Friday. The day businesses come to a sudden halt before the 2 weekend interval creeps in. We the fans use this interval to relax and watch our club do their thing. Others use the break to travel or go to cinemas.
Being a devoted Arsenal fan can make you do a lot of things. I booked a flight ticket to Owerri for 1100hrs tomorrow so that I won’t miss the FA Cup game against Huddersfield.
We have received “good news” regarding the signing of the Chambered Ox, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It seems as if we might be able to get our favourite Ox for £10m.
Vermaelen cost us £10m, Koscielny cost us almost £10m, Samba or any other decent defender from Krypton will cost us £10m. The only reason AW the Alchemist is coy about signing a center back is because he doesn’t want to halt the progress of the Djourcielny combo. Vermaelen is even getting close to full match fitness and the Squisha is back after facing a spell at the sidelines.
I’ve seen the Ox on YouTube ™ and he looks like a decent individual. The fact that he’s 17 makes it a lot more spicy. One problem we might have with the Chambered Ox will be the issue of putting his name of our Red and White. Will he use Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s style and write “C Ox” or will he be as wicked as Jan Vennegoor of Hasselink and put his entire name at the back. If a letter costs £6 and a jersey costs £49, putting Hasselink’s name on your jersey will be an equivalent of buying at least 2 more jerseys. AW the Alchemist has the final say on the matter though. At least it will give him more selection headaches.
Speaking of selection headaches, AW the Alchemist will have to face many more decisions in terms of choosing his starting lineup because 4 players have decided to end their affairs in the “treatment table” at the club. They are Sebastien Squillaci, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby and Manuel Almunia.
Sebastien Squillaci joined Arsenal from Sevilla with a £3.5m price tag. His performances this season have been above average but not too outstanding. It’s quite obvious that the number 4 position in terms of defensive ranking belong to him. Speaking of numbers, he inherited the legendary French number 18 from his defensive predecessors. Present scout Gilles Grimandi wore the jersey in the days of old. Veteran commanding center back Pascal Cygan wore the jersey for 4 seasons from 2002 to 2006. He cost us £2.1m from LOSC Lille Metropole. The jersey went dormant for 2 years and was resurrected in 2008 by Mikael Silvestre. These 2 players scored notable own goals in their time at Arsenal. The former had 1 against Fulham but scored a brace, he also had one against Panathinaikos. The latter scored his only own goal on his debut against Fenerbahce. Since own goals and the number 18 jersey go hand-in-hand, Squillaci can score his when we play a game and go 4 up…..Who I’m I kidding….Squillaci scored an own goal against Wigan in the last game of 2010. Own goals and the number 18 jersey. Coincidence. It’s good to have our Squisha back. At least one half of the Djourcielny combo will get deserved rest.
“Ladyarse” thought that Rosicky was absent because he was looking for the ball that Arshavin lost at Elland Road. I called his absense a conundrum. A true gooner, @iTweetArsenal posted a comment on my blog saying that TR7 was out with the “flu”. I’m guessing that he was sent on “exile” by AW the Alchemist. The last gunner that was sent on exile was our Aztec Warrior, Carlos Vela. This happened when his fellow Aztecans came to visit him all the way from Mexico. It’s really good to have TR7 back. El Capitan will get some rest because there are vital games ahead. I’m tipping Rosicky to score tomorrow. If he does that I’ll probably pay my tithe on Sunday.
I really want to pay my tithe, so Rosicky don’t disappoint.
Abou Diaby has had an on and off season for us. I’m really happy that his ankle was not snapped after that horror tackle he suffered from Bolton’s Robinson. His versatility will ensure that he’ll be played in any position at midfield. It’s up to AW the Alchemist to decide his fate.
Manuel Almunia might also play his first game since September tomorrow. After suffering a series of niggling injuries, he’s finally free. He has dropped to number 3 in the goalkeeping pecking order but I like the way he has handled himself. It’s obvious that a summer move will be on the cards but I’ll be happy if I see Mr. Manuel have a good time with his junior ones in the podium when we visit Wembley three times this season. I wish him well and hope that he finds a team where he can play week in week out because he still has bags of quality.
With all the returnees coming back to the squad, the only notable player out injured is the Verminator, Thomas Vermaelen. Kieran Gibbs still hasn’t apologized to his physio girlie so it seems that she’ll have to make do with the Verminator. He’s as handsome as Gibbs and he also keeps a low cut. I hope she doesn’t get to hard on him, he’s a Verminator.
More on the FA Cup game tomorrow.
It’s time to pack my stuff.
There’s a plane to catch tomorrow.
Enjoy your Friday night wherever you’re spending it.
Sayonara
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