A lump in his throat

"At the moment I'm just swallowing it all as part of the humiliation. That's something one has to take in. "

These words were not uttered by an Iraqi detainee during yet another round robin excercise in torture and humilation at the hands (and other body parts) of the American and British forces. Indeed no, the realities of this situation scarcely ever reach our over-sensitived ears. They were in fact said by none other than Jans Lehmann, Arsenal's reserve goalkeeper. Shortly before he went looking for another toy he had discarded from his pram.

In other news Lehaman is the only ever goalkeeper ever to lose his place to a player whose name is partial anagram of a metallic element. Almunia.

Actually, is aluminuim a compound or an element?

Other players whose names loosely resemble elements and compounds include Carbone, Cole, and a number of Da Silvas.