You know it's not going to be a good day when the first thing you read after waking up is that Van Persie will be out for a long, long time! I find it difficult to take my mind of such news and it always makes me wonder if the players can focus on the game at hand when news of this sort is likely to affect the whole season.

After a second half of the season that was a tad weird to say the least, Dynamo get a chance to put on their Tri-umph faces and Lay It on the Line for that third title.
I think this video above truly expresses my feeling about Seattle tonight. And while the truth is I have never once flipped the toggle on an XBox, or done a 360 on top of one, I know for a fact that an Orange Ring of Death exists on those consoles, and that's what I am expecting to see over these two legs, starting tonight.

Arsene eyes up unlikely striking target.

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Arsenal are expected to launch a January bid for West Ham striker Carlton Cole.

Toughie. I wouldn't fancy Kevin Davies big frame in my face for ninety minutes and I doubt Michael Dawson will either. This is the sort of game we'd get turned over in pre Harry. Even with him last season they bashed us up at the Reebok but he's had time to make the side a bit more resilient since then.

Listen to the report here Transcript

Goalkeepers can often be overlooked when talking about the best football players, but a great goalkeeper can inspire the rest of the side to play with confidence and help them perform better than they look on paper. this was surely the case with Lev Yashin, quite arguably the best goalkeeper at any World Cup.

'Arry Thinks of Challanges Ahead.

Following Tottenham Hotspurs' meagre exit from the Carling Cup at the hands of Manchester United's reserve side, Harry Redknapp bravely refused to attend the post match press conference. Instead sending one of his countless coaches and long-time compadre Kevin Bond to face the music.

Today Chelsea have confirmed the worst possible news for the short term, that Michael Essien will be out for three to four weeks after tearing his hamstring. This is sad news for Michael first of all with the African Nations cup on the horizon in January, but for us Chelsea fans its a major blow as we look to get our form back on track starting this weekend against Everton.

The club announced the signings today.

The three are:

*21-year-old left back Alex (full name (Alex dos Santos Cazumba)
*20-year-old central midfielder Juninho (Vitor Gomes Pereira Junior)
*21-year-old central defender Leonardo (Ajose Leonardo Ribeiro da Silva)

The three apparently stick together.

Arsenal hosted Aston Villa on Sunday, December 27, 2009 in the English Premier League with both teams in the top four of the table. It was a chance for Villa to show they are ready to fight for a Champions League spot but would be difficult playing at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal, on the other hand, were looking to keep their title hopes alive and needed a win to keep pace with Man U and Chelsea.

Ancelotti makes January transfer plans...just in case!

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CHELSEA are considering an £18m move for Napoli's attacking midfielder Marek Hamsik as they prepare for a spending spree that could top £30m in the January transfer window — potentially their final opportunity to invest in new players until the summer of 2011.

West Ham insist in-form striker Carlton Cole is not for sale at any price despite reports that Premier League's big guns are preparing January bids.
Manchester United are the latest club linked with a £20million bid for Hammers hot-shot Cole when the transfer window reopens, with misfiring Liverpool also reportedly interested in a player who has flourished under the tutelage of Gianfranco Zola.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, real football is back. It's a surprise that most links on newsnow are still talking about the Henry incident. Perhaps, it shows the importance of what happened and what's at stake. I, for one, am happy to forget all that and bring my thoughts back to the main thing.

For those of you English football fans (sorry Ireland), the return to a competitive international tournament is drawing closer. After the 'Wally-with-a-brolly' debacle, Italian mastermind Fabio Capello has done what poor old Steve McClaren couldn't - guide a supremely talented group of footballers through a seemingly harmless group to a major international competition.

This afternoon Chelsea travel to the Emirates in another key game against one of our main rivals that can have a major effect on the title come the end of the season. If we win, we go 11 points clear of Arsenal and 5 ahead of United who won yesterday. With the traditional busy Christmas period upon us and the African Nations cup ahead on the horizon in January its another must win game.

Mr Hodsgon are you high?

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Fulham manager Roy Hodgson believes striker Bobby Zamora may be worthy of a place in England's World Cup squad.
Zamora, 28, scored his sixth goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Sunderland prompting Hodgson to suggest he could offer an alternative to Emile Heskey.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas declared the Gunners should sign a strong striker in the January transfer window as a physical presence up front can make the difference. The Spaniard added how a "normal" team like Chelsea ...

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas declared the Gunners should sign a strong striker in the January transfer window as a physical presence up front can make the difference. The Spaniard added how a "normal" team like Chelsea ...

That's right, shut it about the transfer.

Haha...haha...haha!!!! It's not as if there is a chance in hell that Wenger would sign you, Roman Pavlyuchenko. Finally the rumour has been shushed away by Wenger.

There is no truth in the Pavlyuchenko stories

This was just rumour all along.

Earlier in the day I was listening to Arsene's pre-match press conference. It was moving ahead as usual with discussions about injuries, title hopes, top four places and such trivial things. One hack then shifted the focus to something more sizeable.

Journalist: Fabregas has said that the club needs a big physical presence up front, do you agree?

Think back to October when Liverpool deservedly beat Manchester United. Think back to the circumstances leading up to that game.
Rafael Benítez's side had just lost four on the trot, including the beach ball game at Sunderland and a home defeat to Lyon, which left their Champions League chances hanging by a thread.

Morning, it's fairly quiet this morning. There's no pre-Burnley stuff going on yet and the smashing of the Mugsmashers is now a thing of the past. Still, some chatter from the players will keep us going.

First up, Cesc, who says Arsenal's lack of size isn't an issue and the absence of Robin van Persie is something we can cope with.

The Arsenal captain came off the bench to give the Gunners more conviction and penetration after a blistering early exchange between the two clubs.
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It may have been slightly swept under the rug after the masterful cameo provided by the Arsenal skipper but before Cesc Fábregas' inspirational display, it was Abou Diaby who was the key man.