Forgetting the rather dull but welcome result against Bolton today it seems that the richest and best (according to the English media anyway) league in the world still can't guarantee that matches actually take place. I know we've been accustomed to Highbury's undersoil heating since time began but surely clubs such as Fulham and Portsmouth could do the right thing and spend a few quid on a system that enables fans to see the game.

I find it quite incredulous that Premier League clubs aren't mandated to ensure that they do everything possible to ensure that matches aren't postponed except under extreme circumstances. It seems that they will be happy to waste millions on wages/transfer fees but not £250,000 on an under pitch heating system.

Shame on you!!

Most Arsenal fans (me included) realise we need one or two players at the moment and there is a groundswell of opinion (anyone know where that expression comes from) that we have to spend some dosh to get the quality in. However, I listened to a Radio 5 podcast today with three (relatively) wise men talking about how football, in particular, will or can react to the general financial crisis. John Madejski and the man of the crisis, Robert Preston, were talking about Corporate revenue and at Reading it's down 30%, mainly in hospitality but boxes are starting to suffer.

It must be quite hard for a company that is losing 10,000 jobs to justify swanning around at a Premier League ground drinking champagne at ridiculous prices. So although the move to the new stadium was based on this executive income it might just be feeling the pinch now - we don't really know how long the contracts are on each of the boxes and there may be clauses to get out. If we add in the need to sell property at Highbury am I the only one who can't help thinking there was more to Arsene's recent statement than he was letting on. If it is the case I would rather not spend, not win a thing and still be here in 10-20 years time than do a Leeds.

So yes we need players and we can spend some money but let's not kid ourselves that spending money is not without a much bigger risk, that of ensuring a real decline for the club. The main issue here is whether players and agents are also starting to realise that the crisis means they have tobe more realistic too...

Yes some of you may struggle to remember that long ago but that was when we last played Stoke City in a league match. As was our style in those days (Arsenal weren't that good in early/mid 80s) we managed to lose to a team that finished with a whole 17 points that season (winning just a mere 3 games)!!!

Looking at some of the stories this morning and the resulting blog comments, it would seem that many think we will win but it will be a struggle and a 1-0 (Delap throw of course) defeat would not seem to be out of the question. That, in a nutshell, sums us up this season  - we could play sublime and beautiful football today but be undone by a combination of poor defending or just not being "up for it".

The current worldwide financial crisis has sparked off a number of stories regarding the stability and long term state of football clubs. Radio 5 live (last night's podcast) broadcast two opposing views with Lord Triesman stating his fears about the current level of debt within the Premier League and Richard Scudamore (PL chief spin doctor it seems) saying debt is good (in a Gordon Ghekko manner) whilst having a go at Platini and the French in general! Of course, our old friend Blatter has been having a go at Foreign Owners in Europe. Yesterday also saw the announcement that West Ham have no money for January due to the collapse of an Icelandic bank....

So what does all of this mean to football as a whole. Obviously the game won't just collapse overnight but when you consider how many banks and other financial institutions have suddenly collapsed or been seen to be on the brink of collapse, there must be some worries. Debt isn't an issue provided you have appropriate income and so clubs with wealthy owners are fine so long as the owners stay and their wealth is easily accesible and not at risk from the current crisis. 

However, how long will it be before clubs start saying to players and agents we can't afford new bigger contracts and no, we won't pay exorbitant wages in the current climate. Suddenly players will all be looking for the Man Citys of this world where the financial mess means nothing if you have billions at your disposal.

Of course, the Premier League is primarily funded by Sky TV and if (and it's a big "if" as fans see losing football coverage as a last resort) they lose subscribers in large numbers then maybe they couldn't afford the size of the TV deals now. With West Ham already suffering from loss of sponsor and new owner's losing money, Liverpool postponing the Stadium building and Man Utd having problems with their sponsor, we are seeing the effects already.

It was certainly different watching the game on a big screen (or any number of screens, in fact) outside in the heat & humidity of Singapore on a Saturday evening. With Premier League games kicking off at 7.45pm, 10.00pm and 12.30am on Saturday night there was no shortage of football to watch. For various reasons I didn't get to see the Singapore experience of Liverpool vs Man Utd but got to Robertson's Quay to see the Arsenal game. Liverpool shirts were (obviously) still in abundance but the local Manc supporters had slithered away into the night.

No sign of other gooners when I jumped up for Robin's opening goal and it seemed that most watching were clearly hoping Blackburn could do them a favour. However, thankfully we got a great (if flattering) result whilst I drank Tiger beer served by rather nice Tiger Girls and their jugs (of beer that is).

Now planning th etrip home so I'll be watching the Kiev game in the comfort of a CET time zone rather than the far east where Champions League games often kick off at 2.45am!!!

You read a lot about the manner in which the Far East adores the Premier League and having been in Singapore/Indonesia for nearly 2 weeks you can see it to a degree. The problem has been that since I arrived all we've had are the good old Internationals. Yes you can see these games out here but there isn't the same interest. Apparently when the Premier League games are on there is a square in the centre of Singapore that broadcasts the big games to a huge local and ex-pat audience on big screens outside the bars. Since the games kick off between 7.45pm and 2.30am on a Saturday it can be a great experience. I'm hoping to see the Liverpool and Arsenal games down there tomorrow night - assuming my friend and I get a pass out.

One thing is for sure, you don't miss many games out here, from whatever league you want to watch. There are so many football channels and sporrts channels that you can always find the game you want to see. They even got to see the England game, unlike most of the population of England itself.

I see The Guardian has decided (probably quite rightly) that Switzerland has little chance of performing well at Euro 2008. Most of the swiss people I know are relatively realistic about their team's chances with progression through the group stage seen as success. Anymore more than that is just wishful thinking.

This hasn't stopped the Swiss media being full of adverts that all have to mention football in some way or another. SBB have a wonderful use of Phillipe Senderos to advertise the fact that the Swiss are European champions of train travel!!!

There is an article claiming that the best football in the world is now played in the Premier League (the swiss obviously didn't see Derby at all last season) even if the national team didn't make it the championships. Of course there are more and more stories regarding Euro 2008 as the finals approach but the headline "Austria will be European Champions" was a little surprising considering their recent form!