Apologies for the absence of a post yesterday but the Broadband has gone tits up again although this time its BT’s fault. It’s Good To Talk obviously not being their motto anymore because trying to get hold of someone who can tell you how long it will be before everything is back and hunk-dory is akin to finding the Pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow.

Arsene’s monthly visit to Soho Square has left him with that feeling of walking on air, probably because of the lightness of his wallet. The £2.5k fine is a hell of a lot smaller than I thought he would get, toothless even by their standards. A strong censure from the suits is probably ‘like being savaged by a dead sheep’, as Denis Healey once said of criticism by the then-wet blanket Thatcher Poodle, Geoffery Howe.

Tomas Rosicky is being rated as ‘50-50′ for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. Now to me, that means that he will play. Why? Well, any injury update that gives someone a rating of higher than ‘30-70′ from AW generally indicates that Le Boss is being pessimistic so I look forward to seeing him in action at The Emirates on Sunday. The past nine months have flown by and it is hard to believe that this is the last home game of the season. Le Boss reckoned that a Champions League exit could take months to recover from. Given that both United and Chelsea went out, the title race could last for ooh, I don’t know, maybe a week longer? Frankly, I have lost interest in who wins the title thanks to Sky’s overactive hype, more whether or not this team can make the step up to be Champions next time around. Justin Hoyte seems to think that it will be easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. I am not convinced by that although they ought to be able to put up more of a fight than in the last couple of seasons.

Talking of Champions League, a vaguely amusing quote from the Scouser’s is that this seasons third place play-off for the ECL Final has been renamed The FA Cup Final this time around. Personally, I am not gloating about the exits of United and Chelsea for the simple fact that I’d rather we had been involved at that stage that sitting at home, twiddling our thumbs or threatening kids with ‘trolls from White Hart Lane‘.

Former Arsenal ‘keeper Nicky Hammond is being put forward by The Guardian as a possibly Director Of Football. Its funny but he has kept a low profile in the same role at Reading but seems to be one of the few people who have got the role ‘right’ as there are no reported conflicts between him and Steve Coppell. Could it be that he is not an ex-Manager who thinks that he has oodles of knowledge to impart to the current incumbent that has led to an ego-free zone? Whichever way it falls, it seems he has the right ‘profile’ to allow Arsene to concentrate on matters on the pitch. Hammond though faces stiff competition from Remi Garde and Gilles Grimandi;

AW:    Nicky, you did not make the interview last week?
NH:    Sorry Arsene but as I walking along the corridor Remi, Gilles and I were chatting and suddenly Remi gave a Gallic Shrug, Gilles puffed out his cheek and that was it, I was in the broom cupboard. It was five days before a cleaner found me.

Toodle pip, ’til tomorrow.