Like every professional football correspondent I intend to completely ignore the football I have seen during the match and I will concentrate on my own pre-prepared agenda(s).

Anyway – I will get rid of the football bit first. This really was an end of season stroll around by both teams, the relative league positions before the game saw to that. There were a couple of beachballs bouncing around in the clock end – I don’t know if our fans or the baggies brought them but that spelt-out the character of this match. The Albion rarely even bothered to try and foul us, and if they did we didn’t even retaliate. A few yellow cards came at the end but there was not much at stake for either team to fight over – this game could have been played wearing flip flops.

The game itself was decided by a typical piece of Oliver Giroud finishing (i.e. excellent) from a Santi corner. Giroud has been exceptionally good for us this season – a fine example of Wenger’s shrewd purchasing policies [Giroud’s goals alone have been game-changers no less than 11 times this season, not even counting the contribution of his assists and general hard working hold-up play and defensive presence]. Lukas Podolski also came close yesterday with another chance, It should not be a surprise to us to think that Wenger was deliberately keeping him in reserve for this part of the season. Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla showed glimpses of their exquisiteness in a match that really didn’t need any. Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini will hardly ever get an easier day in the middle of the park, and Per and Kos didn’t have a lot to do and dealt with pretty much everything the Baggies feebly threw at them very comfortably. The biggest laugh of the day was Berahino’s slip and our fans singing “are you Gerrard in disguise?” to him. Diaby and Theo were walking around after the match, with Aaron Ramsey carefully packed away in cotton wool for the final. All told a nice n’ easy day’s work at the office.

So no excitement or drama from the Arsenal at the end of a season? The Spuds and Everton safely disposed of ? Sky, BBC and the press must be rightly disappointed with us: there goes the narrative and story arc they so badly wanted Arsenal to deliver for them. So here we are, comfortably ensconced back into the top 4 and an FA Cup final to look forward to; but isn’t there just a little sense of an anti-climax around ? A sense of the what might have beens’ this season?

Arsene Wenger promised us last summer that we were about 2 years away from competing against our rivals again for the title. This season we were 128 days at the top of the table, we have had a spectacular first half of the season and were right up there in the race until we went to Stamford Bridge. Arsenal don’t do bus parking at away games and there isn’t really a game plan for damage limitation when it sometimes goes a bit Pete Tong, as Arsene says – he designs his team formations for our attacking strengths. 

We have seen very positive signs we are still improving: 23 wins so far, 76 or probably 79 points will have been gotten this season, it all amounts to a tangible improvement and when you look at the much tighter closing of the gap between Arsenal and the top of the table compared to recent seasons it should give us succor to know the same group of players can get even closer next season. We haven’t been this good since ’07-’08 and if we look back at some of the points dropped this season which might have been saved by a team with just a little bit more confidence in themselves that they can close games out, we could have been right in it to the very end. Were we to go on and win the FA Cup that will give this team a huge boost in self-belief. 16 clean sheets has been decent too, and if you ignore the away drubbings (I do all the time) then the defense has been reliably solid.

Every expert in the world has concluded that we need a new striker. All I want is Giroud, Walcott and Podolski to be all available for Arsenal next season then let’s pick and choose someone new who will complement these attackers and who can play along with a midfield of Ozil-Diaby-Ramsey. To be honest we do need more goal scoring options, we have scored 40 goals less this season that City or Liverpool and the team that scores the most goals usually wins the league in England.

It’s also a commonly held truth that Arsenal are in possession of more money hoarded away than Smaug the dragon. This is the club’s rainy-day savings, I suspect it has been kept for use when our rivals will be under a huge strain with FFP, so if the right players come into the market this summer, I fully expect Wenger will get whoever he wants  – adding to the team we have now which is very damn close to being right up there as it is.

I will trust Arsene Wenger’s judgement only on who and who isn’t an Arsenal quality player.

It was nice to see a lot of the fans stay for the lap of appreciation at the end. Bacary Sanga got a big shout-out to stay, and there was a big cheer for his little boy running onto the pitch and kicking a ball into an empty net, (see what I did there – that’s journalism!). You won’t get that wherever else you go Bacary, just remember that and thanks anyway for your time here.

As always, it was a pleasure to meet up with the fellow Positivista’s before the match. We are becoming quite the handy little firm. Anicoll5, ArsenalAndrew, Billy Boots, Georgaki Pyrovoltis and of course Hunter13. Their real identities will be kept perfectly safe with me.

Today’s post was brought to us by Double Canister.

“It is at times like these when, for a manager, the world can seem a dark place. As methods are pilloried, tactics crucified and past glories forgotten, friends can feel like foes and adversaries appear as assassins. When criticism is flying at you from all angles, self-belief is the only solace.”

A well written rare piece of sports journalism. You would immediately think, the article talks about Wenger, but no. It is the Guardian defending Guardiola after Bayern’s defeat against Real Madrid. Sure, defend Guardiola. He is certainly much better than the likes of Mourinho. However, why is there no sincere defense of Wenger?

Wenger has consistently shown remarkable self-belief during plenty of dark days in the past 8 years. Spending figures show that the club has overachieved. Despite all the challenges, many of them unfair, the club is still on track and is now becoming a beast about to be unleashed. So, why isn’t there a defence of the club and manager? All that the manager consistently gets is, “Arsene did some good things, yeah yeah , but blah blah, cliche cliche, spend spend or go go…”

It is not as though these people in the media are dumb. Sure, you have the Michael Owens, but what about those cunning pundits/writers who are professional sports journalists?  The likes of Amy Lawrence, Henry Winter, etc.. These people are not dumb. They clearly know what they are pushing and how to sell it.

Many of you here say that we need to ignore the media agenda and think for ourselves. I agree with that. However, the media also has a social responsibility. Not just in sports, but this applies even more so in the general world. We all have a part to play in society, especially voices that are heard by many. When, page 3 girls are pushed ahead and real issues affecting a society are hidden, those driving such agendas must be exposed. While every media outlet should have the freedom to write what they want, there should also be accountability.

For Arsenal, the media has been successful in building this image of a manager who is afraid of spending big, doesn’t know defence or tactics, a board interested only in money, keeping away the saviour Usmanov and last but not least, the poor shortchanged fans. An air of weakness has been built around the club. This mood must be shattered and those who made it shown wrong.

We have made a lot of progress in the past 8 years. The club and manager are highly regarded throughout the world. The media darlings Guardiola and Klopp, look up to Wenger and seek his advice. Players respect him. As much as we have mixed feelings about Cesc, he still calls Arsene boss. Theirry Henry calls him boss even in interviews these days. That, to me speaks volumes about his coaching. The club has been self-sufficient even when it could have taken the easier route, especially during times of financial difficulty and sold it’s soul to Usmanov. Instead, now club is about to burst into a self made super club. There are a lot more points, a lot more things going well for Arsenal that are written, discussed and shown very well by those of you who fight for Arsenal. People like you are needed, to fight back and push away the agenda.

Lastly, I would like to repeat a point many of you here have mentioned as I think it is quite important. As the man representing the club, Arsene is more than capable to handling the media vipers. Just read his responses to some of the media comments and I assure you, you would be enjoying his put-downs. It is the boos, jeers and criticism of the fans that hurt the man.

Please don’t do it.

Don’t be a Piers Morgan. Support the man (people like him are rare) and the club.

Today’s post was by Sensational Arsenal.( @Madras_Periyar )

Today’s post is by Niall Prosser

A cast iron case for history – or continuity?

I’ve made a decision.

I’ve decided where I stand on the Wenger Question.

As you’re aware, Arsenal fans are currently split between whether Wenger stays or goes. There appears to be a shifting in the sands every time Arsenal win or lose. There are also those on either side who are certain about their position and the merits of their views.

I’ve never been certain.

I will be honest and let you know that I have been questioning Wenger – and questioning Arsenal at the moment.

I read the blogs that suggest Wenger can’t motivate players, how he can’t make decisions about signings, doesn’t have tactical awareness and his training methods are leading to the injuries we are having.  The biggest reason though to question Arsenal and therefore Wenger this year is the success of Liverpool. They have for some supposedly weakened the arguments about why Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League recently.

There are three main reasons why I have decided that I want Wenger to stay and why I think he is the best person to take us forward:

1) I’m worried – I’m worried about others next year. I’m worried about the strength of our rivals – let’s briefly analyse each of them:

Liverpool are likely to win the league. Suarez seems happy and appears likely to stay. Their chairman has suggested they are going to spend big to boost the size of the squad to mitigate some of the affects of the Champions League. But they have played a game once a week this year. They haven’t had injuries to their key players either.  Despite a Suarez-less start to the season, pretty much everything has gone right for them this so far this year and certainly since Xmas.

Chelsea will have Jose for a second year, appear to be about to sign a world class striker (Cavani or Costa). They seem to living by FFP so may sell but I believe they will be stronger next year.

Man City appear to have lined up some big moves which will strengthen them defensively. They have more stability and alongside a mooted stadium expansion, appear to be building an empire.

Then there is United. New manager. £200m (supposedly). They’re like a wounded animal at the moment. They have shown they’re willing to pay big wages as well. They need a new defence, new centre mid and more but they have the resources and history to get.

I think next year there will be 5 or 6 teams who can think they can win the title let alone get into the top four.

Arsenal therefore need to improve as well. We all know we need a great striker (and there don’t appear to be many around or available), a defensive midfielder, possibly a new right back, another pacey winger and possibly another centre back. That is a big shopping list. We don’t need another manager with different ideas or who needs time to understand the players.

We need a manager who understands Arsenal, who has a history of investing our money wisely and of finding great players. We’re shopping in a different market now and some say he needs to be more decisive, but he built this team and can make it stronger again.

2) History – the biggest problem with every argument made against Wenger is based on history; let’s quickly review some of them:

Firstly, he can’t motivate players – yet everyone who played for him (and still to this day) says great things about him. He has motivated a team to go 49 games unbeaten. He has won leagues, cups and awards. This is not the track record of someone who can’t motivate people.
His methods are said to lead to injuries – yet again, those who make these arguments also ignore the history lessons. When Arsenal did go the season unbeaten they did it with a core of players who played most of the games. They did it using Wenger’s training methods. So they clearly work. New methods and ideas are good but there is not always progress.

He is being out-thought by younger managers. I’m a believer in trying to get your opposition to change to counter your style rather then the other way around. There does though need to be an ability to switch it if it isn’t going well. Wenger has done this in the past but sometimes the players must do this as well. The City, Chelsea and Liverpool games have shown the team need some more leaders but they also showed that we were missing key players.

I do think Wenger has to learn from this year but I think history has shown he can.

Equally Wenger gets a lot of stick for not winning anything for 9 years. I believe that when the decision was made to build the stadium it meant we weakened significantly for a period but it would lead to us becoming a mega-club for the next 50 – 60 years. It was a necessary sacrifice. Compare teams with a similar sized stadium to Highbury and look how they’re struggling with the competition – especially with the oil clubs.

During this period of weakness Wenger was at his strongest.  He was loyal to us at a time he knew we were less likely to win – when we were weak – and he stuck with us. At the moment the club is in a position of strength but he personally appears a little weaker. We should show him the same loyalty he has shown us.

Now is the time to return that loyalty.

3) Alternatives – United are admirably displaying the difficulties of replacing someone who has come to define a club. They are highlighting the problems associated with flushing out alternatives –  not to mention the evident lack of those alternatives. At the time of writing it appears that their two main options are Giggs or the Dutch national coach. Everyone else has dropped out of the running (assuming they were ever actually in it) and are staying put.

Equally United didn’t plan the transition post Ferguson or prepare for life after the man. When change finally came out of the blue last summer, it meant that United missed out on players such as Thiago whilst ending up with Fellani. They changed their whole back room staff and exec team. It was all too quick and destabilising.

Meanwhile, back at AFC, the appointment of Jonker as youth team coach could be seen as the club giving the man an opportunity to learn and understand the club and who may then become the Director of Football when Wenger finally steps down, possibly in two or three years. Remember we have a CEO who was wanted by lots of businesses and clubs. Already with tangible success, he continues to develop the commercial side; he is delivering.

I think he may now start preparing Arsenal for life without Wenger – but he needs time.

So I think and agree Arsenal need to improve. Central to this is Wenger continuing to learn and enhancing the team to meet the challenges of others.

He has the knowledge and experience to do this.

He continues to be the right man for arsenal.

Niall can be found on Twitter @tuwituwo

Today’s post is by Muppet

A friend of mine in the City has brought me some worrying news:
NEW CLUB PROPOSED BY DISAFFECTED ARSENAL FANS

The Grove – Proposed new Stadium, to be financed by Bank Of Dave
A breakaway consortium, to be financed by the Bank of Dave, is proposing a new club. The spokesman confirmed:
“We are sick of Arsene Wenger and the years of austerity, failed tactics and incompetence. We propose a new club called Farsenal Plan B, with a new stadium called The Grove. The new club will have a new constitution, stipulating no injuries, a guaranteed trophy every year, and a maximum of 2 French players.”

The proposed initiative is to be financed by the Bank of Dave, a Yorkshire entrepreneur , who went on the record:
“A group of unhappy bloggers on some Arsenal sites and Twitter came to my shop in Burnley and had a business proposal, to turn Farsenal Plan B into the number 1 club in the world. They were attracted by my low rate of interest. “

Money does grow on trees
The spokesmen confirmed that Bank of Dave wanted assurances that Farsenal Plan B would win the league every year:
“We are convinced there are numerous managers who could do a far better job than Arsene Wenger. We are busy looking for them. We know they are out there somewhere.”
INJURIES – NO PROBLEM
The spokeman also confirmed that injuries that have the plagued the current Arsenal squad, will no longer occur:
“My mate who is married to a doctor, assures me that the wrong pills are being prescribed. But that’s not the real problem, we are not buying the right players. They have the wrong DNA. “

Proposed DNA profile of new players – sadly lacking in current crop
Players are currently sought after via Bob, who is a mate down the pub. He told the spokesman that he would scout some kids in the local area, and come back with some news. Another scout has been offered a free holiday to Brazil, in order to bring some prospects back. He hasn’t been seen since, but we are sure he will have some good news for the new consortium.
In the meantime, negotiations are ongoing with Ronaldo, Messi, Schweinsteiger, Lahm and others.
NEW CLUB MOTTO
The club’s spokesman confirmed that there will be a new motto, reflecting a much needed change in attitude:
“Who dares wins”
The spokesman stressed the need for a change of emphasis at Farsenal Plan B:
“Who dares wins is a new idea and a new motto for a fresh brand of football. We will be looking for a director of football and a manager who is not scared to spend. The mistakes of the past must not be repeated. We had the opportunity to spend the £100 million war chest in the last window, where Spurs proved there were literally thousands of players available, and we totally wasted it. To cover for injured players we propose a new squad size of 50. Never again will injured players ruin our season.”
An outline sketch of a new club motif is underway:

Proposed new club motif

NEW IDEAS
Some more innovative ideas are that of soliciting the team via crowdsourcing. The spokesman was enthusiastic about the merits of Twitter:
“We believe in the idea that the collective wisdom of Farsenal Plan B fans can add a great deal to the process of team selection and transfer negotiations and procurement of players. We propose that fan suggestions for players and evaluations are taken seriously and fed into the club’s management process. We believe that the model of player evaluations is too manager centric, and for that reason is fallible. “

Planned technological innovation- listen to those “in the know”
“Arsenal missed the boat on many players who have since gone on to world super stardom. The names stick in the throat – Melo, Scott Parker, Affellay, Defoe. If the club had been more tech savvy, these names would have been heard loud and clear from a very influential fan base. Farsenal Plan B will now take advantage.“
DETAILED FINANCIAL ANALYSIS NOT REQUIRED
The spokeman was bullish that world domination could be achieved by what he called “Weeding out the dross” from the squad:
“Too much money has been spent on the likes of Chamakh and Gervinho. 50k a week for players who offered little. We propose that we attract better players at £30k a week. This model is proven at other clubs and will secure our new future. I drew this inspiration from Costcutters. There are hundreds of players available for £30k a week. “

Hackney marshes – hundreds of players available for £30k a week
A NEW DAWN, A NEW FUTURE
PREMIER LEAGUE 2014-2015

1. FARSENAL PLAN B 90 points
4. ARSENAL 60 points
PREMIER LEAGUE 2015-2016.

1.FARSENAL PLAN B 90 points
5. ARSENAL 60 points

PREMIER LEAGUE 2016-2017

1. FARSENAL PLAN B 90 points
6. ARSENAL 60 points
Premier League Predictions for next 3 years.
The spokesman confirmed that Farsenal Plan B will win the league in the next 3 years:
“We believe that 3 straight league wins would be a modest return on our investment. By hiring a manager with tactical nous, and employing the wisdom of the fan base, we will go from strength to strength.”.

Muppet can be engaged as your rogue media spokesperson via Twitter @MuppetGooner

So farewell then David Moyes. You were the chosen one – but now they’ve chosen another one. Or are about to, and it will be interesting to see which way the wind blows. The problem United have of course is that there aren’t many managers available with proven experience of managing a top, top club – and unless someone has a track record of doing so, then any appointment will be a gamble. I thought they had probably got it right with Moyes, but the players decided differently, and they didn’t really run a yard for him all season. Injuries didn’t help of course, but I suspect it was the Rooney situation as much as anything that did for him. Virtually frozen out last season, it looked odds-on that he would leave the club in the summer, but Moyes couldn’t sell him to a rival, and I doubt he wanted to go too far afield. So instead of twisting Moyes got stuck, and landed the club with a massive wage bill for a waning star – and, if the pre-season scarred head is anything to go by, a player that no one else in the squad much liked, despite his odd moments of brilliance.

Managing a side looks easy to the casual fan: throw enough money at buying the right players, tweak a formation here and there, employ the best and latest medical advice and then sit back to see your side move effortlessly to the top of the table. Except it doesn’t seem to work quite like that in practice, and the fact that ten Premier teams have different managers now than they had at the start of the season is testimony to the fact that it is probably a lot harder than it looks. A lot, lot harder, especially at the very top level and at the very top clubs, where expectations are so high that two defeats in a row is treated as a real crisis, three as grounds for termination. Professional sportsmen are an interesting breed, and they need a lot of managing. They tend to be fiercely competitive and have massive egos, which is an interesting combination. Very often they aren’t very nice, and sometimes they lack a little in terms of educational polish. Actually, some seem to lack any education at all. In football, they are also very young, and exceptionally wealthy. Coping with a squad of 24 such men, perhaps drawn from five or six different countries (with all the attendant language issues that such eclecticism brings) is no mean task. David Moyes did that task very well indeed for a number of years at Everton, and it was clear that the players not only trusted his judgment but also tried their hardest for him. But Manchester United was one step beyond: he hadn’t been where most of the players he’d inherited had been, and it was soon clear that they didn’t really trust his ability to manage them in the way that his predecessor had. His advice and instructions would have rung hollow in the ears of the hardened pros who’d enjoyed the glory years under Sir Alex, especially as the decisions started to go against them and as he chose to side-line the evergreen Giggs. Take a moment to recall the way that Arsene Wenger made use of the established players at Arsenal when he took over, as well as putting his own unique ideas into play. It soon became clear to the watching world that it was only a matter of time before the season became irretrievable, and the only surprise writing this now is that the decision to replace him wasn’t taken at Christmas time. I suspect that there were sound financial reasons for this: scrapping a six year contract after a few months is expensive after all, so perhaps a few performance-related targets needed to be missed first. Familiar names are being bandied about, but in truth there aren’t many ready-made alternatives for a club of United’s stature. Van Gaal seems possible as he is a free agent, Mourinho might like it on his CV, but I wonder if the finances are in place for him to spend as he would like. Klopp seems happy where he is, and I can’t see Rodgers abandoning his project anytime soon. No, it would seem that there aren’t many managers who are out (or nearly out) of contract and who also have the experience of managing at the very top level, of winning League Championships and Cups, who have extensive knowledge of competing year in year out in the Champions League and who know the pressures of managing a club with a significant global identity.

Except there is one, of course, because Arsene Wenger ticks all of the boxes. An unparalleled record of man management, of scouting ability, of financial prudence, of transfer legerdemain, of success. Players past and present not only play for him but also respect him, and his record in that field speaks for itself. It is no surprise to hear that over the years so many top clubs have sought his services, and I suspect that if he were to let the Glaziers know that he was interested, they would literally do a Suarez. And so we have the most ludicrous (and I hope hypothetical) situation of all. Arsene Wenger has yet to sign a new contract for Arsenal and Manchester United are looking for a new manager – and of all the potential candidates Wenger is the most obviously qualified to take over at the Theatre of Dreams. How will that be received by The Arsenal, I wonder, to realise that arguably the greatest manager in its history is not only tantalisingly close to becoming a free agent, but also of taking over one of its closest rivals. How indeed, would that be greeted by the fan-base, when it realises that it had actively encouraged the only properly qualified man for the Manchester job to leave their very own club? Something about prophets not being understood in their hometown springs to mind, and all I can say is that if the experience of United post-Ferguson doesn’t make a few realise that actually we are really rather lucky with the man we have at the helm, then I would be very surprised.

This was brought to you from the virtual pen of @foreverheady.

Never mind the buglers, where’s the FA Cup/4th place or better?

The fans are split, that’s a given.

But they are not split between AKB’s and WOB’s.  Oh no, there are another set that sit between the two extremes.  Just like in politics, the battle is won or lost in the middle ground. The vast majority of fans are floating voters.  Within this middle ground there will be – and is – a full spectrum of ever changing feelings.

I would guess that up until Xmas the vast majority were happy and very much behind the manager.

Now? Who knows?

But it will be a whole lot less.  And the amount they have shifted their positions will also differ greatly. Some will have had enough, while others may just have some nagging doubts.

Here is the crux.

They are all Arsenal fans.

They all want what is best for them.  (Oh sorry – I meant “what is best for the club”).  They all want us to win every game, they all want to win stuff, and they all want to be happy.

There is however, a basic divide.

Have the last 9 years been a success (as I believe) or have they been a failure?  Therefore, has the manager overachieved or underachieved ?

David Dein recently said that the stadium move would have been impossible without the success Arsene had brought. Ray Parlour said that some of the loans to build the stadium were conditional on Arsene signing a 5 year deal.  Arsene has told us he agreed to stay knowing that the league title was very unlikely. Ivan has admitted that there were indeed financial restraints that they had previously denied .

So taking those things into consideration, what was in Arsene’s job description? What did the board actually ask of him?

What was best for the club?

Arsene himself had said that his priority was qualifying for the Champions League with the financial rewards that follow it.  He did that every year, and given his resources, that was an over-achievement. This isn’t my opinion, it’s a fact backed up by impartial data. The AST had an analysis done (I suspect they were disappointed with the results) which proved beyond doubt that this was the case.

People will point out that it’s not his job to make the club money, his job is to win trophies, but the reality is that his job is to achieve what his employers ask him to achieve.  That may be very different to what a fan would want him to do.

If we finish in the top 4 and win the FA cup, I expect the undecided will once again shuffle towards us.

If we don’t?

Well we know all too well what will happen.

Will the wheels of Arsenal’s fortunes finally turn together?

The next stage of the implementation by UEFA of Financial Fair Play is due to play out over the coming weeks and months – and mighty interesting it should prove, too.

It’s taken what feels like an age to come into effect but the Summer of Reckoning may finally be upon us for a number of our favourite clubs – PSG and Manchester City  being at the forefront of everyone’s affections on this front.  Whilst this ‘reckoning’ could fickle out in a damp squib of laughable fines or lengthy delay-inducing appeals, given the recent unprecedented (I think) transfer ban on Barcelona for recent transfer transgressions, I’m actually more hopeful that UEFA are of a mind to finally stamp their authority on the financially reckless and the morally lawless.

As a particularly pleasing side benefit, it should, once and for all, help the penny to finally drop in the minds of all those who have refused to understand how essential self-sustainability in the financial make-up of all clubs actually is.

Hopefully the days of Citeh-style excess will now prove to be finally behind us. And whilst the football playing field may never be perfectly level (especially for the smaller clubs) the era of Sheik/Oligarch hi-jacked clubs jumping in with a modest fanbase but over-loaded with cash, subverting all the player markets as they go, may finally be at an end. Doubtless PSG will have something to say about this – and possibly in the courts – but it is hard to envisage a successful rearguard action by them given the wider economic context the bulk of the football world has to operate in, not to mention the overall moods of governments and governing bodies almost everywhere.

That the timing of this next stage in the unfolding of FFP so neatly dovetails with the turning of the Arsenal commercial wheel should escape nobody.

World Cups aside, this will be the real story of the summer:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/10766475/Manchester-City-to-be-made-to-pay-a-high-price-for-spending-spree-under-Uefa-Financial-Fair-Play-rules.html

There may be only a few of us naive enough to have faith in FFP, to be honest, and  its effective resolution is by no means a done deal.

Despite having been politely but firmly put in my place on FFP over the years both here and on ACLF, I’ve still retained my faith in it for two main reasons.

Firstly, given the wealth of our owners and their connections – and remembering also Danny Fizman’s indication that AW had access to £100M if he wanted it – given all that and despite the very real difficulties of the last few years as symbolised by the ‘different directions’ identified by RVP, for one – then the club itself must have had a very real belief in FFP as a process which would either penalise AFC if ignored, or effectively reward it, if observed.

Secondly, the spectre of football clubs failing en masse across Europe was intolerable to a somewhat unholy trinity of European government, UEFA and the clubs themselves. Remember, it’s not just about curbing the worst excesses of the biggest clubs, but any club tempted to spend beyond its means. Small clubs desperate to retain top league status were routinely pre-spending anticipated revenue streams risking disaster in the process. How many more Leeds? How many more Rangers? Two once mighty beasts still struggling to survive as much smaller entities? Portsmouth and QPR are another pair of English clubs – smaller – but now struggling, who once enjoyed their unearned days in the sun.

One question I would like to one day ask of Ivan or Arsene relates to the timing of all this and to what extent, if any, AFC deliberately structured their balances to deliver them a massive transfer warchest comprising spendable assets at a time when all other clubs would be obliged by FFP to rein everything in?

Finally, the very fact that one of the most financially profligate – Jose, not ‘Arry, in this instance – is having to sell (indeed, has already sold) before he can buy suggests to me that to even the once mighty Chelsea, FFP may mata, after all.

That the angry, impatient and seemingly ignorant element of Arsenal’s fanbase appear to have failed to trouble themselves with a consideration of the wider financial horizons should hardly surprise us – we are football fans first and foremost, not economists. But our collective ignorance on this, alongside the failure or willingness to appreciate the devastating impact of injuries on the team is very telling.  Some are trying to blame AW for those injuries in the same breath as they blame the club for not spending more, sooner.

And it’s true, we have access to so much information and ways of sharing it, yet so little insight or wisdom to apply to it all. And if that sounds more than a little pompous I make no apology for it. Sitting through the appalling booing that gripped Wembley on Saturday at the substitution of Podolski – I’ve been repeatedly told it was aimed at Arsene, not the player, but frankly, regardless of its intended victim – I’m in little mood to continue to tolerate the excesses of the club’s own fans.

Arsene, in the eyes of many, appears to be on the brink of walking away rather than re-signing.

If true, given all of the above plus so much more, it would in many ways represent the greatest tragedy in the whole history of the club.

The fans, in my view, would very much deserve whatever it is they think they are wishing for. The ultimate irony is the legacy Arsene eventually passes on will do more to avoid an extended period of change and uncertainty of the kind currently gripping Manchester United, than many possibly realise.

And whilst Ferguson’s reputation may be judged on his history, the future will be all Arsene’s as AFC sit, deservedly and indefinitely, at the top table in world football.

The tragedy – the sadness – could come in the form of Arsene Wenger being prevented by the reaction and behaviour of the club’s own fans, from driving us to the very top of the summit himself.

It’s been a long time coming.  And as is currently the fashion on reality tv to never fail to mention – one hell of a ‘journey’.

I know I’m not alone in hoping the final leg of the trip will be undertaken with all still very much on board.

But the question for Arsene may ultimately prove to be, however – do enough of us still share that hope?

I was delighted when Arsene Wenger took the trouble to write me an email yesterday about the win over Wigan, the remaining Premier League fixtures and the battle for fourth place. He ended by saying: “We have been in this situation before and I think we have the focus, the quality, the spirit and the desire to achieve what we want.” It seemed somehow typical of him to take time out of his busy schedule to find such reassuring words for me, and it all contributed to the rosy glow that had enfolded me ever since Santi slotted that final penalty late on Saturday afternoon. However, his sentiments didn’t seem to have such a positive effect on Le Grove’s apostles, who were positively apoplectic this morning about the situation that The Arsenal find themselves in: indeed, the manager was openly mocked for his letter, and I guess the sad thing is that he always will be now by certain sections of the fan base, no matter what he achieves between now and whenever he decides it’s time to call it a day. What I did find interesting was the scorn that was poured on the Untold lot, and in particular the link made between those who support Arsene Wenger and those who hold any kind of religious faith: both positions were laughed loudly out of court as being quite ridiculous, it somehow not quite occurring that it was they themselves that had made the comparison.

But strangely their leaps of logic made me think of the following lines from Melville’s Moby Dick (and I wish I was mature enough not to find that funny).

“There, then, he sat, the sign and symbol of a man without faith, hopelessly holding up hope in the midst of despair.”

If, as I suspect, we have all felt like like that from time to time in our Arsenal journey, then how much more must the manager have felt like it in the aftermath of crushing defeats and unwanted embarrassments. But what else is there to do when all seems lost? You can’t just give up, so you might as well light your lantern and provide something for the crew to fix their gaze on in the hope that things might somehow seem better in the morning. However, right now I don’t find the Manager’s words at all empty: we are in a good position and are very far from despair – we have been here before, and if anyone doubted the spirit and desire then they should have had all doubts removed by the Wembley performance. There seems to be a common perception that 120 minutes and penalties will have left us spent, exhausted and not at all ready to take on West Ham. But the bookies don’t think that: we are 4/9 to beat them with as big as 7/2 the draw and any price you like on a real hammer blow to our Champion League credentials. And you can bet the manager and players don’t, and nor do I. I reckon that the burden of expectation pre-Wigan has been pretty intense for the team, and that has now been gloriously lifted. Expect to see us quick out of the blocks this evening, with Podolski, Rosicky and Giroud all particularly keen to stake their Cup Final claims. Jenkinson too, and Gibbs will provide fresh legs, while Kalstrom may also play, which will be interesting. I expect we won’t see quite see so much of Ramsey, Oxlade, Santi and Sanogo (my new favourite player), but they will be waiting in the wings, and I also expect that the manager will make at least one tactical decision that will surprise us all a little bit. For the first time for quite some time I am really looking forward to the game, and although I am sad that the Box Office wouldn’t let me purchase two tickets for it last week (you’re only a Red Member, Sir: more than my job’s worth to let you buy both), I shall be very much there, right in front of the TV, ready to do serious battle with anyone who says that this is a poor squad managed by a man who no longer knows what he is doing. I don’t need to believe in him: the stadium we are playing in is proof enough of his genius.

Once again this post was brought to us by @foreverheady .