So this has been a week of, well, not so good news.  If you have not already heard Robin Van Persie had ligaments in his ankle ripped while playing for the Netherlands.  What do you think Arsene said when he got that phone call?

I have to imagine that Arsene sounded a bit like this:  Ring Ring (le Phone Ringing) . . . Ello . . . Arsene Wenger here . . . le WHAT? . . . Van Persie ripped le what? . . . Ok . . . here is what we do . . . PAUSE (this is where the Dutch FA are arguing as to how they are going to fix Van Persie, so Arsene doesn’t invite them to the annual Christmas party) . . . Ok, I will let you massage a placenta on his ankle . . . PAUSE (Arsene covers the phone with his hand and says to Pat Rice) . . . what le hell are they talking about? . . . Ok . . . it’s free . . . ok, do it.

He is to undergo radical medical therapy where placenta fluid is used to facilitate faster recovery of deep muscle injuries.  Wait a minute, did they say placenta fluid.  Yes, they did.  So there you have it.  We will see how it works, and hopefully it does.  If he is right, well, I can see a cottage industry pop up, or maybe the right word is slip out . . . Ok, that is just disturbing.

Kieran Gibbs (who is currently the stand in for our injured Gael Clichy) sustained what appeared to be a possible metatarsal injury . . . and we know those can take quite a while to heal.  So you have to wonder, what the heck is the point of a friendly if they aren’t so friendly.   These types of events, which are simply money makers for international teams, only serve one purpose, which is to make money.  Eventually clubs are going to tire of loosing star players, and potentially loosing matches/points/dollars for nonsense friendly matches.  You know it is coming, and at this point, is only a matter of time.

On to other news.  Thierry Henry has used his cunning . . . ahem . . . hand . . . and helped France to the FIFA 2010 Finals.  Controversial is not the right word.  You can’t go on a football related web site without reading about it.  At least Gallas used his head, and finished the move off.

So, this goes back to my point . . . international breaks suck goat placenta.  Forgive my bitterness, but this has to be one of the weirdest breaks in recent memory.

Right then . . . enough about the bad news.  On to what matters . . . THE ARSENAL!  Eduardo will now be our primary striker.  With Robin out for 6 weeks, and Bedtner just having groin surgery, we will need our little Croatian striker to turn the goal scoring on.  Sunderland will be a tough test, but I believe that his renewed focus with a new contract should help.   Sunderland have beaten Liverpool and drew at Old Trafford with Manchester United.  Our defense will need to be in form, and our offense will need to be firing on all cylinders.

The game kicks off at 10:00AM EDT.  The game is being shown on Setanta Sports.  Make sure to check with your local branch for viewing locations and times.  So, we started off with an international break, and ended up with two injured players.  It could be worse . . . ah, who are we kidding . . . no one is weeping for “that” bunch of cheating $%*&!  So, we head off to the Stadium of Light.  Cheers to our Gunners, and to 3 points!

Don’t forget to support Arsenal’s charity for the 2009/2010 season Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.  It is a great charity, and one that has the full support of Arsenal America.  Watch the video . . . you won’t be disappointed.

Ooh to!

Ooh to be!

Ooh to be a Goon-A!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!