You've Got To Laugh....

Mikel Arteta came to us from Everton as the Toffees' main creative force, but in the absence of any other viable candidates, the unsung Spaniard has done a seriously impressive and responsible job in the holding role in our midfield. But in Arteta's absence, Manny Frimpong is just about the only remaining player in our squad for whom this is his natural role and sadly all the big-time distractions appear to have stunted Frimpong's progress and he's yet to be deemed responsible enough to take on this crucial job.

And yet no matter how blatantly obvious our need is for a defensive midfielder and for some more cover elsewhere in defence (right-sided CB and FB), we hear it announced on the radio this evening that Juan Mata's dad and his agent were watching tonight's match in the director's box.

Now personally I would take far more pleasure in winding up Chelsea fans, by pinching Juan Mata from under Mourinho's nose (as rumour has it that Jose doesn't rate Mata) than I would in upsetting the Toon Army, by relieving them of their most talented midfielder. Yet like every other Gooner, I can't help but think that if AW is actually to pull a rabbit or two out of his magic hat before the transfer window slides shut, if this should prove to be Mata or Cabaye, just about the last thing our squad needs is another talented attacking midfielder!

Hopefully with Podolski being stretchered off with a hamstring injury this evening and with Wenger immediately reacting by removing Giroud from the fray, before just about our last remaining striking option (if you exclude Theo's centre-forward delusions) ended up limping off, our manager will be left with no choice but to react by adding some more firepower from somewhere (especially with Yaya "Bambi" Sanogo looking such a long way from being a feasible alternative at present, albeit an opinion based only on the briefest of glimpses).

And with Aaron Ramsey publicly admitting to our squad being some way short in his post-match interview, I would assume this means we are entitled to be optimistic about some serious transfer action over the next few days, as otherwise surely the players would still be singing from another songbook, touting Arsene's traditional party line on the strength and quality in the dressing room and about not bringing anyone in, unless they are better than what we already have.

But it would appear that our players are no less eager than all of us Gooners, for AW to do some transfer business and it would certainly be a big boost if this can be achieved in advance of Sunday's derby. I couldn't believe how many empty seats there were in the stadium tonight, as I've rarely seen the upper tier behind the Clock End looking so deserted.

Obviously it will be a different story on Sunday, when the stadium will be rammed full and as I strolled up to the ground this evening, in the late summer sunshine, in such a relaxed mood, with us already being three goals to the good against the Turks, I couldn't help but remark upon the likely contrast between the lack of tension in the air tonight and the anxiety that's bound to be present in advance of our encounter with Spurs this weekend.

With all my Spurs mates in such bullish mood, I will be absolutely dreading the prospect of a bad result and the possibility of having to turn my phone off for several days, to avoid all the resultant piss-taking. But by the same token, with Tottenham fans enjoying their customary early season pipe-dreams and with their fantasies even more inflated than usual, it will be even more satisfying if we're able to prick their balloon, before it even gets off the ground, by making AVB"s £60 million scattergun investment look decidedly ordinary (as they did against Swansea on Sunday, where the sole Spurs player to impress was Townsend, the full-back who was just about the only positive aspect to QPR's season when he was on loan there last year).

Thus, where the lack of tension this evening ensured that I was hardly exultant at having ended Fernebace's brief Champions League experience, the butterflies in the stomach and the nervous tension in the air in advance of Sunday's derby, is guaranteed to result in a seriously heightened air of euphoria (even more than usual) should we manage to send our own increasingly noisy neighbours, back down the Seven Sisters Road with their tails between their legs

Come on you Reds
Bernard