I should begin by saying that I was forced to watch the match late last evening rather than live and fell asleep not long after it was over. Having awoken this morning still feeling ill when thinking about the match, I begin my reflections on our trip to Sunderland.

First, I have to say that a subpar performance was always likely to be in the offing following our midweek Champions League match.

The opening 13 days of the 2010-11 season has been dominated by a few motifs. The first is the emergence of Theo Walcott. The second is the "re-emergence" of Tomas Rosicky. Third, we have the neverending Mark Schwarzer saga. And now, it's been capped off with the "arrest" of Jack Wilshere.

Through the tireless efforts of the NYC Arsenal Supporters' president (and now vice-president of Arsenal America), Kurtis Powers, the biggest Arsenal event ever held in America, in conjunction with Red Bull New York, will take place in NYC on the weekend of September 10-12. The highlight of the weekend will be a trip to Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon/evening for an "interactive session" with our all-time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry, following Red Bull New York's match with the Colorado Rapids.

Yes, the main story of Saturday's 6-nil win over Blackpool was Theo's hat-trick. But, what seems to be lost in the hoopla, is the absolutely sterling performance of Tomas Rosicky. I had been hoping for one of those "<player> vs. <opposition>" videos to pop up on You Tube and now it finally has done.

After a two-week break for Arsenal Station due to illness, I return to my blogging duties at the best of times. After our satisfactory result/disappointing performance at Liverpool last weekend, Arsenal needed to put in a quality performance. Of course, there are huge issues still surrounding the squad, but a 6-nil victory, no matter the opposition, can only give the team confidence going forward.

An all-too familiar sight.

Yesterday's match in Poland against Legia Warsaw still has me scratching my head wondering, "What the hell was that?" Some have suggested that yesterday's 6-5 victory over a team that finished 4th in the Poland encapsulated both the positives and negatives of the current side.

Today, Cesc Fabregas led the team out onto the Emirates pitch for the 2010 Annual Members' Day. Near 10,000 club members and their children cheered the captain as he clapped them back. Cesc appears to have been in good spirits laughing and talking with his teammates throughout the session as well as putting in some jogging and light ball work.

So, just a few thoughts on the Milan match...

Nasri continues to shine in the middle of the park. So far this summer we've seen him create and score goals, play high and deep, and generally show consistent creativity. He looks a much different, much better player than when he arrived two summers ago.

First off, I apologize for the lack of pictures today but I refuse to grace my blog with pictures of scum. On to the business... I had hoped to get the whole Cesc story out of me the other day, but a new slew of utterly inane comments from Cesc's self-appointed spokesman, Carlos Puyol, have got me uncharacteristically wound up all over again.

Since Arsenal Station's return from summer hiatus, I have tried to avoid commenting on the whole Cesc/Barca soap opera that developed both before and all through the World Cup. However, I can no longer remain silent on this farcical affair. It is clear that there is much more to Barcelona's actions, intentions, and motivations than simply acquiring Cesc as a player, and that is what I'd like to discuss.

With the silence of Arsenal transfers growing to deafening proportions, I find myself being nagged by numerous questions as the Emirates Cup and the Premier League season proper grow nearer with each breath. I long ago ceased being one of those supporters infatuated and enthralled by every summer transfer rumor no matter how ridiculous.

Well, it's a bit of a slow news day for Gooners. Arsenal remain in Austria preparing for a final friendly with Austrian Regional League East side, SC Neusiedl am See 1919, this Tuesday before next weekend's Emirates Cup. Yesterday, the Boss made these remarks regarding transfers:

"There is no news on a defensive signing but, numbers-wise, we are short in defence.

Today Arsenal take on Sturm Graz in what will be the first-team's second preseason match following the 4-nil victory at Barnet last weekend. However, at least here at Arsenal Station, the optimism and hope for the new season takes a slight backseat as Shakhtar Donetsk confirm that they have bought Eduardo for £6.

Arsenal put in a measured performance for a 4-nil victory at Underhill on Saturday in their now-traditional pre-season opener at Barnet, who finished 21st in League Two last season. As usual, Wenger fielded two different sides in the first and second halves.

There is always a tendency to say too much about these early pre-season matches, but good matches were had by Emmanuel Frimpong and Jay Simpson.

Today's post is only slightly Arsenal-related....

At 1:15pm today, Red Bull New York will hold a press conference unveiling their new signing, Thierry Henry. The transfer has been in the works since at least January and Henry is expected to make his debut on Thursday, July 22 at Red Bull Arena in the first match of the New York Football Challenge against Spurs.