Good Thursday (the day before I fly to London!) to ye loyal readers. We have three juicy stories today: first we’re going to talk about Flamini’s injury; then we’ll touch on Wenger’s rage over that injury; and finally there’s a story about EPL clubs possibly coming to America. Let’s get to it.
There are conflicting reports about the extent of the injury Mathieu Flamini suffered during the France B friendly against DR Congo on “a pig of a pitch” in Spain. Wait, if there is a France B team, that must mean there is a France A team! Well, I hope they make B.A. Baracas remove his jewelry before they play because I pity the fool that caught a finger on his gold chains. That also must mean that Mathieu Flamini is not on the A team, which sucks, because I kinda think of him as the Howling Mad Dog Murdoch of Arsenal. At any rate, Mad Dog Mathieu either reportedly seriously hurt his ankle or maybe he just has “just a little tight spot behind the right thigh” which will either see him out for the clash against Blackburn (which I am attending, woo hoo!) or it’s not really that serious. Personally, I am waiting until I hear definitive news from the club about how bad he really is. Until then, I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
But what sucks even more than to have him injured is to have Mad Dog go injured in a B Team Friendly. It sucks so much that Wenger is reportedly in a fury. I agree Arsene, international friendlies suck (USA played Mexico last night for example) and having B friendlies in the middle of a season is one of the dumbest things I can imagine. But how else is the English national team supposed get a win? How else is mediocre talent like Shawn Wright-Philips and Jemaine Jenas supposed to showcase their “talent” if not for B Team International Friendlies? And you want to do your part for England and France, right Arsene?
Finally, on the subject of international play, there’s a big story about how the Premier League might play some games over seas. Here’s the exact quote:
At a meeting between all top flight clubs, representatives gave unanimous support to exploring the idea of extending the season to 39 games, with the surplus 10 games to be played overseas
Ok, read that again… Yeah, they are EXPLORING the idea. Nothing is set yet. However, I am fully behind this idea and would love to see Arsenal play Derby here in Seattle. That would be, as we say over here “killer.” I know, there will be the usual concerns about the toll of traveling and the like, but American teams do it (Basketball, Gridiron Football) and there’s little effect. Heck, the Giants played the Dolphins in Wembley and they went on to win the Superbowl and to help keep the Dolphins as the only American Football team to have a perfect season. Coincidence? I think NOT! Obviously, you’d want to do it at a time when the players weren’t involved in 4 different tournaments so probably a early season match or something. I don’t know, it would be cool, for me, and allow me to stay stateside for a match (possibly) for once. Totally selfish, I know, but I don’t care. I just hope the idea doesn’t devolve into one of those pre-season friendlies because they suck — give me a meaningful match or nothing at all.
That’s about it for today. Tonight I have to pack my bags and get ready for my flight to London, so look for a short blog tomorrow. And then, a late blog on Saturday after I get settled in and find a pub with wireless. I won’t be able to have the early morning blog I normally do, because I will be on an airplane for 17 hours!
Right then, until tomorrow!
