これで２度目の左足首捻挫の宮市。前回は内側の捻挫で今回は外側。
今後２−３日の様子にもよるが、２−３週間で復帰と予想される。

マッチレポートはこちらで：Arsenal official website.

Miyaichi had to go off after Fulham’s Rafik Halliche stood on his left ankle.  He had hurt the same ankle earlier in the season, although this time the injury is to the outside of the joint.  He will have further tests later this week but is expected to be out for at least three weeks.

After being granted a work permit this summer Miyaichi had been beginning to make an impact at Arsenal.  A 20 minute substitute appearance in the Carling Cup against Bolton had the Emirates crowd singing his name.  Robin van Persie and Carl Jenkinson are just some of the players to have been impressed with his attitude and aptitude in training.  Arsene Wenger had told Miyaichi that he would be pushing for Premier League game time by Christmas.  This latest injury will hopefully not delay his debut too long.

These pictures are from Arsenal’s official website.  A report of the game and more pictures can be seen here.

アーセナルがクリスマスギフト製産工場を設けた！？
クリスマスシーズンに向けて、アーセナルグッズのプロモーションCMだ。
選手がギフトを工場で”テストする”設定。
宮市亮、アンドレイ　アルシャヴィン, トーマス・フェルメーレン, トマーシュ・ロシツキーにキーラン　ギブスといった現在大活躍中の豪華メンバーがクリスマスを盛り上げるかのように揃って出演。
クラブ英雄のチャーリー　ジョージはクリスマスキャロルのScroogeに成り済まし、ベルトコンベアーにのった小人のギフトを盗んで行くといったオチまでついた贅沢なCM。

そんな中、宮市亮は２度も姿を現す…一度目はベルトコンベアーに乗って何故かシリアルを食べるお茶目な亮の姿が…。
二度目は腕時計の試着。その姿はまるで、プレミアリーグへのデビューを秒読みしているかのようにも見える。

USA midfielder Brek Shea is to train with Arsenal in the coming weeks.  FC Dallas, Shea’s current club,  are keen to emphasise that the 21 year old is not on trial in England.  His time in London will be purely one of education and physical preparation.  Shea has made rapid progress this season and is seen by many as the brightest young talent in the MLS.  At 6’3″ Shea is a physically imposing midfield player.  Raised as a defender but now more notable for attacking play he is a post modern player, his stature belittling considerable technical subtlety. 

Shea also paints an interesting figure off the pitch.  Away from football his great love is art.  Shea’s paintings have sold successfully across the US – he is a young man of many talents.  He has almost outgrown the MLS, it will surely not be long before he is painting footballing pictures on foreign fields.

Brek Shea footballing artist

Brek Shea scores a rocket shot against FC Toronto

‘via Blog this’

It is a story of true love for Arsenal this festive season as they launch their Christmas Gift Testing Facility. The club have enlisted the help of several current players including Ryo Miyaichi, Andrey Arshavin, Thomas Vermalen, Tomas Rosicky and Kieran Gibbs to spread festive cheer. The players perform the role of gift testers on all manner of Arsenal branded goods at the high tech facility. Club legend Charlie George, representing the ghost of Christmas past, makes a Scrooge like appearance, snaffling a garden gnome from a conveyor belt of branded gifts.

Ryo Miyaichi makes two appearances, first eating a bowl of cereal and secondly testing a watch. Presumably counting down the seconds until he makes his Premier League debut.

2012 SPORT LEGACY ACCESS FOR ALL

Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Appreciation of tactics and formations has also increased.  John Motson might have difficulty telling black players apart but he can spot the difference between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-2-1-3 a mile off.

The biggest stumbling block facing a commentator though remains one of pronunciation.  An examination of Everton’s bench against Manchester City presents several potential tongue twisters:

Mucha, Heitinga, Bilyaletdinov, Drenthe, Saha, Stracqualursi, Vellios on paper look a formidable proposition for the even the most xenophobic paid annunciatior, but with a little research and a deep breath Czech, Dutch, Russian, Argentine and Greek names present little problem.

It is when the name in question comes from outside the bounds of European colonialism that even the most forward looking commentator falls down.

A case in point Arsenal’s Ryo Miyaichi.  He is a relatively new kid on the block having only made his competitive debut for the club on September 20th, but already his name is being mispronounced with frequency.

This video of this of his first appearance against Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup illustrates the mistake perfectly.

Miyaichi should be prounced:  Mi-ya-i-chi.

Mi – as in me.

Ya – as in a posh person saying yeah or year “Yah.”

I – as in “e” the fifth letter of the alphabet.

Chi – as in the life force of the universe.
 
Miyaichi should not be pronounced Mi-yat-chi, as seems to be the consensus at present.  It is the early stages of Miyaichi’s career in England but the butchered version of his name might already be here to stay.

This may well be a superflous problem though as Miyaichi, if the name on the back of his shirt is an accurate indicator, looks set to go by his first name Ryo.  Spoken in Japan though this sounds very different to its European intonation.   Fans of Feyenoord, where Miyaichi was on loan from Arsenal for the second hald of last season, were so impressed by his home debut against Heracles that they gave him a standing ovation.  As he came shyly to acknowledge them they began to chant; “Rio, Rio, Rio.”  In Japanese the name sounds more like Ryou*.  The name has stuck though and Ryo seems happy with it.  Win-win. 

Japanese is a very closed language.  It readily absorbs foreign words, even having a separate alphabet for them, but it does so on its own terms – pronouncing them within the terms of its own limited syllabary.  This is by no means unusual, commentators in England still find Asian names a great obstacle.

If Miyaichi can play his way into the Arsenal team he might do more than win matches.  He might also break down some of the linguistic barriers between his homeland and country of residence.  And continue the education of British football commentators.

* Ryou – like Lee-oar, but said quickly.