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The Librarian has searched out some of the best Arsenal related content on the web to save you the time and trouble of searching for it yourself. If you stumble across an article which you think would be of interest to other visitors to the Online Gooner site, then email the details to us and we'll include the best submissions here. You will also find links to some of our favourite Arsenal sites here .
There's really only one place to start this month and that's with Mr Sh*t For Brains - Cashley Hole. Honestly, whoever is advising this guy (and somebody must be because he clearly can't think for himself) is not doing him any favours whatsoever. There's been plenty written about the transfer and the book in the papers, so you've probably had more than your fill of that - I know I have - so I thought I'd point you towards something different: A Fan's Defence which is a long but heartfelt piece on the Arsenal World site.
There's been plenty of debate in the pubs around Ashburton Grove and presumably Stamford Bridge about who got the better end of the deal which took Cole to Chelski and brought Gallas and £5m to Arsenal. If you're in any doubt, then I'd suggest you have a look at this piece which appeared in The Times as even though it's perhaps a tad rose-tinted, it's sure to bring a smile to your face.
And how do our friends who inhabit Stamford Bridge (or not judging by the empty seats at their first home Champions League tie of the season) feel about the comings and goings? Most are not afraid to admit that the loss of Gallas is a blow and thankfully there are even a few who are beginning to find their Club's attitude more than a little distasteful. If you don't believe me, take a look at this piece from CFC Net , which describes itself as "the only credible alternative website". It's actually quite refreshing.
However, before you get too carried away, this piece from The Observer by Amy Lawrence (who is a Gooner through and through) provides some sobering observations on what she describes as Chelsea's "whatever" money; money which no other Club on the planet could afford to spend, let alone lose and yet money which is frittered away so casually as to be quite disturbing. The only thing which Amy got wrong in this article which was written in mid-August, is that they eventually allowed William Gallas to leave, although I wonder whether they would have been so accommodating if he hadn't been a catalyst which ensured they got Cashley.
I promise to get off the subject of Chelsea soon, but not before I draw your attention to another piece from The Observer , but this time from their business section. John Simmonds is an Arsenal fan who recently published a book on the Arsenal brand - copies of which are available in a competition on this very website; click on "Up 4 Grabs" to take part - and here he discusses how Chelsea are battling us for the brand rights to "own London". The good news is that they aren't having it all their own way.
OK, that's enough about the enemy, let's concentrate on Arsenal. I think most of us expect Gallas to be utilised in central defence once Gael Clichy returns to fitness and takes the left-back spot, but where will that leave Johan Djourou, who has been excellent in the opening weeks of the season? I'd have liked to point you to an interview with our young Swiss defender which appeared in The Independent recently, but unfortunately they restrict free access to articles published within the last week, so unless you have a Portfolio subscription or are willing to stump up a quid, you'll have to make do with this tribute to his central defensive partner, Kolo Toure, on Arsenal Mania . The article describes him as the anti-thesis of Ashley Cole and you could certainly never imagine Kolo acting in as disrespectful a manner as Cole did.
When you consider the problems we've had with English players over the last few years - Pennant, Jeffers, Campbell , Cole - it's not altogether surprising that Wenger appears to prefer to invest in players from abroad. This article on the ITV Sport website also discusses the prohibitive cost of English players and compares the transfer of Michael Carrick to Manchester United with Arsene's purchase of Tomas Rosicky for less than half the price. Advantage Wenger I think!
Of course, there's always an exception which proves the rule and from what we've seen of him so far this season, Theo Walcott looks well set to be Wenger's first really successful English signing. He certainly comes across well in this interview in The Times where he talks about his surprise at being included in England 's World Cup squad, his aims for the next five years - "trophies" - and his new car, a VW Golf! Not your stereotypical England international. thank goodness.
With Theo's pace you'd certainly expect him to be able to take full advantage of the wide open spaces at Ashburton Grove. Except is the pitch in the new stadium really that much bigger than we were used to at Highbury? If you've read the matchday programme you will probably think you already know that it is, but the answer can be found in this article on the Square Football site - be prepared to be surprised!
Finally, we couldn't complete September's selection without including a couple of the many pieces which have paid tribute to Arsene Wenger's ten years in charge. First there's a piece by Jon Brodkin in The Guardian in which he perhaps reveals the secret of his success - "the only thing which is interesting to me is the future" - but disappointingly he rules out the possibility of being around for another ten years. In the latest issue of The Gooner which marks the anniversary, Stuart Preston writes about the impact the great man has had on football in this country and Arsenal in particular. Great Gooner minds obviously think alike because this piece by Amy Lawrence in The Observer recalls some of the lessons English football has been taught by the Frenchman.
That's all for this month. Thanks to Brian Dawes, Peter Cramb and Stewart Wood for their recommendations over the past few weeks. I'll be back with another selection at the start of November, so if you see anything you think is worthy of our attention, please get in touch by email .
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