Updates

Hello people,

Im in France at the moment and having trouble with their stupid keyboards but thought that I would give a quick update,

Anthony Stokes; who should be returning from his very impressive loan spell at Falkirk on the 31st December has said that he wants to give Arsene a selection headache when he returns and I believe that he deserves a few cup appearances at the very least. We have allegedly rejected a £700,000 bid from Celtic and Sunderland are also said to be interested but I think that it is important that we keep this lethal striker in our ranks.

In squad news, we will be without full-back Emanuelle Eboue for Saturday's crunch clash against Blackburn due to an ankle injury but Lauren isn't quite match fit so Hoyte will get the call up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because Hoyte knows what is involved in the defensive part of the field, an attribute that Eboue is still lacking. Rosicky will be back which is a big boost for us and Flamini is out which is, in true honesty, another boost. Wenger has stated that Diaby will be back in action in late January after his absence since May due to that **** Dan Smith's horror tackle that broke and dislocated his ankle. This will be important for us because from Diaby's performances last year, he showed himself to be a very strong presence and a potential replacement for Gilberto.

Paul Jewell, one of the few managers that I like in the premiership has said that he cant stand in the way of Leighton Baines moving to a top 4 team but that he will cost much more than 4 million which in my opinion is fair. He is a huge prospect and should be valued as such at about 7 million.

It seems that Theo is starting to win over Wenger with Arsene saying,

“I feel 2007 is a big year for Theo,” said Wenger. “He has made big steps forward already this season.
“What I like about him is, in every game, he is decisive and creates chances. He has played a few matches and done well, but, even more than that, in training he looks a different player to what he was six months ago.
“His power and personality in the game has improved so has his determination to pass people. Before it was only with pace, but now he forces the decision and shrugs people off.
“I must say he will be a candidate for England now. He is ready to handle that now. He has the personality and the intelligence. He will play more and more for us as well.”

I think that this shows the faith that Arsene has in Walcott and we are going to see Theo a lot more as the seasons progress.

I am not going to be able to write match reports while in France so I will give a quick preview of our upcoming matches. To cut it short, if we don't beat Blackburn and Watford, I will break down and cry.

1st Blackburn. Their top scorer McCarthy is out and they have lost 2 of their last 3 Premiership games. Even though they usually give us a tough game, I would like to think that this time we should beat them convincingly. They always look very frail when confronted with pace and Walcott, Hleb and Rosicky can cause them problems. I predict a thrilling (cough cough) 1-0 to the Arsenal.

2nd Watford. If we don't destroy this Championship side, we don't deserve to be considered as anything but a top 6 team for this season. They are having a shambles of a season and their defence is the worst in the premiership barring Charlton. It is vital that we win our next 4 matches against the teams from the foot of the table if we are to reclaim 3rd spot and put a very small bit of pressure on the top 2. Prediction 3-0.

I will be back on the 30th. Until then gooners.