Morning.
It is day 143 of the rains. Although barely a month of the new year has passed, it has been raining in Ireland for almost 17 weeks in 2026. At least that’s how it feels. I can’t remember the last time the sun came out. 50 shades of grey is no longer some kind of smutty book, but the reality in which we exist. If this keeps up, there will be new shades that even a fancy paint shop hasn’t come up with yet. Not your Dulux or Crown or any of that nonsense, but the ones who call themselves something like ‘Garter and Farthing’ or something like that.
“If sir is looking to find a paint for his sitting room that matches the sky outside, may I suggest ‘Profound Stone’, ‘Incessant Ash’, or ‘Livid charcoal’? Perhaps if you’re feeling really daring, you might consider a new range, inspired by the Irish winter of 2026, ‘Dublin Lead’, or a new favourite ‘Murderous Obsidian’.”
I’m looking forward to some idiot YouTube channel from some twat who supports another twat team finding a way to make this Mikel Arteta’s fault because Arsenal score too many goals from set-pieces or something. I accept there’s nothing I can do about the weather, beyond upping sticks and moving to another country where it’s not as crap, but that seems like an awful lot of hassle.
I’ve moved house enough in my life, and I’ve sworn never to do it again unless I win a billion pounds and can pay somebody to do it all for me. Like all of it. I just need to turn up at the new gaff and it’s all ready to my exact specifications. Still, there’s as much chance of that happening as Marc Guehi playing in the Carabao Cup final. So, I will endure the rains and at some point it has to stop. It has to stop, right? Right?!
Later today, we’ll hear from Mikel Arteta ahead of our game against Sunderland tomorrow. There was no sign of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard or Jurrien Timber in training yesterday, so we’ll await whatever kind of update he’s minded to give us with regards those three, but suffice to say we have options for all of them should they not be involved.
I’m gonna guess that one of the questions he’s asked today is about Liam Rosenior’s reaction to the Arsenal warm-up the other night. The Chelsea head coach was ‘caught’ on camera expressing his displeasure at what he considered some encroachment into their half of the pitch, and subsequently explained his thinking in a press conference. I mean, this is complete storm in a teacup stuff (oh god, it’s even raining in the crockery now!), but in the absence of anything other than Arsenal being very good, I’m sure this will come up. Especially as, if anyone has ever watched a warm-up, they’ll note that halfway isn’t some kind of Berlin wall checkpoint, and that players/coaches on both sides frequently operate either side without anyone making a big deal out of it.
If you were a person perhaps a bit predisposed to cynicism, you might look at the fact Rosenior knew the cameras were there and, rather than ask a member of his own staff to have a quiet word, or simply ignore it, he did it such a way that it would become a very public thing. Am I that kind of person? Maybe the rain is driving me to it, but he does seem like the sort of guy who would hang a giant portrait of himself in his toilet (although not a portrait of his first touch the other night), and cite Brendan Rogers as an inspiration. If it does come up, expect Arteta to play it with a very straight bat as always, and we’ll bring you all the actual stories on Arseblog News later.
For a bit of extra reading this morning, here’s Tim on the ‘anxiety’ of this season, and the title race. I have to say, one of the most interesting aspects of all of it is the fact that it wasn’t long ago that this is exactly what we wanted. If you bemoan a lack of quality or a lack of ambition that sees your team fall below the high standards you expect, then the stresses that we’re experiencing now are a direct consequence of being good again. Isn’t it better to have something to play for than not?
I think it is. You can’t have good without evil. There is no light without darkness. There is no dry without wet. There is no sunshine without rain. That’s a lie. There is no sunshine. There is only rain. Endless, never-ending, non-stop, miserable rain. Rain rain rain rain rain.
Argh.
I’m off to paint my kitchen ‘Demonic Slate‘. Join us later for a Sunderland preview podcast on Patreon, for now, have a great Friday!
