THE Moscow correspondents have furnished us well with profiles of Alisher Usmanov this morning. Make your own mind up.

But what of Farhad Moshiri? Well, I’ve been doing a little digging and this is what I can find: For a start, our Farhad Moshiri is NOT the Iranian artist of the same name born in 1963.

In fact, our Farhad Moshiri is aged 52 and is also Iranian born but is now a British citizen.

While Usmanov is acquainted to the club through the box he owns at the Emirates, Moshiri is also no stranger to north London. It seems he has lived in the area for years and at various times has been linked to flats in Maida Vale and Swiss Cottage and most recently to a house in Hampstead. The Hampstead property changed hands for a little over £2 million back in January 2004. Also known as Ardavan Moshiri, the qualified chartered accountant previously worked for Deloitte and married in London in 1988.

Just as Alisher Usmanov appears to be a man of steel, so does Moshiri, with investments in various companies and as has been reported elsewhere, previous link-ups with Usmanov.

In those 19 years since Moshiri got married in London, how many Arsenal games did attend before Usmanov got his box? I’ve no idea.

But what of Dein? The longer this drags on, the less altruistic it all feels. When I heard Kroenke had been replaced (or at least been complemented) by Usmanov what came to mind was a common tart all to ready to shack-up with the first sugar daddy they stumble across.

Nobody doubts David Dein’s attachment to Arsenal. But is his love for the club above his love for himself? It’s a pertinent question as he embarks on this rocky road.

The health of the club’s finances depends on who you listen to. However underlying Dein’s argument appears to be the contention that without investment we are lagging behind the other top clubs and that it is the issue of investment and transfer funds that is paramount.

I don’t argue that investment matters. But let’s remember that had David Dein been in overall charge at the club nine or so years ago, instead of playing at Ashburton Grove we would now be playing at Wembley. Retaining the identity of the club has been tough enough when moving just a few hundred yards.

Looking at it now, I think a move to Wembley would have been a complete and utter disaster for the club in so many ways. I reckon not even all the foreign investment in the world would have saved the shell of a club that would have resulted from such a geographical shift. In short, big money signings are not the be and all and end all that some people would have you believe.

Henry Winter is spot-on when he nails Dein’s talk of us being the number one club in the world as if it is some kind of measurable accolade. Sweeten your proposals with talks of European titles if you must. But the world’s number one club? Pur-lease.

Going back to the stadium, that is why we must be sceptical of Dein. It is for that reason that we should not swallow everything he believes as gospel.

He certainly got the appointment of Arsene Wenger spot on but he got that ground decision wrong and if he wants to convince the likes of me that his motives are pure, he should acknowledge as much.

Otherwise, this whole thing stinks of an egotistical power battle far removed from what is really in Arsenal’s best interests. It creates instability and uncertainty and I’m afraid that intentional or not, the only result will be to hasten Arsene Wenger’s departure from the club.

One thing you can be certain of is that he will have little time for all this posturing. Not when there are games of football to be won.

PLAYA RATINGS

ALMUNIA
No complaints at all.7

HOYTE
Came in and looked assured at the back and as good going forward as we have seen him. Undoubtedly behind Sagna but a perfectly good reserve.7

TOURE
Captain on the night, the defence looked assured before the break and a little less so after. But in fairness we have conceded just two goals in five games and really neither were the defence’s fault.7

SENDEROS
No horrible moments and was rarely troubled by an insipid Sparta.7

CLICHY
Not quite his usual self, being caught out positionally occasionally. But if you’re going to have a bit of a stinker one night, this was the time to have it. 6

GILBERTO
Was it the quality of the opposition or the return of the Brazilian? Either way, our midfield looked far sturdier.7

DIABY
The usual Vieiraesque turns and runs before the break. Also made significantattempts to play the enforcer, even if it comes nowhere near as naturally to him as it did to Vieira. Faded after the break.7

WALCOTT
Confident running throughout, even if it lacked the abandon we know Theo is capable of at his best. It’s not just a case of finding the fitness again, he is also looking for the confidence that makes taking someone on the most natural thing in the world. It’s coming. Good ball for the opener.7.5

ROSICKY
Good finish and solid enough without doing a hell of a lot else of note.7

RVP
His general play was fine (particularly given he was getting used to playing with a type of striker very different to what he is used to). He is, however, a player who will always be judged on his goals and his dead-ball feats. When they come off he is the star, when they don’t, he is a mere mortal.6.5

EDUARDO
A right busy-body and deserved his goal. Very different to what we have had before and in some ways Jeffers like. But there also seems to be more to his general play and a better attitude to go with it too.
7

SUB: CESC
As ever, an excellent sub.7

SUB: ADEBAYOR
As I said in the report, seems to be getting some harsh criticism. Not his best appearance, but he did set up the third goal.6.5

SUB: DENILSON
Did better than he usually does at left midfield, which surprised me if truth be told.
7

From Goodplaya at the Emirates

JUST because last night was incredibly dull at times, it doesn’t make a 5-0 aggregate beating of Sparta Prague a bad result.

We were calm and measured in the face of hostility in the first leg and always in control in the second leg. Last night’s ease of victory, and the early opening goal in particular, may have been completely out of keeping with the new norm of dramatic late comebacks, but the fact is you can’t have it both ways.

The team selection at least made interesting reading. Hoyte came in at right-back, Senderos was fit to partner Kolo, allowing Gilberto and Diaby to replace Cesc and Flamini in midfield. Walcott came in for Hleb and Eduardo for Adebayor.

Our start was crisp and professional. Everyone seemed to know their roles and everyone looked comfortable in them. And our early dominance was rewarded with a fine goal on seven minutes. Hoyte showed just how much he has improved on the ball in the last year. He linked up with Walcott, who sped to the byline and then pulled across a ball that was both pacey and accurate. It was met by Tom Rosicky who swept it home in top David Platt style.

The rest of the half was fairly dull truth be told, but at least we were doing the simple things right. Diaby was on the whole putting himself about, Senderos looked assured, Walcott was clearing at least some of the mental cob-webs that seem to have built up and Eduardo was full of running. A rare error came from the slightly below par Gael Clichy, who allowed his man to get completely the wrong side of him. The resulting shot flew inches wide.

It was no more interesting after the break, except Sparta began to have more of the play and we started to muck around. I haven’t read Arsene’s quotes but I imagine when asked about the start of the second half he said something like:

“I feel that physically and mentally our levels dropped a bit. But still, we were professional.”

And that pretty much sums it up. You never felt as if Sparta were about to spring an upset but you still got frustrated with frequent dawdling all round the pitch.

Besides being a fairly decent player, Cesc Fabregas is an exceptional substitute so it was no surprise that when he replaced the (understandably) tiring Diaby, things picked up. The other change was Adebayor for RVP. Now Adebayor is an interesting one. I know he was poor on Saturday but I was still shocked by the number of people who seem to have suddenly turned against him.

From being a deserving cult-hero, some are now seeing him like they did Kevin Campbell in 1994 and I think that’s rather unfair frankly.

Anyway, the last ten minutes came and once again Arsenal made a mockery of those who insist on leaving early. It’s funny, because so often you can’t see these goals coming in the sense of turning to your mate and saying: “We’re going to score in a minute”, but at the same time they seem to arrive with such regularity that not even Fergie could feign surprise if we did what we did to them last season this season.

It was the lively Eduardo who burst down the left, beat his man and pulled the ball back for Cesc. He took a touch and then hit it early from around 16 yards, Frank Lampard stylee. And sure enough, if flew in Lampard style - a thumping finish but had it been your own keeper you might have asked a few questions. The value of taking it early I guess.

Then the crowd were sent home happy when Denilson (who had replaced Rosicky) dilly-dallied in true Arsenal style with Adebayor before eventually sending in a cross that Eduardo kind of skewered home with an outstretched foot. There looked a hint of offside about it a la Rosicky against Wigan last season (except without the chip factory on shoulder Paul Jewell standing on the touchline), but it was deserved reward for Eduardo’s industrious performance.

He and RVP (or any of our forward pairings for that matter), still look a million miles away from Henry and Bergkamp at their best. But the point is that in Henry and Bergkamp you had two of the most sublime touches ever to grace these shores. Neither RVP or Eduardo or any of our strikers will ever be better at being Henry and Bergkamp than Henry and Bergkamp were. But that does not mean you can’t be just as effective.

Some of you will be annoyed I’ve given so many 7s in the playa ratings. I’m afraid it is deliberate. This was a solid, professional performance where almost everyone did their job well without being spectacular. To say anything else would be to over analyse.

IT’S three home games this week.

The non-televised encounter against Man City sold out. However neither Wednesday’s televised game against Sparta Prague nor Sunday’s televised visit of Pompey have yet.

For both games, £46 tickets in the upper tier are still up for grabs. They are the ones in the upper tier wings. I’ve sat there and it ain’t worth £46 when the lower tier (which always sells out very quickly) is £32.

It’s a great shame because the problem is not a lack of fans. It is a lack of fans willing to pay extortionate money for only a half decent view in an atmosphereless part of the ground for what is not on paper one of the highlights of the football calendar.

I’m not one for saying I told you so, but back in February when the club were pondering this season’s prices and in the light of our failure to sell-out for Blackburn at home in the FA Cup, I suggested and warned:

“Feasibly, prices for some of the far back seats on the upper tier wings could also come closer in line with those in the lower tier, where I’d argue the view is often as good and the atmosphere miles better. The spaces against Blackburn may have been due to having just two days to flog the seats but they were a warning nonetheless.

“…We may just see a small reduction for poorly scheduled TV games against average opposition.”

Sadly, we have not.

THIS was a win that was five times as satisfying as the one over Fulham.

Why? Because the team that is constantly going 1-0 down and then wins 2-1 never does anything because some of the time that 1-0 deficit will only ever get to 1-1.

But teams who can grind out 1-0 victories invariably do a lot better. This was not just our first 1-0 at the Emirates but in the league it was also the first time we had kept a clean sheet in a non-walkover.

And it was also great to watch. City came high on confidence and their play reflected it. They came out, had a go, maybe should have had a penalty and nearly got a great result.

City were also tough, obdurate and uncompromising. And yet they were a world away from the cynicism of Blackburn last week. No doubt my mood is lightened because we won, but it really was a joy to see a match where both sides just went for it.

I thought Sven was awful for England. But in three games he has assembled a City side with more about them than any I have ever seen.

That said, in the end I thought we deserved it. Despite a late injury to Senderos and one in the first half to Sagna that saw us with a back four of Flamini, Clichy, Toure and the returning Gilberto, we looked much more solid at the back. Sure City caused us problems (focusing particularly down our patched up right hand side), but by and large we defended well. When they did get a one-on-one Almunia was out like a hawk and if we’re honest probably slightly more confidently that Jens might have been.

In midfield, Cesc and Flamini and then Cesc and Denilson still looked a little slight, particularly in the first half. Up front, none of RVP, Adebayor, Rosicky or Hleb were faultless but all four gave City their fair share of problems. Hleb, for example, had his fair share of Hleb moments but equally he won the penalty that Van Persie missed and set-up Cesc for the winner.

Talking of the penalty: at the moment RVP is not a penalty taker. Undoubtedly, he has a great shot. But even when his penalties do go in (and look amazing), you’re left feeling the next one could be missed. And so it proved. The question is who should take them.

After a first half that had swung from being very even, to them being on top, to us being on top, we more or less dominated the second half, other than a short burst of City pressure. The penalty could have knocked the stuffing out of us, but we kept going and it was no surprise that as the clock inched towards the 80 minute mark, we struck again.

It’s a remarkable record we have in the last ten minutes at the Emirates. But what is more pleasing now is that the heroes in the past two home games have been Hleb and Cesc, neither of who scored remotely enough goals last season.

I like well fought 1-0 wins. And this was just that.

PLAYA RATINGS - BASED ON A FUZZY FEED THAT FROZE FREQUENTLY

JENS
Fine. Apart from the goal.4

SAGNA
Not perfect it seems he can attack and defend and that must be a good thing.7

GALLAS
Fine until injured.7

TOURE
Defended the Savage claim brilliantly. Knew Savage would dive so moved well out the way. It didn’t stop the Welshman throwing his leg into Kolo, but at least the ref saw it.7

CLICHY
His usual self. Not perfect defensively but not bad and good as ever going forward. 7

FABREGAS
Integral to our impressive first half, but crowded out in the second.6.5

FLAMINI
Usual stuff. “Brilliant at nothing” was how one friend described him to me. Same problems as Cesc above in the second half.6.5

WALCOTT
Good moments such as the early ball into Eduardo, but also moments of hesitancy like the one at the edge of the first half.6.5

HLEB
Like the team, good early on but faded later.6.5

RVP
Good finish for the goal and caused trouble all afternoon. More comfortable with Eduardo? Maybe. May be no angel, but is far more sinned against than sinner.7.5

EDUARDO
Need to see more of him, but you can certainly say he wasn’t out of his depth. Good running, fought well and involved in the goal.
7

SUB: SENDEROS
No nightmare moments.6.5

SUB: BENDTNER
Should have hit the target at the end. As an unknown quantity he always causes trouble.6.5

SUB: DENILSON
It’s all very well putting him on as an extra midfielder, but doesn’t really have the presence to make a physical difference there.
6

FIRST things first: Blackburn merited their point (irrespective of how the equaliser came about), played some decent stuff and had the better of the second half.

But on the ‘violence’, I am with Wenger. I thought we coped with it far better than in the past. But it remains true that the way they play at times is a cancer on the game. It is persistent thuggery, limited not by any sense of what is right and wrong but only by what they can get away with.

It is awful to watch, dangerous to play in and in complete contempt for what football should be. In Britain, we pride ourselves as the inventors of football. We fiercely fight the increasing prevalence of diving and our sense of history is acute when recalling how it has only recently entering the game.

Yet we are so condoning of violence and thuggery that I felt like the only person who thought Michael Ball’s three-game ban for deliberately stamping on Cristiano Ronaldo’s chest perhaps just a tiny weeny bit lenient.

And that sense of history is less sharp when recalling tales of how during early games of football a deliberate foul was considered so alien that it was not unknown for the odd striker to roll penalties back to opposition goalkeepers because he considered it undue punishment of an obviously accidental act. Today we laud those who break-up the game with deliberate fouls.

I imagine by now some disagreeing readers are thinking that like my team, I need to learn how to deal with wholehearted, hard but fair, commitment. To you I say that I have seen Arsenal be undone by wholehearted commitment enough times to know exactly the difference between it and what we saw at times yesterday.

I should say Arsenal are no angels (even if RVP’s tackle was nowhere near as bad as Mark Hughes’ post-match squealing would have you believe). However I maintain I’ve never seen us behave like Blackburn did at times - epitomised by that deliberate fouler, kicker and diver, the all flawed, no genius Robbie Savage. Booked for kicking Fabregas on 45 minutes, he should seen yellow for barging Clichy into the gravel track long after the ball had gone after just 45 seconds. The way he later wrapped his leg around Kolo Toure and threw himself to the ground looking for a penalty would have made Robert Pires blush.

And yet the funny thing is that the thuggery (which went in peaks and troughs) by and large failed. We showed ourselves quite capable of dealing with it and if anything were at our strongest in the first half when it was at it’s worst.

And when Blackburn did dominate after the break, I thought it more because we simply lacked sufficient physical presence across midfield rather than because we were bullied out of it. Hit by the absences of Gilberto, Diaby and Eboue, the mdidle four of Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb and Walcott always looked lightweight and after half-time we were too often second best when possession was there to be won.

Gilberto’s return will provide some physical comfort, even if his presence is more passive than active. But with Diaby appearing brittle and Wenger in any case seemingly in two minds over his suitability in central midfield, maybe it’s time we brought in someone else with a bit of height.

The other major worry is Jens. If you haven’t seen it yet, it was a second serious cock-up in as many league games and despite Blackburn’s second-half dominance, the brutal truth is it cost us two points. There is no doubt he has a problem at the moment, but what do you do?

The obvious answer would be to drop him. But if Arsene thinks they are errors brought on by form rather than age (as I do) then it may be a case of sitting tight and letting him play through the dodgy spell.

The beautiful thing about our goal was that it wasn’t beautiful. Scrappy, nearly missed but ultimately buried. I’ll take more of them. It also involved Eduardo - who I thought looked sharp on his debut, though it did make for a less productive Hleb out left.

A second goal before half-time - from either Walcott on the break or Flamini when played in - would have made things far more comfortable. Irrespective, we need to be able to defend one goal leads.

After the equaliser, there was the chance for Bendtner and earlier Senderos should have scored with header. And then there was the time when Van Persie’s flick outfoxed his defender and left the Arsenal man with a decent scoring chance.

The defender wasn’t going to catch him. Instead, he deliberately pulled Van Persie to the ground. It meant a second booking but Nelson took the calculated decision that it was worth it.

Those early football players would have never dreamt of doing it. Nelson will no doubt get a pat on the back and be told he did the right thing.

Still, it’s not the worst away point in the world.