Everton in next round, Ade out for three weeks

Not a terribly interesting morning Arse-wise.

We've drawn this weekend's Premiership opponents, Everton, away in the next round of the League cup, which is a shame as I was really hoping for a home tie so I could get along to the Grove and see the kids in action. We'll just have to hope they pull a repeat performance of their demolition of Everton in the same competition a couple of years ago and for a home draw in the next round.

Official injury update on Manu Adebayor is that it's a groin strain and that he's likely to be out for a minimum of three weeks, and with YTW already publicly assigned to the wings by Arsene it looks like RvP will have a regular spot up front with Thierry and Aliadiere will get an opportunity to impress from the bench.

I have to say that I've always been impressed with Aliadiere's attitude. He's been at the club five odd years, has never made the breakthrough whilst being severely hampered by pretty much every injury under the sun, he's been willing to go out on loan wherever Wenger's told him to and he's still determined to make it at Arsenal. Apparently his approach to training is top notch and it could well be his attitude, as well as his undoubted but as yet unrealised potential, that has persuaded Arsene to keep him onboard when most youth players who haven't made the step up by 21 are shown the door. I hope he does prove himself this season, as next season it's likely that both Bendtner and Lupoli will be back and gunning for that fourth striker spot.

The Online Gooner is following up on a REDaction initiative to delegate a song to be sung at the Arsenal before games to get the crowd going and build up the team. He's suggested "The Green Green Grass of Home". Now, I applaud the sentiment but this really isn't the way that this works, and to me it sounds like trying to create history where you have none. It's the sort of thing that Chelsea would do. You cannot create history. The reason that "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Bubbles" and the like are embrace by the fans is that they happened organically, and gradually established themselves as staples of the match day experience. You cannot enforce a crowd favourite, it just doesn't work that way. The Arsenal crowd is so good at coming up with chants (my current favourite is "Chim-chimery chim-chimery chim chim, cheroo. Who needs Sol Campbell when we've got Djourou?") we don't need to resort to Chelski-type history building in the singing department, although if a few more fans would actually join in on the singing, that'd be grand.

Speaking of the Online Gooner, they've found someone who's "come into some seats from Highbury", you know, the ones the club couldn't seel to the fans because of the traces of asbestos which, whilst not at harmful levels, stopped the club selling them due to environmental and health and safety restrictions. Quite why we were allowed to keep these seats at Highbury in the first place is a good question. Decidedly dodgy.