3 Points to the Arsenal

Arsenal took 3 more points and a giant step toward topping the group with a nice win over Porto at the Emirates. Thierry Henry scored his second header in as many games, that goal also being his 50th in European competition. Here's to 51. Alexander Hleb also stuck the onion in the bag with a long-range shot making the game a 2-Nil victory on the papers, but a massive morale boost in the heads of the lads. Elsewhere, but still Arsenal-centric, the FA passed down a nine-month immediate ban with a further nine-month suspended ban for Jonathan Barnett, the cheeky bastard agent that authored the move of Ashley Cole from Arsenal to Chelsea. I maintain, though, that Arsenal got the better end of that deal by acquiring William Gallas and £5 million. Although, sadly, it appears that Gallas is out having suffered an injury in the Porto game last evening. Apparently, a hamstring injury that looks serious enough that Arsene is a bit worried. Fine way to spend your 10th anniversary with the club, eh? Oh, and what do you know, but I finally agree with something that that banausic, greedy, self-effacing head of FIFA, Sepp Blatter said. He wants to get rid of penalties as a deciding factor in World Cup finals. I can't agree more. In fact, I've always considered a game in any competition ending in penalties or "sudden death" to be a "tragedy" (that's Blatter's word, too). In the case of penalties, it reduces a team-game to a one-on-one situation; there's no call for that. In the "golden goal" or "sudden death" game, one stroke of good, or bad luck can destroy the dreams of millions with no hope of recovery because all of a sudden the game is over. I hate this solution even more than penalties. Now, were I as vain or pompous as Blatter, I might think that someone was spying on me and my emails. I had a fantastic email correspondance with my father recently where he, too, was decrying the penalty system. He put forth a system wherein you would gradually reduce the number of players on a pitch over a period of time. This is exactly what Sepp Blatter is proposing. Blatter has indicated that serious discussion will begin very soon and that a solution will be in place in time for the South African games in 2004. Let's hope so, because once again, the current system of deciding a game on penalties is a "tragedy" and cant' be allowed to continue. Spelunkers unite! That's it for now, kids. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Moses (Live) by Coldplay)