Usmanov buys more Arsenal shares
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7017710.stm
Will the government lie on it's hands again, it's starting to look pretty grim for the Arse.

More on the automatic cup scheme from this mornings papers, first a reasonable piece in the sun,
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002390000-2007450130,00.html
and a more eloquent version of what i was trying to say yesterday, about blooding the youngsters of the future
http://www.imusa.org/newsarticle.php?id=87
There are plenty making comparisons between our youngsters and Arsenals, most a bit unfair in not recognising our superior record at youth level to Arsenal or anybody else for that matter. Who won the under 19 cup in Malaysia against the best young players in the world at that level. Our problem seems to be getting young players to make the big step up to the first team. One of the big factors, i think, is the amount of very average buys we made three or four years ago that deprived first team opportunities to our youngsters. The likes of Bellion, Kleberson and Djemba Djemba were no better than some of the youngsters on the books, but because of the wages they were on, and the reputations of those who bought them, they were always preferred. It's maybe true that none of the youngsters would have made the grade, but from what i saw , some of them had as much chance as the aforementioned players. I still can't get my head around the fact that we sold Rossi, who we had schooled through the youth and reserve teams, and all who watched him and a lot of people at the club thought was at the very least going to be a good squad player. And then we go and buy someone on loan, who presumably will earn a lot more than Rossi would have, who to my eyes is not only a player we don't really need, but i don't think is that much a better player, if he is even better at all.
It is all very well saying they will get their chance, but if that is the only chance Pique and Evans get for the first half of this season, then then that is four months of their career wasted. And in the case of Pique, if he doesn't start figuring in first team games, i would imagine he will end up wanting to jump ship like Rossi has. It sounds to me like Rossi didn't believe Ferguson when he told him he would get a certain amount of games this season, and that is why he got his move. It looks like he is bedding down now at Villareal and has started to score the goals we knew he was capable of.


It's all in the stars: what the brave Burmese people are fighting
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article2547120.ece
It's a mad, mad,mad world.