The joy of being a fan in Canada

The 2007-08 Premiership season is fast approaching. This would be far more exciting if I could actually look forward to seeing my beloved Gunners in action. Unfortunately at this point it appears that exactly one Arsenal game will be shown on any station that I can get. After last season when six EPL games per week were shown (3 games live Saturday morning on Sportsnet, 1 tape-delayed Saturday afternoon of FSWC, 1 live Sunday morning on the Score and 1 mid-week on FSWC) we are down to the one Sunday game per week on the Score. Just three months to go until Arsenal plays Liverpool on Oct. 28.

Basically Sportsnet's rights ended after last season and they found themselves actually needing to compete for what was formerly low value programming. The Score won the full EPL rights for the next three (?) years and has now sold off most of the games to Setanta Sports. Setanta of course is a new channel which claims it will start broadcasting prior to the EPL season beginning (which is doubtful), but will only be available on Rogers cable or Bell ExpressVu. So, being a condo-dwelling Western Canadian, I'm SOL unless Shaw starts carrying Setanta (which, given their history will probably happen next May when the season finishes).

Thank God (or more accurately the Chinese), I'll still have TVU, TVAnts, Sopcast, etc.

doom and gloom?

i don't think so. even without the geezers we can compete.

How The Arsenal Squad Measures Up:
Goalkeeper: Lehmann/ Fabianski
Right-Back: Sagna/Hoyte/Eboue
Left-Back: Clichy/Traore
Centre-Half: Gallas/ Djourou
Centre-Half: Toure/Senderos
Right-Midfield: Eboue/Walcott/Hleb
Centre-Midfield: Fabregas/Denilson
Centre-Midfield: Gilberto/Diaby/Flamini
Left-Midfield: Rosicky/Diaby
Striker: Van Persie/Da Silva
Striker: Adebayor/Bendtner

this one hurts

i really didn't much care when henry left. i liked henry, i loved watching him score goals from arsenal, but i have thought for the last couple of seasons (as my posts on this site will attest) that it was time for him to go.

but freddie leaving really sucks. it sucks for a couple of reasons.

the first is personal. he's been my favourite gunner since he arrived. he always plays the game with passion, even when he's playing poorly, and i loved watching him cut across that right side -- especially when he was linking up with pires or bergkamp or viera to score goals. there was always something relaxing for me when i was watching a game and i saw his bald hear or his bright red dye job. he was the comfort food of arsenal for me, and i am personally sad to see him gone (and also pissed because he once said he'd not play in england again because it would be too hard on arsenal fans, bastard).

the second reason is his experience. he was the longest serving gunner. he is sweden captain. i felt like we could have used those qualities this season. we're going to be giving a serious go at the top two this year, i am sure of it, but i think it would have been easier if we'd has ljungberg on the bench. i thought it was time for him to slip into a role more like what bergkamp held in his last few years, and i think freddie would have been good at it, and good for us.

it was not to be, clearly.

now my big question is this: what outfield player do i get excited about?

the only player left i currently love is mad jens (and how long will he last?). ah well, i am sure i will love others. c'mon eduardo & vp. make me love you. of course, i could always make it hleb. no one else likes him, so why not me?