Hmmmm….been a tough season so far, hasn’t it? It has for me at least. Although to be fair, this is my first real season as a football supporter. Let me explain.

When I was younger, I was never really into football. I mean I played for a kid’s team when I was like 7-10 or something but none of my school friends went with me so I lost interest. At that time my dad wasn’t really around (wipe your tears) but I remember when I was like 11 he took me to watch Southampton vs. Barnsley, I think? It was at the DELL. I loved it, but all I really remember of it is some big bloke sitting next to me shouting “short ones don’t work” at the saints taking a corner. Oh and I shook Kevin Davies hand. Anyway, when I went to high-school, I was in a constant search for who I was, as is everyone growing up I’m sure. I became friends with someone in my form and he was an Arsenal fan. This was the year 2000. He would tell me stories, I’d collect the merlin stickers and bring them in “for swaps”. Although id watch football with him I knew my heart wasn’t in it at that time. In 2001 I met new friends who were skateboarders, we would hang out at school and smoke and generally be “outsiders” we imagined football fans all to be dickheads, either popular rude-boys who would try to take the piss out of us at school, or drunk aggressive “men” that beat their wives and are just sad about their failed lives.

I’m 24 now, and I finally understand. I get it. I get the whole thing. I feel it myself, let me tell you how I got there.

During the summer of 2012 it was hot, I was tanned and everything looked wonderful. Me and my friends would buy some beers, go to the beach and play arse or one touch. The Euros were also about to start. Me and 2 mates decided to watch every single game. We thought it would be funny or something. I didn’t expect to be drawn in but boy was I!

We watched everything from the Poland VS Greece opener, to the domination Spain achieved of the final. So that was it, 3 weeks of constant international football and then nothing…

So what’s a man to do? Well, I knew I needed more. I needed that “let’s go down the pub and watch a game”; that “let’s talk about the result and the game till we’re blue in the face”. I needed to find my own team. How was I meant to do this? I had no idea. How does one find a team? Obviously they follow their dad’s favoured team, but my dad never really had one, and if he did I’d of still chose something different. No I would have to work harder to find my team. I decided that I would pick a team on quality of play and “personality of club” (I do believe each club has a personality). I did not want to be a glory hunter either. I never liked United, although I do respect Alex Fergusons achievements. I didn’t really want to support a northern team, as I live in Sussex I needed one closer to home. Which manager could I respect? Then the obvious finally dawned on me. Wenger. A man that took The Arsenal to “invincibility” a man that I could respect, that taught his team to play attacking football. This was the club for me. It’s strange how life works, how I discovered them again. “All roads lead to Arsenal”. So that was it, decision made and now it begins.

I started to read all transfer gossip about players coming in and going out, bye RVP, I didn’t know him whilst he played for us so ok. I never could imagine how much I could hate to see someone hugging Alex Ferguson after scoring a penalty

Then the games began, 0-0 against Sunderland, riiiighhht…..well it’s a season opener so it’s ok, then 0-0 against stoke. This wasn’t what I was hoping for. Where were the goals I’d promised myself? The following weekend I was away on a course. I was looking for a stream online on the Sunday and a guy who was also there was wanting to watch it, he was from Liverpool. We did them 2-0! To see how upset he was and how happy I was, that 2 goals were scored by 2 people that had joined the same time as I had, this is what it was all about. Somehow I felt something that I hadn’t before. I felt that I could listen to his moaning and stand up for Arsenal. They weren’t “cheaters” I told him that, I told him Reina wasn’t all to blame and that we were good! I liked it, I really did.

This season I have had a baptism of fire. I have seen us destroy teams, like Southampton at home. I have seen bizarre-o games like Reading away (capital one cup). I have seen how bad we can play, but I have also seen how determined we are. I have learnt, read and listened to anything I can about Arsenal. I have listened to podcasts back dated to 2008. I feel like I’m caught up. Although I have much to learn I feel part of the community. And before anyone says it, I am not a rich middle class fan. I have bitten my nails down and hidden behind cushions just as much as anyone this season.

I wish I could have witnessed Henry score against Tottenham at Highbury. I love listening to him talk about that place, and I am only sorry I never got to go, but the Arsenal is my future and I plan to see my first game at the Emirates for the Emirates cup, this summer.

I was not born as an Arsenal fan but I have a very sneaky suspicion I will die one.

Tom Hond (@tbhond88

What counts more in a football team? Is it the quality of the players? The manager? The playing system? Stable ownership?The fans? Which one? All of them?

Of course the answer is all of them how does each of the above measure in relation ?

If someone attempted to add up all the parameters, that’s after multiplying each parameter with a gravity coefficient factor, he/she’d most likely not conclude the equation, because simply the factors used would feel random, spontaneous and not very serious. What does “good ” player mean? What is a “good” manager and what is a “good” system? Does strong ownership also mean successful ownership? How does the fan help the team achieve VICTORY?

On to ours then, we need to let go of the dichotomy over ownership matters or managerial matters or players matters or formation matters. We need to stop comparing the era of riches (1998-2006) with the period of “saving” going on the past 7 years ( if more) and look straight at the truth.

Good players are those who offer a positive to the team and the cause.

A good manager is one who gives to players the opportunity to offer to the cause of the team.

A good system is the manager’s medium that will enable the players to produce deliver and excel.

For there to be an efficient system there needs to be planning. For this planning to exist you must have a director/owner hierarchy, a board, that supports the manager, and has the financial convenience to also support the manager’s choices,in a depth of time and not knee-jerk and short-term.

For all this to work though the team also needs the fans on their side. None of this can happen without the support faith and belief of the Arsenal crowd. It doesn’t matter what you have but how you combine what you have with HARMONY.

We get bombarded about tactics, about being weak as a system, that we don’t press or play high enough or deep enough or sideways enough or this and that.

We read about players constantly , expensive and cheap, about managers who can do better and not, and so on .

I have realised after many years that its all a bunch of crap really.

Ive seen players who have come from the unknowns and have become legends, players who were expensive purchases flopping miserably, coaches who didn’t exactly fill you with confidence going on and winning the lot, or leaving a mark behind imprinted in the memories of fans forever and other managers with high profile CV’s destroying whole teams in the space of weeks.

why all this?

Because the public wants “titles” that’s why.

Because the pressure from people to win trophies has become unbearable, they want instant results, hungry for titles.

Fair enough, but such mentality wont lead us anywhere.The fans of Arsenal need to stop looking at the past 7 years with scorn and hate for the lack of silverware and concentrate, as noted earlier, in becoming the factor that will push the team FORWARD for years to come

Truth be told,I don’t quite know what to make of that game !

I could quite happily leave it at that.

At 4.55 pm my wife gave me my tea.Very nice too.Roast Chicken,mixed salad and crusty bread.

“I cant eat that now love.I am having palpitations here .I think I am going to faint”

“You are pathetic,they won didn’t they?”

“If only it was as simple as that or you my dear !.Now put that in the fridge and give me some recovery time will you?”

What should have been a lovely relaxing afternoon watching Arsenal romp to a comfortable win ,was in the end a nerve jangling curse filled nightmare.

I only have myself to blame.I know.But still !

When I saw the team Arsene had picked I tweeted

“Positively Arsenal ‏@Blackburngeorge 

I think that is our best 11.Bar none”

The way we started ,I sat back relaxing thinking this is marvelous.Wengerball at its best.

We were passing the ball so quickly that no Fulham player could get close enough to make a fair tackle.

Then Sidwell lunged at Mikel and was dismissed .And rightly so.He is always at it.Nothing more than a thug.

Sadly though,that marked the end of our scintillating play.For the rest of the half we were patient and half decent,but the spark had gone.The Urgency lost.

Did the players think “all we have to do is wear them down and the goals will come”?

Perhaps they did think that.But they didn’t come.

When one did come it was down to Fulham deciding not to contest a dead ball swung into the Area.

Still .Who cares .Not a bad half .One up and them down to ten.Time to improve our goal difference.

Yeah right !

What went wrong in the second half is beyond me and Arsene too,as he expressed in his post match interview.

Where we tired after chasing Norwich for almost 90 minutes and from playing flat out against Everton on Tuesday?

We may have been .Everton losing to Sunderland would perhaps suggest its at least a consideration.But weighed against that is the fact that Fulham played 24 hours latter than us against Chelsea.And they only had ten men for 80+ minutes.

Our passing was slow and we created next to nothing .Caught in possession and balls just given away.All a little bit disappointing I must say

If anything Fulham were the better team in the second half.

The substitutes failed to make an impression and we looked like the team that was a man down towards the end .

Giroud gave the Referee an opportunity to even the numbers on 89 minutes and he took it.Personally I think he slipped,rather than having any malicious  intentions.

Anyway ,Laurent and Per were fantastic all day and we hung on.

All I have said can be discussed and argued about,but what cant be argued with is that we now sit third and if today’s results go our way we will be in a very strong position

Oh yes ,we won.We won 3 points and its a great result .

At this stage it was a fantastic result.

We didn’t play well and we won.Is that not what they say good teams do?

Well that is what we did.Lets just enjoy the result

I am happy as a Bull meeting a herd of Cows for the first time.

What good will it do pointing the finger at individual players for a collective poor performance ?

Bring on United and we can put our footballing world to rights.

Hello and welcome to this week’s round-up.

First up in a busy week is the news that Andrei Arshavin is likely to be in his final season at Arsenal. With so few games left to play, it is likely that we’ve seen our little Russian dynamo in an Arsenal shirt for the last time. Arshavin accomplished some great things at the club such as the 4 goals in Anfield and the Barca winner and will leave a lasting impression on many fans. Anyone in the comments making a joke about him leaving a lasting impression on his sofa will be banned for life.

In the same interview, Arsene Wenger mentioned Vermaelen’s remarkable response to being, in the kindest possible terms, ‘rotated’. In a rather unsubtle pick-me-up from the boss before rejoining the team, Vermaelen’s attitude received great praise. He is understood to now be ‘facing the right direction’.

It’s fairly uncommon for football players to say just the right thing but it happened this week. I tried to think of comparisons to make it sound better: ‘It’s like your wife endeavouring to emulate your favourite chef’, or, ‘It’s like your girlfriend taking the time to master the techniques of a famous porn-star’. However, nothing sounds better than when the Ox expressed his desire to learn from Tomas Rosicky. A short, montage-heavy, training video will go into production once terms are agreed with Tomas for the Miyagi role.

Arsene said the C word! Ahead of the Norwich game, Arsene Wenger said that it was important to continue to start games in a confident way. He spoke of how early leads force teams out of their defencive huddle and force them to leave some room for Wengerball…

83 Minutes in and we’re a goal down to a poor, albeit industrious, Norwich side. Unable to resist Olivier Giroud’s sheer sexual presence, Kei Kamara had to have him and he didn’t care where it happened. Luckily for us, the linesman had similar designs on the Frenchman and was incessant when he saw Kamara wrestle the object of everyone’s affections to the ground. Arteta scored the penalty and the whole of the Arsenal community exhaled in unison. Some great play from Alex Oxlade Chambicky  set up Giroud to get in front of the former spud, Bassong, to tap home and take the lead. Fabianski then made a good save with his legs to deny Delia’s dipshits an undeserved point. The mayhem continued when Podolski dragged the ball out from under his feet and launched it into the bottom corner from just outside the area. 3-1 to the Arsenal and we’re in third place.

In the aftermath of the win, Arsene Wenger spoke about Lukas Podolski and his new training regime. Podolski has primarily been working on his centre-forward play, which is bound to increase the sulking German’s value when he is sold in the summer. Recent pictures show just how happy he must be to be leaving and the manager is giving him special tuition, which brings about one obvious explanation. Kroenke is obviously selling him like he did with Na$ri.

Then came the game against a robust Everton side who have a sneaky eye on our Champions’ League spot. In a battle where successful consecutive passes were at a premium, there were only a few chances for The Gunners to clinch victory. The best of which fell to Olivier Giroud from an excellent Aaron Ramsey cross. Giroud was first to get there but only in time to stretch out a leg and get any kind of attempt away. It went wide. Mikel Arteta made an excellent run to break the Everton defence and Cazorla duly found him, but good defending from Distin, combined with a slight sense of panic in the unknown, prevented the skipper from getting a shot or pass away. The Arsenal performance was spirited and tough and those are not traits many people would associate with Wenger’s men. They would, however, say those things about Stoke so maybe that’s not all bad.

If anyone deserved to win the game, it was Arsenal.

That’s all for this week, thanks for reading.

Up the Arsenal!

The Referee increased Everton’s chances  markedly in the first ten minutes.

Fellaini should have had two yellows in that time.By not giving the cards when they were deserved he gave Everton license to make the game physical and disjointed.That was exactly what they did.

Fellaini was strong ,uncompromising and generally cuntish all night.He also dived to win free kicks at every opportunity.I don’t know about you but I call that cheating.

Now how Gibson escaped a second yellow is beyond me and any right thinking person.It was a total bottle job from the man in black.Gibson seemed to understand he had been lucky and never made another tackle all night.

Now we must give credit to our lads for matching them physically and not either losing their heads or wilting under the injustice and pressure.

For me there was little between the two teams in the first half.

The second half was all us.

I don’t intend to tell you all how things panned out ,you likely saw it yourselves.

Again the substitutes seemed to add momentum ,but sadly we could not make it pay.

Some of our player were immense.

Aaron was MOTM for me.

Laurent,Gibbs and Per,also had stand out games.Santi also in the second half.

Some were their usual high standard.Like Mikel and Bac.

Sadly.some were off colour.Theo,Giroud and Jack all failed to impress.Without any of them being particularly bad.Although Jack tried his hardest to get into the bad category.The only good think he did all night was get into a scuffle going down the tunnel at half time.

On twitter Giroud was being thrashed to within on inch of his on-line life.Personally I did not see anything to get that upset about.Yes .he perhaps should had scored from Ramsey’s wonderful cross,but it was anything other than a sitter.

I can only think that Arsene did not want to risk Tomas ,because he is miles ahead of Jack.The team needed exactly what he brings to the table.Better though not to lose him for the rest of the season.However in his absence the Wengerball has gone.For now at least.

All in all it was a game that we matched them ,then pressured them .They were hanging on for dear life in the second half .

It is also a game that we could have ,and in the past may well have ,lost.

This team is on the up.No question.

The fixtures are still in our favour,

Five more Cup finals to go.

Lets just get behind the club and support them to the end .That should not even be optional

A step back from the battle in the PL today, we can get return to the trenches tomorrow.

Today however wander with me in the warm sun, along the sunny beaches, blue sky  and verdant greenery of Brazil.

I confess I am old enough to have watched the 70 World Cup. I saw the finest football team ever and I realised they were not English. I have in my life bought but one replica football shirt ever – yes – the 70 shirt worn by Pele, Tostao, Rivelino and Jairzinho. The shirt has conferred no more magic skill on me than it ever has on a Norwich player.

Until Arsene arrived at our club the proposition of a Brazilian footballer playing for AFC club would, in my opinion, have been absurd. We did not do what Brazilians do, we were strong, organised. Our strikers were disciplined and effective. Flicks and tricks ? Bending a ball ! Pah – nonsense. When an Arsenal player kicked the ball it stayed kicked. We would not have known what to do with Zico or Socrates despite their talent. Like Mirandinha on the Tyne in the late 80s the poor soul would have shrivelled and died (although that unfortunate chap had the services of Gazza as an interpreter to contend with too).

Enter our French conductor however and the best qualities of movement and skill were demanded of every one of our players. He brought in Frenchmen, we had a Dutchman who was in that class already, another followed. They came from Africa. Inevitably when we required the best they also came from Rio, Sao Paulo and even one from Lagao da Prata (where?).

And over the years Gilberto, Edu, Sylvinho, Denilson, Baptista, Andre Santos  (and  don’t forget the Brazillo-Croat Eduardo) have added to the quality of our football. Now don’t misunderstand me. I do not claim any of our recruits from Rio were on par with the gods of Brazilian football from times past. Thus far, and I will come to that presently, we have not had a Pele, a Ronaldhino or a Ronaldo. Each player who has signed however has added a dimension to Arsenal and, in some instances, provided some of the best moments of the season.

Who can doubt the relentless efficiency of Gilberto across the centre of the park, tracking, tackling, moving the ball with a short pass to the position of maximum advantage. Fit, alert, season after season – oh Arsene say you did not flog him for just a £million ! Nooooooo

Edu – he took time to settle, and had a bit of a talent for the spectacular own goal, indeed he allegedly took time to find a passport. But when he came good he was very, very good. My favourite game of the modern era was the squeezing of Chelsea at the Bridge in the February of 2004. 0-1 after a Gudjonsson goal in the first minute. We ran out winners 2-1 with Paddy, Gilberto and Edu grinding Chelsea to dust in midfield.   With the trip to the Bridge done the unbeaten season was downhill thereafter. Another one who left too early and at the same time as Paddy.

Baptista – the Beast – pursued but slipped away to Madrid then landed on loan. Well his close control at times was most   unBrazlian I admit, more a blind man in diving boots. The Carling Cup night at Anfield in January 07 though, the first Arsenal player to net fourgoals at the old stadium, in a 6-3 win was a night long remembered by me. I thought you might enjoy this clip of the Beast on the rampage including the two he scored at the neighbours.

Brazilian bulldozer indeed !

Eduardo, Sylvinho, Santos and Denilson, – I could give then all a paragraph, all good players who scored good goals and added to the club. Chelsea know well the threat of a full back at the Bridge. The latter two endured abuse that it disappointed me to hear.

What now though ? Santos and Denny on loan with clubs in their home country, both doing well and barring civil war in South America likely to stay there. Are we Brazil free and likely to stay that way ?

Well in February 2013 Arsene brought over a young midfielder from the Rio club Vasco da Gama by the name of Matheus da Cunha Gomes, or as he is known on a football pitch ‘Indio’ – He was sixteen years old, has a formidable reputation in youth football in Brazil already and was spending a few days with us, as he said, “It will be a good experience. I want to learn.” His visit paseed me by tbh. Here is a clip of Indio playing for the national u15s last year.

As the Brazilian commentator says “Goooooaaaaaaallllllllllllllllll’ The option to sign him comes when he turns 18 in early 2014.

We shall see.

Today’s guest post by Varun (@WengerArmy) gives us a possible view of the thoughts in Arsene’s head in a pre-match presser  ahead of Everton.

A lightning rod of pain shot through his head. It was as though he had been speared by…well, a spear. Only, this one was invisible- like ‘Arry’s Cloak.

Press conferences, even on the best of days, were about as enjoyable as watching Tony Pulis picking his nose on the touchline. Today however, it’d be like watching Tony Pulis pretending to be a manager.

As he prepared to face the horde of ‘media personalities’- cause they sure weren’t journalists- a suitable opening remark struggled to find him. The bloody flashes from the cameras didn’t help either. In the end, he decided to go with something simple. “I have a selection headache.”  Nobody got the pun, though. It was partly true. Although Theo and Jack were back and had performed to a varying level of competence in the last game, Rosicky was suffering with his hamstring. Even before Norwich, he would’ve preferred to have continued with the same lineup that had been so good over the last 4-5 games, but you can’t help it if a player is injured or suspended. It’s all about the balance and understanding among the team. How else did people think the Invincibles were made?

They would have all sorts of questions about Wilshere, he was sure. Jack this, and Jack that. Of course he was a brilliant player- heck, there was a reason he was touted as England’s best prospect- but he wasn’t perfect. He often left his defensive partner without cover when he went forward with his driving runs- The covering that was essential, and something that Diaby was very good at. He also lacked a little bit when it came to his final ball and his decision making in that situation-Both of which were essential as a #10, and something Rosicky was very good at. And yet, Jack was everyone’s favourite.

In the former’s case, he supposed it was to do with their style of play. Jack wore his heart on his sleeve and played that way on the field. Diaby appeared to be calmer, almost as if he were a stream carrying the ball. That was what they saw, and that was what they wrote about. Jack had the ‘spirit and desire’ and Diaby was ‘careless’.

What did they know? They hadn’t seen Abou in tears, profusely apologizing for letting him down. The constant battles with injuries, just so he could play. He overcame all that mental and physical trauma to come back, time and again. The guy just wanted to play football. If these ‘journos’ had had even a fourth of those injuries, they would have been gibbering wrecks by now.

Not one of these media people appreciated football anymore. To them, it was all about the shiny silver trinkets called trophies. Football was such a dynamic game, filled with possibilities. Each step a player took ruled out and created options. It really wasn’t about the goal that was just scored, but how that goal came about- how your players functioned as a unit, each playing his own part in that creation. Everyone misses out on those nuances and  notices only the obvious parts.

Giroud labeled a ‘flop’ because he doesn’t score in 8 games. Is a striker good only if he scores goals? No one mentioned his flicks, layoffs and general hold up play which brings others into the game. And he was still in his first season. Like magic, the criticism disappeared when he scored and won a penalty. To them, this was actual football.

A good defender is one who is tall, black, has a face like a mashed potato and makes goal-line clearances. A midfielder is great if he plays incisive passes game after game. He smirked. They were guilty of the very offence they often accused the Arsenal defence of committing- ballwatching. Very few look at the field in totality.

“Now that Theo’s back, what happens to Gervinho?” says a pustule from the Daily Mail. “He’s not very good, is he?”

There they go again. Gervinho, or The Forehead as some people call him. A waste of space, they say. And why? Just because he had missed a few chances and fluffed a few crosses. Wenger sighed. Why didn’t they focus on Torres? Torres missed sitters- there was a phase when he was absolute bollocks. Yet, no one says anything since that Russian forked out 50 million for the transfer. Which must mean Torres could do no wrong.
Hadn’t Hazard himself said that Gervinho was the best player he’d played with? He himself had admitted that Gervinho rushed things somewhat, and that would improve as he calmed down- he was one of those players that flourished in a positive environment. The home fans hadn’t exactly provided that.

Just yesterday, he had chanced upon a blog by that PIMP guy. It was brilliant, he thought. He smiled inwardly at the Eurofighter comparison. Gervinho only appeared erratic-like the Eurofighter that was aerodynamically unstable, hard to control and yet it was this unpredictability that allowed it to maneouver quickly in a dogfight. The very people who had mocked him have suddenly begun to praise him. Again, it is perception- he’s assisted 3 and scored 2 in 3 weeks, so he is suddenly a good player. And when the same player does the same things without scoring or assisting, he becomes ‘average’. Add ONE mistake to that and he becomes a scapegoat.

“Gervinho is a great player and he has confidence. Theo will have to fight to get his place back”

As he waited for the next question, Arsene ruminated on the other players that had been mocked by the ‘faithful’. Ramsey for ‘dwelling on the ball’ too much last season. People conveniently forget that it was his first full season after that ‘footballer’ Shawcross had almost ended his career. Also, he was overplayed and had to cope with the tragic suicide of his mentor. For all that, Aaron had never hidden. He came back stronger, and was now enjoying football, particularly as the deep lying midfielder. He’d performed solidly when asked to play in the defence too. Part of this was down to his being played on the wings- a position which had helped Aaron improve his composure and decision making significantly, Arsene thought. Yet he was still criticized for playing him ‘out of position’ by people who simply didn’t realize that they were witnessing the outcome of that exercise with Aaron’s arguably Man of the Match performance against Norwich.

Denilson- once such a bright prospect and now on the edge of leaving, all due to constant heckling by the fans.
Walcott- Once thought of as a waste. Till this season, when he burst into goal scoring form. He then became ‘indispensable’, signed a new contract and hasn’t shone since. And so many others for whom he took the blame- Fabregas, Nasri, van Persie, Hleb etc. when in reality they had betrayed his faith in them.

It was then that realization hit him. Almost all the people who ‘wanted their Arsenal back’ had no idea what they were talking about. They were like sheep, being egged and pushed on by the media who in turn were encouraged to pursue negative angles due to this culture of ‘instant gratification’ that had pervaded society through the Internet.

These days, a Twitter handle knew more than the Club Staff. Why, the person was qualified to become the Manager! On what justification? 8 trophyless years. He wasn’t about to waste his time defending himself because none would appreciate the difficulties the Club and he had faced together. Other clubs would have crumbled. Other managers would have gotten another job. Hadn’t Barcelona, Madrid, Bayern etc wanted him? Not Arsenal, and not him. He was an honourable man and he loved this Club. They would all see the plan unfold in the years to come.

For now, though, he just wanted a break. For now, he wanted to tell them all- the crowd of journalists and the so called ‘supporters’, nay, SING at them “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Putting these thoughts aside, Arsene Wenger sat up straighter in his chair. Smiling, he pointed to the next reporter in line.

Today a new ‘guest’ writer from Twitter, a certain @arseblagger gives us his take on yesterday’s game and then we’ll hear from @Blackburngeorge.

First up our new twitter friend @Arseblagger.

A gift of a penalty, an own goal and an offside goal gave us three points that we never looked like getting.

From the moment I saw the team that Wenger had picked I knew we were in trouble.

I called it.  I simply knew we should have started Podolski and Theo rather than the hapless and out of their respective depths, Gervinho and Cazorla.

The game proved I was right and Wenger has lost the plot.  If they had started we would have scored three goals in the first 10 minutes rather than the last.

We started slowly and quickly ran out of the steam we had never had.  We never looked like scoring, and defended like a pub team.  Norwich out-played us.  Those reliable BBC statisticians told us that they had 51% possession.  Imagine that.  We are a disgrace of a team.

We should be beating teams like that by five clear goals at home.

It makes me sick to see us in such a poor position with this bunch of second-class players.  If we manage to fluke a Champions League spot we will be humiliated again next year.

This lot are so bad they have dragged Jack down to their level.  Now he is useless, as well.

ArseBlagger

***

Okaaay, thanks for that Blagger.  I’m sure I speak for precisely none of us here in looking forward to your next article.

Now here is how George judged the same game …

Alan Hansen, on Match of the Day (MOTD) last week said that Arsenal’s problem was that we could not play poorly and win.  Well I am glad he pointed that out because Arsene seems to have addressed that particular problem this week, and put it right.

I find myself hard pushed to think of many moments of Wengerball.

I was disappointed in our first half performance.  I think we were slow and lacking more than a little spark.  Personally I think that missing spark was one Tomas Rosicky.  His replacement – Jack – was definitely out of sorts.  And Arsene removed him just about as soon as he could without denting the lad’s confidence.

Jack has been 6 weeks out and it really showed.  I hope Rosicky is fit for the visit of Everton on Tuesday.  For me he is currently miles ahead of the youngster.

Another youngster that was definitely not out-of-form is Aaron Ramsey.  I thought he was our stand-out player – and by quite a margin.  He worked tirelessly and looks brimfull of confidence and class.

It just shows what can be achieved with a little perseverance by the manager and a good attitude by the player.  He has gone from deadwood to dead-cert.

I understand I have not mentioned their goal and how it came about, because I assume you have all seen it and I don’t want to think about it.

Anyway, Arsene hooked Jack and Gervinho, and Theo and Podolski entered the fray.

It seemed to inject a bit of pace and urgency to the team and the visitors were pinned even farther back.

The pressure mounted and on my dodgy internet stream Tony Gale urged Norwich on and lambasted our teams efforts and players.

Then Giroud was hauled down in the box and the assistant referee flagged it up.  There has been moaning and carping about that ever since, but I don’t understand why anyone can complain about the correct decision being made.

Up stepped our cool cat Captain and it was 1-1.

Three minutes later we took the lead through a Giroud/own goal (I couldn’t care less which).  By this time Arsene had brought Alex Oxlade Chamberlain on for Sagna (a bold move for a man who supposedly never makes good tactical changes or bold substitutions) and the kid burst into the box, made the byline and with the outside of his right foot cut it across the face of goal.  Yippee.

Now I am cursing the fact that due to their persistent time-wasting they have six minutes of additional time to rescue an undeserved point.

Then Safehanski make a wonderful save with his legs.  Safehansnlegski, it would seem.

However, when Theo was played in behind (quite a bit behind actually, but let’s not go there, either) Podolski showed us just why he has 100+ German caps to his name.  It was a brilliant bit of finishing from him.  He could have had a hat trick if not for two previous thundering efforts being miraculously tipped over the bar.

All the things Arsene has claimed this team have, grit – Finsbury will like that- mental strength and a never-say-die spirit were displayed in the closing stages.

It was, in the end a great three points and one step closer to our remaining target for the season.

It turns out we actually had 68% possession by the way (and no thanks to the BBC).

I suspect we will have to do better against Everton, and I am convinced we will.

Oh, and we are third in the table, don’t you know?

George

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