Thierry Henry's new strike partner?

Just returned from 'up North', after downing some lamb steaks on a balcony overlooking the Med. Not so much sun around today, even though it's now officially summer time, but still T-shirt weather. Nice work if you can get it...

Of course, I've just checked today's results and am smiling at Arsenal's demolition of Norwich. A nice threesome from TH14, who seems to have decided that short-sleeves aren't so important after all...then again, those rash comments of his may have been due to the influence of the moon and yesterday's calendar.

I was, of course, mortified at Manure's goalless draw at home to Blackburn. I guess that puts Arsenal back into second place and in control of that crucial automatic qualifying spot for next year's Champs League, right? The thought of coming up against teams like Krakow Estonia or Liddlzch Vienna in the qualifying rounds doesn't bear thinking about...

I can't believe I'm the only blogger who has got wind of this...apparently Thierry Henry was having an off-the-record chat with some French journalists here in Tel Aviv and inadvertently revealed that his Arsenal contract states that he can leave Highbury if Arsenal fail to win a trophy in any one season, for FREE! He even commented on the "boring London food" and grey, drizzly weather and is apparently looking for a club where he can play in short sleeves most of the season. Not like you're waving your hands in the direction of Real Madrid/Barcelona then, eh Thierry?

Perhaps this image of TH14 reeling away after netting yet another goal is soon to be a thing of the past...? I'm trawling the Web but as yet haven't found anything in English. I know there's going to be some serious ins and outs at Highbury this summer, but this smells like serious feckin' trouble...

So what. So Henry never made it onto the pitch during last night's game against Israel. Well, technically he did because at one point he did go for a trot round the pitch and did look like he was going to come on, but in the end, he just sat on the bench. Looking pretty gormless, it has to be said. In the end, Arsenal's sole representative on the pitch was Paddy Vieira, and what a shite performance, pretty much his average Arsenal game...

The game itself was OK. I think this was the first time I ever got into watching the Israel national side and was willing them on, especially those last few minutes when they really deserved to win the game. Even came away with a bitter taste in my mouth, because this was a missed opportunity. It's all too tight at the top of their group now, and with away games at Ireland and Switzerland to come, you have to say that Israel's chances look slim. Still, their two games this week has given the side some fresh hope and the whole nation is getting hyper; as an example, the channel that showed the two games has broken all its previous ratings records.

And summer time officially kicks in here tonight, though the last couple of days were obviously unaware that they were supposed to be drenching us in rain. That means the beaches will be officially opened soon, but the news of a five meter shark (5 feckin' meters!) being found off the coast of Ashdod (a few miles down the road from Tel Aviv) is hardly tempting me back in the water to resurrect my surfing career...

A certain TH14 hits the pitch in Israel's national stadium tonight, with a few Israeli gooners probably torn between their admiration for him and their home nation...Not often does one of the world's greatest footballers get to grace the green (well, fairly green) turf in Ramat Gan. Big news here, and I'm already dreading the traffic on the way home from work.

Just before the match we get to sign contracts with our future tenant. Would you rent your house to someone, who, upon hearing my name, says: "Wow, do you remember that band from the 80's, Dashby and Simpson (he meant Ashford and Simpson), who sang 'Solid...solid as a rock..'?" and then bursts into song...I was worried he was going to step up onto our table and give it his all. Even the dog raised one of his ginger eyebrows. Twat.