Ivory Toast...
Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue's Ivory Coast crashed out of the African Cup of Nations last night with a 4-1 defeat by holder's Egypt. Like Ashley Cole a few weeks back, Toure had a mare that he would like to forget. Toure was at fault for a couple of the Egyptian goals. Both players will probably feature in the 3rd/4th place play off this weekend, and could be back in time for the man united FA Cup clash next weekend.

Now You're Ghana Believe Us...
Alexander Song however, will feature in the final, after his Macaroon side knocked out the hosts Ghana, Song taking the man of the match award. Macaroon Coach Otto Pfister (hehe) said: "Alex Song - the way he plays is amazing. He is a wonder..."

Matt Back...
Following this weeks round of unhelpful friendlies, Mathieu Flamini hopes to be fit for Monday's visit of Blackburn on Monday. Aside from a knock to Senderos Flamini is the only other knock benefactor, and the French midfield rock said: “It is just a little tight spot behind the right thigh. It is nothing serious, I hope I’ll be ready for Blackburn...“ The only other tenuous casualty was jens Lehmann, whose pride was hurt after a howler against Austria, he went on to do something that Ashley Cole struggles with after a few pitns... that's right readers, he kept a clean sheet... :tommycooper:

Other returnees could be Gilberto who missed the Man City win, Manuel Almunia's thumb has become untwisted, and Tomas Rosicky could also be back. Despite a return being mentioned for RVP it's now been reported that he may still be two weeks away from playing. Jeez.

DB7 - A Wanted Man...
...if you believe interflap tat like (this and) Sportingo. They reckon we might be interested in signing David Bentley for £16m because of one slightly above average performance for England in the week. They also reckon Spurs are keen to sign the moany old chav with the dodgy beard...

All Abroad...
Fancy seeing Lehmann in the Caymens, Gallas in Dallas or Hleb in Zagreb? Or Derby in Abu Dhabi, West Ham in Azerbaijan or Aston Villa in Manilla? Well, it could be your lucky day. The FA are unveiling plans to launch a 39th game in the Premiership, to be played abroad. Not for the money you understand. The idea is in its infancy apparently, lets hope it doesn't get any further or we'll be paying £2499 to watch Wenger play to kids against Fulham in Auckland...

Swap Shop...?
It's rumoured that Sir Wenger could be about to cash in his favourite Brazilian midfielder (apart from Denilson) for a swap deal with Juventus for youngster Raffaele Palladino. It's thought Gilberto wants away from the club as Sir Wenger is seeing him as a squad player and his first team status is less than guaranteed...

Pires to Return...
Sir Roberto Pires has been speaking out about his time with the Arsenal, and how he's not ruling out a return. In an in depth interview on Setanta, Pires said... quite a lot -

"I try not to live with regrets, I had to make a choice and, at that moment, it was painful to do it but I felt that I lost Arsene Wenger's confidence regarding what happened during the final. I wasn't thinking about it before but, for me, it has been the trigger. It was the Champions League final in France, in front of all the family, all the French. So, for me, it has been the signal. He had plenty of options. I don't know who I would have substituted but, for me, it was the fatal blow. Of course I discussed it with him [Wenger]. I respect like him I have always respected my coaches, but it has been difficult to experience and I knew that Villarreal wanted me and proposed for me to play in another league..."

"I hesitated. I had to think about myself first and, as I wanted to play, I opted for Villarreal. Let´s be clear, I think that if I was to return to England, I would only sign for one club. Arsenal. I know that I won't be offered a contract by Arsene Wenger. Yes, we never know but I have to remain realistic. Anyway, if I sign a contract in England, it will only be with Arsenal because of what I experienced and what the club allowed me to achieve at the highest level. For sure, being able to finish my career up here would be the ideal, but Wenger is more than a coach. He has been a little like our father. I don't know if that is going to please him but that is the reality!

"What does he bring to us? The total confidence that a player can expect to receive when he is on the pitch. It has been the case for me, most of all, after the injury. He has always believed in me. To my mind, he was the ideal coach. And, when you are given the chance to enjoy yourself on the pitch for six years, for a professional player it is the top thing. I wish every player could be managed by a coach such as Arsene Wenger..."

"As a player, it would be difficult because I know the club's mentality and Arsene Wenger's. It's a choice. I could have stayed and finished my career up there, doing what Dennis Bergkamp did. But I am able to discover a new league, the Spanish one, which is interesting as well, and then returning to the club [Arsenal] to work for them? Why not? It is a possibility..."

At least their interviews are better than their customer service... GRR.