Arsenal Lose Vermaelen Appeal, but William Gallas Is Closer To Staying

Much to everybody's surprise, the FA decided in its infinite wisdom that Vermaelen's red card should stand and dismissed our appeal. That decision means that he won't be playing at Birmingham in the league this weekend, and with the boss already stating that Campbell would more than likely be rested in the same game, it leaves us with very limited options in the centre of our defence.

My biggest fear was that the FA would decide to add an extra game to the one game ban he already received for making a frivolous appeal, but apparently that can only happen when the ban is for violent conduct. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case as the boss would surely not have risked adding another game to the ban knowing what a bunch of idiots the FA is and how unlikely it was to uphold our appeal.

If Campbell is rested on Saturday, it will leave Song and Silvestre as the most likely central defensive partnership although there has been some suggestion that Sagna could play there as well. At 5'9.5" Sagna isn't exactly very tall for a central defender but he does have a lot more pace than Silvestre, and I for one would prefer to see him in the team at centre back than to see Silvestre play.

It would of course be an awful slight to Silvestre, and it would show that the boss does not consider him up to the job if he were to play a defensive midfielder and a right back in the centre of defence ahead of him. Only the boss knows exactly what the solution to the problem is, and I'm sure he will think long and hard before picking the team on Saturday.

Whatever team he picks, I'm sure he is only too aware that this game is now the most important game so far in the league this season. At the moment every league game is the most important game of the season so far as we look to emulate the title-winning team of 2002 in winning our last 13 games in a row to win our fourth league crown under Arsene Wenger. It won't be easy, but with the first six wins already under our belts, it's getting closer and closer.

Arshavin had a few things to say yesterday during a Q and A session at the club. and the main one was that he said he felt under more pressure in Russia than he does at Arsenal. He said he doesn't really think about his price tag despite being Arsenal's record signing, but he does feel that he has to give everything back in his play.

I won't criticise him too much here, but I know quite a few people who are wholly unimpressed with his contribution in the majority of games this season. He does look very lazy at times and almost uninterested, too, but he has managed 11 goals in all competitions so far this season and he has quite often been asked to play in an unfamiliar lone strikers role. 

Personally, I'm not too sure what the best position on the team is for him. Maybe it's playing in the hole behind a striker, but we don't really have room for that position in our current formation. It's a position that Nasri would like to play in too I'm sure, and Diaby for that matter but with Cesc playing in midfield he looks to push into that space that might be taken by a traditional No. 10.

It has led to Cesc scoring 18 goals so far this season while still being able to run the midfield as well, and with him being the star of the show it's a system that won't be changing as long as Cesc stays at the club. I'm not looking to change it either as Cesc is our best and my favourite player, and I hope he stays with us for a very long time.

In other news today it is rumoured that Gallas is ready to sign a new contract with the club after showdown talks between the club and his agent. The rumour is that he will sign for one season as is the usual offer for a player over 30, but he will have the option of another year if he plays enough games next season.

That sounds like a reasonable compromise to me and I hope it's true and we do get to keep him for another two seasons. The report I read was in the Mirror and on the BBC, but both of them showed very shoddy journalism by describing him as our captain. He lost that title a year and a half ago, and you would think professional journalists might know facts like that.

Finally for today, our ladies team have been accepted as one of the eight teams to take part in the new FA Women's Super League. The other teams are Birmingham, Bristol, Chelsea, Doncaster, Everton, Lincoln, and Liverpool, and it's hoped that the league will help to develop the ladies game in England and drive it forward. It is hoped that the Super league will help the players earn a good living, and with 1.1 million girls playing football in England they certainly have the potential to do just that. I hope that it works out well for them, and who knows maybe another team besides Arsenal can win a trophy for a change.

Finally, finally for today I heard a rumour that Gallas has made very good progress and is a possible starter against Barcelona next week. I don't know what truth is in it, but it would be great news and it might mean that Campbell could play against Birmingham on Saturday. He's due back at the club today as far as I know so we will see if there are any further developments then.

Here's a video that looks like it comes from the time that the FA operate in. It's a Harry Enfield sketch featuring 1930s Arsenal against Liverpool from 1991 and it's hilarious.

See you tomorrow.