Once Upon A Time in the East....

In Sergio Leone's epic western 'Once upon a time in the West', a speculator buys a seemingly worthless farm in the middle of the desert where nothing will grow.  Through the course of the movie various bandits turn up seeking the 'treasure' that's rumoured to be buried somewhere on the arid ranch.  We eventually find out, after much slaughter, that the 'treasure' is in fact, a well.  The farm has the only source of water for hundreds of miles and it's inevitable that the impending railroad will have to pass through, making the land worth a fortune.

Many people were of the opinion that Arsenal's trip to the Far East was a similar fruitless excersise, but no matter how much the 'traditionalists' rail against it, this is a vast untapped market full of fans and potential fans, and any move to raise the clubs profile in this market has to be applauded.

The general estimate that the tour could potentially be worth £15 million to the club is, in my view, far too conservative.  China alone could be a huge money spinner, just think about the revenue that selling 20 million replica shirts would bring in, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The fervour and fanaticism that the team has been received with has been truly amazing, with the Mirror's John Cross likening it to Wham's ground breaking tour of China in the eighties.  Think of what would happen if Wenger managed to unearth a couple of Chinese stars (and I'm sure there are many) and you can imagine how our support would take off!

Like it or loathe it football is a global business and clubs are now brand names, and the more exposed your brand is the more revenue is generated, making the club more competitive and able to attract more high class players.  Nothing succeeds like success!

No matter how many games you may have watched on TV nothing prepares you for the first time you see top class footballers in the flesh.  First thing that strikes you is how small the players are (you somehow expect your heroes to be huge) and how quick the fuckers can move, they seem to be able to defy the laws of physics with their sheer pace, allied to their speed of thought, somehow being able to ignore where the ball is and instead focusing on where the ball will eventually be.  You don't get a feeling for these almost poetic processes from television.

I envy all you Gooners in Asia, being able to encounter these marvellous experiences for the first time, being able to feel that indefinable connection to our great club, and by extension the players connection to you.

Sadly I don't get over to London for many games these days, but rest assured next time I'm in the pub watching one of our games, I'll raise a glass, and toast the unbreakable connection we have from the far side of the world.

A Footballer does/doesn't do Something! (Remixed)

I have a confession to make, I absolutely hate Summer.  The shit weather, the kids are bored and want money all the time, telly is crap (full of repeats because the TV companies think we'll all be out in the shit weather), tennis, golf, formula 1 (unless they get shit weather) and of course the lack of football.

Ok theres the womens world cup, I don't care, the Copa America , I don't care and why are they all running so fast! In fairness I've only watched 3 games and 2 of them involved Argentina, but at this rate I'm glad no Arsenal players are involved in the competition because the intensity is such that I'd expect them to be out injured for about 7 years. Slow down lads ye'll hurt yereselves.

One tournament I must mention is the U17 World Cup taking place in Mexico and anyone who watched the semi final between the hosts and Germany will know what I'm talking about, what a game. The passion, skill and will to win of these young players is truly awe inspiring. Particularly the Mexican defender Julio Gomez who scored Mexico's opener, then was involved in a terrible clash of heads in Mexico's equalizer, which would have normally resulted in a trip straight to the hospital, but because they had used all their substitutes saw him rejoin the fray with about 5 kilos of bandages swathed about his head, to pop up in the 90th minute with a bicycle kick to score the winner. Truly Roy of the Rovers stuff and hats off to the young man.

It promises to be a great final between the hosts and Uruguay on Sunday night and will be streamed live on FIFA.com.

Anyway on to matters Arsenal and what a summer of non-events, speculation and outright lies. Bookies creating mischief making us odds on to sell/buy player X/Y, I'm totally sick of it all at this stage. The (hopefully) incumbent Gervinho has had so many medicals he must feel like he's been kidnapped by aliens. And he still hasn't officially signed. Don't they realize what they are doing to us, some one Arsene, players just make a statement.

Why do Footballers need such long holidays? Surely two weeks should do them, it does everybody else. Think of it a 2 week break, a 2 week transfer window, bliss.

But what bugs me most about Summer is the amount of Football stories in the media, they don't write half as much when the Football is actually on. And who are these 'sources' I keep reading about, do they only work in the Summer?

> Erm.... Hello!

> Hello, this is a journalist bloke from the newspapers, you know, I wonder can you tell me whats going on?

> Look I only cut the grass everybodys on holidays.

> Aw c'mon give me something mate.

> Fabregas?

> Thats old news everyones got that, what about Nasri?

> What about him?

> Is he happy in the team, are the team happy with him?

> Well they all seem pretty united to me.

> Do you think he wants out?

> Look I only cut the grass, I dont know anything, I've told you 20 million times!

> Right...Nasri...United....20 million..cheers mate!!