The earlier than expected Scout Post and defensive dilemmatic deficiencies

By: Martyn | August 14th, 2008

Lo and behold, it looks as if we’ve finally made efforts to sort out the woeful scouting system inadequacies! The appointment of Roger Smith is a leap in the right direction and shows that the club is starting to realise that ambitious actions can speaker louder than phony words. Although the examples of Smith’s coups (Reyes and Baptista Finest Moments in an Arsenal Shirt DVD, anyone?) provided in the linked article made me grimace, highlighting the chap’s most famous and sensational name-on-paper spottings possibly overlooks some of his lesser tips that wouldn’t give the article as clean a sheen. Why settle for a petite and more attractive 32B figure when you can have a Zoo-endorsed 36GG chumbawamba?! Chugging and cat-calls all round!

To be frank (whom I can’t literally be save for changing my name by deed poll), this hiring is long overdue and getting someone in to help with transfer procedures is a matter I’ve venomously rattled on my keyboard about previously. I know it’s only normally paedophiles who get this excited over scouts (oof, too risqué? Private Eye probably isn’t for you in that case!) but a man with Smith’s pedigree, experience and reputation joining our staff is not to be scoffed at. Naturally, I still fully conclude that a Sporting Director is much-required, but this is a start and one would sincerely hope the shape of things to come. Maybe the rebuilding and overhaul of the infrastructure that Keith Harris is supposedly on board to undertake has defied the signal failures and leaves on the track to get underway. Keep rolling that snowball and it’ll get bigger and more powerful!

Dear Glenn,

Thank you for the memories, performances and goals (Reading OG aside).

Best of luck.

Love Martyn

The world may be blessed with the likes of Glenn Close, Glenn McGrath and Glenn Quagmire, but to us City fans there’s only one Glenn worth wasting your breath on and that’s Sir Loovens! However, it now seems inevitable that the housewives favourite is all set to depart, leaving us with a defensive conundrum that’ll involve beard-scratching of ZZ-Top-style proportions. With little over a fortnight until the transfer window is slammed shut (watch your fingers), Loovens upping-sticks would leave us with the following central defence options to partner stalwart Roger Johnson:

- Darren Purse
- Darren Dennehy
- Riccardo Scimeca

When you take into the account that Purse is prone to more errors than the George W Bush administration, Dennehy is an untried youngster not even considered worthy for Carling Cup duty just yet, and Scimeca often provides the fulcrum of our midfield attack, the saliva drops down my throat in one loud and ostentatious gulping motion. Darren Purse will get the nod in Loovens immediate absence, but this is not ideal, practical or likely for the long-term.

The main piggy-bank emptying transfer question is thus set to become highly interesting and stress-inducing: Not blue or red pill, but centre-back or striker? Although both are fundamental purchases, the former would have to take optimum essentialness for me. You just can’t receive enough compensation to replace a solid defence. 8 Fingers crossed the club gets signing a replacement right, but 10 toes crossed that Glenn has a change of heart and decides to stay!