It was one of the early images of the season.
Arsene Wenger, fit to burst with anger, stood, arms outstretched at top the Old Trafford dugout after being sent off by referee Mike Dean.
Dean's curious decision to send the Frenchman to the stands for kicking a plastic bottle a few yards in the 95th minute of the game capped a frustrating day for Arsenal and gave it rather a farcical, yet comical finish.

This news is I guess not really unsurprising but still a little worrying.

"Rafa said, "Alberto is improving. We were talking before about six to eight weeks and after a few weeks his ankle is much better but he will need time.

"He's in the swimming pool and in the gym and working with the physios but he's not jogging yet.

In an all too familiar story, another potential poaching case, this time involving 17 year Jeremy Helan of Rennes who was signed on by City earlier this year is being investigated.

FIFA said in a statement: "We can confirm that there is a case pending with FIFA's Player Status Department involving Jeremy Helan, Stade Rennais FC and Manchester City.

Thanks to Studs Up for coming up with their usual brilliant take on a topical issue. Perhaps if RVP and Ade see this they will laugh off their collective anger and the world will be a better place, well probably not. CLICK HERE to see the comic sketch.

Don't forget to check out Online Football Manager!

The Daily Mirror is reporting that Valencia star David Silva hasn't exactly quashed rumors linking him with Old Trafford. The young Spanish attacker went about the usual business of saying a lot without actually saying anything. "It's an honor for any player that a club of the prestige of Manchester United should follow them and that in itself is enormous praise," said Silva.

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has told Spanish publication AS of a bust-up he had with manager Rafael Benitez and confirmed his anger at failing to start the first three games of the season for the Merseysiders.
"I didn't play the first game because I started training late after the Confederations Cup, like [Pepe] Reina and [Fernando] Torres," he said.

I haven't had the best of days, although I won't bore you with the details.
But as I was driving home listening to Talk Sport I heard some news that lifted my spirits and made my own silly little troubles pale into insignificance.
Remember this story?
Well if you had not heard already, Michael Sheilds has been released today with a full royal pardon.

As the day wore on yesterday my anger didn't subside. I thought back at the anger I have felt after Arsenal matches over the last year, how furious I was when I was there to see us lose 2-0 to Villa because we just didn't even try, against Man United in the Champions League, because we just didn't try, against Chelsea in the FA Cup & league, because they just didn't try, but yesterday I wasn't angry at Arsenal.

Keep your chin up, Arsene Wenger... it's Sir Alex Ferguson who has reason for worry

He [Ferguson] has to convince his stuttering side that they can succeed without Cristiano Ronaldo and remain among the European elite. And it might just work, even if three of the four Barclays Premier League games they have so far contested have exposed worrying deficiencies that could seriously undermine their chances of becoming the first team to win four successive English titles.

Wenger makes a valid point on the culture of simulation.

Wenger has conceded the striker exaggerated his fall, but he still believes Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc made contact with Eduardo and a penalty was justified.
'Eduardo made a bit more of it but watch the television and it is part of the game,' said the Arsenal manager.

It's a curious thing, footballer rage. We've all seen players we love/hate/are indifferent to displaying various levels of anger and testosterone excess on the pitch. 99.9% of the time, regardless of the background to the situation, we're... well, let's put it this way: angry footballers give us the feelings.

Sol Campbell's departure from Notts County was the most predictable football story of the season so far. The prospect of a recent Premier League regular plying his trade in League Two was an unlikely scenario, but the chances of the big fish sticking at it in a little pond for too long were particularly slim considering the individual involved.

I had a plethora of titles for this post on my mind yesterday: "F..ing disgrace", "Shameless", "Humiliation" etc. However, after a good night rest I decided not to lose any more sleep over the yesterday's game, I lost enough yesterday in the pub (first anger, then plain resignation). There is nothing to analyze to be honest, we'll never again play in the same lineup and under the same coach.

Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud has expressed his anger at Arsene Wenger for 'unsettling' Les Girondins striker Marouane Chamakh during his summer pursuit of the Moroccan frontman. Despite Chamakh's eagerness to join the Gunners', Triaud believes that Wenger was waiting to see what happened with his squad before making a firm offer.

Now we here at COS love good old fashioned reasoned debate, hell we also love a bit of in fighting and some good old fashioned swearing but we have noted an upturn in volume from complete headcases who seem to revel in the need to rile others and do so in a thoroughly unoriginal and pointless manner.