Pah! There’s not so much to talk about this morning (feels like the close season, that’s how little’s going on), but sitting in front of my trusty beige steed as I am, twiddling the old thumbs, I thought I’d put finger to keyboard anyway.

Well, the latest in the Bob Pires saga is that the World Cup Winning Midfielder (to use his pedigree name) is still mulling over his year’s deal. He does a lot of mulling, doesn’t he? A right muller, I’d say. Anyway, he clearly would like to stay, but on different terms. This much we know already. I’d also like him to stay as an elder statesman (he’s 33), and I think it’s finally dawning on him that, if he does, he’s not going to be number one choice. With Freddie still going strong, Reyes now settled on the wing, the incredible blossoming of Hleb and the promise of Walcott, he has to accept that the status quo has changed. If he does accept this, then I suspect he might stay, with the one extra year on offer. If he wants to play every single game, then he will not. Impressive logic, no?

And finally (and this next bit proves it’s a slow news day), has anyone else been following this unholy row that has blown up about, of all things, coaches? Apparently, Arsenal had planned to park all matchday coaches in the car park beneath the new ground, but someone thought it was a terrorist threat, so stopped them. Not cars mind you – they’re OK. Anyway, it’s left Arsenal scrabbling about for a solution, and the denizens of the locale are, not surprisingly, not overly happy with the compromises the club is coming up with. More on it here.