Arsenal Roundup, With Apologies to u75

It's got a soccer ball, he's resting, and he's a cute pup. Don't judge me.

As the title says, my apologies to our own u75, as this is an Arsenal-only, non-clothing-related version of GBWTF. A bit of filler, admittedly, to get us to the afternoon, as today’s offerings seem a little light. Maybe the footballing world is resting up for the excitement of watching Maccabi Haifa v. Juventus?

First, the good news: It appears that Stan Kroenke is inching ever closer to a takeover bid for Arsenal FC. After having purchased another 427 shares at a price of almost $6 million, Kroenke now owns a 29.6% stake in the club, which is just .3% away from triggering the automatic takeover bid. While the Arsenal Supporter’s Trust do not believe that a takeover bid is necessary, it would appear that chairman Peter Hill-Wood is amenable to an effort from the American. Certainly he, the AST, and all of the Gooners here at UF would prefer Kroenke to the fat Uzbek, who is the second largest shareholder with 25.4%.

Now, the bad news: Gael Clichy will be out for at least a few weeks with a stress fracture in his back. Given my massive man-crush on the left-back, Precious Roy rightly noted “Someone get NYK away from all ledges” (luckily my office is on the first floor; and I don’t even know if the windows can be opened). It is unknown yet if this injury is the same as, or related to, the difficulties with his back that plagued Clichy near the end of July, but this latest setback will mean more pressure on young Kieran Gibbs. Ironically, this will give Gibbs just the opportunity that he wanted, as he recently stated that he did not feel he should not be considered for the England national team until he had proven himself in Arsenal’s first team matches.

And now, the WTF: Ollie over at Who Ate All the Pies? wonders why Arsenal has the greatest collection of bloggers, yet he fails to mention us. Alright, we’re not Arsenal-specific here, but with myself, u75, Ian, Precious Roy and spectator all Gunners, people have definitely argued that we spend a little too much time and space on the London boys. Just kidding, Ollie! We know you would have had us on the list if we were Arsenal-only.