Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his regret at selling Ryan Shawcross to Stoke four years ago, conceding that the decision to offload the promising center-half was down to a preference to develop Gerard Pique at Old Trafford.

Pique has since returned to native Barcelona, leaving Fergie frustrated at the manner in which Shawcross had to depart United.

Djourou will be up against a much leaner player today

On we go to the next game. It's the visit of Stoke, an opponent that will unite Arsenal fans. 2 years on but the animosity between both sets of fans still exist. I can't say for certain if the players are on the same thought process as we are and as professionals, I wouldn't expect them to be.

Stoke City F.C. are leaving no stone unturned in their meticulous preparations for the club's first European campaign in 37 years. With work afoot to build a squad that can cope with the rigours of playing twice a week, they have also embarked on the gargantuan task of making thousands upon thousands of sandwiches.

Tony Pulis maintains Stoke are under no pressure to sell captain Ryan...

Clint Hughes/Getty Images(Bleacher Report)Although the Reds have splashed some serious cash in the January and Summer windows respectively this year, it appears there is no end in sight at the moment with the owners pushing for a Champions League or bust campaign this season.
The extra time to focus on the league and domestic trophies will allow them more time for honing their strategy with so many new faces, but some believe it is hampering their ability to attract top talent to the club.

You thought you could escape the summer transfer window when Premier League football returned? Well, you thought wrong. And on top of the expected rumours linking Liverpool to various English defenders, there's a whole new round of rumours that just don't seem to make sense any way you come at them to dig through as we rush towards September first and begin to scrape the bottom of the proverbial barrel.

The press continue to link Liverpool with more signings even after the capture of Jose Enrique from Newcastle.

Various reports are circulating that we are preparing to bid £12mill + David Ngog for Bolton's Gary Cahill. Who is believed to be avaliable if the "Right offer comes in".

Other reports are suggesting that we are after either one of Stoke's Ryan Shawcross or Birmingham's Scott Dann.

Funny thing about this transfer window is that teams have seemingly stocked up on redundant players rather than addressing clearer needs. Also, we've seen a further concentration of players at the top as the biggest clubs fill out their 25-man rosters with full internationals while clubs below them are looking to academy and youth players to play a larger first-team role.

Quick Reminder, Real Life Fortress at home, inept on the road. Slightly fewer wins than losses. Slightly fewer scored than allowed. By far the fewest goals allowed in the bottom half of the table (their 48 were 8 fewer than next closest Bolton). Lots of tall players and lots of bruising defending.

Kenny Dalglish is working hard to shipped out the deadwoods at Anfield to...

After his team's woeful defensive display in pre-season, Liverpool manager...

One name that keeps appearing in the rumour mills is that of Ryan Shawcross and over the weekend, Stoke's centre half has been firmly linked with a move to Tottenham. Some stories also suggest that Spurs will offer Sebastian Bassong to Tony Pulis as part of the deal.

Shawcross was on the books at Manchester United before making his way to the Potteries via Belgium.

Ryan Shawcross, Tony Pulis, Stoke City... These names are more than enough to get the blood boiling.

It will be a tough challenge for the Gunners, especially young Ramsey, when Arsenal visit the Britannia Stadium for the first time after that horrific injury. But if the players can show anything remotely resembling the mental strength that helped them win that game, I'm confident we can add to the four successive league wins against the Potters.

If I told you I'd spent last night with Mary, a number of Geese and a very tasty knob I fear you might get the wrong impression. It is true however. Mary was tomato and vodka based, the Geese came from Chicago, while if you're looking for something to sip on late at night you can't really look beyond the Knob (cheers, BG!

Arsenal 1 Stoke 0
This was a good test a few days before we played Birmingham - we got to face some scummy players (good preparation for Bowyer) and we dealt with Stoke's massive aerial presence (good preparation for Zigic).
It was a game we needed to win, and I thought we did enough.

Funny old game football. A week ago we were facing sublime skill, at the weekend passion and unlikely hope, and tonight aggression and anti-football. It is a testament to the Beautiful game that all types of football can be encompassed inside 7 days.

We know what to expect from this Stoke team under the tutelage of Mr Pulis, it will be park the bus, long throw ins and long, long balls to test the aerial expertise of our defence.