The usual injury concerns emerged following the internationals but compared to previous breaks, this fortnight has been relatively kind. Gael Clichy’s ankle knack presumably means Kieran Gibbs gets the chance at left back with the only other doubt from the last Premier League fixture being Abou Diaby who has this year’s vogue injury, back knack.

Manuel Almunia is supposedly only 50:50 which means nothing when Arsene says it given his previous track record on guessing injuries. Nil desperandum since Lukas Fabianski is apparently fit but to be honest, there would be no reason to drop Mannone purely on the basis of the the Pole’s return.

All the while this is going on and Usmanov procrasturbates, Stan Kroenke has snaffled a few more shares, payment terms presumably yet to be agreed. There is a little anecdotal evidence that this is the prelude to a full bid, possibly next summer, since this was the very action that Lord Peter observed may happen:

It does look like he is edging towards a takeover, which I would welcome. I have not asked him if that is what he plans to do, but I am very relaxed about it.

These days, it seems that old PHW has been very relaxed about everything, possibly because all of the others are running around doing the hard work. He is becoming more like the Spitting Image caricature of the Queen Mother, G&T in one hand, wandering around offering inanities and telling everyone that she was “92, you know“.

How much sway he has in the matter of a takeover is open to debate. It is pure conjecture on my part but I would hazard a guess that if Fiszman said he wanted out and Kroenke was on hand to take his shares on the never-never, there is absolutely jack that Hill-Wood could do about it.

He further observed:

If it was to happen, I don’t think you can expect any big changes because he seems to like things very much the way they are.

Kroenke may well think that things are tickety-boo and hunky-dory off the pitch and of course he is happy since he can see profits to be squirrelled away into his own bank accounts whilst quite possibly servicing loans required to buy the club. In that instance, you have to wonder which of the duo is more acceptable or indeed, if there is any difference between them. And then you remember Sheriff Fatman’s past…

Compared to Usmanov, the American has been quieter in public about taking a dividend out of the club but no-one would be surprised if it happened were he to launch a takeover bid. One possible obstacle might be a counter-bid from the Uzbek but one would hope that they will have the good grace to stop their silly buggers antics until the summer when the season is over.

’til Tomorrow.