that he and others could hear Chapman's deliberate footsteps echoing through the main stand at Highbury long after his death, his ghost haunting Arsenal's home. I have no doubt that Herbert Chapman's ghost will be at The Emirates tomorrow, watching his famous clubs do battle in the FA Cup. Football itself would not be what it is today without the influence of Chapman. As for Arsenal, we would be nowhere without the great man.

The team news sees a number of Arsenal's recent absentees making their return to the squad. Abou Diaby, Tomas Rosicky and, most surprisingly, Manuel Almunia are back. I'm sure there will be a lot of changes to the starting eleven with a big Premier League game against Everton to come in midweek.
I haven't believed, at any time, that Almunia has been injured since the West Brom defeat. Following his disastrous second-half that day Almunia was dropped by Arsene Wenger. Almunia's temperament has been very delicate since the loss of a family member a couple of years back and I think this has contributed to his absence from the squad. Wenger announced yesterday that Wojciech Szczesny is now first-choice. For years now we have seen the first-choice goalkeeper sitting out the cup games so I would not be surprised to see Almunia start the game tomorrow. It would be something of a shock as I thought we had seen the last of Manuel at Arsenal. Many of the "fans" believe him to be some sort of anti-Christ, which really annoys me. Almunia is a good goalkeeper - his problem is that he is not a top goalkeeper. Manuel was a fine man to have as a number two, as long as you had a world-class performer like Jens Lehmann ahead of him. I will always believe that Wenger's decision to drop Lehmann in favour of Manuel cost us the Title as we got to the run-in at the end of season 2007-2008, regardless of what happened at Birmingham.
Elsewhere we will see yet another return for the enigma that is Abou Diaby. Wenger tried to justify the lack of a centre-back signing by stating that Alex Song could play there in extremis with Diaby covering for the Cameroon man (this is the same Alex Song who Wenger said was not suited to being a centre-back at the start of the season). Quite how Wenger thinks Diaby can play in Song's position I just do not know. Quite apart from Diaby's inability to remain fit for more than a few weeks, he has no clue whatsoever how to defend. Going forward, when Diaby wants to play, he is excellent. Unfortunately Diaby is the most inconsistent and frustrating player at Arsenal. His career has been damaged immeasurably by his horrific broken leg in 2006, but for a man with such ability one has to believe his problems on the pitch are largely down to his attitude.
It shouldn't much matter what Arsenal's team is tomorrow as they should have far more quality than opposition from the third-tier of English football. Once again they will be facing an opposition that will run their socks off, but the correct attitude on the pitch will bring about the desired result.

I will review the game tomorrow evening.

Wenger confirms Szczesny as Arsenal No. 1, Carlos Vela on his way

A little bonus, unexpected blogette this evening. Due to some personal stuff the unsociable shift didn't materialise today so you get an extra slice of the good stuff. I'll keep it brief as I'll be previewing the Huddersfield match in the morning.

Arsene Wenger has been talking all things football today. Among the subjects covered is the goalkeeping situation, brought up because Manuel Almunia will return to the squad on Sunday (more on that tomorrow). Arsene has admitted that Szczesny is his first-choice goalkeeper right now as he has done nothing to warrant being left out. You might recall that I said the other week how I felt Wenger now had the excuse that he has been looking for to play the younger Pole. While it's unfortunate for Lukasz Fabianski to get injured while hoping to take his opportunity (and he hasn't done badly at all in fairness to him) I don't think there are too many who are upset at seeing Wojciech between the sticks. He is very young, and mistakes will happen - Sagna got knocked out cold the other night when Szczesny came flapping at a ball in to the box - but it is how he reacts to those errors that will be key. When Fabianski and Almunia make a cock-up it tends to fester for the next few games but I don't see that happening too much with Szczesny. Wenger is right, at the moment, to make him first-choice and unless a world-class stopper comes in while he develops more quietly, he should keep his place for the long-term. I remember well the effect that being left out had on Alex Manninger in 1998. Having put us in pole position for the Title, Manninger found himself playing second-fiddle to David Seaman again, and his confidence was irrevocably shaken. Admittedly, Szczesny doesn't have a David Seaman type figure lording it at Arsenal these days so he should be quite safe.

According to stories doing the rounds Carlos Vela has signed for West Bromwich Albion. We knew he was on his way out of Arsenal, at least for the rest of the season, but I've yet to see anything official on this. Ultimately Vela is not good enough for Arsenal. I was there when he scored a hat-trick on debut in the Carling Cup and thought we'd found another gem, with real skill and ability. It was, sadly, a false dawn and I've never yet seen any example of the pace he is supposed to possess. He is currently banned by Mexico over his off-field excesses and, if stories are to be believed, Arsene Wenger has not been happy in the past over Vela's fondness for a San Miguel or three. I very much doubt we will ever see Carlos Vela in an Arsenal shirt again, even if he is joining another club only on loan. The best thing for all parties would be to see him go to pastures new and attempt to build a career at a different level of expectation. I wish him luck, and I'm sorry it didn't work out for him at Arsenal, especially after such an amazing start.

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Tickets for Wembley

Wembley - I thought it was bigger than the old place?

Arsenal have announced the ticket details for the Carling Cup Final. We have been allocated 31,803 tickets for the game. Assuming that Birmingham City will get the same amount that means that 63,606 fans from the two clubs will be in attendance. Wembley Stadium now holds 90,000 people I believe (give or a take a couple of seats). That means that over 26,000 tickets are going elsewhere. Ticket allocation for the FA Cup Final has long been a tale of woe for the teams involved as the "FA Family" taking the largest share of the tickets. However, the League Cup Final has always been for the genuine fans. The move back to Wembley should have seen even more genuine supporters getting a seat for the match. As it happens we will have less "official" Arsenal fans in the ground than we did at Cardiff in 2007. This is an absolute disgrace and it devalues the competition even further in my view. What will happen is that the Club Wembley tier (and the other corporate areas of the stadium) will be pretty much filled with people in Arsenal's colours, though very few of them will be genuinely deserving of their place in the crowd for a Cup Final.

Then, of course, there is Arsenal's own criteria for issuing tickets. Those on the Away Ticket Scheme are guaranteed their tickets ahead of everyone else. Why? There are those on the scheme who don't attend home matches, thus the only money they give Arsenal all year is their £20 registration fee (of course most of those on the scheme attend most matches at home, as well as going away). After that the next group in line for tickets (and guaranteed) are season ticket holders with 3+ away match credits in the past two years (I fit in to this category so I am okay for my ticket). Anybody outside of these criterion has to "register their interest online." What if you don't own a computer (as many do not) but are a season ticket holder? Surely, by virtue of owning a season ticket, you have already "registered your interest." A much fairer system would be to allocate tickets on "seniority" - i.e. those who have been season ticket holders for the longest time get the priority on tickets for Cup Final's. If any tickets remain after that then they should go to Silver Member's with the most attendance at home matches. I shouldn't necessarily be bothered because, as I say, I will get a ticket, but I just don't think Arsenal have got this right.

There won't be a blog tomorrow as I am working a most unsociable kind of shift. I hope to post a preview of the Huddersfield game on Saturday evening.

We're going to Wembley, Someone is stitching up Gray & Keys

The Carling Cup - I hope it looks like this at the end of 27th February

So we got there in the end. At half-time I think every Gooner was starting to get worried, not a lot being created, and certainly not testing their goalkeeper. Ipswich started to look like a side clinging on for dear life early in the second-half, but Arsenal were playing the game far too narrow against a packed defence. Finally, Jack Wilshere spotted Nicklas Bendtner who had dragged himself wide on the left-hand side. The big Dane took a glorious first-touch, stepped inside his defender, and slammed the ball in to the bottom corner. From Wilshere's superb pass, to Bendtner's tremendous skill and finish, it was a glorious goal. It was also one in the eye for the mugs who were getting at Bendtner once again last night - a prat sat behind me started the game when Bendtner's first touch was a square pass to Fabregas' feet by shouting "for fucks sake Bendtner" (more on this clown and his friends shortly) - of course, how dare he play an accurate pass to the skipper?! One thing that can never be levelled at Bendtner is an accusation of not trying, so it is doubly pleasing to see him rewarded like he was last night. When Koscielny made it 2-0 Ipswich visibly wilted, and it was really a matter of time then before we got another, Fabregas eventually being the scorer of our third. It's great to be going to Wembley for a Cup Final, even if it is "only" the Carling Cup. This trophy might represent the start of something for these players, so now they have to make sure they win it. I don't much care who we play in the Final, but I am wary of both Birmingham and West Ham, especially after we thrashed both of them on their own grounds recently.
One of the things that annoys me about Carling Cup nights is the fact that the games are attended by such idiots. We saw yet another pitch invasion last night which may well mean some sort of fine for the Club - this stupid prick nearly crashed in to Samir Nasri on his way to winding up the away fans. It's a shame no Ipswich fans replied in kind and gave him a thump. At least there was no Mexican wave last night. There was, however, a bunch of clowns sitting behind me, as mentioned above. Throughout the game people were getting news from Man Utd's game at Blackpool. When Blackpool were leading 1-0 we heard this idiot behind say to his mate "I reckon we wouldn't mind getting beaten tonight if Man Utd lose." Why the hell do these people go to football? During the match last night I couldn't give a toss about Man Utd v Blackpool. Arsenal were trying to get to a cup final and that was all that mattered to the real fans. I read earlier today that Arsenal and Man Utd have both lost in four League Cup finals, which is a "record" of sorts. I can imagine the bloke behind me saying to his mate at Wembley "I reckon we'd be just as happy with a fifth loss in the final so that we can have the record to ourselves." Tosser.
It seems a shame to move on from last nights glory on a sour note so I won't. I'll leave it by saying that the boys played pretty well in the second-half last night, and I hope that Arsene plays the full strength first-team in the final on 27th February. We must give ourselves the best chance of winning this trophy, and that means the likes of Song, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie etc all being in the starting line-up when we get to Wembley. It's great to be there and I can't wait to get my Wembley flag and t-shirt.

I don't think any football blog in this country can be published today without reference to Andy Gray's sacking. My initial reaction to Gray's dismissal is one of amusement, and a regret that Keys hasn't gone too (yet). However, there can be no doubt that the pair have been stitched-up by someone at Sky. I've read before that they are both unpopular amongst those who work for Sky as they see themselves as being a bit of a cut above. Richard Keys has given an interview this afternoon where he has cited "dark forces" being behind the sacking of his colleague. My brother pointed out last night that Andy Gray is among those taking legal action against the News of the World over phone-tapping. Who owns that paper? Rupert Murdoch. Who owns Sky? Rupert Murdoch. It appears that Andy Gray may be guilty of biting the hand that feeds him (and a very healthy annual salary is what he is/was fed) and Uncle Rupert's office was not going to stand for it. It's just a speculative observation, but it seems that someone set out to get Andy Gray this week and they have certainly succeeded. Now, if we can only see the back of Keys and Redknapp...

Late edit: Richard Keys has resigned from Sky Sports. Not really a surprise I would suggest.

Ipswich (h) preview, Alex Chamberlain, Keys and Gray, Massive day for the Blog

It's MY Arsenal Opinion - as featured on NEWSNOW

There is lots to get through tonight on a very special day for It's MY Arsenal Opinion, more of which to come further down the page. We start, however, with the Carling Cup semi-final, second leg against Ipswich. I am sad to report that Arsene Wenger is talking of "rotation" once again ahead of our biggest match of the season so far. According to Arsene rotating this squad is not a problem (or words to that effect) which kinds of begs the question; what went wrong a fortnight ago? Personally, I would far rather see a "proper" first-team tomorrow night and a much changed line-up on Sunday against Huddersfield. Wojciech Szczesny has come out firing and told Ipswich they are going to get smashed tomorrow night! I like the confidence of the youngster, but there is a time and a place to do your talking, and it is never before the game has even kicked off - just ask Robbie Keane. Having been withdrawn early on Saturday I will be extremely disappointed should Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie not get a start tomorrow night.
Ipswich will be fully fired-up by Paul Jewell tomorrow, and an early goal for them (it only takes a set-piece remember) would leave Arsenal with a mountain to climb. On paper it should be a stroll, but so should the first-leg have been. If Arsenal need any note of caution then they need only be sat in front of a video from the match five years ago this very night - Paul Jewell brought Wigan to Highbury with a 1-0 lead and they went through on away goals, despite complete Arsenal dominance.
I won't bother to guess at a team for the game tomorrow as you really can't second-guess Arsene in these matches. I have a seat not far from the dugout tomorrow night, so I'm hoping I have no need to be cursing the manager from close quarters come 9.45pm tomorrow. I'd love a trip to Wembley, and we will surely get no better opportunity with this group of players.

Arsene Wenger, of course, never comments on prospective transfers. He told us so on Friday when asked about Gary Cahill. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when I saw his comments with regards to doing a deal for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. I must admit it is very unusual for Wenger to let his guard slip in this way but I don't mind it to be honest. Every other club goes public with their business in an attempt to whip up media coverage and put pressure on the selling club and the player, so why shouldn't we finally get in on the act? God knows we've suffered from it in the past.
I know very little about Chamberlain, apart from who his father is and that he is just seventeen years old. Let's face it, even if he signs for Arsenal this month, we won't see him for a while (especially as it's expected he would be loaned straight back to Southampton), so I won't worry about it too much. What I will say is that I would rather see the prospective £10 million spent on more immediate areas of concern. I'm in danger of breaking my own rules on talking about transfer speculation during this month (if I haven't already done so) so I'll leave it there.

Many of you will have heard or read the conversation between Andy Gray and Richard Keys on Saturday regarding the female official at Wolves (I think LadyArse linked to it yesterday), which they thought was unheard. Someone had left the microphones open, just as they did when Keys slagged Theo Walcott in Barcelona last Spring, and the pair have been left to give grovelling apologies. I opined on Twitter yesterday afternoon that there was no coverage of this on Sky Sports News or Sky News, and that had they worked for the BBC it would be a major scandal. Today Keys and Gray have been "stood down" from the Monday Night Football between Bolton and Chelsea. Regular readers will know that I dislike Keys and Gray (especially the risible, hairy-handed, Keys) as much as the next man, but I think this is a nonsense. A supposedly private bit of banter, which I can guarantee was no different to conversations being held in pubs and living rooms all over the country, has resulted in what is, basically, the suspension of Sky's main men. There is far too much of this PC nonsense and I have this to say about women officials: I have no problem with women running the line, or refereeing at a football match, but it should not be in the men's game - if they are to officiate, then it should be in women's football only (MY blog, MY opinion). If you saw the game in question you will have seen how easily the young woman was intimidated by the crowd following her (correct) decision to allow the first Liverpool goal, when she followed up a couple of minutes later giving Kuyt offside despite him being at least two yards the right side of the defender. I feel sorry for Keys and Gray on this occasion, but perhaps it's just a case of "what goes around, comes around."

As I mentioned above this is a momentous day for It's MY Arsenal Opinion. Around Christmas I applied to NewsNow for the blog to be featured on their Arsenal news feed. I was delighted to get an email today confirming that the application has been accepted. As a result, from tonight, It's MY Arsenal Opinion will be featured on NewsNow and will hopefully be opened up to a whole new world of readers. The publicity a site gets through NewsNow is something that I could never have got anywhere else so I am delighted at this turn of events. In view of this development it's a good time to remind you, or to inform new readers, that you can "follow" the blog by registering through www.blogger.com. You can also follow the blog on www.facebook.com at It's MY Arsenal Opinion, and I'm on Twitter - @ARSENALDvbrisG. The aim of the blog has always been to get things of my chest, and hopefully stimulate some debate via the comments section on the site. Hopefully with the NewsNow addition we are entering a whole new phase for It's MY Arsenal Opinion.

I'll try to review the Ipswich game on Wednesday, but I'm in London all day for a meeting so it depends on what sort of time I get in, and what sort of day it's been. Fingers crossed that, next time I write, the boys have booked us a place at Wembley at the end of February.