WARNING! - Optimism Alert (NOT based on Emirates Cup Win BTW)

Ok, Ok, I know, there was no blog yesterday. Blame the internet pixies for spreading their love in the form of viruses (or should we blame me for downloading stuff I just should have left alone? Nah, let's not do that). By the time I got my laptop cleared yesterday it was bedtime and then I had work first thing today, and then it was late afternoon and there seemed no point as it would have put me all out of whack for today's blog, and blah blah blah.

Basically, I couldn't be bothered.

So we had the Emirates Cup over the weekend, the star of which was Jack Wilshere, Superboy.

Our first match against Athletico Madrid was dullsville, but the introduction of Jack Wilshere and Arshavin (who got two) in the second half turned things around in the final five minutes. Jack is ready for the Premiership - use him Wenger. Arshavin, as I'm sure you all know scored another unbelievable goal, getting it in by defying physics or something. Suck on that Einstein!

Eduardo was very disappointing as he didn't score, putting his record of 1 goal every 49 minutes on the line. Better pull your finger out Eddie or there'll be grumblings!

The second match saw the return of Almunia, but not Vermaelen who is suffering with a slight muscle injury. I didn't see crutches so that has to be good. Merida and Jack Wilshere (Man of Match in both) started after coming on in the first as subs and I can't help but wonder if this means they are going to be more involved in the first team this year. They are ready, and while we all know what Jack's about, Merida often gets overlooked. He is a strong, gifted attacking midfielder who we can use to our advantage as some sort of secret weapon or something.

Special mention has to go to Song who throughout the entire pre-season has shown a stature, maturity, and calmness much needed in the middle of the pitch. He made one last ditch diving block which was just outstanding. Added to that, hardly anything has got by him so far in pre-season. I expect him to carry on where he left off last season and be a revelation this.

If they all get the playing time, expect Wilshere, Merida, Song and Bendtner to be our stars alongside the established ones. If Eduardo stays fit (when can I stop'if' and 'stays fit' everytime I mention him?) I expect him to be challenging, if not running away with, the Golden Boot. I think I'm right in saying this was his third game in a row.

You heard it all here first (the golden boot/star player stuff, not the third match in a row bit which, let's face it, isn't exactly earth shattering news).

For some reason, perhaps after the flack that came in the papers yesterday on the back of the goal we conceded I reckoned we would go out and make a point. I fancied 4-0 at least.

We took the lead early through Wilshere (110 seconds) and it was one way traffic after that. Eduardo got his goal-to-minutes ratio back on track with our second after only 10 minutes. We could have more, but it was well into the second half before Jack got his second after great retrieval play from Sanchez Watt who didn't give up on a ball that was just being guarded over the by-line by a Rangers defender.

On a negative note, anyone else think our defence still looks super fragile? Without any idea of how to actually clear a ball? Reserve judgement until we see the full back four, reserve it reserve it reserve it. I keep telling myself that, but I am concerned. Going forward, no worries at all. Body off Baywatch, face of Crimewatch, that's our attack/defence at the minute. This match could have been closer than 3-0 if Rangers finishing had've been better. Not that they deserved to be closer, but then that's what we do isn't it, let teams who should be dead and buried rise again to kick us in the nuts?

Away from the Cup and it seems that Kolo has had a lot to say from himself. I really hope he doesn't start this shit on a regular basis, but the papers were only too happy to run with the story of how he left because Arsenal have turned into a selling club, and they used these examples to back up their claim that Arsenal are done, they have no hope of being in the top four, and as for the title, you must be kidding!

Jens Lehman

Ashley Cole

Thierry Henry

Jose Antonio Reyes

Freddie Ljungberg

Robert Pires

Patrick Vieira

Sol Campbell

Matthew Flamini

Gilberto

Alex Hleb

Emmanuel Adebayor

Kolo Toure

This was too wide spread for me not to address it.

Jens Lehmann was 37 when we let him go, and let's face it, that's getting on, even for a 'keeper. Lehmann was a great 'keeper, but his erratic behaviour was happening more and more, and in Almunia we have a slightly more stable, if not as spectacular 'keeper. One of them had to go as they hated each other, we sold the one who was coming to the end of his career.

Ashley Cole is a cunt. We didn't want to sell him, but what can you do when a player behaves as he did other than get rid? We brought in Gallas and some cash, hardly lacking an experienced replacement (if not in a position-for-position sense, then definitely in a squad sense). Gael Clichy was up his ass anyway for the left-back position and he'd have lost it to Gael in no time.

Thierry Henry wanted to go to Barcelona. He wanted to go in 2006 only for our Champions League Final defeat to them to put the scuppers on it. He had lost some of his edge, and let's be fair here, after what he had achieved with us, he had the right to ask to go wherever he wanted and we could not stand in his way. He left in 2007 and we brought in Eduardo.

Jose Antonio Reyes could not cut it in the Premiership. Simple. After the kicking Man U gave him when they ended our unbeaten run he was never the same and wanted to leave. How do you keep a player who wants to leave? How can that be used to prove Arsenal are a selling club? He decided at the end of August 2006 that he wanted to leave, giving practically no time to get in a replacement but we had already brought in Walcott and Rosicky and brought in Adebayor in the next transfer window. We also got The Beast.

Freddie Ljungberg was a fantastic player with us but look at what has happened to him since he left. Too many injuries to be truly effective, it was his time to go. We brought in the dolphin headed Diarra when he left. Different position, but still a body (if only for a few months, which again, could not be said to be Arsenal or Arsene's fault). We also brought in Sagna that year.

Robert Pires should not have left, we should have given him another contract and I think this is one of the few that Wenger got wrong. That being said, when he left, we brought in Hleb as a replacement.

Patrick Vieira was a legend but his lack of appearances at Inter since he left us is proof that Wenger was right to let him go. There is no doubting that he can do a job psychologically should he return, and maybe he has the legs for 20 matches, who knows. He was not replaced.

Sol Campbell was having a torrid time at Arsenal for personal reasons and wanted to leave. Again, how is that our fault when we sell him? In the window which saw Campbell leave, we brought in Song, Denilson, Merida and Gallas.

Matthew Flamini was genuinely not expected to leave. Arsene has stated this. We didn't want him to go and he went on a free so hardly the defining trait of a 'selling' club. He had come to replace Vieira and as such, has not been replaced (though you could argue that Diarra would have replaced him if he hadn't thrown a hissy fit after five minutes and left for Portsmouth).

Gilberto was let go with the thought that Flamini would still be here. A mistake by Wenger, but not a huge error of judgement as Gilberto was losing his edge.

Alex Hleb was another one who couldn't hack it in the Premiership and was replaced by the superior Sami Nasri. He also demanded to leave and look what happened. Splinters in the arse all season while Nasri almost scored as many in his first season with us as Hleb did in three.

Emmanuel Adebayor has had one good season in his entire career and has used that to engineer pay rises and transfers despite the fact that that he has to be one of the most disruptive and lazy players ever to have put on boots (do you think he gets someone else to do that for him? I really can't imagine him bending all that way down). Some of his 'performances' last season should have seen him have wages deducted. He was 'replaced' by an extra few blades of grass on the pitch, o, and the return to full fitness of Eduardo.

Kolo Toure put in a transfer request in January. He wanted to leave.  We got £14-£17million for him and brought in Vermaelen, a young International who had been captain of Ajax. Toure had lost his form since the African Cup of Nations/Malaria bout, and while we all love him to bits, as a player, he seemed to have stagnated at Arsenal or be past his best.

And none of this takes into account any of the players we brought through our youth system which is, let's face, the best in the country.

I will concede that in midfield we haven't made the replacements we should have, but not to the degree either the press or hysterical fans would have you believe, but to say that we are a selling club is just taking the piss and showing you haven't got a clue.  We might sell players and make huge profits on them, but we usually have replacements waiting or lined up. Also, if we were a true selling club, we would have cashed in on Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott this season who would have commanded far greater transfer fees than the ex-25 and Kolo.

Shove that up your red top cause you really don't have a point to make. 

Why should we care? Nobody will be giving us a chance which is just the way I like it. We don't do well when the weight of expectation is on us. Give me underdog status any day. 

Elsewhere, the Vieira story isn't going away, although it has morphed into 'Vieira to be Wenger's replacement' (when he eventually goes obviously, not immediately). Like Patrick, it seems this story has legs and I reckon it can only be a good thing. Imagine having Paddy in the dressing room firing these guys up every week....I would have loved to have seen him on the pitch with Adebayor during those two Champions League semi-finals. There's every chance he might have grabbed him by the throat and given him the shaking he required. Bringing him back to the club, for me, is a no brainer.

Has Senderos gone? Is he going? What's going on there? Does it all revolve around City and Lescott? Can't we keep Senderos and burn sell Silvestre? I know I'm not the first person to wonder what's going on there, but come on, is there really any choice there? Senderos or Silvestre? How did we even end up with both of them in the first place? Wenger really does suck at picking centre-halfs, let's hope Pat Rice picked Vermaelen.

And that's about that, I'm going to shut up now. I think I made up for yesterday. Til tomorrow....