I think that's an expression that we don't hear too often nowadays and it has nothing to do with my inability to tell the difference between Swallows, Swifts or House Martins. It is the tradition, in the modern media age, to determine the whole season by following a few simple rules. Stick to the cliches, always follow the favourites, ask what ex-Liverpool players think and especially check who has made the best (sorry most) signings of players who have performed well on Championship Manager 2008-9.

If that fails then you can make bold, absolute certain predictions before the first game of the season and then change your mind immediately after said game. So Arsenal have gone from likely contenders for fifth place to "the surprise package" and Arsene has metamorphosed from a stingy, away with the fairies manager back to a true genius. Similarly Everton are now in complete disarray and should get rid of Lescott just because he's had his head turned. I love the way the media have spun this whole story, especially Hansen's take on it.  It's not that there ain't a problem here but the fact that no one sees it fit to to criticise Man City, Mark Hughes and the "new Peter Kenyon", Gary Cook says it all. Moyes says a few things and the media (who all love Man City as the new shiny toy they want) back Hughes all the way. Basically City have just gone around said they will pay Lescott millions, ignored Everton's repeated rejections and just upped the bid, upped his salary and ensured he'll put in a transfer request. That leads to an unsettled team and despite Hansen's quote on MOTD of Moyes's stance being admirable he then turns round and says he has to sell.

Meanwhile it takes a little of the gloss of our win and I've waited till the Monday to reflect a little and see all the analysis of the whole weekend. Basically the first weekend of a season is always a little strange, partly due to new faces and partly due to overwhelming hype and expectation put on one game, the first. So let's say this it was a superb performance, even if Everton were not the Everton of last season, with energy, tempo and, above all, hard work that I've been banging on about a lot in pre-season. Let's talk about the players we have not the ones we might have or might want and get them to work as a unit and maybe this season will turn out all right. 

A couple of interesting points on that first game. Did Bendtner work harder because he wore his new lucky 52 or because his mate Adebayor had f##ked off? Also did you see the moment (in a camera shot from behind Almunia's goal) where our new signing was seen urging his team mates out with passion and organisation - that's a real positive sign.

Of course, a bad result tomorrow night and it'll be back to the "we're doomed" brigade. What ever happened to patience and the bigger picture?

Yep it's under two weeks until the season begins and what a start we have with 3 out of 4 games away (and against tough opposition) plus the slight inconvenience of a couple of Champions League qualifiers. If the doom sayers in the media and on the blogs are to be believed we'll be out of the title race and in the Europa League by the time we reach September. On the other hand if you believe the optimists we're going to show the critics what a wonderful formation our new 4-3-2-1 (or was that just an ill thought out sequel to an aged game show) is and beat sides 5-3 all in glorious sunshine.

Of course, there is probably some middle ground somewhere and (with or without any other signings) that game at Goodison Park could prove a catalyst for our season going either way. Now I'm not going to say that winning or losing that first game will prove anything thing conclusive but it may just go to show if the talk of "being strong from the start" is just talk and whether the attacking options at our disposal can work at a ground like that, against a team like Everton. A good performance, a decent result and there may just be a spark of confidence but, of course, a couple of poorly defended set pieces and a lack lustre display will have all of Arsene's critics jumping up and down.

In a nutshell that's how the modern game works isn't it? Nobody looks further forward than the next game and no one analyses anything other than the last performance and from such short sighted and short term thinking a whole season can be extrapolated from a single result or even a single event.

That is also why I also have such adoration for Arsene Wenger (whatever his flaws) in that he sticks to his ideals (pretty much) and will do things his way and not flinch because a few bloggers, supporters or hacks think he's doing it all wrong. In a world where Glenn Johnson & Santa Cruz are worth £18M and where Crouch is the most expensive (cumulatively) English centre forward such an approach may not work but it's worth appreciating...

Actually I'm feeling fine but I just had a quick look at a couple of Arsenal bloggers that I often peruse and they seem very down today. It might be the fact that we're not in our usual CL spot (as if we have that right) or that Villa keep on getting 1-0 wins or that they've lost their jobs (because everyone seems to be) or whatever. I'm not criticising them for their pessimism or general negative feeling as we all have our own coping strategies or reflections on how our football team is currently playing.

I'm more worried that this is just not a particular set of behaviours associated with these bloggers or even just Arsenal fans but with football fans and, maybe, people in general. The UK media is always telling us about how bad everything is, how it's all financial crisis this, knife stabbing that and you might as well hide under the mattress and cry yourself to sleep.

I would just for once see people get a little sense of perspective, think about the good things in life they have or the good friends they know and love. Obviously none of this applies to any Spurs fan but it's highly unlikely they have any friends and their love of such a club entitles them to a lifetime admission to the nearest asylum....

So positive thinking tonight chaps (& chapesses) and we might just get three points against Everton, a sparkling performance  and Arsene will have two new transfers waiting for you all tomorrow morning. Alternatively I could be going mad and they're coming to take me away HAHAAHAHAHAHA.....

Coming back this weekend was a very pleasurable experience this time round, the football gods deemed that I would get all that I needed; flight on time, fine weather, good beer and three points. You can read the other blogs for a report on the Everton game but it was rather strange to see the return of long lost football colleague at the weekend.

During the second half trouble seemed to break out within the Everton away end and sitting where I do it was difficult to fully asses the actual problems or spark that set it all off. listening to the podcast of the Saturday 6-0-6 show one Arsenal fan described other Arsenal fans (in the upper tier) spitting down on the Everton fans, certain Everton fans seemingly intent on getting to Arsenal fans nearby and general idiots throwing coins at each other. Later that evening it transpired that a linesman at Villa Park had been hit by a coin that was thrown by Villa fans (but intended for Portsmouth manager, Harry Redknapp) and similarly there was an incident with Tottenham fans at their game yesterday.

Now seeing as I started to go to football regularly at the end of the 70s this is all quite small beer but it does show that despite all the efforts to remove hooliganism you can never quite get rid of all the morons that follow the game. What's changed is that they've re-emerged into the open, so to speak. The threat of banning or CCTV has either diminished or is ignored (ask Mike Ashley, lager drinker extraordinaire) and the so called deterrent to throwing a coin or a punch is no longer in play. Have clubs become complacent, certainly at Arsenal the difference in this incident (compared to the troubles in the 80s) was that the front-line now is held more by stewards than by Police. Maybe, as a result, the threat is less worrying.

I'm not suggesting we're going back to the old days of mass violence but that the cultural violence that you can see in most towns and pubs in the UK on a Friday night is making a return to the football grounds around the country. Football never really got rid of the violent idiots as such but it was always more difficult for it to be organised in all seater stadia with 1000s of cameras. It just seems that the new order is being tested and we'll see whether any fans are banned as a result of the coin throwing or minor fracas that took place at the weekend.

It's 6.30am and I've just got up to get ready to catch a train to Zurich Airport from Basel and then connect with my flight to Luton. In the UK I'd probably never do this sort of connection, too many chances for the rail system to cock it up but in Switzerland you feel secure (touch wood, touch wood!!!).

Anyway I see Walcott has been "rested" for today so that must mean, with all our injuries, that we'll probably have a couple of 12 year olds on the bench today. Maybe Vela will start (but he's been in Canada on International duty) or Ramsey might get a sniff today after his goal in midweek??

Unfortunately it's foggy here so let's hope any flight delays are small!

Catching the early morning flight tomorrow from Zurich to get to Luton around 11.15 if all is well and there's no fog at Luton, which is quite common at this time of year. Actually the flight isn't that early but it's all change for Easyjet schedules from Switzerland and the next match (Manchester United) will mean a 7.05 flight from Basel to Gatwick! Though I can't really complain (but it won't stop me) as the average flight cost from here to the UK is around £60-70 return. I'm sure there are many people in the UK who end up paying more to travel.

Based on the Sheffield United experience (and their possible players legal action) perhaps we as Arsenal fans should be sueing bloody FIFA for ruining our weekend with half the team injured whilst away on World Cup qualification duty. We know we haven't the strongest depth of squad and so this won't help though Everton haven't exactly been playing that brilliantly so far this season, even if it can all change!

Anyway let's hope for no flight delays, good beer, weather and a decent performance - you never know it just might happen.

Thankfully the THIRD international break of the season so far has nearly come to an end and we can chat about the more mundane issues such as Arsenal's defensive injury crisis and how Robin Van Persie can recover from his latest injury (the one he doesn't have yet but will get obviously tonight when he trips over the corner flag and breaks all 206 bones in his body).

For a Wednesday night game there is at least the opportunity to nip into town and have a beer with mates in one of the bars that won't be showing Switzerland's probable defeat to Greece. Hopefully McGuinnesses will be showing all the home nation games as just watching England will be a bit tedious.

Because of this break I've just realised that I'm back again in the UK to watch the forthcoming match against Everton on Saturday afternoon (yes, a 3 o'clock KO) and I haven't missed a home league match despite being in the centre of Europe. I'm just hoping that the current high pressure dissappears as this will lead to fog at Luton Airport and a delay on my Easyjet flight on Saturday morning. I've got a little bit of leeway but I can do without a reduction in the most important part of the day, the pre-match drink. I can't miss out on my London Pride at the Hemingford Arms.

I read the editorial of When Saturday Comes this morning in which it outlines the reasons why Arsenal did such a good job with the process and timing for the building of the Emirates Stadium. Although there must be some doubts over the ability to sell the expensive new flats at Highbury in the current environment the feeling is that the long term, low-interest loan may not inhibit the club a great deal. Of course, we also need to keep 60,000 people coming in every week and will corporations be willing to keep a £150k box in difficult times.

Having said that there are a lot of clubs who are struggling to either find the investment or make the plunge and spend on a news stadium in the current times. Both merseyside clubs, Everton (with a public enquiry planned)  & Liverpool seem to be pushing back and pushing back any plans to build as have Portsmouth. Liverpool announced yesterday on their website that they have no firm date for starting the project.