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.