Only way up.

Some good news this morning for the fans. The club announced yesterday that the Gold Level season ticket prices would be frozen and there would be no change for the next season. Obviously that's understandable that the club wants to award their most loyal supporters, who have supported the club through highs and lows. That is 35,000 tickets at gold level. The Arsenal CEO, Ivan Gazidis, explained,

We understand the pressure fans are under in the current economic climate and hope this will go some way to helping them. Our season-ticket holders are the heart of our Club and we are recognising their loyalty by holding their ticket prices for next season. This is the fourth year out of six that we have held season-ticket prices flat against continuing pressure to keep pace with rising operational and player costs.

However, the club level season tickets, which are available to 7,000 supporters and are different to GA season tickets as they cover all first-team home fixtures, will go up by an average of two per cent. The General Admission match ticket prices are yet to be announced.

If you are someone who feeds on rumors and gossips, here's a good one for you. The Telegraph had a news mentioning,

"The club’s owner, Stan Kroenke, would be willing to make new funds, described as between “£50 million and £100 million”, available."

Hmmm, now that could mean £51 million and £99 million. Now we can go and buy all the Goetze's and Hazard's and maybe throw in a Ferrari to each one of them as a welcome gift! Well it's something that warms your heart and sounds too good to be true. Personally I suggest, laying off such rumors till the summer business actually happens. Even if that kind of money is available, will we actually use it? I mean, there have been rumors in the past that Wenger has been sitting on a treasure chest and still went for cheap buys, but there were also those who suggested that maybe Wenger is not allowed that kind of money. Sometime back, Wenger had stated that he is a fan of Neymar and he could have gone for him, IF he had the resources. You can take that in your own way.

Right now the focus turns to Sunday's derby and we will have to deal with that with whatever resources we have available. I cannot stress enough the importance of this match, or for that matter, any further matches this season. Whoever Arsene thinks decides physically and mentally fit enough to play, they'll have to bring out their best, and I certainly hope that the Sunderland match performance, where they gave "everything in their legs", is not their best, they'll have to do the job. Be it RVP or be it Arshavin, that is if Arsene deems him good enough to start the game.

TH14, who returned to MLS last week to prepare for the new season, has expressed his support for the club,

For years we have been used to being on top of Tottenham, by a mile, and now it is the opposite. But this is the derby, which you don't want to lose, and we need those three points massively. Hopefully it will be the derby that can spark the players, the fans, everybody at Arsenal Football Club. We'll see.

I just wish there would have been more like him with the team, to let the current crop of players know what it is like to play for the club and what a derby against the annoying neighbours means. Sure he would have done a lot of talking and inspirational activities during his loan period the last 6 weeks, but the rest is in the hands of the team right now. TH14 can go on an on with all the stories about Arsenal's successes in the past, but the present and future has to be handled by these guys. Nobody expects them to play like him, but they can at least come together as a team and play as a team, something which has been lacking in the recent performances.

There will be team news ahead of the match, and apparently no one looks to be critical enough to lose the match, except for Chamakh who hurt his toe during the Reserves match against Norwich. Now, that is a big blow!! Hope everyone stays healthy before the game. Still no news on Kos, more will be confirmed by tomorrow I guess. But without him, the defense sounds too light weight, even with TV in it.

Keeping it short today,...where's all the news!!??