The Goon Blog

Well, the game kicks off in half an hour, I need to get a shift on.

Blackburn and their vile manager are visiting the Grove this afternoon and after United slipped up yesterday we need to take advantage and close the points gap, especially with Liverpool and Chelsea playing each other. This season is certainly shaping up to be an interesting one, teams lower down the table believe they can beat any of the top 4 teams this season and we have had a fair few suprises in a short amount of time. Villa went to Anfield and won, Wigan beat Chelsea, Burnley beat United.

So far we have dealt with the so called lesser teams the best, and that has to continue if we are going to have a shot at winning something this season. I have been impressed by us so far this season and we have shown a lot of qualities I’m not too convinced we really had last season.

We have a few players missing still, Eduardo has joined that list and will be sitting in the treatment room along with Nasri and Djourou whilst we welcome Theo Walcott into the squad and Nicklas Bendtner is available for selection again after his car crash a week ago.

I’m expecting big Nick to start alongside van Persie and Arshavin with a midfield of Fabregas, Diaby and Song. Rosicky might start ahead of Diaby but as it is Blackburn I think Wenger might want a bigger guy in there. As always, I may be mistaken.

Mannone continues in goal and another clean sheet may well just make him our number two, he has kept unbelievably well for someone with so little experience but that lack of experience may have helped him. Almost like youthful ignorance. Blackburn have a couple of dangerous players going forward so the defence will have to play well to keep them out – of course, that is on the proviso they explore the land the other side of the half-way line.

I would quite happily take a red card today for somebody slicing Diouf in half, I hate the guy, he makes my blood boil. The tackle on Almunia last season was downright shameful and quite frankly, I couldn’t care less if somebody shot him – I wouldn’t blame them,

I’m really up for this game but it looks like I’m gonna have to watch it on a grainy stream again, streams are like gold dust these days – that is if you can watch one for longer than the two minutes it usually takes the communists the FA employ to take them down.

Heres to a good win today. More tomorrow.