Reflections on Milan and the current situation

By @SamTheGooner

I wasn’t surprised or shocked by what we all had to painfully witness on Wednesday night. It wasn’t some freak result or unlucky defeat. It was the result of an inevitable manifestation of decline on and off the pitch at Arsenal Football Club. And this didn’t happen overnight. You don’t go from being Champions (2004) to Europa League misery or mid-table mediocrity overnight. No, we haven’t reached the latter yet but we have no reasons to believe that those lows aren’t on the horizon.
 
I am not one to blame the players. You see, I don’t think we lost at the San Siro because of Squillaci. The 8-2 debacle at Old Trafford wasn’t Denilson’s fault. Nevertheless, the other night, there was absolutely no heart, passion or desire, from most of the players, to get a result. As Le Boss said, we never really got into the game. We were woeful. It was almost as if the players didn’t want the ball, were keen to get rid of it and pass the responsibility on to someone else. Time and time again we gave away the ball.
 
Most of the Arsenal players don’t understand what it means to wear that cannon or the famous colours of red and white. Why not? Why was the performance so woeful? I don’t know really, probably a combination of a few things - one of them being this modern reality that a large percentage of players are driven solely by the money (*cough* Samir Nasri *cough*). They are anyway paid thousands so why bother to try? Wenger’s duties don’t halt at just picking the team; he must also serve as the motivator. The players didn’t look too fired-up in the Italian cold the other night – another reason, in my opinion, for the no-desire attitude. The performance was utterly lethargic.
 
A bad pitch or dodgy referee has nothing do with the team’s effort. Give them a game. Show some pace, urgency, passion! Make it difficult for them! The tie is essentially over and we must turn our focus to the FA Cup and the Premier League, where it is so vital, albeit unlikely, that we finish in the top four. Doomsday is looming large.
 
Even before the game we (well, those whose heads aren’t buried in the sand) knew that this Arsenal squad is very average but the least the 5,000 travelling fans deserved (and those watching at home) was a spirited performance full of desire, urgency and hunger. But no, we were battered and outclassed all over the pitch. Where was that Frimpong-like fighting spirit in Milan? Frimpong’s not the greatest footballer but his sterling attitude, fighting spirit and love for the club is a reason he’s already established himself as a fan favourite.
 
The next day the media were singing AC Milan’s praises, but they really weren’t that brilliant. They’re not unbeatable or particularly world class. Yes, they deserve credit for taking advantage of our lacklustre performance but we made them look amazing. I watch them in Serie A as well, and trust me; they are nowhere near the level of Barcelona or Real Madrid.
 
People tell me that the players constantly let the manager down – which may be true – but these players are overpaid, underachieving and don’t pick themselves. We reward failure. Sp*rs’ wage bill is £61 million less than ours! Wenger has too much faith in some of these players who, quite frankly, aren’t good enough. It is one of Wenger’s obvious flaws: too much loyalty. Yes, believe it or not, Wenger is not flawless. His successes of yesteryear don’t make him some unquestionable mastermind.
 
We are a club in decline; on the pitch, as was evident in Milan, throughout January, at Old Trafford, Wembley etc, and off it. Problems at Arsenal are far deeper than personnel. Signing one player, selling another or making a tactical change won’t suddenly make us world beaters. Our absurdly outdated wage structure, transfer policy, ownership (Kroenke – our unpopular owner who has attended only one Arsenal game in nine months) and management are all among the issues needed addressing. But getting rid of the deadwood players would certainly be a good place to start rebuilding. Bendtner, Chamakh, Almunia, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Park, Djourou et al are all underachieving and overpaid. They are passengers. It’s the club’s fault these players are tied in with long-term, highly paid, lucrative contracts no buyer will ever take on.
 
The past summer, for me, was a major turning point. They’ve been problems for a couple of seasons now (the lack of leadership, winning mentality etc) but we always knew the summer would be pivotal and the club blew it. They blew it from board to manager and while blowing it big style, gave the fans a double whammy of price increases and mediocrity. The summer was a genuine existential moment for the club, and their answer was to nickel and dime it.  What’s happened since isn’t exactly rocket science.
 
We had a dreadful end to last season, sold our two best players, made inadequate and rushed signings, were unlucky with injuries and the backroom staff remained the same. It’s quite simply the disaster formula of how a club go from finishing inside the top four to out of it.
 
Arsenal FC has become the personification of acceptance in mediocrity. The board, and some fans, have shown absolutely no ambition and are satisfied with a top four finish. This season, I’m afraid, there’s little chance we’ll get even get that.
 
There’s a case to be said about Wenger being thrown under the bus and that he’s a victim/hostage of his own success but we don’t really know. It was quite clear at the beginning of January that this squad weren’t good enough and our finish inside the top four was in jeopardy, so why didn’t we sign anyone to help us get over the line? A striker to help share the burden with Van Persie, a left-back to ascertain the likes of Miquel and Vermaelen weren’t forced to play in an unnatural and unfamiliar position. It was fresh madness. Were there funds available? Were those funds available to the manager? If not, why not? If there was money, why was Arsene so reluctant to spend? These are questions that need asking. The determination to muddle through rather than use money to help ourselves looks ridiculous.
 
Whatever it is, it would be nice if Gazidis, Kroenke and co would come out and tell the fans, the lifeblood of any club, the truth. It’s the least we deserve after suffering for quite a while now. I couldn’t help but admire and feel sorry for the fans that spent their hard-earned cash on an extortionate away trip to Milan to watch such a shower of crap.
 
The board have spat in the faces of us, the fans. We pay the highest ticket prices in world football, season ticket prices are increased season after season, and more and more of the core support are being priced out of the game. We pay Harrods prices while the club are searching for basement bargains in Primark. It is truly disgusting that the loyal fans are the ones suffering from the mediocrity and austerity visible on the football pitch.
 
The board will proudly boast about our self-sustaining business model and relatively healthy financial situation but bank accounts don’t score you goals or keep clean sheets. The football model must come before the business one. All you ask of your football club is that it strives to improve on the year before. Arsenal have been getting worse, each year, for too many years now.
 
It is a sad situation - a dire one – which hasn’t developed overnight. The perennial questions about Arsenal’s under investment will be raised again this summer especially with two billionaires owning the shares.
 
Yes, for the first two/three seasons at The Grove the excuse was that we were still paying off the debt but we’ve been at the stadium for almost six years now. No excuses anymore. I urge fans to show some ambition, unlike the board, and to stop applauding the mediocrity. Without the fans, the club is nothing.
 
Please give me reasons to be positive as I currently see no reason to be “positive” and keep the faith, as all I, a realist, can see in the nearby future is us reaching two new lows: finishing below Sp*rs and playing Europa League football at a half-empty Emirates next season. Channel 5 beckons. You can’t argue with the league table.
 
Robin van Persie is our captain, talisman and best player. After the humiliation in Italy he was reportedly forlorn in the dressing room. That kind of evening in Milan will not persuade him to sign that new contract in a hurry. I won’t be surprised or bewildered to see him go. If Van Persie does leave in the summer, where does that leave us? Where do we go from there?
 
We’ve never been so bad under the tenure of Arsene Wenger. The man can no longer see wood for trees. The blind, deluded, non-critical devotion to Wenger is one reason we’re in this mess. Heads up, ostriches.
 
Perhaps the board have just tied his hands behind his back and the Frenchman has performed miracles with limited squads for the last few seasons, but this time alas I can’t see it. There is a strong belief from some Gooners that our failures this term are down to the board too often rolling the dice and getting the manager to make chicken salad out of chicken shit. All this, as I say, may be true but we don’t know.
 
Wenger is either too stubborn to realise the glaring inadequacies in his side, or, he is being hindered by a board who are too incompetent to land his desired targets, or simply unwilling to pay inflated asking prices. Anyway, I personally find it hard to believe that Wenger is completely infallible and am therefore of the opinion that it’s time to wish him farewell. (I could write a whole article on Wenger. Here I’m just touching on it - it’s not my main focus in this piece.)
 
You can’t take away Wenger’s achievements but it seems to me he is dwelling on past glory. Football’s moved on but has Arsene? He is tactically inept and the way he worries about the state of Europe’s economy makes you think his next job is more likely replacing Sarkozy than Jose (via Tim Payton).  If Wenger is to part company this summer, it should be announced sooner rather than later so he leaves with the dignity he deserves. Build a statue, say thank you and move on.
 
I thought I’d end on a positive note after that rant. So, let’s all remember, we’re still a bigger club than Sp*rs. And we will be for a long time. To put things into perspective, we’ve won more league titles just under the reign of Arsene Wenger than Tottenham have in their whole history. We’ve been in the Champions League for 16 consecutive seasons, while Sp*rs have managed to reach Europe’s elite competition only once in that time. St Totteringham's Day may not occur this year but Arsenal have finished above Sp*rs every season since the 1994-95 campaign. These facts prove that there’s still no case for an argument. Forever in our shadow. Up The Arsenal!

Milan Massarce

15th February 2012 will always be remembered as the date I lost faith in this current Arsenal team, not only the team but the mentality of the players, the judgment of the board and finally the manager himself.
We made an at best average Milan side look great the club we love was out played for 90mins by a Milan that are struggling to fill the once packed San Siro every week.
(I know this because I live in Milan.)
The papers every day highlight the flaws in the once great Milan with comments usually centred around the lack of pace in Milan's team the lack of goals and creativity even their legendary defence has had huge criticism as they have struggled to keep out 'serie A' opposition away from home despite being top of the league.
Opposition that might not eve rival the top four of our premier league its fair to say that 'serie A' quality of football is no where near the same level that we play in the Premier League.
Yet despite all this they outplayed our once great club, they out ran out thought and more importantly they out Gunned our once great club.
Our recent good form has hidden the real problems that are deep in our club that now painful night in the San Siro showed how not having real winners and leaders in our team has kept us back and far away from silverware. We found it impossible to turn the tide and really lacked quality not only in the final third but across the pitch.
We once had a great defence Wenger once understood you have to build from at least two big, ugly (Sorry keown and adams.) central defenders; so that all the attacking play can take place without fear of sloppy or crazy mistakes at the back.
Now with this current squad of players we have no clue how to play the beautiful game and no confidence to go forward or play in 'triangles'. Now tonight having watched the game on TV after having to witness it live, I can see what was clear to all 5000 stood beside me which is there is no belief around the club or within the players and even the fans didn't look surprised this hurt deeply hurt. The majority of player showed now fight or pride to be representing Arsenal on the biggest stage.
5000 Gooners who work hard in normal lives, everyday to earn money to watch our were rewarded with a slap in the face. Some Arsenal fans will keep the faith but I urge you with every red part of my soul to see reason too look not only at this season and the departure of certain players but the standard of football the last 5 years, the games we have lost or drawn when leaders and quality were needed on the pitch that were not wearing our famous cannons.
Many Arsenal fans will list single occasions and games when we played well,but I ask you is that enough? To win silverware you have to preform every match win, loss or draw and today like so many other days we did not perform. All our breathtaking history will mean nothing if we don't make drastic changes this is more then a 4-0 defeat it's about glory that has been missing from our club for the better part of a decade! The fans here in Milan tonight and ALL Gooners across the world deserved so much more from our club.
I wish I could take positives I usually do but now is the time to get real; time to wake up. I'm not asking for protests or for abuse to players or the manger but we need to all move forward together and we ALL need to get the message to the club that this is no longer good enough and we will no longer will we stand aside and bicker amongst ourselves that we as a group thousands strong demand more than ever.
We needed leadership as well as spirit and were found wanting not for the first time we have taken millions in transfers alone only to line the already bulging pockets of our greedy board it's not just the money but the acceptance of defeat and average performance's that is now the norm. Even the once great style of our club is gone no longer do players move and flow in sync to often the play grinds to a holt as players struggle to pick out passes that only a handful of players in the world could complete.
I end with this thought- what young lad growing up watching football would want to be an Arsenal fan? What players would they follow so keen to emulate?I pray that some big changes take place so that us Gooners don't become a forgotten breed.

Ryan (@Ryanvr46)

AC Milan vs Arsenal Drinking Game

AC MILAN VS ARSENAL DRINKING GAME ( I don't want to be blamed if you land up in hospital so I advice this game to be played with Orange squash ;] )

Have a sip if...

Us being a 'One man team' is mentioned

Fabregas and Nasri are mentioned (a sip for each one)

ANY reference to Barcelona

The Camera turns to Henry on the bench

The referee makes a cock up

Have a few sips if...

When a Walcott cross goes to a Milan player

Song picks up a yellow card

A player goes down injured

Down your drink if...

Any mentions of trophy drought

A mention that we might not be on the Champions League next season

Any mention to Bale's performance against Inter Milan last season.

If a Walcott cross finds a ARSENAL player.

IF HENRY SCORES THE WINNER DOWN THE BOTTLE

Enjoy the match #COYG

DRINK AWARE

Contracts and what not: An Arsenal week in review.

Just posting a small news update and my thoughts on said topics.

It has become apparent that a certain Swiss defender has signed a new deal at Arsenal. No, we are not about to witness the return of Senderos, but we’re going to have three more years of Johan Djourou (although Swiss reports say it's just two). There are several ways to look at this:

1)     We’ve increased his price for potential buyers

2)      For two or three more years we’re stuck with a player who’s been below-par all season

3)      We get to keep the man who played out of his skin and defended well for the first two-thirds of last season

4)      We’ve lowered our wage bill and have therefore not got enough funds to tie down our better players

5)      OR, the board have made extra funds available for wages and so Wenger is slowly but surely getting the whole squad on new long-term deals.

6)      Kyle Bartley isn’t coming back

Theo Walcott is also close to a contract extension, taking his weekly pay up to £80,000. Luckily we’re doing all this now and not in the summer. For instance, the deal to sign Juan Mata was reportedly halted due to the club focussing on Fabregas’ transfer and the contract renewal of Samir Nasri.

Robin Van Persie has dismissed (laughed off) rumours that he will be going to Real Madrid in the summer after speaking to the Telegraph saying:  “Real Madrid? No, no, not for me. Me and my family love London. This is my home.” Judging by this quote, he is very happy at the club. – Please note that if you have read the Marca interview with Van Persie then ignore it, the whole thing was made up and blown way out of proportion. Marca also reckon Káká admitted to having a medical with us in mid-July, hmm.

According to very reliable WeAreTheNorthBank.com, we are lining up a summer move for Sturridge after his father recently touted the Chelsea forward to the club. This would be a decent move for us, well, when I say that, I simply mean and improvement on Chamakh and Park.

Last but not least, Carlos Vela. The Mexican striker has said he doesn’t want to go back to Arsenal, and he wants to stay at Real Sociedad, or at least stay in Spain. 

Thanks for reading, whilst you're at it, give me a follow me on Twitter: @MylesBurrell.

The Story So Far

NOTE: This piece was meant to be published 11 days ago. My apologies go to Ryan the writer.


> This is one of the hardest pieces I have had to write,the story so far,it should be easy for any team with huge ambitions and a top four finish the minimum expected,
> It should read something like,"the start to the season was Not as easy as we thought, but its ok we are safely in the top 4 of the table before the end of the year"
> However being fans of the mighty Arsenal,its been different,the season started the way many would have expected with the departure of cesc,and then the departure we few were expecting of nasty,from then on every so called expert questioned more then the ambition of our club!but the very soul of it,the usual fans wanted us to spend big and spent fast,these fans are clearly new to the club and must be the glory years supporters of the Henry era,which is fine,all Arsenal fans are of course welcome,fir us fans that have supported the club longer,we knew the likely hood under AW of us spending huge and fast were tiny
> AW has never done business this way,and never would,he buys clever and when he feels he must,often to the naked eye buying wrongly too,the acquisitions we made weren't good enough for all,so many quick to say that they wouldn't be enough to save our season, a season that after 3 games was in tatters,fans were actually protesting against the club
> Then at what has to be the biggest meeting the last 5 years at the club,its revealed we will stick to our current financial model,
> Basically spend what we can earn,and for a club that is not winning trophies it won't be a lot,yet still with days remaining in the summer transfer window,some fans demanded huge signings of 40 and 50 million,this was never going to happen,not because of our clubs lack of ambition,but our clubs determination to stick to its own guide lines,
> We should maybe be proud of that,AW did buy in the transfer window,and it did the job,after a poor start,Arsenal turned it round,with some massive wins,Udinese being one! Against all the odds we started to turn it round,playing with confidence and looking like the old gunners we once were,and with RVP being the most in form striker on the planet we were looking dangerous,some in the media continued the Arsenal bashing saying we are a one man team,its maybe hard to argue with that one,but those that follow the game of football know the goal is the end product of 11players working hard,its the icing on the cake,so Arsenal as a team were playing some great football,
> Still so many fans weren't happy,pulling names from the sky of players we need,like we are a FIFA12 game,these people I feel need to get real,the  media still hounded our club,even the 5-3 hammering of chelsea wasn't enough,it appears any team we can beat is then in crisis!?! Its been the most obvious year for media hating arsenal I can remember,
> Despite all this AW has remained as classy as ever, and the club have taken criticism well,the players have reacted well,yes we know we are still carrying dead wood in some players,and I'm sure every Gooner reading this ,has at least 5 players they would happily sell,but for us all I'm sure that Arshavin and chamakh are the main 2!
> The club have done us all proud,we were and are never going to spend money like other big clubs in Europe,its not our style,finding young talented footballers,holding onto them nee to become a bigger priority,I have mentioned before how Arsenal need to be careful we don't become a feeder club for big clubs with big money and trophy ambitions!
> That aside, we have gone from looking like relegation fodder (according to telegraph) to being just outside the top four,yet with the wolves result the other day, the haters are all back and we are in crisis again,
> I agree we should have taken 3 point,but we didn't,I believe we are struggling as a squad because we have no winners,we have talent,loads of it,but not winners,had we won the carling cup we would be a different team,
> we all know that the Man u of old specialised in taken advantage of dropped points by other team challenging for the title,but we are a much better team then we started the season with,the second half of the season will see the return of the "winner" the king is back,wilshere will also be back ad AW will buy someone in January,I'm sorry to all the pessimistic Gooners that will say I'm deluded,but I remember the arsenal that couldn't buy a win!so for me the future is always bright,we need to look at what we have, not what we don't,for the second half of the season,if you have been negative so far this season try being positive!and let's see what we can achieve together,going forward!

Ryan

Only One Arsenal Awards 2011

Let’s be honest 2011 hasn’t been the best if years for the Gunners, it’s been riddled with injuries, cock up’s and it could of been so different. However it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. So this the Only One Arsenal 2011 Awards were Ryan, Myles  and myself (Luke)  have voted on our lows and highs of this year.

Player of Year: Robin Van Persie

We couldn’t look beyond Robin for this award with 34 league goals in 42 appearances he is so close to breaking Alan Shearer’s record of 36 goals in a calendar year and he still might depending on his performance vs QPR.  He has also taken over as captain from Cesc Fabregas and proved people that were at first weary of leadership skills that he is more than up to it. Robin also wins Goal of the year for his stunning volley vs Everton.

Let’s hope Robin stays fit in 2012 and signs a new contract. You never know he may even get to lift a trophy as the Arsenal captain in the year ahead.

Here are some videos of Van Persie in 2011

Best Win: Arsenal 2-1 Barcelona (Other nominations include Arsenal 1-0 Man Utd, Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal and Udinese 1-2 Arsenal) 

This match had it all a good atmosphere, good football, world class players, a comeback and an upset but most importantly a Gunners win verves the best team in the world. A goal after 26 minutes by Barcelona could of been followed by more as the Spanish team all but dominated in till 12 minutes before time when Robin Van Persie scored from a acute angle this point in the game changed then just minutes later Arshavin scored a winner in the words of Arsene Wenger it was ‘a special night’

Worst Defeat:  Birmingham 2-1 Arsenal (Other nominations include Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal, Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal and Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool)

However bad is losing to the Spuds or getting trashed 8-2 by Europa League team Man Utd the Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham started our slump, hangover, crisis or whatever you call it which went a good way into this season it also was a good chance to end out trophy less spell. I still think what if?

Breakthrough Player (not inc new signings): Wojciech Szczesny (Other nominations: Koscielny, Ramsey, Wilshere, Frimpong and Coquelin)

Two years ago Szczesny was on loan at League 1 side Brentford he won applauds from his manager there he then went on to make his Arsenal debut in late 2010. In 2011 he has made a few mistakes (but who hasn’t?) but has also made consistent performance something which Arsenal lacked in goal up in till his rise. For me his best save this year was vs Udinese to stop Di Natale penalty and stopping Udinese getting back into the game.

Flop of the year: Andrei Arshavin (Other nominations: Chamakh, Diaby, Almunia, Squillaci)

For me Arshavin saved himself from this award thanks to a goals vs Barcelona and Swansea. However for £15 million pounds he paid him you could expect him to at least be able to make simples passes and break into a sweat.  How long Arshavin career will go into 2012, we will have to wait and see.

Signing of the Season: Mikel Arteta (Other nominations: Gervinho, Santos, Mertesacker, Jenkinson and Chamberlain)

Arteta has fitted into our midfield like he has been playing with us for year this is no doubt due to his vast experience in the premier league with Everton. He has also not yet played with Wilshere so he looks a steal for the amount we paid.

Cock Up of the year: 2^nd Half vs Newcastle (4-4) (Other nominations: Squillaci and Almunia vs West Brom away, Carling Cup miss kick, Liverpool Home Eboue late Pen 1-1, Liverpool Home Miquel/Ramsey O.G. 0-2 and Olympiacos 2^nd goal away’

Well there have been quite a few Cock ups. However due to a red card, Phil Dowd having a mare of a game (So his usually self) we managed to let a four goal lead slip in the second half. Thanks to that afternoon I still can’t be 100% Arsenal will see a game out no matter how big the lead.

Best Sale: Nasri (Other nominations: Clichy, Eboue, Traore, Fabregas)

I going to be honest I liked Nasri in a Arsenal shirt however after some very average performance during the end of last season to get £24 million for a money grabbing player who we would of lost for nothing a year later is a good deal. Thanks City and Enjoy the bench and the Europa League Na$ri

Most Improved- Koscielny (Walcott, Song, Szczesny, Ramsey)

Also known as Mr Consistent Koscielny has become one of the best centre backs in the league he has handled the likes of Messi, Dzeko, Aguero and Mata sometimes with ease. He has made a couple of mistakes but this is to be expecting especially in his 1^st season at Arsenal and he has now earned a call up for the French national team and he himself has said he is surprised at his rapid rise.  I am sure he will become one of the Premier League best in 2012 and years to come.

Star of 2012- A.O. Chamberlain (Other nominations- Frimpong, Gervinho, Coquelin, Afobe, Ryo and Jenkinson)

When we first signed Chamberlain people were saying he is just yet enough young player when we needed something better however now I am sure these people will be the ones wanted him to be in the 1^st team more often. However much I want Chamberlain to be ripping up the Premier League I feel that he gets thrown in at the right time and I am sure this will come in 2012 when he can conquer the 1^st team and maybe even an England call up.

 So I wish you a very happy 2012 and let’s hope it’s a year to remember for the Gunners.

And I leave you with this.......

MATCH REPORT v Wolves [h]. 27/12/11

Let us start from the beginning: This was the first game I’d been to by myself. I left my dad’s house in south London, got on a train to Highbury & Islington (north London) and didn’t see or hear a single Wolves fan. I walked along the famous, brilliant and long Holloway Road; I still couldn’t see or hear any Wolves fans. I hung around outside for a bit when I got to the Emirates, went inside, found my seat in the lower tier of the Clock End, and there they were, Wolves fans!

The game kicked off. I still couldn’t hear any Wolves fans.

The game started as any home game does when Arsenal kick off, the fans started singing and our players each got a few touches of the ball before moving forward. Standard.  The chants roared on and The Gunners quickly got into their flow.

I still heard nothing from the Wolves fans.

Eight minutes in and Wolves were on the attack, only to be stopped in their tracks, the ball was worked to Yossi Benayoun who spotted Gervinho’s well-timed run and put him clean through. Here is when I panicked; I’ve always seen Gervinho as someone who does TOO MUCH when he has the ball. For instance: run, run, run, run, clean through, run, run, run, pass, attack over. So at this point when the big headed Ivorian was one-on-one with Iker Casillas Wayne Hennessey I thought to myself “shit, he’s going to pass or run backward, or something.” I was wrong; he gave me even more of a reason to panic when he decided to go take the ball away from Buffon Hennessey. That’s when I thought “He’s gonna mess it up.” But no, he scored! One nil to The Arsenal, we were all cheering, jumping around, chanting unnecessarily harsh taunts at the opposition fans such as “we pay your benefits!!!” etc.

Silence from the Wolves fans, still.

And that’s when The Emirates turned into complacency central. We created a few half-chances and Van Persie even proved that he didn’t need to pull his leg back cannon a shot towards goal from the edge of the box – which Peter Schmeichel Wayne Hennessey tipped past the post. Another half-chance came when Van Persie was brought down on the edge of the Wanderer’ box, but Arteta decided it would be a good idea to dink the ball into the arms of Hennessey. The Wolves fans were still silent, and that’s when me and the rest of the fans in my section started chanting “WE FORGOT, WE FORGOT, WE FORGOT THAT YOU WERE HERE! WE FORGOT THAT YOU WERE HEEEEEEERE!!!”

Ten seconds later we concede a corner and eventually, a goal (good header from Fletcher, though). 

Now I can hear the Wolves fans, and for the last six or seven minutes Wolves pushed and pushed, and their fans sang and sang. I wouldn’t say the game was turned on its head as the half drew to a close, but it had changed in Wolves’ favour, until about a minute towards the end we seemed to be hurrying the ball forwards, as if there were seconds of the second half. Half time, Wolves fans fell silent again.

The second half kicked off and we looked the stronger side throughout the half, apparently Tommy V got booked in the midst of all the havoc we were causing their defence – must have missed it. My excuse for missing the booking is as follows: There was a fat ginger Wolves fan looking at me, had to double check he wasn’t cursed or something. We had a couple of penalty shouts, both of which I participated in, neither of which I saw.

Throughout the game I noticed several things:

1)      Van Persie snatched at a lot of his chances, a bad day at the office is bound to occur, even to the best striker in Europe, but can we really allow that with cabbages like Chamakh and Park in reserve? No. Spend some money.

2)      Yossi Benayoun is a fighter, I like that. We need more players like him, just younger and more talented (not saying he lacks talent, but we can afford better). Spend some money, and buy Yossi before his loan runs out.

3)      Arshavin and Chamakh’s introduction had about as much effect on the game as I did singing (and swearing in frustration) from the other end of the stadium. Replace them, to do that, you need to spend some money.

4)      Wolves’ players and fans lack etiquette. Not as bad as Stoke Rugby Club, but still.

5)      Arsenal fans are hilarious but very cruel, singing “WE PAY YOUR BENEFITS” to the Wolves fans. I get EMA, so everyone contributes to my benefits. I’ll bare that in mind next time I chant that at a poor person.

6)      Djourou thinks he can take it past whoever he likes, when he really can’t. He is no adequate replacement for Sagna and to be fair, neither is Jenkinson. Spend some money.

7)      Vermaelen was brilliant at left-back, but he’s sensational at centre-back. We need cover for Santos. Spend some money, and sell injury-prone Gibbs whilst you’re at it, Arsene.

8)      Wayne Hennessey decided to emulate some of the greatest ever goalkeepers.

This is slowly becoming tedious so I’ll cut a long story short. We drew a game we needed to win, we waste more chances than we create, our fans are better than Wolves’ fans. Arshavin is shit. Chamakh is worse. Djourou is cocky and has silly hair. So what next for The Gunners, with Robin in need of a rest, but three goals away from breaking a record, what’s Arsene gonna do? But more importantly, how will the team perform against QPR on Saturday?

Oh and on the journey home I saw a man wearing boots with ski-socks poking out, his trousers were tucked into his ski-socks. He was not wearing an Arsenal shirt, thankfully.

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