december 9th
08.37 – So quite typically, Ashley Cole faces an FA investigation to events following his sending off against Leicester on Saturday. Probably the old ‘Didn’t leave the pitch quick enough’ business they did Paddy with. According to some reports the ref has said Cole was trying to apologise, and that’s why he didn’t leave the pitch straight away. Of course, it could also have been all the Leicester players in his way. Who knows? Certainly not me, but no doubt the FA will make everything clear in due course. Expect a ruling some time in late 2014.
Wenger: Cygan is going nowhere – they seem to have left the word ‘fast’ off the end. With Lauren set to be on the injury list until the far side of Christmas, it looks as if Kolo is going to stay at right back. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Martin Keown comes back into the team on Wednesday. Arsenal’s FA Cup tie with Leeds has been chosen for live coverage by Sky, on January 4th.
What a surprise to see The Sun discover new evidence that could mean Rio Ferdinand escapes a ban for missing his drugs test. Gordon Taylor, the fat cattest union boss there is, is already campaigning to free to wonky mouthed one and completely misses the point, saying “There has never been any proof that Rio takes drugs.”
I don’t think anyone has suggested that he does. The fact is that he deliberately missed a drugs test. In other sports he would have been banned already, and quite rightly too. The FA’s delay in dealing with this whole situation has allowed the Manchester United media machine to cloud the issue. It’s like George W Bush and Iraq. At first it was about WMD, then it was about ‘regime change’. With Rio, it was about missing the test, now clowns like Taylor are saying he should be let off because there’s no proof he takes drugs. Big hairy twats, the lot of them.
Tomorrow, a look at the game against Locomotiv Moscow. AW, “Qualification has been made possible by one phenomenal result and now we have to see if we can do it again. “
