Morning all,

bad news to start the day I'm afraid. This round of utterly pointless international friendlies has claimed its first Arsenal victim and the consequences could be quite serious. Theo Walcott dislocated his shoulder and could now miss as much as three months while he recuperates.

He fell under a challenge from West Ham's Scott Parker and was stretchered off to hospital. England coach Fabio Capello said:

Our priority is Theo and making him as comfortable as possible before he returns to England. We’re all very disappointed but the most important thing is for Theo to travel home and make a quick recovery.

Really though it makes little or no difference to England. The next World Cup qualifier isn't until April 1st but for Arsenal it's going to cause a massive problem. Theo has played in every league game this season and has established himself as the first choice at right midfield. Now we're really stuck. I have no idea how long Eboue, the next obvious choice for Arsene Wenger, is out injured but with Bacary Sagna out Eboue could provide cover for that when fit (although Kolo Toure can do a job).

With Manchester City coming up on Saturday we now have no Cesc (suspension) and no Theo. Those are two of our most dangerous midfielders and life will be much more difficult without them.

I expect a bit of fallout in the wake of this injury. Arsene Wenger, never a fan of friendly internationals at the best of times, will be absolutely furious about this injury. And it opens up the whole debate about compensation for players injured while away on international duty. While the FA can, perhaps, justify ignorning claims of clubs when a player is hurt during a competitive game they simply cannot do the same for a friendly like this.

The FA should now be made to pay Theo's wages for the duration of the injury. As is stands Arsenal are the ones who suffer on the pitch and in the wallet and that's simply not right. As well as that there should be more debate about the need for a friendly international at this stage of the season. As I mentioned England's next qualifier isn't until April, what benefit is a friendly now? Why, when almost everyone in football agrees that players are overplayed, do they see fit to schedule a round of games in November?

In England December is a crazy month. There is no winter break. There's a full Christmas schedule, yet instead of giving players a break FIFA and the national associations look on this as a little money-spinner. It's wrong on every level and I would heartily endorse the club taking a stand on this issue. Of course Theo could have been injured on our time but then we would take responsibility for that. As it stands the FA simply send him back to us saying 'Ooops, I think it's broken. Bye!!!'.

The shoulder Theo dislocated is not the one he had surgery on previously but we may find this requires the same kind of operation. Once a shoulder is dislocated it becomes easier for it to be injured again. I suppose we'd better just wait and see what the prognosis from the club is but given the way things are going at the moment we might as well prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario. Anything else would be a bonus.

Everything else today is related to internationals and we had better all get praying that none of our other players come back injured. Aaron Ramsey is set to make his debut for Wales, which will probably result in him rupturing his spleen and dislocating his head. Robin van Persie will shatter every bone in his body under in innocuous challenge while playing for Holland and Gael Clichy will be killed stone dead when an Raymond Domenech tells him to go 88mph in a DeLorean car which never gets above 87 and smashes straight into a wall.

Pfff, stupid internationals. Get well soon, Theo.

Morning all. Did you ever wake up with a song playing in your head? This morning's alarm call is Neil Diamond's 'You don't bring me flowers'. Why? Jesus.

After the Stoke defeat Gael Clichy questioned the team's attitude, saying they needed to work harder to repay the faith shown in them by the manager. He was essentially saying the team was coasting, not putting in the graft to win games. He has repeated that in the wake of the Villa game and issued a stark warning to his teammates, saying:

It was a great performance against Manchester United and if we do that every week we'll be fine. But we did the opposite and we cannot work like this. There is time and there's a way to go. There is time to catch and for other teams to drop points but if we play like we did (against Villa), after a few months the season will be finished.

Strong words indeed. And true words. The way this team can perform exceptionally one week and then like a pack of chumps who appear not to care less the next is infuriating. Realistically I think there's little chance of this lot challenging for the title but with so many games still to play that optimistic part of me, the one that thinks we can win everything at the start of every season, doesn't want to write us off just yet.

But you have to question how many times they need the wake up call? How many times can our own players admit lack of focus, poor attitude, lack of effort before they realise they're letting themselves, and everyone else, down? 

The key word, and one I'm sure we'll be sick of hearing before too long (if we're not already), is 'consistency'. With Arsene Wenger admitting the international break is doing him no favours it's hard to see how anything can be worked on this week. He claims there's no rational explanation for the poor performance against Villa after the good performance against United but there are those who would say there are a number of good reasons for it (reasons which we have gone over more than a few times so don't bear repeating).

He also claimed that the lack of consistency is not down to the lack of experience in the squad. I'm pretty sure he said almost the opposite in the past but nevermind. Defending his decision not to bring in an experienced midfielder in the summer he claimed not to have any regrets:

Not really, we had no player we really wanted and for now we have no regrets. You cannot explain the own goal of Gael Clichy by the fact we haven’t got an experienced player in midfield. 

Leaving aside the first part of that which makes my brain hurt in a bad way the second part of that statement is hugely disingenuous. Of course an own goal by Clichy can't be explained by not having an experienced midfielder but having an experienced midfielder would have made it easier to get one back or, shock horror, actually be ahead in the game at that stage. Having an experienced midfielder would improve our team irrespective of somebody scoring an own goal so that doesn't make much sense to me. It sounds like excuse making.

'You cannot blame the fact I burnt your steak on the fact that I did not clean out the fireplace'. 

The fact that he says there was no player he really wanted is staggering though. I'm told he really wanted Xabi Alonso so while he might be saying this for the benefit of his squad, struggling as they are with confidence, it's a bit insulting as a fan to hear him say it. That he has no regrets, after four losses in thirteen games, is the icing on the cake and icing is made of poo. 

Again the optimist in me is hoping that Arsene is saying one thing in public while thinking something completely different. My big worry is that he actually believes what he's saying, believes that this squad of players is capable of winning the title without augmentation. He says defeat is harder for managers than players. I have no doubt he'll pore over the tapes but if he does that and can't see what the team is missing, if he can't see a 'rational explanation', then I'd be even more worried.

I also think, not for the first time, that the stories on the official site do him no favours at all. 'Defeat is hardest for managers', screams the headline and as a fan that immediately got my back up. When you read the article it explains a bit better but the lack of awareness of the writer or the site editor is telling and it's not the first time the Arsenal website has done that kind of thing. Try to soften the blows, if you can, not make them worse.

Not much else going on really. The internationals take place tomorrow and I am expecting at least a dozen injuries. Which will require the Carling Cup team to play against Citeh. See, there could be a plus side to these injuries.

Hasta mañana, Arsechums. 

It's going to be a strange week for Arsene Wenger. After a setback like the one against Villa you want to get your players on the training ground and work them that little bit harder, but with a round of meaningless international friendlies in midweek he's going to find a lot of his players away.

While it would have been a good time to work on the defence his entire 'first choice' back four of Sagna, Clichy, Gallas and Sylvester are away (well, Sagna would have been but he's now out injured for three weeks and won't be available).

Nasri will be gone with France, van Persie with Holland, Cesc with Spain, the two Ivorians will be gone, Fabianski will be with the Polish squad, Walcott with England, Ramsey with Wales, Bendtner with Denmark and Djourou with Switzerland. So he'll have a rag-taggle bunch of players on the training ground and with the others not due back until the Thursday he'll only have Friday to work with them ahead of the Man City game.

Hardly the ideal preparation but then a solid week's work after the United game didn't seem to do much good, did it? Manuel Almunia has described the performance against Villa as 'embarrassing' and I suppose it's good that there's that level of honesty amongst the players. What exactly will be done about it remains to be seen.

Former Arsenal player Steve Sidwell, part of the Villa side which won on Saturday, said:

You look at the top four and you come to Arsenal thinking you can pick up points. That’s how it looks to me. You can get points at Arsenal. I believe you play Arsenal home and away and think you can get a result.

There was a time when teams were beaten before we even got on the pitch. Now, I'm not stupid enough to think that lasts forever but the perception that we're a soft touch hurts a bit, I have to say. I'm not blind to the problems of my team or its players but I get all defensive when someone else starts pointing out what's wrong with us. I do not like it. It's just the way of the football fan, I suppose. I can listen to any other Arsenal fan criticise the team or point out its flaws but if I hear Alan Hansen making the exact same point I want to press his face on a hot frying pan and hear that Scottish sizzle.

We'll be without Cesc for the Man City game too as he has picked up five yellow cards and gets an automatic one match suspension. Goonerholic suggests sending him back home for a bit to let him recharge his batteries so he can come back nice and refreshed. In one way it's a nice idea but ultimately when he comes back the problems will remain, in my opinion.

Cecs is going through probably the worst run of form since he broke into the first team. He looks sluggish and lethargic and he looks like a player who isn't enjoying his football at the moment. He looks worn out and I don't think the players he has around him make it any easier for him to get himself out of this slump. It's easier to lift yourself when you've got quality around you and with the greatest of respect to Denilson I don't think he's ready yet (but I maintain he could be a good player if he were to brought through more slowly and able to learn from more experienced players) - and I look at central midfielders of not too long ago and I just do not understand what the manager sees in Alex Song.

We have a wonderfully gifted player in Cesc but I don't believe we're doing, or have done, as much as we should to get the best out of him. Yes, he can play better but it seems as if he doesn't have the confidence in his young midfield partners that he did in Gilberto or Flamini (whose style of play did so much to make Cesc so good last season - even if Flamini were to have left then he should have been replaced with a similar player). I'm sure he was disappointed when we failed to sign Xabi Alonso this summer, having talked up his Spanish colleague in interviews. We know that Arsenal wanted him but for the sake of, perhaps, a million or two, we didn't make the purchase.

So while sending him back for some home cooking might not be the worst thing in the world I'm not sure it's the full answer. What is clear though is that we need Cesc to find his form again and quickly. There's nothing the manager can do in the transfer market until January (that's if he does anything at all) and there's a lot of football between now and then.

Sorry for the glum start to the week but what can you do? This is Glummy McGlum reporting from Glumtown for Glum TV.

So the season lurches from one exhilarating high to another crushing low with a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa.

We've been talking all week about how last week's win over United would count for nothing if we didn't get the right result yesterday and so it proved. Last week was just another false dawn. Are any of us really that surprised about what happened yesterday? The more optimistic amongst us hoped that the win over United would see the team turn a corner, gain confidence and kick on for the rest of the season. Those less so suggested it was merely a win that papered over the cracks until we got found out again.

The paper lasted seven days and the cracks were there for all to see. Against United we played with passion, desire, commitment, energy. Yesterday you would be hard pressed to say any Arsenal player showed any of those characteristics. We were lucky not go in at half time at least one behind, if not more. Villa had plenty of chances, causing our defence plenty of problems even without Carew, and when Mike Riley awarded them a penalty it looked like things would go downhill from there.

But Almunia pulled off a good save and Gallas showed the benefit of being around when a penalty kick is being taken. His quick reaction when he followed to help clear the rebound prevented a goal. It was good defending. Almunia made other saves from Young and the lively, troublesome Agbonlahor and having escaped the penalty and ridden our luck on the back of a poor first half you thought Arsenal might show up in the second.

It wasn't to be. Again we were bereft of ideas and craft when faced with a side who sit every man behind the ball. Lots of sideways passing, little triangles that went nowhere and more or less no threat to the Villa go whatsoever. Adebayor came on for Diaby and joined the hapless Bendtner up front (who was in turn replaced by Carlos Vela) but one scabby header that hit the post he did little himself. Cesc had a shot after some decent work by Theo (I think) but that was the sum total of our attacking threat. 

At the other end Villa had the pace and the power to bother us on the counter. The first goal came when Sagna was dispossessed (and injured) in midfield, Young whipped in a cross and with Agbonlahor waiting behind him Gael Clichy headed into his own net. For the second it looked like there might have been a foul on Vela on the edge of the Villa box, Laursen pumped it forward and Agbonlahor outpaced and outmuscled Gallas before driving home his shot. Poor defending and it's an area the manager has spoken about being weak yet has done precious little to fix.

There's no doubt in my mind that Villa thoroughly deserved that win. They didn't even play that well but we were so poor it would have been a miracle if we'd gotten anything out of the game. We made it easy for them and while most of us will accept a defeat if we know we've given 100% in the game that was collectively a truly awful team performance. Arsene spoke last week about how you need 11 leaders on the pitch. One might have made a difference yesterday. This team is rudderless, inconsistent and now, sadly, out of the title race for this season. We've lost four out of thirteen and with so far still to go in the campaign it's inconceivable that we can remain unbeaten from here on in.

There are some very real problems. Last week they got themselves up for a big match and performed excellently. This week the opposition wasn't quite so glamorous and the performance reflected that. It was the same against Hull, against Stoke, against Fulham and against Sunderland. Is it over-confidence? Arrogance? Laziness? It's not my job to find out, it's Arsene Wenger's, but you cannot deny the problem exists. 

Defensively we are a shambles. There's no solidity at the back and the centre of our defence is weak. We have conceded 15 goals in our 13 league games, 10 of those at home. The issues the manager identified have not been addressed and unless they are then we will remain a defensively suspect team. Apart from Djourou, who has not really been given a chance in the league this season, none of Gallas, Toure or Sylvester have performed well enough. When you have a soft centre you will get exposed and Gallas, Toure and Sylvester are soft. I won't say not good enough because that's too sweeping but not playing anywhere near well enough. 

I also wonder that if Gallas and Sylvester weren't French would Wenger be so forgiving of their poor form and slack defending. I fully accept that Kolo Toure has not been playing well but it was Gallas who was guilty of a string of poor performances and individual errors which costs us goals, yet Toure was dropped. What kind of message does that send? Gallas defended well for the most part yesterday, he prevented the rebound being scored, but was found out with a simple long ball over the top, 'defending' for which other centre-halves of recent times would have been crucified for. How long do you keep carrying someone?

Midfield was woeful yesterday. Cesc is playing as poorly as I have ever seen him play, Nasri goes from the sublime to the opposite of sublime, Theo flits in and out of games and when faced with that kind of system has no space to get behind defences where he causes the most damage, Denilson still isn't ready in my opinion, and Diaby was more or less anonymous.

Up front Bendtner didn't have a lot to work with, Villa are a good defensive side, but the way he strolls about the pitch is maddening and the way the ball seems to bounce off him at completely random angles when he tries to control it puts me in mind of a hungover Sunday League player at times.

Yet this was the same group of players that did so well and beat United. It's so, so frustrating.  

Afterwards Arsene said:

You have to accept that the game is played by human beings and sometimes physically they have a drop. It is very difficult for us to have a rational explanation about what happened today. I believe that the team want it but it was just like a few other times this year where it is unexplainable why we don’t really play at our 100% potential.

Physically that team had a week off after the United game. There is no reason why they should have had a drop. They should have been full of confidence, full of energy, yet they were half-arsed, sluggish and, at times, disinterested. Where was the urgency? Where was the fight?

I think it's obvious this team lacks a leader. Again I'm not being critical of Gallas just for the sake of being critical but he's not a leader. He might try but it's just not in his nature. I think that's obvious and then you have to start looking at the manager who persists with him as captain. Is there a natural leader in the team? I've talked up Cesc for the captaincy and I think he'd enjoy it but maybe now is not the right time.

We're a quiet team. There's nobody talking, egging people on, shouting, encouraging. We go out, 'play our football' but if that doesn't work we are stymied. We miss a Flamini type character, not only for the way he played football (and I think we really miss that at the moment) but for his relentless drive and unwillingness to be beaten. Some of them appeared to just give up yesterday, went through the motions and that's not right.

The manager has to address these issues and the only way of doing it now is with the chequebook. We have to splutter through until January, hoping that the Arsenal that is motivated and capable turns up for the matches, and then buy. He needs to buy at least one centre half and at least one central midfielder. Not prodigies, not teen-sensations, not players with 'great potential', but players who can come in, bring quality and experience, and improve the side. Ideally one of those players could provide the leadership the team so badly needs.

I know we have lots of good young players coming through but the cream will rise to the top anyway. Let's not forget Cesc broke into the Arsenal team when we had Vieira, Parlour, Edu and Gilberto in his way. Proper men, experienced quality footballers and to perpetuate this fallacy that buying a player will somehow prevent a talented youngster making his mark does the manager no service.

It's hard to know what to feel about this group of players. One week they're fantastic, the next week they're beyond dreadful. They build us up then knock us down again. The bottom line though is that this team has weaknesses that are apparent to me and practically every Arsenal fan. We lack quality in defence and in midfield and there's a mental weakness that has to be corrected, otherwise this is going to be a very long and very trying season.

Till tomorrow. 

Ouch. Not hangover, football injury. Got a kick on the outside of my right foot playing 5-a-side last night and this morning I can't put any weight on it at all. I can hobble around using my heel but that's about it. And it's fucking painful, stupid foot. Reckon I have to go to the hostibal to get an x-ray. Gah. It was fine last night though, which is the weird thing.

Anyway, back to matters somewhat more important, Arsenal play Aston Villa today at the Grove. The team news it that both Adebayor and Almunia are in the squad. Almunia has recovered completely so is likely to start while the boss says he hasn't decided whether or not to play Adebayor. There'll be one young Dane cursing the recovery powers of the Togonian.

Whichever striker he picks I think we'll see the same formation as against United last week. We've really said all there is to say about how we need to play, about how irrelevant last week would become if we didn't follow it up with the right result today, so let's just hope we get the Arsenal of last week and not the Arsenal that faced Stoke. We want the Dr Jekyll Arsenal and not the Mr Hyde one. I think. Whichever one of them was the good one. And by good one I'm talking about the mean-spirited, ruthless one.

Arsene Wenger reckons seven or eight of Tuesday's Carling Cup team will play for Arsenal in the Premier League. He says:

If you look at the team that played in the Carling Cup Final two years ago our midfield was Walcott, Denilson, Fabregas, Diaby. That was the midfield that started against Man United. We have a good idea of the potential development of the players. That’s why I believe seven or eight will play.

Beyond Song and Djourou, who have a measure of Premier League experience, perhaps the one closest to making the breakthrough is Aaron Ramsey and the boss says there's no better place for him to be than at Arsenal Football Club. He says:

I believe he has something special. He has the work-rate, he has the spirit and he has good vision. He has all the physical and tactical ingredients to become a great midfielder. He still needs to develop his technique but he has what is needed to become a top-level player.

In the bits and pieces we've seen of him so far he's been impressive. He set up Adebayor's second goal at Blackburn, he set up Bendtner with a back heel against Sheffield United and he does seem to have an eye for the crafty little pass in and around the box. That's something that could well be vital as we come up against teams who like to get men behind the ball. His long passing is good too and he seems to have a mean free-kick on him. I'm tipping him to be semi-regular in the Premier League by the end of the season.

You can see some video of Wenger talking about the young players in The Sun today. 

Lukasz Fabianski's agent says other clubs have been asking him about the Polish stopper but says Fabianski is enjoying his time at Arsenal and is working 'step-by-step' to become Arsenal's number 1. If he does make it I can't imagine there'll ever be a dull game. Still, his emergence and progress is a good thing. Competition is vital, especially in the keeper's position. We saw how Lehmann responded when his place was under threat, Almunia performed excellently when he knew Jens was ready to back in at any time, and the duel between Fab and Al should keep them both on their toes.

There was good news about Eduardo who should be ready to play in about 'two or three' weeks, according to Arsene Wenger. I'd imagine they'd be a few reserves games under his belt before he's reintroduced to first team action though, so if we start to see him in the squad around Christmas time then that'd be about right. 

Right, that's about it. I've got to go get my foot looked at. Fingers crossed we get the right performance and result. Till tomorrow. 

Good Friday to you all.

It's kinda quiet even though we've got a big game against Villa tomorrow. I suppose we can start with team news. There will be fitness tests for Almunia and Adebayor, which is a bit of surprise. Almunia is still recovering from the kick in the face he got from Michael Carrick but Adebayor seems have recovered a bit quicker than expected from the ankle injury he got against Stoke.

With so many big games coming up this month I can't see the manager taking any risks if he isn't 100% though. We're still without the injured Eboue and the suspended Robin van Persie. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the same team that started against United. Villa are a decent side although their recent form hasn't been brilliant.

In John Carew they have a player we know all about. From that goal he scored for Valencia to the shocking challenge on Hleb in last year's game at Villa Park he's one of those whose father you wish had just had one more wank in his lifetime before he got Mrs Carew up the spout. If he plays, there are doubts because of injury, then it'll be a test for Sylvester and Gallas. In Ashley Young and Agbonlahor they've got quality too and they're very solid at the back.

Last weekend's win over Manchester United lifted the spirits and showed what this team is capable of. However, the worries over their consistency remain so a good performance and three points against Villa is vital to show that a corner has been turned. The pressure's back on but if we play with the same commitment and energy as we did against United then we're more than capable of winning the game.

Abou Diaby looks set to continue and he calls Patrick Vieira his role model. In reality the similarities between them are mostly physical. Diaby seems much more comfortable in a more advanced, attacking role and he's yet to show that he can come close to what Vieira did in central midfield. Still, if that's who he's holding himself up against then at least he's learning from a great player.

Youngster Abu 'Wakemeupbeforeyou' Ogogo has joined Barnet on a one month loan deal while William Gallas says he's a good captain.

Any beyond that there's not much news. As usual Saturday morning will be busy with the various bits and pieces that come out of the manager's press conference but for now we'll move on with the Arsecast and it's Arsecast number 100. Holy moly, that's a lot of Arsecast.

On this week's momentous show I chat with Goonerholic, one of the only people old enough to remember Arsecast 1, about the Carling Cup, the United game and tomorrow's game against Villa. As well as that there's The man in the bar, Eboue, Adebayor, Arsene Wenger Hawkins and more.

There's also the chance to win yourself a Savile Rogue scarf, unquestionably the finest football scarf known to man. Just listen and answer the question. Winner announced on next week's show, plus Savile Rogue will give you a 10% discount on any purchase if you use the code ARSEBLOG at checkout. 

You can subscribe to the Arsecast iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too. To download this week's arsecast directly - click here (18mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

As well as that there's a dedicated Arsecast hotline available all season long should you desire to make a comment, get something off your chest, share a song a chant or hilarious anecdote. Feel free to call it any time during the week, it'll go to voicemail and you can leave your message. The number from inside the UK is 020 3286 6360 or from outside the UK it's +44 20 3286 6360.

Ok, enjoy the 'cast, have yourselves a fine stress free Friday and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Dear Ray Wilkins,

as a former Manchester United and Chelsea player I have never really liked you. It's nothing personal, it's just that you are tainted by association. I have to admit I took umbrage at your remarks yesterday in which you claimed that playing young players in the Carling Cup devalued the competition.

To my mind this was an obvious dig at Arsenal. In a way I can understand it. You say your focus is on winning the Carling Cup so you'll play your first team players. It's a decent bluff, in fairness. Chelsea have a good record in the competition as Arsenal fans know only too well. Your lot did us in the final a couple of years back.

But let's be honest. The real reason you play your first team players in this competition is because you don't have any kind of youth system to speak of. As your team has been assembled by the chequebook there's no need to waste any time on anything as paltry as young players. If a star leaves you can simply buy another star.

While Arsenal see the Carling Cup as a way of blooding fresh talent and giving them the chance of first team football, Chelsea see it as just another trophy. Which is fine, one man's meat is another man's poison and all that. But surely as a former Chelsea apprentice, who made his debut in 1973 having just turned 17, you'd like to see some young players get their chance. Imagine if you were a youngster at Chelsea now. You wouldn't stand a chance of getting anywhere near the first team. Chelsea would simply go out and buy somebody who could pass the ball sideways rather than bring through a youngster who could pass the ball sideways all day long.

You said "Playing a young or weakened team undermines the value of the competition. And we have not and will not do that. We want to win it, big time". Far be it for me to suggest otherwise but perhaps some young players might have approached the game against Burnley with a little more effort than some of your 'big time' players.

Oh, you can put it down to a freak result, these things happen in cup football, blah, blah, blah, but we all know that's not true. Chelsea lost because you happened to open your big mouth and then you sideways passed your own foot into it. You totally and utterly jinxed them with your comments. And it's brilliant.

Did you see Arsenal against Wigan? Did you? Do you really think seeing young players enjoying their football is undermining the value of the competition? Do you think Arsenal slashing ticket prices so more fans, especially young fans, can attend the games is undermining the value of the competition? Do you think those young fans seeing incredible young talent like Wilshere, Ramsey, Vela, Djourou, Merida and Simpson is undermining the value of the competition?

If you do then you might need to step back and have a little rethink. Surely Chelsea's 'big time' players bottling a penalty shoot-out undermines the value of the competition more. Surely Didier Drogba throwing a coin at the crowd, Carragher style, undermines the value of the competition more. Surely even playing Drogba (a man whose behaviour in the Champions League final was so appalling that most clubs would have sold him in a heartbeat) ahead of some, young, eager teenager undermines the value, not only of the competition, but of your club. That's assuming there are any values there to begin with. Which there aren't.

We beat Wigan with kids, you couldn't beat Burnley with your first team. That's proper 'big time'. Anyway, I'm rambling here. I'd best leave you to work with those 'big time' players. What joy it must bring you to coach £140,000-a-week been there, done that, worn the t-shirt players and have them lose in a cup game to a team with Ade Akinbiyi in it. I'm sure it's nothing like the pleasure gained from taking young players, developing them the 'Arsenal' way, and seeing them destroy a Premier League team. Not that you'd know.

sincere regards,

arseblogger

ps - undermine my hole you poxy, uncle Fester looking cuntwrench.

In other news today some people are calling Jack Wilshere the 'new Gazza'. That is grossly unfair. Jack is obviously not a mentally deranged cunt with the IQ of a wellington boot. Some background on Jack in The Sun and the Independent, who make those outrageous claims of Gazza similarity, run a piece which suggests he could even be called up to the England U21 squad for the European Championships next summer (Stuart Pearce saying he nearly went to the box office to get a season ticket after Tuesday's game - there's a waiting list, Mr Pearce. Thank you). Meanwhile, Liam Brady, who I'd much prefer Jack was compared to, says the comparisons are a compliment to him. Now there's high praise.

The English press do love the homegrown prodigies. Jack is certainly that but I'm sure between his folks and the education he's getting at Arsenal that it will be well managed. He doesn't look like the kind of kid that feels any pressure though. You just think back to the summer when he absolutely creamed Michel Salgado in the Emirates Cup. That's a boy who cares not for reputation or experience. Still, slowly slowly catchy monkey, as they say.

The Daily Mail (spit) has a piece on Carlos Vela and how he became an Arsenal player.

And that's really about it. Tomorrow we can look forward to the Villa game, we should get team news and such later on. And there'll be an Arsecast. Number 100 too. So I have to think of something special to do for that.

I'll get busy, till tomorrow.

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In the Carling Cup he was 19.
In inininininin the Carling Cup he was 19. N-n-n-nineteen.

There was a time when the Carling Cup was just a sideline. We used to play weakened teams but that was to give the first team a rest and give a run out to some players who were clearly never going to make the grade.

These days it's all about the youngsters and it really has captured the imagination of Arsenal fans (if not stupid, bald, uncle Fester looking wankers whose opposition to playing young players must surely come from the fact they don't have an academy to speak of). Last night was another glimpse at the Arsenal of the future and anyone who wasn't impressed must be very hard to please indeed. Not one of the United starters played last night and the team, according to the commentary, was just a shade older than the one that beat Sheffield United in the last round. I think that's only because the game was taking place a month later. Time marches on for all of us.

Wigan had probably their best side out, bar the injured Heskey, and started quite brightly. However, it was Chris Kirkland who was the busier of the goalkeepers once things got going. Carlos Vela had the chance to open the scoring but Kirkland saved as the Mexican chose to go around him rather than shoot. From the same move the ball was played in to Jay Simpson who took one touch and whacked a shot onto the bar. Kirkland saved again from Kieran Gibbs, a fantastic Aaron Ramsey free kick which curled as much as I've seen any free kick from any Arsenal player, a Carlos Vela curler, and you thought Kirkland was going to have another one of those games he seems to always have against us.

At the other end Fabianski saved from Koumas and the industrious Daniel de Ridder. But the lads got the goal they deserved just before half-time. Jack Wilshere played a quite brilliant ball through for Jay Simspon and the forward's pace and power saw him get there before the defender to poke it home. 1-0 Arsenal and no less than we deserved.

It was more of the same in the second half although Wigan will feel somewhat unlucky that they didn't get a penalty when the otherwise impressive Djourou handled a cross for some reason - but after that it was all Arsenal again. Simpson headed a Merida cross just over and Kirkland saved again from Gibbs, the left back popping up in dangerous places all night, and Merida had a long shot saved well by Kirkland. The second goal was pure counter attacking football, the pace of it was frightening. From a Wigan corner Fabianski scuttered it clear, it fell to Ramsey who played a delicious left footed pass into the path of Carlos Vela who outpaced and outmuscled the Wigan defender. He took it into the area, waited, and played it to Jay Simspon who buried his second goal of the night. What a night for the young man.

The third was a thing of beauty. Johann Djourou broke out of defence, played it to Carlos Vela who took it a full pace and under pressure from Titus Bramble produced a sumptuous chip over Chris Kirkland. Hopefully the hamstring injury he seemed to go off with isn't too serious because this boy looks a real player.

And not to be outdone by his outfield chums Fabianski pulled off a brilliant double save near the end. The first came from a de Ridder run and shot - which for the skill and effort at that stage of the game would have been a goal applauded by the whole ground I think - and from his parry Amr Zaki followed up and the Polish keeper got back to touch it onto the bar. Awesome stuff.

So 3-0 at full time (goals and highlights from Arsenalist) and certainly a well deserved win. Wigan boss Steve Bruce was gracious in defeat, talking up the quality of Arsenal's youngsters, while Arsene Wenger said:

I enjoyed every minute because it was a big test. They showed a remarkable combination of desire, energy and quality out there tonight. It was a match full of drive, energy, and team spirit up until the last minute.

After the Sheffield United game I said that this is the most complete [youth] side I have had. It is great for the future of the club.

And there is no question we're seeing some players who have the potential go on and become big, big players for Arsenal. At 16 Jack Wilshere is phenomenal, Aaron Ramsey looks like he could play himself into the first team this season, Vela is so quick and so skillful and I liked Djourou a lot last night. He was aggressive, more assured and led the back four very well. But it's hard to single people out when to a man the team played as well as they did.

It's also quite confusing watching the Carling Cup at times. I think criticism of the manager because of the lack of experience in our 'first' team is justified yet you look at these players and can't help thinking he's some kind of genius. This was a Premier League team, with their best team out, and we mullered them. It makes my brain hurt, but in a good way. I think.

I like the confidence of these young players too. They're so assured that from time to time poor decisions are made or little tricks that should be saved for the training ground don't come off. But that doesn't stop them from trying it again and it'll work the next time. I like the fact that Gibbs got a hard time in the initial stages of the game, Wigan targeting the diagonal ball over his head for de Ridder or Valencia but he got himself sorted out (obviously with some instruction from the bench) and had a fine game from then on.

But, as Gunnerblog points out this morning, there's no pressure on them. There's a level of expectation nowadays because of the results we've had in the past, but if Wigan had beaten us last night it wouldn't have been a big deal. They're an experienced Premier League team, we're a bunch of kids with an average age that can barely get a drink in a pub. So that is a factor in how freely they play. The manager himself said after the game that he's not sure they're ready for the league yet, but that's not to take anything away from them though, they deserve all the plaudits they'll get today. Well done, boys. The draw for the next round takes place on Saturday.

Also, it was good to see some of the senior players there to support the young lads last night. I caught a glimpse of Adebayor, Eduardo and Eboue wearing a fetching pair of specs. Adebayor's advice to Simspon might not have been mindblowingingly tactical ("Get it on target") but it obviously meant a lot to the young man who can be very pleased with his night's work. It was also interesting to see Martin Keown sitting amongst the players. I wonder what's happening there.

Away from the Carling Cup there was news of Tomas Rosicky. The club announced he had undergone 'revision' surgery in Germany and will now follow a rehabilitation plan set out by our medical team. Arsene Wenger said:

The situation looks very positive. They have taken a lot of scar tissue out of his leg and the vibes I got from the surgeon were very positive. I think he could return between six to eight weeks.

That is good news. When we bemoan lack of experience it'd be good to have Rosicky back. Obviously many of us had concerns about his career in general, given the length of time he's been out and the lack of information regarding his condition, but this news is positive and fingers crossed all goes well in his recovery.

Right then, you may now spend the day talking about which kid you're most in love with. Erm ... more tomorrow.

Good morning from a dismally wet and cold Dublin.

There was no squad announced yesterday for tonight's Carling Cup game but the manager says we'll see 90% of the team who played against Sheffield United in the last round. If you need reminding of who played that day then click here.

Again it's another good opportunity for young players to show their stuff and I suppose all eyes will be on those closest to the first team. Carlos Vela will be looking to add to his hat-trick in the last round, Aaron Ramsey has another chance to show what he's made of while Johann Djourou, who must be frustrated to find himself behind Alex Song in the central defensive pecking order, will want to get a good 90 minutes under his belt.

I wonder if the manager will play Bendtner though. Any injury to the Dane would leave only Vela as a striking option for Saturday's game against Villa and you suspect we'll need a bit more physical presence against Martin O'Neill's side. So perhaps there's an outside chance of someone like Jay Simpson being involved.

Update: Squad announced, Amaury Bischoff PI is in, as suspected there's no Bendtner. 

The boss has been speaking about Fran Merida. Obviously there are comparisons with Cesc, due to their common backgrounds, but the boss says:

Merida is different to Cesc but he is very dangerous in the final third. If you analyse a game and look who gives the ball every time in the final third, you will see Fran. That is the most difficult part of the game and that is where he is strong.

And young English players like Jack Wilshere, Gavin Hoyte and Kieran Gibbs will all be looking to make their mark too. As I said yesterday it's going to be a tough game. Wigan are a decent side, and have plenty of attacking potential. Amir Zaki is the unsung hero of the Premier League so far with 8 goals, while Valencia, Kapo, de Ridder and Palacios (a man who was on trial with Arsenal) all add quality. Of course they also have Titus Bramble at the back so that's something we should be looking to exploit. I'm expecting a decent game of football and without any of the nerves or pressure of the weekend it should be fun to watch too.

Away from the Carling Cup the boss has been talking about playing 5 in midfield and says he doesn't know what he might do when all the strikers are fit again. In a way it does make sense for a team that is somewhat suspect defensively to add an extra body in midfield and we saw on Saturday that it was no hindrance to playing good, attacking football. The danger is that the wrong players are used in that formation and we become a bit stagnant. Didn't we play 5 in midfield for Sunderland with van Persie on the left? That was one of most ineffective performances of the season? I think we might see this formation more in games against higher quality opposition but the personnel has to be right. You need the movement and energy of Nasri and Walcott to make it work.

He's also been speaking about the January transfer window but if nobody minds I'm going to leave any discussion of that until much closer to the time. Like January 1st. We should put an embargo on it. There's going to be a ton of speculation and spurious transfer rumours, the transfer addicts will be out in force too. Honestly, it'll be like a mini-summer. The site will go mad with people looking for news on possible player purchases. They're like stoners frantically searching down the back of the sofa for something to make a joint with. There's a lot of football between now and then and I suspect we're better off leaving it for as long as possible.

Of course results and performances will be the main dictator of transfer discourse. Should things not go well then we may well have to address the issue before we'd like but let's play it by ear until then.

David Dein, ex of Arsenal and the former orange part of Fat & Orange (who are now simply known as Fat & Ugly), has defended Arsene Wenger, calling him a miracle worker. Citing the time Arsene came over for a late dinner and turned regular tap water into a jeroboam of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild he says the team should be judged in May, not November.

Ok, not much else going on. To those going tonight enjoy the game. Here's to a good game of football and a good win for the Gunners. Till tomorrow.

Morning all, a happy Monday to you and may the bragging rights be with you as you go to work and meet all your United supporting colleagues.

Arsene Wenger reckons this could be the tightest title race for years, claiming it's harder than it was 10 years ago to go to places like Stoke, Bolton and Wigan and get the points. That is probably true to an extent but personally I don't see United or Chelsea or really Liverpool struggling too much against those teams. I think the title is going to won and lost amongst the big four and whoever has the best record in those games is likely to be the winner.

So far we've only played United and come out on top, obviously. We've got Chelsea at the end of the month so that's another huge test. Liverpool have beaten United and Chelsea so far and seem to have addressed an issue in their team. In recent years they've had a poor record against the other big four teams.

For us I'm not really concerned about the 'big' games. The United game showed the players can perform and get a result. It's the less glamorous games in which we've struggled this season and we have to wait and see if anything has changed there.

Samir Nasri believes that the win against United has put us right back in the title race, saying:

We can definitely win the title this season. Maybe we don't have the experience of Liverpool, United or Chelsea, but we showed how mature we have become after last season. We showed we have got the quality technically that can help us to win big games.

Big games, yes. Not so big, again we wait and see. He also talks about how the French connection at the club is helping him settle and so far he's been a real asset to the team. It's been a bit stop-start with him due to a couple of little injuries but hopefully he can stay fit and stay in the team because he has already become a vital component.

Cesc, after dedicating the win to the manager, also thinks the title is realistic for us, saying:

We have shown here we have the qualities to do it. With losers, their heads go down. We have shown we have character. We played against a great team and won under a lot of pressure. So we are happy.

Next up in the league is Villa who'll be looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home defeat by Boro.

Before that though there's Carling Cup action against Wigan. We've got some history with Wigan in this competition. We were minutes away from reaching the final until some scabby twat scored a late, late goal to see them through to the final in which they gave Man United one of the easiest trophies they ever won. Steve Bruce has done a good job there and made Wigan a decent side so it's going to be a difficult game, especially as we're going to play a team of kids, more or less.

We'll get squad news on that later today so we can speculate on who might start on tomorrow's blog. I think we'll see Amaury Bischoff PI though and maybe we might see Diaby involved to get some match fitness under his belt.

Right, not much else happening this morning so I'll leave it there. Till tomorrow.