March 2009

[Sweder]

Yes, I wondered what was going on there...

EG and I got into a bit of a chest-puffing exercise
We might have resembled those bizarre red-breasted birds that swell their chests to unfeasible dimensions in the name of courtship. EG had the good sense to delete an over-zealous post and I er, followed suit by deleting three of mine :o:o:o

Yes, the boot's on the other foot, to use an obvious cliche. Around a year ago in the CL QF, Arsenal came from behind at Anfield, only for the ref to hand the tie to the Reds with a late soft pen in front of the Kop.

I'd like to put on record my original declaration (made to EG on Twitter after the shoot-out in Rome) that I'd like to see Arsenal win Big Cup. I think Wenger is a terrific cultivator, the Capability Brown of the Premiership; he deserves the highest club accolade on his cv. The Rowdies will be lucky to hang on to the Premiership after their spanking last Saturday, and I don't see them breaking Everton down in the FA Cup either. There again I said pre-season they'd win nothing this time round, a classic Hansenism if ever there was one If they fall apart I have this terrible image forming on the edge of reason; Michael Ballack holding the premierhsip trophy, sneering at the Sky cameras like Jon Voight in Ananconda. It's a cold, hard fear, and it keeps me up nights.

Bentner seems a classic case of right place, right time, wrong touch. Either he's a good player on a long run of bad luck, or a bad player managing to look good but not quite deliver.

I thought initially there was something of the Gudjohnsen about him, though it's clear he's not blessed with the Icelander's lethal ability to finish. The Dane was doomed from the moment I sacked Agbonlahor and draughted him in to Jock's Jokers, or, as they've become known in recent weeks in the Gone West league, the Damned United. They should rename him Hamlet; they could even resurrect the cigar ads