Every morning when I’m at home I get up, make coffee, go upstairs and write my blog. This morning I am daring to be different. Instead of going upstairs, I am staying downstairs and writing the blog on my laptop.
A change is as good as a rest as they say. That said, a rest would be good too for I was forced out of the house last night by the nefarious Mugsmasher who needed the goodness of Guinness to help him get over an adventure race thing he did yesterday. It was one of those run 10k, cycle from one end of Ireland to the other, run 9k, kayak the length of the river Shannon, run some more, cycle uphill against the wind for a couple of hours, then finishing off with another run.
Most people, when they take part in such events, do this weird thing called ‘training’. They practice running and stuff. However, the ‘smasher, being one of life’s great thinkers, took it upon himself to try out a different way of preparing for it, a way that might open up such sporting endeavours to the masses. Instead of ‘training’ he went ‘drinking’, believing that the power of booze would propel him from one end of the course to the other.
It’s safe to say the traditionalists were right. This ‘training’ lark does seem to be the only way but you have to admire a man who tries something new, something disparate. And it’s in his honour, his taking quite some time to finish the course honour, that I am following suit and blogging from downstairs this morning.
That we ended up in a bar last night where so many people were wearing oversized glasses they didn’t need is irrelevant in the cold light of day. But why do they wear them when they don’t need them? You don’t look like Morrissey, you look like somebody who is wearing oversized glasses they don’t need. What’s next – the Dennis Taylor look, celebrating the Hipsterisation of snooker’s 1985 World Champion? It’d drive a man to (more) rum, I tell you.
In terms of Arsenal news there’s not much happening. It revolves around Tomas Rosicky this morning who is full of praise for the fans, saying:
Recently the atmosphere at our home games has been absolutely amazing – the team can feel it and it is a big help for us. It is a great feeling to have the supporters so passionately behind you for the whole 90 minutes.
The supporters really do make a difference and we’re hoping that we can keep that connection by winning more games.
He’s not the first to mention the atmosphere and it’s obviously a consequence of winning games and winning them so well. It was something Arsene touched on a few weeks back, that it was a two-way thing. The fans would react to the performances and in fairness to the manager he put it all on the team to make it happen. So far, so good. And Rosicky wants us to make sure we take third:
We have a great chance to stay in [third] position, but now we have to make sure of it. That starts against Wigan on Monday – and make no mistake, it’s a very big game for us.
We saw what can happen against a team fighting for its life when we played away at QPR, and we expect the same kind of performance from Wigan on Monday. We have to give 100 per cent to get the result.
We also saw what Wigan can do during the week when they beat Manchester United so anyone thinking this is going to be an easy win needs to think again. That said, it’s a game we should win and if we play as we have been – bar QPR – then it’s a great chance to widen the gap on the monstrous cunnies below us.
As for Tomas, it’s brilliant to see him become an important part of the team through his performances. Like most of you, I shed tears at the departure of Arsenal’s dreamiest ever player, but those tears were replaced by a strange tingling when I watched Rosicky smash one in from 90 yards out in the World Cup that summer. Hurrah, I thought, this floppy haired chap could be quite the capture. And early on in his Arsenal career, when he smashed one in from 128 yards in the Champions League, that tingling became even more tingly.
But then life, the universe, and a bizarre injury pretty much bollixed his career so seeing him buzz around against Man City in the 93rd minute like a guy making up for lost time is really fantastic. He sets the tempo for the team these days, he never stops and it’s brilliant to see a player that many had probably accepted would never be an influence again prove us all wrong. Such is his revival that this time we didn’t make him sign his new contract in a dank, dark dungeon and there is no greater sign of respect from the club than that.
Beyond that not much else going on. There isn’t even any spurious transfer stuff going around, so I shall leave it there and partake of pork based products for breakfast. Have a good Sunday, back tomorrow.
