Well, I have to say I'm very relieved as there is word getting out that Gallas has been stripped of the captaincy and early reports are saying that he's not even in the squad for Citeh this weekend. Good. The tantrum at St Andrews was the first sign and it's been getting worse and worse ever since. It started to affect his form and all I'll say is that even Senderos makes less mistakes when he's given a run in the first team. 'Capi's' remarks have left Wenger with no choice and I'm sure Wenger must have seen this coming for a few months now. Here was me thinking that Wenger's hubris was getting the better of him but at least finally he's seen sense. Maybe now he'll be forced to get off his backside and get the chequebook out in January.

But I digress. I'm not writing to whine about Gallas, January's still a few weeks away and until then the boys need to take it one game at a time. And this weekend it's Man City away. The boys have to regroup and focus on the game ahead this afternoon. Word is that Gavin Hoyte could be starting at right-back tomorrow and facing the likes of Socialist Workers Party and Robinho will represent a big test for the young man. I remember his elder brother was drafted in for Cygan at the last minute for his starting debut and did ok, even if he now plays elsewhere (shame really, as he seemed to genuinely love the club and he wasn't the worst defender to play for Arsenal). The signs in the Carling Cup have been promising for the younger Hoyte and I'm sure he's aware of how big a day tomorrow is for him.

But then it's a big day for everyone tomorrow but as Gooners, we have been in these circumstances before. The chips are heavily stacked against us, Citeh will fancy their chances and the media are having a field day, rolling around in the club's situation like pigs in Devonshire's finest mud. They'll be predicting a City win, we haven't got a chance, blah, blah, blah. In other words, we're being written off, which is a good thing. If anything, the pressure is off the squad tomorrow, which could be seen as beneficial to the more inexperienced ones such as young Gavin tomorrow. As we all know, it is when we have been written off in the past that we have triumphed and today is no different. Now we're written off, we can and we will prove the doubters wrong. To those traveling to Eastlands, sing your hearts out as the good old days of being written off are back! To paraphrase the movie 300, 'THIS IS ARSENAL!!!'