Awwww  (as in "awwww shucks," not "arsene wenger wenger wenger wenger") damn, nothing is going on.

Nasri on Euro delay (I'm still confident we'll get him, though), and nobody else in the works. 

Jens maybe goes back to Germany.  Mkay.

And, will Arsenal replace Edelman with David McNally, recently managing director of Fulham?

Nothing else.  Not even stuff to be witty about.

Meh.

Full of hot dogs.

I went to dollar dog night yesterday and ate more than my share of hot dogs.  How many = more than my share?  Yeah, good question.  And I don't even do that "break them in half, dip 'em in water" trick used by the Japanese extreme eating guy.  Then I woke up to find silly media controversey and near nothingness in Arsenal news.

First, Hleb is even more likely to go now, and perhaps to Madrid.  Whoooo.  Hleb is a nifty dribbler, and he does draw the defense toward him.  But I would like more than 10 goals in three years from a player of his potential.  Seriously, he should score more.  The same goes for Rosicky, if he can ever come back from injury.

Second, in more positive news, Mark Randall and Nacer Barazite both want to work hard enough to get into the first team.  Of course they do!  But it is nice to hear that anyhow.  Check out Arsenal.com for the stories there.

And here's my favorite Mark Ranall almostmullet: 

And Third: oooooh: Danny Fizman says

     -Arsene will be supported in whomever he wishes to bring in.

     -Arsenal goes for big talent, not big names.

     -Arsenal players are paid well, comparable to ManU, above Liverpool.

     -More.

It is a fairly thorough Q and A, and worth the read if that stuff is your cup of tea.

In personal news, Addster has disappeared.  Nobody has seen him, so I figure he's on the Chelsea bench.

In Addster's honor:

"You're just a fat Paris Hilton."
Arsenal fans to Liverpool's Andriy Voronin.

Oh Hleb. 

I tried to look up funny pictures of his hair, but I couldn't find any.  He does have a rather cave-mannish cut though, doesn't he? 

He says that he'll meet with Wenger in the next few days to decide his fate.  I think he's being kinda stupid:  like Flamini, this last season was his best, and he is likely only to improve with Arsenal.  And as you know, players who leave Arsenal, with only a few exceptions, are usually not so hot elsewhere.  Not that he's gone yet.

All is quiet otherwise. 

Surprised that we haven't been linked to Matthew McConaughey yet.

Speculative, no? 

Honestly, I was thinking about it the whole time I watched Chelsea tie, and then lose to, Manchester United.  I kept harkening back to our loss vs. Barca two years ago (we played so well for so much of the match) and to our games this season. 

Frankly, with a healthy squad, I think Arsenal would have beaten either team yesterday.  Sure, I'm biased, but I think that both Man U and Chelsea were lucky (read: ref help) to beat Arsenal in the final weeks of the EPL campaign.  Chelsea had that nasty "play the ball back deep and press, even after you put the ball out for our injury " move, which led to the goal, and an even further loss of dignity, if you ask me.  Funny how they got so pissy about it when Tevez was involved in a similar play.  A the Bridge, an off-sides call not was not seen as well.  At Old Trafford, Man U had a free kick (goal by Hargreaves) off of a dive--replays show that Gilberto didn't come near him.  And of course, Man U gave away only one penalty kick all season.  Hmmmm.  Wow.  And Hmmm.

However, even if you take away my whining, Arsenal typically rises to big occasions. 

A friend of mine pointed out that when good teams play each other, it is often the ref who makes the game--the teams are too even to separate.  Worth considering.

Also--watching Ashley cry.  Watching Ronaldo miss.  Watching Anelka get blocked.  It could have been worse. 

Transfer rumors--still nothing definite.

See ya.

Someone is excited.

Yeah, I am.

Because it looks as though Nasri will be an Arsenal player, officially, quite soon!  Love that guy.  I could post links but they are all over:  Sky, BBC, etc. 

Who is next?  And, for debate, will Hleb go?  Where, exactly, will Samir play? 

Happy Monday?

First up, three of our French players have been "ignored" by their national team.  Clichy, Diaby, and Sagna will sit out for Euro 2008.  If you ask me, I feel bad for them, assuming they wanted to represent their country, buuuuuut I feel super mega happy for Arsenal, who will need and want rested players for the CL qualifiers and the start of next year. 

I'm not so sure that Diaby is world class yet, but the additional experience would do him good, of course.

The other bit of news is that we've been linked with a number of French players now, but really, who knows what the chances are.  I'd give you the names beyond Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa, but if I linked every name we'll be associated with, there'd be no end to the list.  All speculation and rumor, right now. 

Arsene, change that! 

And finally, it looks like Lehmann may head for Germany.  Good for him.  I always liked him, especially for how scrappy he is.  Jens reminds me of a hockey goalie....without skates.  And pads.  And a mask.  But just as pissy.

Shin out

G'day!

The FA cup is happening right now, and the other leagues--Spanish, French, Italian--are finishing up, but not much is going on for Arsenal.

Cesc isn't moving.  Duh.

Adebayor isn't moving.  Super duh.

And just yet, Wenger hasn't dropped cash on any additions to the squad.

The only news of note is Flamini saying "I didn't leave for money alone; I also left to play at a super giant mega club like AC Milan." He says that Arsenal could have signed him and kept him at the start of last summer.  It should be noted, though, that Flamini's best season was, by far, this last one.   Before that he was much more of a squad player who had good runs in several different positions.  He wasn't the machine that he proved himself to be this time around.  And, in the 2006-2007 season, Gilberto played well, as did Cesc, so there wasn't a lot of space for Flamini in the middle, where he wanted to play. 

So, Gilberto's drop in form allowed room for Flamini, who proved his worth. Then, he got perhaps more than his worth from the Italian team.  Okay.  Good luck to him.

Let's replace him and move forward!

Addster, any news? 

Hello, kids.

Looks like we've got some questions to ponder.

Question one:  Based on recent rumor, and tough to believe based on pricing, will Arsenal make a bid for Samir Nasri?  ooooooooh. 

Question two: Did Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia really shake hands?  And, during said shake, did Jens step on Manuel's foot and then punch him, just a little, in the kidneys?  Probably.

Question three: Not an Arsenal question but still exciting: will the EPL's most prolific scorer and serial diver consider a move to Spain?  C. Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world right now; could Real Madrid really offer up the cash that Manchester United would require? 

Answers.

One: Samir Nasri?   

I wouldn't complain.  I've watched him in a few games, and he seems creative, quick, and dangerous.  Sort of like Rosicky, sort of like Messi, and young enough to improve a great deal.  The high price isn't very...Wengeresque...so this falls very deeply in the realm of rumor.  I'll call Arsene later and find out.

In the meantime, Arsenal are reportedly offering some of their current players, Clichy, maybe Sagna, new, improved deals.  Hurrah!

Two--Jens and Almunia?  BFF. 

NO WAY.

Though Jens has the smoothest, silkiest voice ever.  Hard to believe.

And question the third: Ronaldo to Spain?  Maybe.  I don't know why C. Ronaldo would admit to such an interest right before a CL final.  I also don't know how much money it would take, besides buckets, buckets, and more buckets. 

But even if he did leave, Manchester U. would get so much money in return that they'd probably just buy a whole other team --maybe Lyon, maybe Everton-- and just put them on the bench.  They love to spend big. 

Well, we shall see, shall we not?  shant we?  should we shant?  whatever.

Oooooh, sunny today.

As far as recent information, le boss has spoken in defense of Eboue.  He claims that Eboue contributes to the overall balance of the team, thus allowing offense-minded players to be more creative.  I suppose that makes sense--without some security, other players have to be more cautious in attack. 

However, it isn't so much Eboue's lack of goals that is the problem--though we did need more goals from players other than Ade.  A few more from Hleb, Rosicky, Bendtner, and Cesc (who started brightly but wound up dropping back a little, if you ask me) would have made a difference.  Instead, it is Eboue's attitude, characterized by chronic petulance and frequent diving, that marks him as problematic.  When he's compared to C. Ronaldo, it isn't because of positioning or effectiveness, but because both players love middle-school dramatics. 

Off the pitch, Eboue is a silly guy, apparently.  I still can't get over the old story about his costume hijinks. 

So, there's that.  But on the field, a dose of "work to stay on your feet" and "no, you don't have a concussion today" would improve Eboue's standing.

Otherwise, not much is happening.  I watched a youtube video of Hatem Ben Arfa yesterday, and like most youtubes, except the ones about guys in painful bicycle accidents, the individual in question looked fairly impressive.  Maybe there's possibility there.  Meh. 

Aaaaaand, I love reading the BBC football gossip page.  So much nonsense. 

I'm still working on my ideas about money in the league.  I'll get back to you, but I'd prefer to read your thoughts. 

crickets chirping.

Laters.

Hiya.

There isn't a ton of Arsenal news at this moment.  Rumor has it that Hleb has made an awkward request to leave the brutal chaos that is London--

--to head for more pastoral settings.  Milan?  Detroit?  Well, whatever. 

And Wenger has said that next year's Champions League qualifier may be tricky, as so many players will be fatigued from the Euro 2008 tournament. Arsenal is likely to have 10 or 12 players in that competition.  Geez. 

But what I'm most worried about and interested in discussing is the effect of cash money bling on the game, on transfers, team make-up, etc.  Looking at Italy, Spain, and England, the teams with the most cash are certainly all near the top.  There may be exceptions, of course, but one might easily point out how the wealthiest teams can casually outbuy any mid-table squads.  Or one could consider how Flamini, at contract's end, leaves for the clear offer of more cash, cash that Arsenal may not have been able to match.  And then there's the waste that happens when promising and expensive (SWP) players end up on the benches of teams already super stacked.  And other players then leave those heavy squads and act as though they deserve Saturn and all of its moons--example, Diarra being so surly about starting for Arsenal's midfield.  What?  Remove Cesc and Flamini?  brilliant..... 

Finally, I can't believe that Manchester United is being promised more money for this summer.  Last summer's splurge wasn't enough?  Perhaps I'm simply bemoaning the fact that Arsene doesn't spend big, when/if he can.

So, I'm still forming my thoughts on that one.

And in blog news, a good friend of mine is going to join the team.  He loves Torres.  You'll see.

See ya.