Funds are, apparently and quite coincidentally, available in January and I don't know how to top that. Isn't it funny though, that as soon as we enter the relegation zone, funds are available?
Don't get me wrong, you wont win the Premier League without funds at the moment, but to survive in the Premier League, I'm convinced, we don't need funds. And I will happily fight my corner on this all day, because above all other things, it is football first.
The manager talks change
There’s a lot of games until we get to January but there’s one or two in our heads and every manager will tell you the same. This was never going to happen overnight. A lot of people just expected us to come in and see a real change in fortunes.
Personally, I don't think and don't know anyone else either, that thought this would happen overnight. We've seen the change in the football, the fortunes only come with hard work.
The manager talks transfers
Would I sign experienced players? It’s not something I’ll turn away from. If they have got the right attitude to go and do it, and they fit into the group, then I’d look at that. The squad needs to get bigger as well. That is important as well. That's normal. Everyone has to have competition for places.
This is nice, but I'm not a big fan and this is just a personal view, of having a system at the club that puts a lot of emphasis on developing your own players and then replacing them with players from lower league clubs, that would, at best, be considered an equal prospect.
I've written it before and I'll write it again; we have to pepper our squad with real quality, not players of equal calibre to those that we develop. The players we develop are the future of this Football Club. Players we bring in, will just as easily leave as soon as a bigger club comes in.
It's easier to hold on to your own players. We know this and you don't need to be convinced of this, but wholesale changes slows down the process. Rather, I'd like to see the players we have develop further, but that is just me.
Ron Vlaar talks Arsenal
I like Ron Vlaar. He is one of two players that the manager brought in during the summer that I think brings something to the match day squad and I know he has a responsibility to talk, but I just wish someone somewhere would stop leading him and all the other players down this path.
We can make amends against Arsenal and hopefully we will. Another game is coming soon, that’s the great thing about football. We can do a lot because we have players who can give us quality on the ball.
I know it means nothing and he isn't actually saying anything. 'We can' and 'we hope' are two things that mean nothing, so why say it? Rather, talk after the match when the three points are in the bag. If we lose against Arsenal, what is it then; we can make amends against Reading and hopefully we will?
It's a broken record, but it does nicely lead on to Arsenal and that was pretty much the point of using the quote.
Arsenal on Saturday
Arsenal visit us on Saturday and they're not having the best start to the season. They however will have a good finish and as we are going to so rightly be told over the next couple of weeks, there is plenty of time to go.
And away from home they've had mixed fortunes having won two, drawn two and lost two, most recently to Manchester United. The other team to beat them was Norwich and that offers hope.
But Norwich beat Manchester United at home too and if they can keep that form at home, they will probably stay up. But Arsenal have picked up eight points away from home, wins against Liverpool and West Ham and a point at Stoke and Manchester City.
There home form isn't much better either. They've won and drawn three, losing one. Arsenal are for the taking. But don't count on it. Arsenal are going to be very tough but I have a feeling if we go at them like we did Manchester United and we hold our nerve, we could very well hear Ron Vlaar after the game proclaiming the strength of the team.