Does Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas Now Have a Get Out Clause?

Monday, 01 March 10

It's Monday morning and Arsenal will wake up today to find themselves in third place in the league with 10 games to go and an apparently easier run in than either Manure or Chelsea.

We are only three points behind Chelsea and two behind Manure. With Chelsea paying a visit to Old Trafford before the season is over the chances are that we will improve on that position.

After the events of Saturday the only satisfactory outcome for Arsenal is to win the league and show every other team in the Premier league that we will not be intimidated.

The injury suffered by Aaron Ramsey was absolutely horrific and the fact that he was the third Arsenal player in five years to suffer an injury like that just cannot be a coincidence.

I went to the pub last night and spent half an hour arguing with a Manure fan about the merits of Arsenal's title credentials. He said that as we had an easier run in we would not be worthy league champions. But, in his stupidity, he forgot that we had already played all of our supposed harder games.

He continued to counter my argument that Ronaldo was the biggest diver in Premier League history by saying that Eboue dived too. I have no doubt that Eboue dived at times, much to our frustration, but to consider him equal to the all time record diver in the history of the Premier League is a joke.

I was then treated his comments that Pires was a diver too and he still thought that Rooney was an honest player who didn't dive, forgetting the dive by Rooney that ended our 49 game unbeaten run.

However, I expected no more from a Manure fan who thought that Gary Neville was a legend. I have always hated him since the time I saw him run Ian Wright into the back of the net at an Arsenal corner and make to the referee like nothing had happened.

When I mentioned Wright's appalling treatment of JAR at Old trafford a few years ago I was told that "Arsenal don't like it up 'em" or something equally neantradhal. Never mind the fact that it took five certain yellow card offences by him before the referee actually gave him a yellow card and that it ruined Reye's Arsenal career.

When you're a myopic Manure fan it's a case of "see no evil, hear no evil." However, I think this season it will be "see no league title, hear no league title" as Arsenal will win our first trophy in five years.

The boss has come in for some criticism after his post match comments about the treatment of Arsenal players by opponents. What he said is basically true that managers send their teams out to rough up Arsenal and that if we kick anybody back we are perceived as being the culprits.

Take the challenge by Gallas, for example, that led to one of our goals against Bolton at the Emirates. Judging by the reaction to what was a slightly mistimed tackle by Gallas you would think that we won that game only by cheating.

Nobody was queueing up to defend Gallas like they were for Shawcross and we were told at the time by the so called experts that it was a red card offence, while the leg breaker by Shawcross apparently was not.

The sheer hypocrisy of it all makes me sick. 

Where Arsenal goes from here is the biggest question of all and I sincerely hope that Saturday's events can galvanise the team and make them determined to win the league for Aaron Ramsey.

The disturbing thing for me was the interview with Cesc after the game when he spoke of the fact that Arsenal are targeted by opponents and it is tolerated in England, but it wouldn't be tolerated elsewhere.

A fellow Wicklow Gooner asked me after that interview if I thought that his comment was his escape clause this summer and I honestly didn't know if it was or not. I really hope he stays for a few more years, but if he was to leave to save himself from being targeted like that I wouldn't blame him.

Nobody wants to get their leg broken in the name of football and a player like Cesc deserves more protection than he gets at present.

That's it for today.

Here's Rambo's goal against West Ham in the FA Cup in January.

See You Tomorrow.