"When we are confident we have a flow that looks like the goals will come at any moment and from anywhere. There is something in the side that is lighthearted and enjoyable to watch. Why? Because they enjoy to play together and that for me is the most important."
- Arsene Wenger, after the match
For a 6-2 win, we were remarkably shaky.
Going forward, we cut Blackburn to ribbons. On the wide Emirates pitch, our superior touch and control really made a difference. Rosicky and the Owl played well on the wings, Cesc was brilliant in the middle, and van Persie was involved and looked good in the centre-forward position. We scored six goals, and we could easily have had more.
Going back, we were a bit of a shambles. We got lucky. We conceded weak goals. We conceded the lead twice, but were able equalize both times. Our pressing game was good when it lasted, but but committing so many players forward, it left us swamped at the back. It's a bit bemusing when you win 6-2 and you dwell on the defense, but that's the Arsenal way - we like to put on a show at both ends of the pitch.
One curio is that Vito Mannone has been in the first team a number of games now, and he's doing fairly well. Yes, he makes mistakes, but he's young enough to learn from them. Considering the competition, he's certainly done enough to keep his place when Almunia and Fabianski recover from their injuries.
It's going to be an interesting few weeks. Any chance that Almunia's "chest infection" will linger over into January, at which point he'll be transferred to a Spanish club for "health reasons"? The milder climate in Spain must be much better for the lungs, you know.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Lots Of FourFourTwo Articles About Cesc
I've been browsing FourFourTwo, and it's remarkable to see how many articles there about Cesc Fabregas. I thought I might share a few with you:
Fabregas Flattered By Xavi Plea - in which Cesc says "thanks, but no thanks" to Xavi's open invitation to join the Barcelona Globetrotters in their mission of world domination and Catalan independence.
Fabregas: Rosicky Is My Best Bud - in which Cesc says that he likes hanging out with Rosicky, playing Playstation and watching movies. And, in what is possibly a tongue-in-cheek dig at Wenger, he hails Rosicky's return as "just like a new signing".
Fabregas: Wenger Is God - in which Cesc says that we fans regard Wenger as God. I take objection to that. I don't think Wenger is the Messiah - I think he's a very naughty boy for not spending our transfer budget.
Fabregas: Arsenal Must Find Ruthless Streak - in which Cesc says that touch and control is vital if we're to beat Blackburn this weekend. I'd add that a continent defence, a world-class DM and an international class goalkeeper would also pretty handy.
Cesc Hails Arshavin and Vermaelen - in which Cesc observes that experienced, quality signings ARE a boon for the team. Let's hope the Arsenal take the logical next step and buy a few more quality experienced players to plug our other gaping holes.
All these articles were written either yesterday or today. In case you're wondering, there's no point to this article, by the way. I'm just bemused that so many headlines have been given over to Cesc Fabregas stories, since posting one big article on Fabregas would've sufficed.
Oh, and after watching bits of the Friday morning Valencia - Genoa Europa Cup match, I've decided that Valencia will be my new second club. They have a great passing style that's played with pace and attacking flair. In many ways, Valencia play football the way that Arsenal want to play. Two of my favourite players, Silva and Villa, play for Valencia. And the Mestella is my favourite football stadium (yes, I liked it better than than the Emirates).
It was a tough decision because it's so tempting to support Barcelona right now; with Barca you're almost guaranteed trophies. Valencia are in the unenviable position. They're the nearly-men of La Liga. They play great football with very little prospect of ever winning anything. They're crippled by a stadium debt and they struggle to hang on to their best players. They're a lot like Arsenal.
I knew there was a reason I liked them so much.
Fabregas Flattered By Xavi Plea - in which Cesc says "thanks, but no thanks" to Xavi's open invitation to join the Barcelona Globetrotters in their mission of world domination and Catalan independence.
Fabregas: Rosicky Is My Best Bud - in which Cesc says that he likes hanging out with Rosicky, playing Playstation and watching movies. And, in what is possibly a tongue-in-cheek dig at Wenger, he hails Rosicky's return as "just like a new signing".
Fabregas: Wenger Is God - in which Cesc says that we fans regard Wenger as God. I take objection to that. I don't think Wenger is the Messiah - I think he's a very naughty boy for not spending our transfer budget.
Fabregas: Arsenal Must Find Ruthless Streak - in which Cesc says that touch and control is vital if we're to beat Blackburn this weekend. I'd add that a continent defence, a world-class DM and an international class goalkeeper would also pretty handy.
Cesc Hails Arshavin and Vermaelen - in which Cesc observes that experienced, quality signings ARE a boon for the team. Let's hope the Arsenal take the logical next step and buy a few more quality experienced players to plug our other gaping holes.
All these articles were written either yesterday or today. In case you're wondering, there's no point to this article, by the way. I'm just bemused that so many headlines have been given over to Cesc Fabregas stories, since posting one big article on Fabregas would've sufficed.
Oh, and after watching bits of the Friday morning Valencia - Genoa Europa Cup match, I've decided that Valencia will be my new second club. They have a great passing style that's played with pace and attacking flair. In many ways, Valencia play football the way that Arsenal want to play. Two of my favourite players, Silva and Villa, play for Valencia. And the Mestella is my favourite football stadium (yes, I liked it better than than the Emirates).
It was a tough decision because it's so tempting to support Barcelona right now; with Barca you're almost guaranteed trophies. Valencia are in the unenviable position. They're the nearly-men of La Liga. They play great football with very little prospect of ever winning anything. They're crippled by a stadium debt and they struggle to hang on to their best players. They're a lot like Arsenal.
I knew there was a reason I liked them so much.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Does Anyone Understand Our Financial Report?
With regards to Arsenal's financial reports for the year, Peter Hill-Wood said:
“The Group’s profits have now risen in each of the three years in which Emirates Stadium has been our home. This is excellent news although I should perhaps stress that making and reporting profits is not in itself the primary objective for the directors. First and foremost we are supporters of this great football club and, as such, our main goal will always be the achievement of success for Arsenal on the field. The Group’s profitability is important because it is a by-product of running the Club as a solvent and successful business, which in turn allows us to maximise the level of investment in the playing staff and in the future development of the Club.”
The board say that there is money, but they aren't spending money. They don't pay out dividends. The mortgage on the stadium is kept in check and doesn't require additional payments. So where is the money going?
There's a theory that they're asset stripping to plump up Arsenal's accounts, in order to keep the share price high to stop Usmanov from buying the Club. Kroenke's the preferred owner, and the Board want to delay Usmanov's advance until Kroenke feels like he wants to play. And that might be sooner than we think. Apparently he's on the verge of buying Nina Bracewell-Smith's stake.
There's another theory that they're using that money to hedge their bets with regards to Highbury Square. Gazidis mentioned that the property development and the football finances are fenced off from each other, but I'm not sure about that. I bet there's plenty of "mixed" bills that the footballing surplus could be used to pay off, allowing the freed-up money to go to propping up Highbury Square. Arsenal are a Club of creative accountants (remember their Cayman Island Player Payment Scheme in the early 2000s?) so I'm sure there are enough loopholes to allow the footballing department to finance the Highbury Square project.
There's another theory that Wenger's sitting on 50 million in transfer and wages, but he's got his head so far up his arse that he can't see that he needs to reinforce his squad. But I don't believe this, mostly because Wenger sees this team day after day, and he must surely realise that this team can't win anything for him. After all, Wenger is a pragmatist. He cut Vieira just as he started to decline. He cut Gilberto when Flamini became good. He bought Vermaelen and sold Kolo. He swapped Silvestre for Senderos for the experience, which just highlights how much Wenger knows we need experience. He bought Arshavin. So we know that he'd buy quality IF the price is right. It's just that the price has a ceiling of about 17 million (as Melo found out to our loss).
It leaves me wondering whether our 35 million pound profit is a good thing or a bad thing. It's good from a financial point-of-view. It's always nice to turn a profit. But if Arsenal are about the trophies and not about the money, isn't that 35 million an opportunity lost? 35 million would've got us that 'keeper we need, or that experienced DM we need. What's the point of proclaiming our financial solvency if it turns out that we're at risk of slipping out of the Top 4 this year? Not to mention that it does nothing for our attempts to establish ourselves as title contenders.
So what's happening with the Club? What are our priorities? I don't know. Who does? Maybe it's time to admit that it's way to difficult trying to second-guess the Club and just go along for the ride. Maybe it's time I learned to stop worrying and just love the Bomb.
2-0 win against Olympiakos this morning. Theo played for 60 minutes. Well done boys.
“The Group’s profits have now risen in each of the three years in which Emirates Stadium has been our home. This is excellent news although I should perhaps stress that making and reporting profits is not in itself the primary objective for the directors. First and foremost we are supporters of this great football club and, as such, our main goal will always be the achievement of success for Arsenal on the field. The Group’s profitability is important because it is a by-product of running the Club as a solvent and successful business, which in turn allows us to maximise the level of investment in the playing staff and in the future development of the Club.”
The board say that there is money, but they aren't spending money. They don't pay out dividends. The mortgage on the stadium is kept in check and doesn't require additional payments. So where is the money going?
There's a theory that they're asset stripping to plump up Arsenal's accounts, in order to keep the share price high to stop Usmanov from buying the Club. Kroenke's the preferred owner, and the Board want to delay Usmanov's advance until Kroenke feels like he wants to play. And that might be sooner than we think. Apparently he's on the verge of buying Nina Bracewell-Smith's stake.
There's another theory that they're using that money to hedge their bets with regards to Highbury Square. Gazidis mentioned that the property development and the football finances are fenced off from each other, but I'm not sure about that. I bet there's plenty of "mixed" bills that the footballing surplus could be used to pay off, allowing the freed-up money to go to propping up Highbury Square. Arsenal are a Club of creative accountants (remember their Cayman Island Player Payment Scheme in the early 2000s?) so I'm sure there are enough loopholes to allow the footballing department to finance the Highbury Square project.
There's another theory that Wenger's sitting on 50 million in transfer and wages, but he's got his head so far up his arse that he can't see that he needs to reinforce his squad. But I don't believe this, mostly because Wenger sees this team day after day, and he must surely realise that this team can't win anything for him. After all, Wenger is a pragmatist. He cut Vieira just as he started to decline. He cut Gilberto when Flamini became good. He bought Vermaelen and sold Kolo. He swapped Silvestre for Senderos for the experience, which just highlights how much Wenger knows we need experience. He bought Arshavin. So we know that he'd buy quality IF the price is right. It's just that the price has a ceiling of about 17 million (as Melo found out to our loss).
It leaves me wondering whether our 35 million pound profit is a good thing or a bad thing. It's good from a financial point-of-view. It's always nice to turn a profit. But if Arsenal are about the trophies and not about the money, isn't that 35 million an opportunity lost? 35 million would've got us that 'keeper we need, or that experienced DM we need. What's the point of proclaiming our financial solvency if it turns out that we're at risk of slipping out of the Top 4 this year? Not to mention that it does nothing for our attempts to establish ourselves as title contenders.
So what's happening with the Club? What are our priorities? I don't know. Who does? Maybe it's time to admit that it's way to difficult trying to second-guess the Club and just go along for the ride. Maybe it's time I learned to stop worrying and just love the Bomb.
2-0 win against Olympiakos this morning. Theo played for 60 minutes. Well done boys.
Monday, September 28, 2009
On a Monday
There's not a lot on today.
van Persie wants the team to maintain focus before the Champions League match against Olympiakos. Considering the relative weakness of the group, I think we could afford to drop a few points against Olympiakos, but I agree that we need to be up for this match. Winning is contagious, and we need to keep our streak going.
van Persie wants the team to maintain focus before the Champions League match against Olympiakos. Considering the relative weakness of the group, I think we could afford to drop a few points against Olympiakos, but I agree that we need to be up for this match. Winning is contagious, and we need to keep our streak going.
Long-suffering gooners know what happens when our players don't give 100 percent. It happened quite often last year. We would win a few games, then get complacent, and then lose an "easy" game against weaker opponents. Let's hope the Arsenal have learnt to give a full effort every game.
Theo Walcott's ready to make his first appearance with the Arsenal. He's had a busy summer, what with all his injuries and his international commitments. Wenger says that:
I'm keen to see what Theo can do in a 4-3-3. One thing we've lacked in the current formation is a zippy winger on the right. Bendtner has done a good job, and his centre-forward-as-winger cameo has a certain value (he's almost certain to win the long balls), but it'll be nice to see Theo back in the side and stretching the defense with his pace. He's one of the few players in this team with genuine pace. We're a much better side with him in.
And lastly, Mark Randall's girlfriend has been posing topless for a lad's magazine. Apparently, if you send in a few pictures of yourself in your underwear, you could land a contract at Zoo Magazine. It's an unusual job interview process they've got at Zoo. I've just googled the initiative, called "Gimme A Job!", and found this quote from Zoo editor Ben Todd:
Now I realise England's borne the brunt of the GFC, but surely it's not THAT hard to find a job, is it?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
An "Unbelievable" Performance
"He kept us in the game with some unbelievable situations. He has shown he has the potential to be a top goalkeeper. He loves football, has outstanding physical qualities and reflexes, and works hard every day to improve."
- Arsene Wenger, on Vito Mannone's performance
I was wrong about this one. Vito Mannone played in goal. van Persie scored a goal. And the Arsenal were lucky with a 1-0 win against a good Fulham side. But I was right at least in thinking that this is an "unbelievable" squad.
For me, it's "unbelievable" that this squad will be able to win anything this year.
Something needs to be done to this squad. It needs a bit more defensive nous. It needs a bit more squad depth. It needs a better goalkeeper. The problem is that these are the things that were needed five years ago, and nothing's been done to address the issues. And I don't believe they'll be addressed anytime soon.
Somewhere along the line, I stopped being a wide-eyed, optimistic Arsenal fan and turned into a cynic. It's not fun being a cynic. You can never enjoy a victory for its own sake. You can't enjoy performances like the 4-0 against Wigan without thinking back about being beaten by Man City and Man Utd. You feel relief more than elation after escaping with a 1-0 win against a plucky Fulham. You're forever focused on the title race, and sweating at whether points dropped now will have a bearing on the results at the end of the season.
I'm not sure how the optimism's going to come back. I know the first step would be a few significant signings in January. Or an indication that the much-vaulted kids have the talent to win the league. But what are the chances that this will occur?
Anyway, it was a good performance by Mannone today. He showed a lot of guts to play like that today, especially after the horror start of Standard Liege match. He should keep his spot for the time being. I don't know if he's got the talent to keep it permanently, but I think he'll do a better job than Almunia.
Well done, Vito.
- Arsene Wenger, on Vito Mannone's performance
I was wrong about this one. Vito Mannone played in goal. van Persie scored a goal. And the Arsenal were lucky with a 1-0 win against a good Fulham side. But I was right at least in thinking that this is an "unbelievable" squad.
For me, it's "unbelievable" that this squad will be able to win anything this year.
Something needs to be done to this squad. It needs a bit more defensive nous. It needs a bit more squad depth. It needs a better goalkeeper. The problem is that these are the things that were needed five years ago, and nothing's been done to address the issues. And I don't believe they'll be addressed anytime soon.
Somewhere along the line, I stopped being a wide-eyed, optimistic Arsenal fan and turned into a cynic. It's not fun being a cynic. You can never enjoy a victory for its own sake. You can't enjoy performances like the 4-0 against Wigan without thinking back about being beaten by Man City and Man Utd. You feel relief more than elation after escaping with a 1-0 win against a plucky Fulham. You're forever focused on the title race, and sweating at whether points dropped now will have a bearing on the results at the end of the season.
I'm not sure how the optimism's going to come back. I know the first step would be a few significant signings in January. Or an indication that the much-vaulted kids have the talent to win the league. But what are the chances that this will occur?
Anyway, it was a good performance by Mannone today. He showed a lot of guts to play like that today, especially after the horror start of Standard Liege match. He should keep his spot for the time being. I don't know if he's got the talent to keep it permanently, but I think he'll do a better job than Almunia.
Well done, Vito.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Our "Unbelievable" Squad
“We sold Kolo and Adebayor but bought Vermaelen. That money is for me. I know how much I have and I am happy with it... Do we have the squad to compete with the other [‘Big’] four? I say yes. We have an unbelievable squad. Where do you put all the talented players?"
- Arsene Wenger, who'd have a problem (hypothetically) fitting Benzema, Villa, Huntelaar, De Rossi, Akinfeev, M.Diarra, van der Vaart, Zapata, Sakho and Richards into this current Arsenal side
I think we have an "unbelievable" squad as well.
I think it's unbelievable that Almunia's still our No.1 goalkeeper. I think it's unbelievable that Song is the only physically robust defensive midfielder in the side. I think it's unbelievable that we're using the transfer surplus to resign our kids on large contracts, and not using it to bring in on experienced players to augment our side. And I think it's unbelievable to think that Wenger can't find a spare position to place a player like Akinfeev. Or Villa. Or Huntelaar.
There is a lot of unbelievability going on at Arsenal at the moment.
Earlier in the week, Gazidis said that:
"We believe transfer spending is the last resort. That's a sensible view to have. Re-signing existing players is a far more efficient system. What Arsene will not do is spend money on players that do not add something of real value."
I disagree with Gazidis. At the moment, we're paying very large contracts to youngsters who haven't proved that they've earned it. Take Theo Walcott. Now, I love Theo Walcott, but I think it's a disgrace that we're paying him 60k a week and yet can't find the money to bring in someone like Huntelaar or Villa.
It's something we've got to sort out.
I fail to see how resigning a promising young player to a very large contract turns him into a great player. Especially if that young player hasn't done anything to justify such a large contract. Just because we want to pay Theo Walcott more money than David Villa earns, doesn't automatically turn Walcott into a better player. It just turns him into an overpaid youngster with a fat contract and with a lot to prove.
Contrary to Gazidis, I think the sensible thing would be to pay our players what they're worth, and use the extra money saved to bring in experienced players who can add "real value" to the Club.
And today, Peter Hill-Wood escaped his minders and held a "wide-ranging interview with ESPNsoccernet". I can't seem to find the full interview on the soccernet website, but I did find one excerpt in which he said:
"Arsene thought long and hard about selling Adebayor. But there were pretty strong rumours last year that he wanted to go. Perhaps it was time to let him go. I don't regret losing him, in fact I don't regret any of the sales made by Arsene, he has pretty good judgement as it has been shown time and time again. He doesn't always tell you, i.e. the press, or even me exactly why he is selling them, he might not always give me the reason, but we always back his judgement."
And while I agree that Wenger's an excellent judge of talent, I'm scratching my head at the moment. Peter Hill-Wood might be content with Arsenal cruising to 4th every year, but I'm not. I look at the financial reports coming out of Arsenal, and we're rich. We can afford to spend a significant amount of money to bring in the one or two players that would complete the team. We've certainly got £40 million in the bank at the moment, and that could surely be used on a class 'keeper or a solid defensive midfielder.
I'm probably being overly negative here. But we're leaking goals like a seive, our problems haven't been addressed, and Club Management is chatting to the media and telling everyone that the Arsenal are going splendidly. There's a fundamental disconnect going on here, and it irritates me.
Fulham up tonight. 2-0, with Szczesny to start, and Eduardo and Vermaelen to score. It's a game we should win, and should win comfortably.
C'mon Gunners.
- Arsene Wenger, who'd have a problem (hypothetically) fitting Benzema, Villa, Huntelaar, De Rossi, Akinfeev, M.Diarra, van der Vaart, Zapata, Sakho and Richards into this current Arsenal side
I think we have an "unbelievable" squad as well.
I think it's unbelievable that Almunia's still our No.1 goalkeeper. I think it's unbelievable that Song is the only physically robust defensive midfielder in the side. I think it's unbelievable that we're using the transfer surplus to resign our kids on large contracts, and not using it to bring in on experienced players to augment our side. And I think it's unbelievable to think that Wenger can't find a spare position to place a player like Akinfeev. Or Villa. Or Huntelaar.
There is a lot of unbelievability going on at Arsenal at the moment.
Earlier in the week, Gazidis said that:
"We believe transfer spending is the last resort. That's a sensible view to have. Re-signing existing players is a far more efficient system. What Arsene will not do is spend money on players that do not add something of real value."
I disagree with Gazidis. At the moment, we're paying very large contracts to youngsters who haven't proved that they've earned it. Take Theo Walcott. Now, I love Theo Walcott, but I think it's a disgrace that we're paying him 60k a week and yet can't find the money to bring in someone like Huntelaar or Villa.
It's something we've got to sort out.
I fail to see how resigning a promising young player to a very large contract turns him into a great player. Especially if that young player hasn't done anything to justify such a large contract. Just because we want to pay Theo Walcott more money than David Villa earns, doesn't automatically turn Walcott into a better player. It just turns him into an overpaid youngster with a fat contract and with a lot to prove.
Contrary to Gazidis, I think the sensible thing would be to pay our players what they're worth, and use the extra money saved to bring in experienced players who can add "real value" to the Club.
And today, Peter Hill-Wood escaped his minders and held a "wide-ranging interview with ESPNsoccernet". I can't seem to find the full interview on the soccernet website, but I did find one excerpt in which he said:
"Arsene thought long and hard about selling Adebayor. But there were pretty strong rumours last year that he wanted to go. Perhaps it was time to let him go. I don't regret losing him, in fact I don't regret any of the sales made by Arsene, he has pretty good judgement as it has been shown time and time again. He doesn't always tell you, i.e. the press, or even me exactly why he is selling them, he might not always give me the reason, but we always back his judgement."
And while I agree that Wenger's an excellent judge of talent, I'm scratching my head at the moment. Peter Hill-Wood might be content with Arsenal cruising to 4th every year, but I'm not. I look at the financial reports coming out of Arsenal, and we're rich. We can afford to spend a significant amount of money to bring in the one or two players that would complete the team. We've certainly got £40 million in the bank at the moment, and that could surely be used on a class 'keeper or a solid defensive midfielder.
I'm probably being overly negative here. But we're leaking goals like a seive, our problems haven't been addressed, and Club Management is chatting to the media and telling everyone that the Arsenal are going splendidly. There's a fundamental disconnect going on here, and it irritates me.
Fulham up tonight. 2-0, with Szczesny to start, and Eduardo and Vermaelen to score. It's a game we should win, and should win comfortably.
C'mon Gunners.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Stuff and Nonsense
And you know that I love you
Here and now not forever
I can give you the present
I don't know about the future
That's all stuff and nonsense
- Stuff and Nonsense, Split Enz
We're playing West Brom in the Carling Cup.
It's been a number of years since Wenger first turned the Carling Cup over to his youth players, and it's been proven to be an excellent decision. It's turned the Carling Cup from an annoyance into an exciting, thrilling glimpse into our possible future. It's Wenger's chance to sell us the future, and most of the time it is such a thrilling, fun future that you get swept up with enthusiasm.
I thoroughly enjoy the Carling Cups. I rarely have the time to watch a match, but it's still enjoyable to click on the link on the Guardian Football website and read about how our latest batch of 18 year-olds ran rings around a Championship side. And who knows? If I find myself awake at 4 o'clock tomorrow morning, I might even get out of bed and have look at Jack Wilshere, Fran Merida and the rest of our Carling Cubs.
But sadly, part of the reason why the Carling Cup is infused with such optimism is because it plays no significant role in our season whatsoever. It doesn't matter whether the kids bomb out or perform, because the Carling Cup doesn't really count. Remember the original Carling Cubs? Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Walcott... the side that thumped Liverpool at Anfield and which made it to the final against Chelsea. And what's happened to them? Occasional brilliance in a youth side doesn't translate to sustained brilliance in the senior side.
So if you're watching the kids tonight, just enjoy it for what it is - an entertaining performance by a bunch of precociously talented kids. It's unfair to put too much pressure on them and to extrapolate future success from Carling Cup fixtures. They can give you the present, but I don't know about the future.
That's just stuff and nonsense.
And in other news, Kevin Whitcher had this to say about the Highbury Square development: Well, at least we know where the £40m from the Man City sales went. I'm just glad the Club didn't use it to pay for Peter Hill-Wood's Cigar of the Month subscription.
Here and now not forever
I can give you the present
I don't know about the future
That's all stuff and nonsense
- Stuff and Nonsense, Split Enz
We're playing West Brom in the Carling Cup.
It's been a number of years since Wenger first turned the Carling Cup over to his youth players, and it's been proven to be an excellent decision. It's turned the Carling Cup from an annoyance into an exciting, thrilling glimpse into our possible future. It's Wenger's chance to sell us the future, and most of the time it is such a thrilling, fun future that you get swept up with enthusiasm.
I thoroughly enjoy the Carling Cups. I rarely have the time to watch a match, but it's still enjoyable to click on the link on the Guardian Football website and read about how our latest batch of 18 year-olds ran rings around a Championship side. And who knows? If I find myself awake at 4 o'clock tomorrow morning, I might even get out of bed and have look at Jack Wilshere, Fran Merida and the rest of our Carling Cubs.
But sadly, part of the reason why the Carling Cup is infused with such optimism is because it plays no significant role in our season whatsoever. It doesn't matter whether the kids bomb out or perform, because the Carling Cup doesn't really count. Remember the original Carling Cubs? Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, Walcott... the side that thumped Liverpool at Anfield and which made it to the final against Chelsea. And what's happened to them? Occasional brilliance in a youth side doesn't translate to sustained brilliance in the senior side.
So if you're watching the kids tonight, just enjoy it for what it is - an entertaining performance by a bunch of precociously talented kids. It's unfair to put too much pressure on them and to extrapolate future success from Carling Cup fixtures. They can give you the present, but I don't know about the future.
That's just stuff and nonsense.
And in other news, Kevin Whitcher had this to say about the Highbury Square development: Well, at least we know where the £40m from the Man City sales went. I'm just glad the Club didn't use it to pay for Peter Hill-Wood's Cigar of the Month subscription.
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