Another day, another link roundup. West Ham is two days away, the matches coming thick and fast now, as the pyro said to the heap of gasoline-soaked old furniture. On to the links:
7 AM Kickoff reflects on the Good, the Bad, and the Barton. He does come down a little hard on Craig Eastmond.
Eastmond, though, finds support from A Cultured Left Foot.
Louise Taylor reflects on the comedic nature of the match in her Guardian match report.
Kieran Gibbs will miss a few weeks with a damaged MCL. If one has to tear a ligament in one's knee...still, it's a blow for the young man who has so much promise, but can't seem to stay on the pitch.
And if you have time, please check out SBNation's other soccer blogs, listed at the left, as well as the main soccer page. SBN has just started a Barcelona blog, Barca Blaugranes, so we're expanding beyond just MLS and the Premier League now.
And as always, you can follow The Short Fuse on twitter.
Finally, Arsenalist has video evidence for Joey Barton not being a particularly honorable, upright, noble football player.