Kostly buy for Arsenal? Or Suarez?

Just picked up The Metro and they're saying we're going to bid for Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou. Liverpool are also in the race, apparently. Sounds like Championship Manager to me and no more real than a video game app.
Wenger will do his Xmas shopping in the German market, I reckon. He still has a dabble in France and Spain from time to time, so I won't be surprised if a new arrival comes from one of those three countries.
Shopping further afield seems more risky. Ryo still hasn't done enough (although let's hope he puts that right against Spurs in the FA Cup, if selected), Arshavin wasn't accommodated and was probably too outspoken, van Persie lacked loyalty (although other Dutchmen like Bergkamp - a Rioch signing - and Overmars have been a success for Wenger, Luzhny did a job as did Vivas, but the bottom line is nationality or the league a player is playing in make a big difference.
For instance, it's generally difficult for SPL players to make the jump to Premier League level. How many players have we bought from Scotland while Wenger has been in charge? None I can think of. Even the likes of McCarthy, who went to Wigan initially, was never going to join us directly. He would have to prove himself elsewhere in the Premier League first. I'm still not sure he's right for Arsenal, despite how well he's playing.
So there you have it. Le Boss is selective. Don't expect many new arrivals. I'd say two at most, but as I've said all along I'd settle for Suarez!

Wenger: Get Cesar & take a punt on Suarez!

Arsene Wenger must be getting accustomed to being pilloried during transfer windows, due to his refusal to spend the money allocated to strengthening the squad. He will certainly enjoy being right to stick to his guns, if this thinning Arsenal squad manage to win something significant. Personally, I can't see it happening. Not with this squad.

The first team have already won the Saitama Cup and enjoyed an excellent pre-season. The bonds between the players appear to have strengthened and certain young-ish players, like Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs, Jenkinson, are likely to be more effective in the next campaign. Increasing maturity should ensure that.

Even Giroud will improve. A year's previous experience in the Premiership will ensure that! The same could be said of Cazorla and Poldi.

However, even if all those improvements happen, that doesn't mean we shouldn't splash out on top players. Wenger must realise football's a squad game nowadays. Of course, team spirit is important and we can only assume that Wenger thinks there's a chance of it being disrupted by a top performer. I mean Andrey Arshavin was a big name when he arrived, and went on to question his manager with the inevitable end-result: a stunted Arsenal career.

You have to wonder if the same thing would happen if the outspoken and controversial Luis Suarez arrived. Maybe if the Uruguayan went off the rails, Wenger would try him out in goal! After all, he can't seriously think Fabianski is going to be good enough to be our first-choice keeper. My worry is that Wenger will start the season with the rick-prone Pole, who reminded us of his propensity to drop the ball under a modicum of pressure against Urawa Reds.

I can't tell Wenger his job, but he needs another keeper. I had more confidence in Mannone than Fabianski, although he was clearly our third-choice. Martinez will now spell 'M' for 'Might be used in emergencies', and he's probably decent enough to fulfill that role. But I can't feel confident about that position after some of the performances we had to endure from all of our keepers last season.

The naturally-talented Szczesny might soon prove to be as reliable as he is load-mouthed, but I think it's more likely that will happen if he's pushed by a more experienced keeper like Julio Cesar. I don't believe Szczesny thinks Fabianski is superior in any way to him. Why would he? Being dropped for Fabianski must feel insulting for Szczesny, no matter how well he does or does not get on with him.

Having said that, Fabianski had his best Arsenal season in the campaign just gone. Let us not forget, even Almunia had his good spells in the team. The fact he's now playing in the division below says it all. Wenger misjudged the keeping situation then, when Amunia became number one at Arsenal, and I fear he's doing the same.

Please get Cesar, Wenger! Also, a punt on Suarez would be nice!

Top ten most exciting Arsenal arrivals

The lack of new arrivals at Arsenal this summer has prompted me to go back in time and think of signings that excited me, back in the days when we spent money.

Has this Arsenal transfer hibernation happened before? Check out the new book about Wenger's first season in charge! ARSENAL F.C. - A FOOTBALL TRANSFER DIARY 1996/1997 [Kindle Edition]

ARSENAL F.C. - A FOOTBALL TRANSFER DIARY 1996/1997 - Wenger's era begins [Paperback]

Top 10 most exciting signings:

1. Malcolm Macdonald - until he arrived at Arsenal, I was not a big fan of the gobby Supermac. But he could put his goal scoring boots where his mouth was, so I knew he'd score loads for us. It's a shame injury blighted his career, as he really was a proper centre forward.

2. Ian Wright - as with Supermac, I knew Wrighty would score loads for us. I'm not sure I could see him breaking Cliff Bastin's goalscoring record though. He turned out to be even better than expected.

3. Alan Ball - in my opinion, he was England's best player in the World Cup final of 1966 and what a signing he would be! Actually, not quite as good as I expected, but he was my hero when I was a kid nonetheless. He did the simple things well: the hallmark of an intelligent player. I was upset when he left.

4. Andrey Arshavin - it took so long to get the Russian genius, who took Rangers apart in the UEFA Cup final, I thought it would be worth the wait. Well, if he'd been played in the right position and had more opportunities to play, it might have been. His big mistake was to go public about Wenger's penchant for 70th-minute substitutions. Arshavin wasn't even bench-worthy in the manager's eyes after that little outburst. His 4-goal salvo at Anfield is a reminder of what could have been.

5. Marc Overmars - the Holland international winger was bound to be a success and he certainly didn't disappoint. It was such a shame when we sold him.

6. Dennis Bergkamp - a player of undoubted ability, but the question was would he adjust to the English game?
He'd had a tough time in Italy, so I wasn't sure. After seeing him play for Arsenal, I was instantly a Bergkamp fan, but the media were scathing about him in his early days. Once he completely found his feet, he never looked back. His only problem was missing European away days because of his fear of flying.

7. Thierry Henry - like Bergkamp, he'd not done as well in Italy as expected. Could we rescue his career? I thought so. I anticipated him turning on for us on the wing, not becoming a prolific goalscorer and beating Wrighty's record. Better than even I expected!

8. Pat Jennings - I couldn't believe we'd signed the world's best keeper so cheaply. This guy could catch the ball with one hand! He's more associated with Spurs than us, but their loss was certainly our gain. Although he was ageing, he oozed confidence and was a real asset. He was also better than expected.

9. David Seaman - a lot younger than Jennings, here we were getting a top keeper at the peak of his powers. I've always said a top keeper is a priority if you want to win silverware and Seaman certainly did his bit for us in that respect!

10. Brian Talbot - the midfield dynamo had been one of Ipswich's stars when they unexpected beat us in the FA Cup final of 1978. Funnily enough, I met the only goalscorer, Roger Osborne, and told him he ruined my life! Poor bloke didn't know what to say! Anyway, we had the last laugh, getting Talbot. I always like taking players from teams that comprehensively beat us! Talbot was tireless and a real asset to the team.

This top ten was hastily put together, so if you can come up with anything better, please post it below.

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The Rosicky man of Europe

Rosicky was once a true great! Okay, not really, but he wasn't that far away.
His long-range shooting was impressive as was his passing. However, since signing for Arsenal he's been a star on the wane. Yet, he got a new deal last summer and, when fit, he always gets a run-out. When you see how Andrey Arshavin is treated in comparison, it smacks of favouritism.
The Sun gave him 7/10 for last night's performance and wrote: 'he ran like hell'. They added: 'One of Arsenal's best'! What game were they watching?
For me, he was a 6. He gave the ball away more than Rambo and did half the work. I would question his commitment and expect him to leave this summer.
At least, my least favourite son Fabianski had a good game. May he continue to prove me wrong and keep clean sheets! Roll on Swansea!

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Mission Difficult

It's going to be 'Mission Difficult' tonight, not 'Mission Impossible', according to Arsène Wenger.
I think it's 'Mission More Than Impossible' with our weakened team.
Most startling is the news that Jack Wilshere is out until the end of the month with an ankle injury. He may be back for the Reading game. Not before.
Szczesny is out also. He's been under enormous pressure, so Mannone will have the job of picking the ball out of the net. You never know, he might actually keep a clean sheet. I'm not writing off Vito yet. It could be "'V' for Victory" unless it's 'F' for 'Failure' and Fabianski gets a run-out!
Victory is hard to imagine without Cazorla. He's out too, I've heard, although I didn't see that on the official website. Another absentee will be 'the possibly perennially crocked' Podolski.
Still there's hope! The Meerkat has been found! 'Come in number 23, I need you for the 70th minute and to keep the bench warm with your meerkat fur.' I won't call him Arshavin, as that might remind Wenger not to pay him.
Wenger is more likely to turn to his 'Unholy Trinity': Rosicky, Diaby and Gervinho. That's 'triple jeopardy' to me, but we're virtually out of the competition so there's nothing to jeopardise. All 3 have had their moments, but they have been fleeting. I've lost the faith in them, but Wenger persists with footballing disappointments. While he does that, we'll keep having disappointing results.
Wenger usually sees the light eventually: hence the departure of Denilson. He had his moments too, but how many games did we carry him in?
So despite Galatasaray scoring 3 in Gemany last night and Barcelona overturning a 2-goal deficit, I can't see us emulating both of them. Not with this team, anyway.
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Your comments on Arsenal post-Bayern

ArsenalDude21: Why does this happen to Arsenal? We were once the most feared team in the league.

TLC: Every team has its ups and downs, but this bad form seems to be spiralling out of control. 9 pts from Villa, Spurs & Everton would change all that!

ThePagooner: It's not good to see Wenger lose it like that to the press.

TLC: It's so unusual to see Wenger this upset. But we're all human, so we shouldn't be too harsh on him. However, I don't think it helped the team.

Sunbungun: Regardless of finishing in top 4 or not, Wenger needs to leave.

TLC: But top 4 is Wenger's criterion for success. If Arsenal make the top 4, that's 'success', according to him (& presumably the board) so it would be unfair to sack Wenger.

ThePagooner: The players before the Bayern game looked very scared. I do feel the pressure that wenger is under to win a trophy is feeding into the team. Maybe a need a new boss to give us a fresh start.

TLC: Not sure we need a new boss, but the team looks cheaply assembled compared to the likes of Bayern. You often get what you pay for. Except if you're an ST holder at AFC!

Daulkner: I have always had a slight problem with Arsenal fans complaining about "investment", in whatever capacity you may be referring too, because the fact of the matter is that Arsenal FC is a business. Businesses are supposed to make the owner of the said establishment money. It is childish to demand a business to spend money. There is a certain amount of difference between KFC and a soccer team, true, but if fans don't like the product they are buying, stop buying it!

TLC: Investing in the team makes business sense, as then Arsenal could sell more merchandise and win more prize money and so on. It seems the board would rather not speculate to accumulate.

Daulkner: The real complaint seems to be: why doesn't a billionaire come here and spend billions? That is an absurd demand. Here in the US, if a team is s**t, then the team ends up losing money and then "goes out of business" which, since the teams are in a league, ends up meaning relocation. If the fans are supportive then the team doesnt leave, because they are spending their money. Once again: stop filling the stadium, and they will be forced to react. Stan may even sell. Wish granted.

TLC: I'm not so sure I want Stan Kroenke to leave Arsenal. I just would like to know why Alisher Usmanov is not being offered a place on the board.

Daulkner: But you English are too passionate for your own good, because you will continue to fill the stadium and buy the merchandise. But it might even be soemthing else: I think that players don't want to play at Arsenal. Hazard was linked here since he was 8. RVP was even treated like a son for seemingly 10 years, yet he still left ASAP. Indeed it comes back to cash flow, but if you don't have to spend money to make money, why would you?

TLC: Arsenal keep saying there is money to spend on players, but why do we wait until the last day of the transfer window to do business? It's parsimony over points & prizes.

Daulkner: Arshavin over Rosicky? Clearly you aren't watching Tomas in an unbiased fashion. True, Arshavin should play more, but Rosicky has performed well when on the ball, perhaps not as a starter, but he's still a solid player.

TLC: Arshavin has done a lot better at international level than Rosicky. Let's not forget the last World Cup. AA's won European silverware for Zenit, virtually single-handedly & scored 4 away at Anfield for Arsenal. The guy is a genius, albeit lazy at times. Rosicy has a superior work-rate, but that's about it. And the manager likes him, so he'll always get a chance to show what he can do.

Go fourth & multiply Arsenal's funds

Fourth is the new first (when it comes to signing players and the bank balance) and conveniently that's where we sit right now (albeit temporarily) after a tough 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers. It was made extra tough by the referee's performance. Although he did send off a player near the end, he allowed Rangers to get away with only standing 8 to 9 yards away when Arsenal were taking freekicks. The referee, Anthony Taylor, even paced out 10 yards, yet still allowed the wall to stand one or 2 yards in front of where they were supposed to be. He completely lost control of the players. Despite Rangers' league position, no one should think they are definite relegation fodder. There's a lot of talent in that expensively assembled side, so despite their poor start I don't expect them to go down. Arsenal, meanwhile, huffed and puffed, which was to be expected given recent form. Arsene Wenger made a couple of changes to the team that lost to Schalke. Sagna and Wilshere were welcome returnees, with Coquelin and Jenkinson making way. Many thought Jenkinson should have kept his place in the side, and I would considered playing Sagna at left back instead of Santos. However, I remain convinced that Santos will return to his best after a few more games. Going forward, there are few better left backs than Santos. From a defensive point of view, some would argue there are few worse. Personally, I think Santos's problem is fitness. He's a clever player, who knows where he should be positionally, but he can't always make up the ground because of his lack of match fitness. Only games will improve him in this area. Mannone had a good game in goal, and provided a last-ditch save to keep the goal intact when it looks like we would give up two points. Sagna played remarkably well for someone who has been out so long, and the same goes for Wilshere. The two centre backs, Mertesacker and Vermaelen, were mostly solid, while Santos had a lot to do, but did most of it reasonably well. However, it can't be forgotten that most of QPR's attacks came down his side. That can't be a coincidence. Ramsey on the right had his moments, both positive and negative. A couple of stray passes and everyone on his back. Somebody shouted out: 'Taxi for Ramsey'. But he stayed on for the full duration of the match, and showed impressive energy levels and will be credited with an assist for Arteta's goal. Apart from scoring, Arteta was underpar. Not bad, but not at his best. The same goes for Cazorla, who didn't play like a player of the month. Still above-average compared to other Premier league players though. Podolski started brightly, but faded as the match went on. As we all know, he's been playing with an injury, so that's no surprise really. Giroud improved as the game went on, and was instrumental in the goal. He's also not too shy to shoot, and given our poor record upfront the season, he has to play. The substitutes, Walcott and Arshavin, certainly made a difference, with the little meerkat crossing for Giroud's header, which led to the goal. Gervinho's injury, while regrettable, may lead to Theo Walcott getting more opportunities to play, so that could be a blessing in disguise, especially as the England winger is yet to sign a new deal. It was great to get some good news, after two back-to-back defeats. Any win is a good win when it's a local 'derby', so I was delighted with three points. I was less than delighted in midweek, when chairman Peter Hill-Wood said at the AGM: 'Thank you for your interest in our affairs'. It was yet another PR gaffe that we've learnt to expect from Arsenal's equivalent of Prince Phillip. Still, it was a pleasing end to the week, so well done to the team for bouncing back! Let's have more of the same against Reading.

Arsenal's international casualties

Hello again Gooners! Been busy times at my end, but I never take my eye off the ball. No, never! Not like that San Marino keeper who crocked Theo Walcott. Never mind waist height, his challenge was chest height. Hence, Theo's hospitalisation with a chest injury. When will Fifa stop allowing tiny states like San Marino, no disrespect intended, competing without qualification with heavier weight countries like England. It makes no sense at all. It's always likely to lead to injuries top internationals and, although we are called 'lucky 'Arsenal, Theo was an accident waiting to happen. He'll be out for two weeks, probably. The only good news from that game, as far as I was concerned, was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring his first England goal. Aside from that the game was a waste of space in the fixture calendar. A so-called 'competitive' fixture offering no real competition. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey seem to be suffering from a lack of form and confidence, rather than bad luck. I really felt for him when he missed the chance in a one-on-one situation for Wales against Scotland. And I felt for him once again, when he put the ball on the spot take a penalty only to have the ball stolen from him by Tottenham's Gareth Bale. Of course, Bale scored and the incident will be forgotten by most fans. But for Ramsey, it may have seemed like insult to injury, as earlier in the week he had been stripped of the captaincy by Wales boss Chris Coleman. The other Arsenal man I feel for is Andrey Arshavin, left out in the international cold by Russia. But maybe that's a good thing as Arsenal may need to call on him before the season's end, if more about players get crocked on international duty. When our internationals return from their trips to various places, they'll need to prepare swiftly for a trip to Norwich. It will be 5:30 PM kick-off as the game will be televised. West Ham was a late kick-off and we coped admirably with that in her last league match, so let's hope for the same again. I had similar worries, about the possible physical and mental tiredness of the squad, before the Hammers clash. After a Champions League game, we are usually slow out of the traps. And going down 1-0 seem to confirm my fears. But the way we bounced back was admirable. Olivier Giroud's first league goal for the club will live long in the memory, as well Santi Cazorla's strike. No one seems to know which foot is Cazorla's favourite, he's that two footed! British players should take a leaf out of his book and practice their weaker foot. But they won't do it because, sadly, a lot of our stars of the future are too arrogant to believe they can improve and end up falling by the wayside as foreign imports come in to fill the talent gap. Personally, I haven't got a problem with that. I just want Arsenal to field the best possible team they can and, despite not winning trophies, we've not done a bad job in that respect.

Cole return? Gunnersaurus for chairman + fish & meerkat talk

Hello again Gooners! Wakey, wakey! Lots to get your head around today! Or maybe not! Maybe it's time to scream out like Mr Frank Doberman on the Harry Enfield show. Read on and you'll see what I mean.

TalkSport are showing plenty of determination to keep themselves high in the traffic rankings outside of the transfer window, and why shouldn't they? They've got bills to pay, right? So you won't see me getting steamed up about speculation. Usually. This time they've gone beyond the pale. Perhaps. By linking us with contract rebel, Ashley Cole.

Now, I've said before that Wenger doesn't bring that many ex-players back to Arsenal, but he did recently with Thierry Henry and before that Sol Campbell. But both were short-term deals. Cole wants at least a two-year deal and being the wrong side of 30, he's more than a tad unlikely to get that at Arsenal. Then there are his wage demands to consider. Arsenal won't break the bank to bring back an ageing former (dare I say it?) legend. Of course, Cole has become legendary for all the wrong reasons at Arsenal, so there's no way he'll be back.

Mikael Silvestre might be a different kettle of fish though. He's in training at London Colney and I maintain he didn't do a bad job for us last time around. So if we need an extra body in defence, don't be too surprised if Silvestre re-joins. Was he really worse than Philippe Senderos, to name just one dodgy centre back we've been saddled with? I'd say not.

Talking of fish, boyhood Arsenal supporter Harry Redknapp reckons Theo Walcott 'can become a big fish at Arsenal', if played in his right position. That, of course, is centre forward. Harry goes on to say that full backs can handle Theo's speed of thought and pace better than central defenders and I think he has a point. I'd play Theo on the shoulder of the last defender, where his pace could be most devastating. It could lead to plenty of one-on-ones. And as we've seen, Theo can finish. Better than Gervinho, at least.

A former big fish, Cesc Fabregas, hasn't taken kindly to life as a small fish in a big Barca pond, apparently. I'd take these stories with a pinch of salt, but the upshot is Cesc wants out. Would we want him back? Of course, we would. He's not like Santi Carzorla, at all, in my opinion. Yes, he's a creative midfielder, and yes, he's Spanish. That's where the similarities begin and end. We've seen Cesc play as a false number 9 for Spain. Can you imagine Cazorla playing in that position. No? Me neither.

One player who could do that and lots more is Andrey Arshavin. That's why I'm relieved that the Russian transfer deadline has been and gone and the meerkat remains an Arsenal meerkat. Quite why the club were offering him on a free transfer is anyone's guess. I can't believe it. Also, a loan move to Dinamo Moscow was apparently rejected by Arshavin, according to the Russian club's manager Dan Petrescu. Meanwhile, we've had official word from Russian club Zenit St Peterburg that Arshavin being offered on a free transfer was indeed true. Quoting RAI Novosti, for a moment: 'Arsenal have allowed Arshavin to leave on a free transfer, which was one of Zenit's conditions for signing the former player'. Apparently, there was a second condition that wasn't fulfilled. Only Arshavin knows this second condition, we're told. What could it have been? No more meerkat adverts?

Anyway, Arshavin will almost certainly leave on a free next summer if he's not sold in the January 2013 transfer window. Former Gunner Nigel Winterburn reckons we need to start 'nailing' down players 'when they've got one-and-a-half years to go' on their contracts. I make him right. So that means we need renegotiate deals for Wojciech Szczeny, Tomas Rosicky (okay, maybe not him!), Marouane Chamakh (defintely not him!), Denilson (ditto), Nicklas Bendtner (ditto and will be sold soon, hopefully), Vito Mannone (one of three quality goalkeepers of about the same level at the club, according to Wenger) and Bacary Sagna.

Mmm. Bacary. Is he about to breeze off with his old mate Alex Song to Barcelona? Or will Man City come calling? He said: 'In May, I watched City's parade on Tv. I saw Samir [Nasri] and Gael [Clichy] lift the trophy. I want that.' Will he get it by staying at Arsenal? Not until or if they Fair Financial Play rules kick in. No wonder Wenger is so in favour of FFP. It's a case of 'No Poo Poirot' when websites run that headline!

With or without FFP, though, will our fortunes on the transfer front change that much? Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa reckons Arsenal made a 'tentative approach' for his services. But he'd rather go to AC Milan. The Italian club's £4.75m bid was rejected, but why didn't the Montpellier captain fancy joining his former team-mate Olivier Giroud at Arsenal? Was it the lack of trophies? Was it the pay packet? Was it because Arsenal's approach was so 'tentative' that it was imaginary. I hope we'll find out one day!

I'd like to know the same about our two bids for Newcastle Yohan Cabaye. Louise Taylor of the Guardian say we made a couple of offers for the France international midfielder, so she's either got some pukka sources or she's just made it up. Maybe we'll go back for Cabaye in January, if our interest is genuine.

One player who almost certainly won't be joining is former England U17 international Liam Moore. The 19-year-old Leicester defender is much-coveted, so that means he'll probably end up at Manchester United. Everton, Spurs and Villa are also interested in the 14-stone youngster.

I'm pessimistic about signing English talent because of the price. United beat us to Nick Powell, and no doubt they'll beat us to Moore, if the interest is genuine. As Peter Hill-Wood says 'We can't spend £50m on one player'. We all know that. We don't need to be told that. Actions speak louder than words as does inaction. On the transfer front, in Arsenal's case.

Hill-Wood thinks we could win the league this season, but I don't share his optimism. Clubs run on shoestrings rarely win trophies. And if they do, they can't sustain it. And if they do, they're usually playing in a smaller league than we are.

Hill-Wood's right about one thing: 'The Glasgow Rangers example is something we've all got to guard against'. Others would mention Leeds United in the same breath. It's all very well having ambition, but when it involves such a high level of risk, who would back that? I suspect not many of us.

Nevertheless, I don't understand why he won't allow Usmanov on the board. If Usmanov is willing to shell out millions on our squad what's the problem with that? As long as all the paperwork is in place to stop the club falling into financial ruin, what's the problem? Hill-Wood said that he didn't think Usmanov would 'fit in, that's all'. That's pretty crass. It's like objecting to David Dein's idea of sharing Wembley because it's a 'bloody long way' to go. Dein's idea would have ensured that we had more money to spend on transfers. Then we could have competed for the league still. It's a good job I'm not on the board, as I would vote Gunnersaurus in as chairman. The mascot might resemble the present incumbent in some ways, but might be better at PR. Rant over!

A stick insect at a Beatles convention

It's Russian transfer deadline day today, but I predict Andrey Arshavin will still be an Arsenal player after it, despite the Daily Mirror's list of clubs queuing up to take him off our hands:

 You shouldn't always listen to my predictions though, as I said we wouldn't win at Liverpool. I was also said Diaby was a waste of space, or words to that effect, but he proved me wrong. He stood out like a stick insect at a Beatles convention and for once he didn't just blend into the scenery like stick insects generally do. He was effective and I'm going to hold fire on the insecticide for a while after that performance.

Defensively, with 3 clean sheets on the spin, it seems that we owe a lot to Steve Bould. Although nobody dares to shout it from the rooftops. Why? Remember what happened to Martin Keown?

While we should enjoy our victory, I don't think we should get too carried away with the start we've had. We're already 4 points off top spot. Luckily, the Germans in our camp, Mertesacker and Podolski, are too level-headed to let the elation of an Anfield victory get to them. They are sensible one-game-at-a-time merchants and we need that type. Especially Podolski. His work-rate is phenomenal and I hope the rest of the team can take a leaf out of his book.

Next up is Southampton and they'll be no pushovers despite their lowly position. So no complacency please Arsenal.

Santi dots his 'i' and crosses his 't' for Arsenal!

This Dragon software never ceases to amaze me. Today "Hello again Gooners (I had to type that)" became "hello again goodness" and "The boomers"! Yes it's not doom and gloom it's now zoom and boom, or va va voom as Thierry Henry used to say. But thank goodness it looks like we're about to sign Santi Cazorla. All he has to do now is dot the "i" and cross the "t" in his first name and we should be there. Virtually every football website in the world has announced the signing except for Arsenal's official one.

Perhaps this latest signature is a statement of intent and Robin van Persie would do well to recognise that this club could be going places. He, of course, could be on the same plane with Santi Cazorla, as the team travel to Cologne. But when he comes back don't be surprised if he ends up in Manchester, signing for United for £20 million. City seem to think they have no chance all of a sudden. It makes you wonder what goes on behind closed doors.

Still, the media are lining up plenty of replacements, surely not all of them are incorrect. Kevin Mirallas sounds like he fits the bill, as it's a very small bill that! £6.4 million for a striker who scores goals is peanuts in this day and age, so perhaps Arsenal will be tempted to sign the 24-year-old Belgium international striker from Olympiakos.

Ganso, meanwhile, is not as tempting as the Santos president Luis Alvarez de Olvieira Ribeiro says the player won't be sold for anything less than the amount of his huge buyout clause. The player himself is saying is under contract in 2015, so I see no movement on that front at all.

If we want to buy more players we could do worse than raid Malaga again. Former Arsenal transfer target Salomon Rondon has just been sold to Rubin Kazan and has signed a four-year deal. Apono has just joined Real Zaragosa. Spain under 21 international winger Isco looks set to move to Manchester United, while Joris Mathijsen is also up for grabs. I'd consider putting in a bid for Jeremy Toulalan, Joaquin, and Carlos Kameni. The latter would certainly put "the cat" amongst the pigeon-like flappy goalkeeping-types at the club!

But none of the above really sound like Arsenal Wenger style signings. Instead, he's more likely to go for someone like Luke Shaw of Southampton. The 17-year-old is highly rated and the Saints rejected a bid from Chelsea, so if we're going to get him were going to have to pay in excess of the Blues' offer which was £4 million. It wouldn't surprise me if we did, if the kid is as good as people say. I haven't seen enough of him to comment at this stage, but I'm very pleased with Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, so I'm assuming that Southampton are very good at producing young football players. Although, of course, TV pundit Stewart Robson doesn't really think Theo is a footballer as such! I totally disagree, but I like to hear Robson's views nonetheless and for all his faults I think Robbo's technical analysis is very sound. It's always refreshing to hear and speak his mind, even if it is critical of the club.

It's far better to listen to pundits like Robson and Paul Merson, and hear some of the tripe that masquerades as news. For instance, who came up with the story that Arsenal were interested in Gregory van der Wiel. I can't see the Dutchman's transfer from Ajaz to Arsenal happening in a million years. He had a poor Euro 2012 and he was involved in a Twitter controversy, that might endear him to the Twitteratti at Arsenal but is unlikely to impress the likes of Arsenal Wenger. The full back really shouldn't have been posting pictures of himself with Lil Wayne when he should have been on international duty with Holland. He had been excused international duty on account of concussion, so going to a rap concert would hardly be medicine or recuperation, in this case, for most sensible players. And Wenger usually buys sensible players, which is why I'm ruling this particular deal out.

Of course, Arsene Wenger never seems to keen on players that are ready to speak out. Andrey Arshavin has suffered in this regard, and reports suggest that he could end up at Queens Park Rangers on loan initially with a view to a permanent move. I will be very upset if this happens, but perhaps it's inevitable that the talented mercurial meerkat will move on soon.

Finally, I have to thank Manuel Almunia are for making me chuckle. He said he thought he would win trophies at Arsenal! What did he mean? Reserve team trophies? I think he was lucky to become our number one, but he wasn't too bad as a stand-in keeper, in my opinion. It'll be interesting to see how many cups he wins at Watford. He's already played his first game for them picking the ball out of the net against Spurs in a 1-0 friendly defeat.

That's all for this time. Until the next time, up the Gooners!

Eriksen's Arsenal 'no go', Giroud green light, Benzema on amber & Arshavin's checkmate!

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham transfer target Christian Eriksen is staying at Ajax for one more year, according to London 24.com.

The website took their quotes from the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf. Eriksen told them: "I think it's worth spending another year at Ajax because what really interests me now is to play and grow as a player. I do not need to risk anything and take a wrong step in my career. We'll see what can happen in the summer of 2013."

I'm quite glad to hear this as the 20-year-old Denmark international was not that impressive in his country's opening game in Euro 2012. Although Denmark won, I don't think Eriksen was instrumental in victory. But at the age of 20, he should improve, so by next year he will be a hot property than he is now.

Meanwhile, one player who could be joining Arsenal this summer is Olivier Giroud of Montpellier. His club manager Rene Girard told the French radio station RMC: "Arsenal are very interested and Giroud wants to play in England. If Arsene [Wenger] agrees with the president, he [Giroud] will sign them."

Another player we could sign, although it is a bit of a long shot is Karim Benzema. Apparently the Real Madrid ace is being offered to Manchester City, that's according to the Manchester Evening News.

Benzema is under contract until 2015, but his representative Jonathan Hope is quoted as saying: "I have put Benzema forward after a talk with a very reliable and highly-placed source at Manchester City as a possible summer signing.

"We are working closely to secure the exclusive mandate to obtain the paperwork firstly after  serious interest from the champions.

"We spoke with Manchester United two years ago and it went nowhere, which I can see is perhaps is a regret on their part.

"The player has stated himself he will not go to Manchester United, however, he has not ruled out a switch to join the champions. I will have a clearer picture soon after the Euros when I have time to sit with his representatives.

"But, personally, I can see the business being done and to be fair it will rock English football. I must stress this is at the discussion stage.

All seems in good order but this is football and things change fast."

The player himself has recently said this: "I would never say never about coming to England and, to be honest, I have no real preference in terms of teams. But that is a long way in the future, not something I would even consider at the moment."

It all sounds very much like agent talk at this stage, but it is interesting that Manchester City see Benzema as an alternative to Robin van Persie, whom they fear they may miss out on. I wonder if Arsenal could conclude a swap deal with Real Madrid. That would make a lot of sense, but it is pure speculation. However don't be surprised if you read in the newspaper tomorrow.

Also in the realm of speculation is the report in the Daily Mail that Arsenal will not sell Arshavin on the cheap. Recently I read we were prepared to sell the Russian for £3 million, but now it appears we want £8 million. That's a lot of money for a 31-year-old. Of course I think he's worth it, but I'm not sure Zenit St Petersburg will pay it.

On that very subject, the fictional website Meerkat Manor Meerkovo.com interviewed our Russian maestro:

Congratulations on beating the Czech Republic 4-1. The opposition started the game well don't you think? Did it surprise you how they started?

Yes. Playing for poor-pup-side like Arsenal I do not see many cheques, so I feel very surprised to see so many cheques in one night. They make it confusing because goalkeeper is also Cech. He is a double Czech, but we are good at chess so we get him checkmate! Ha ha!

At the beginning of the first half the manager Dick Advocaat said something to you. What did he say?

Dick asked me to mark Czech right back. Not easy for creative player. So I laughed "ha ha, did you make joke?" I heard of clever Dick that he is funny Dick.

In the second half, the Czechs scored. Did that make the Russian team nervous?

No, I told the team not to be nervous because Rosicky is playing. If he is their playmaker then the Czechs won't play much. We let them score to make a match of it. It was getting too embarrassing for Mr Wenger. How can he leave me on the bench for Rosicky? I did not want to rub Arsenal manager's face in it, so I told teammates let Czechs score one goal.

You have always been on good terms with Rosicky?

Yes because he knows his place. His place in the Arsenal sickbay is not under threat from me. I take him flowers every day and bottle of Lucozade. It is my little joke. The Lucozade is specially made by Lukasz Fabianski. He drinks the real Lucozade then he fills it up again if you know what I mean! Rosicky sometimes says this Lucozade takes funny, but I just say: "I am Gooner, get it down you son". Rosicky is Czech, but cannot check so it's checkmate again! Ha ha!

Arshavin 4-1 Rosicky

Arsenal's meerkat rules okay! Andrey Arshavin showed the world exactly why Arsenal paid £15m for him. The question remains how does Russia boss Dick Advocaat get the best out of him? I'd say giving him the armband and a free role helps. Don't expect Arshavin to track back. He won't do it. But if you want assists and genius, then play him.

Arsene Wenger has rarely got the best out of Arshavin simply because he plays him out of position or not at all. If he thinks Tomas Rosicky is a better player than Arshavin after this mauling of the Czech Republic then I'd like him to explain his reasons.

Rosicky is better defensively than Arshavin and he has a better work-rate. But as good a season as he has had, the 'Little Mozart' will never unlock defences like the 'meerkat'.

Of course, we all know Arshavin will be sold. I can see him going to Barcelona if he keeps this kind of form up. Otherwise, he'll return to Zenit St Peterberg.

One player who caught the eye tonight was the Czech's right back Theodor Gebre Selassie. He's 25 and the first black player to represent that country. He's got pace, zest and technical ability. He'll make a good signing for someone for there's no way he'll stay at Slovan Liberec after this kind of performance.

Not good old, it's same ol' same ol' Arsenal

Today is the day when Euro 2012 begins in earnest. I'm so excited I'm up at the crack of dawn just say this! In fact, it's not even the crack of dawn. Oh yeah, I'm that excited! I'm doing my writing before all the other websites. The early bird catches the worm and all that, a policy I wish Arsenal Football Club would follow.

What we are about to see will consist of Arsenal has-beens, like Ashley Cole; Arsenal legend should've-beens, like Andrey Arshavin; an Arsenal might-have-beens, like Petr Cech. Most of all, as Arsenal fans will watch on as a glittering parade of stars show the world their wares to potential clubs. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to be one of the potential clubs as we become increasingly unwilling to dip into our transfer  kitty. Arsenal's policy is mend and make do. So what if we take to the field with a shabby squad, we can still take pride in our philosophy.

That philosophy is not about to change. All we can hope for is a less shabby squad than last year. The signing of Lukas Podolski is an example of a slight sea change at the club. Ivan Gazidis claims lessons have been learnt from last pre-season, when we concluded most of our transfer business on transfer deadline day after a disastrous start in the league. If the policy is indeed to do business as soon as possible, then I would like to ask the question why have we only signed one player prior to the start of a major international tournament. The chances will sign someone during Euro 2012 is negligible.

After finishing third in the league so many points behind Manchester United and Manchester City, you would think the club would be eager to make some major improvements to the squad. Instead, with temporarily improved the squad  with the addition of just one big name, fully in the knowledge that a number of big names are about to leave. I felt to see how this policy is going to work.

The website Ashburton Grove is well worth a read, for it gives an insight into the club's policy. It is a well-balanced article, although I disagree with the “Fabregas’s disgraceful behaviour” headline. It may be read on though, so I suppose it did its job.

The main thrust of the article is Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis’s question time with the fans. We are being promised a future that may never come to pass. While UEFA are keen for Financial Fair Play (FFP) to work there is no guarantee that it will. I still can't see how UEFA expect the big spenders to play fair.

The article goes on to say that despite Arsenal having two billionaire shareholders, we are unwilling to compete with the more extravagant clubs. One of those billionaires, Alisher Usmanov, won't be offered a place on the board, that much is clear. All Gazidis was prepared to do is admit that our wage structure may need changing. If we are to keep Robin van Persie at the club we may have to.

The most interesting thing, however, about the article is what Gazidis reportedly said about the sale of Cesc  Fabregas: "Me trying to sell you selling Cesc Fabregas is a step forward for Arsenal – that's a pretty hard sell. From a technical perspective it clearly wasn't. But in terms of what we got out of Cesc and what we got out in terms of players who are committed this year wanted to be here, those are the type of judgements you end up having to make in my goodness, those are so, so difficult." I think everyone is entitled to make mistakes but the CEO’s fuzzy thinking is apparent in the lines above. A decision should have been made much earlier about the situation regarding Cesc and Samir Nasri. Instead we were fed lies about how only one player would be allowed to leave of the two want-aways. We always suspected that Nasri would be sold. Then we would keep Cesc for one more season or until we found a replacement of sorts.

The article goes on to say that Cesc "refused to play for us" during the pre-season when he was fit. Even if that were the case, surely the club held the whip hand. Cesc was still on a long-term deal. A spell in the reserves would have sorted out his reluctance to play. He could have been sold in January, if necessary. The club messed up. It’s a simple as that. We didn’t get anything like the money we should have done for Cesc, so we wouldn’t have lost value by disciplining him or not playing him.

I’m not sure if it’s ineptitude that is causing the club to make so many bad decisions or whether it is something more sinister. Whatever it is we don’t need it. If the same mistakes happen again this summer, heads should roll. Please don’t think I’m having a go at Arsene Wenger. I’m not saying he should go. Far from it. I just believe he deserves better support from the board than he seems to be getting. We all know we need David Dein back at the club. Why can’t the board put personal differences aside and invite him back? Maybe then I would start believing that the board have the club’s best interests at heart.

Half a million banked? Who will Arsenal spend it on?

We are only days away from the Euros beginning, so unsurprisingly Arsenal have been linked with a plethora of players. The aptly named Sabotage Times has linked us to 2 wingers: one from the Ukrainian international side and one from the Swedish international team. I have to confess I don't know much about either. Yevhen Konoplyanka is a nice easy name to pronounce isn't it. Not! The 22-year-old is currently playing for Dnipro so we will watch with interest as he takes the field for his international team. You'll be wearing the number 19 shirt and will probably start for the Ukraine on the left wing. He's a bit taller than our very own Andrey Arshavin, but I can't see Arsene Wenger plunging in the transfer market to buy another eastern European wideman, no matter how exceptional he is.

Could Arsenal bring in a Scandinavian  wideman though? Anders Limpar anyone? The man in question is Christian Eriksen of Denmark and Ajax. He doesn't necessarily play wide though. He's been compared to Michael Laudrup by the great Johan Cruyff and is expected to play just behind Denmark's main striker. He wears the number 8 and is considered to be Denmark’s best player, so we shouldn't be able to miss him, should we? But would we miss him if he didn't come to Arsenal. I will let you know after Euro 2012. In fact, I would be very surprised if we bought playmaker this summer, after watching Chelsea and Manchester United strength in that area of field, I'm sure our club's policy will be to watch, to pray and to avoid touching the coffers.

The Daily Express meanwhile is running the story and we are in talks with Argentina international Lucas Biglia. The 26-year-old Anderlecht skipper could be on the move apparently for £8 million and we may swoop for this defensive midfielder. I don't believe a word of it, then does not had much luck with Argentinian football players. Does anyone remember Nelson Vivas, who wasn't too bad? And Fabian Caballero, who wasn't that good? I thought so. That's why it's very unlikely that we'll be buying Argentinian players while Wenger is in charge.

The good news is we have some extra money for transfers, now that Oguzhan Ozyakup is joining Besiktas for £570,000. According to the Daily Star, Arsenal have inserted a 25% sell-on clause, which should see us reap some of the benefits should the midfielder come good later in his career. He certainly has some talent, but appears to have some attitude to go with it, some of which may not be good for team spirit. I base this assessment on what I saw at Stevenage in the pre-season last year. Ozyakup was really on the case of one of his teammates, and personally I couldn't see the point. Often players know when they make a mistake, especially when it's an obvious mistake. They don't need to be castigated for it. And they certainly don't need to be told what it is by a teammate. That is what Ozyakup appeared to do, which is why I am not so sad to see him leave the club.

Some may feel similarly about Andrey Arshavin. An article in FT.com suggests that our lovable meerkat is ‘unpopular’ in the dressing room. I would imagine that Andre is not Wenger’s favourite player due to his propensity to speak his mind. Even that alone could make him unpopular in the dressing room when Wenger is there also. The article is about Robin van Persie ostensibly and I suggest you read it as it is very informative and interesting. I'm left feeling that Robin will leave in pursuit of trophies elsewhere. Hopefully, I have jumped to the wrong conclusions and the man who can't bear to lose at table tennis will consider third place in the league as an acceptable state of affairs. If he really is an Arsenal fan and he should learn to accept that just like we have to! Seriously though, I won't blame Robin if he does leave. As long as he does not join another English club, he goes with my blessing.

The Arsenal FC departure lounge is busy

Well, according to Just Arsenal it's a proper exodus this summer, 'movement of the Gooners/Jah People' in Bob Marley-speak.

It's hard to argue with Just Arsenal's assessment of the situation: 8 must go! Or is it? For what it's worth, here's my take on it.

1) Sebastien Squillaci - I'd like him to go for one reason alone: I really struggle to spell his name. Is his first name with two 'e's or two 'a's? I'm sick of looking it up! And don't get me started on his surname. Not sure he'll be missed that much, but I've seen worse squad players than than SS, so I don't mind if he stays and sees out his contract, especially as I don't think he's got much re-sale value.

2) Lucasz Fabianski - I think the world knows how I feel about this bag of nerves. Obviously he's got talent and no doubt he shows it regularly on the training ground. But he hasn't done so for Arsenal when it really matters...on the pitch. He might thrive at a smaller club, but I'm not even too sure of that. He's a nice guy but always looks like he'll concede, flap, or make the grass beneath him turn a shade of brown. Let him go!

3) Manuel Almunia - How he ever became Arsenal's number one, most of us will never know, but let's not forget he had one good season. He'll leave on a free without a doubt.

4) Nicklas Bendtner - Okay, he's not as good as he thinks, but strikers need confidence and he has that in abundance. He also has some talent, so although he will leave this summer for a decent fee, I can see his sale haunting us in a few years' time.

5) Denilson - Although he's shown fleeting moments of something above mediocre-ness, it's never been enough for me. He cost a lot and we won't get much for him unfortunately. Won't be missed.

6) Andrey Arshavin - One of the most technically gifted players I've ever seen. A pocket genius, but it's all gone wrong for him at Arsenal. Played in the wrong position until he lost confidence and spoke out and got dropped and so on. Spiralled into decline so must go. I will miss him, but don't think Arsene Wenger or most of the fans will.

7) Marouane Chamakh - Started brightly and turned abysmal so quickly I'm still reeling. We have to let him go.

8) Carlos Vela - Mexicans haven't done well in the Premier League for some unknown reason. Vela had it all, but ended up much more of a disappointment than Peter Marinello, who was also hailed as a potential superstar back in the day. It's adios amigo!

RVP to the rescue yet again!

Having watched the highlights of Arsenal's win against Liverpool, I can barely believe my eyes. How did the Gunners win? Szczeny's performed miracles with his penalty save, while up the other end Robin van Persie took his chances. Reina looked at fault for the winner, but hats off to the team in general. Even Diaby put in a good shift as a sub for the crocked Arteta.

Before the game, I wasn't so optimistic, writing: 'Going to the studio without my laptop is as stupid as heading to Anfield without Arshavin! Nevertheless, I made the decision to rid myself of my tortoiseshell as I feel like a proper tortoise carrying my laptop in my rucksack. Without it though I can't keep updated on what's happening during the Liverpool v Arsenal game! How frustrating! I thought O2's signal would reach my mobile phone, but apparently not. The signal in west London is far from reliable...a bit like Arsenal's defence.

'One snippet of news I did manage to read in the far west of London concerned Diaby. I knew he'd be back said Wenger in a headline. But has Diaby ever been back, I mean the way he was before the horrific injury he sustained? Even pre-injury, I wasn't too sure about him. Diaby's had his moments of glory but too many moments of mediocrity to convince me of his worth, so the announcement that he's back fills me with...fills me with...an underwhelming sense of nothingness. I just hope I'm wrong about him, and Diaby leaps back off the treatment table lack a Jack-in-a-box and scares Liverpool's defence to death. Think he's more likely to scare ours, though.'

Of course, it was Koscielny who netted an own goal. I had visions of Diaby doing that, but the lanky one was sharp on the day.

I was certainly full of pessimism and also wrote this pre-match: 'I write this ahead of the trip to Anfield with Arsenal in 4th and Wenger with the Manager of the Month gong. As we know, the award is cursed and the winner of it suffers misfortune thereafter starting today possibly! Let's hope not, but it's a very real prospect against a Liverpool team that have actually won something, albeit unconvincingly against lesser opposition in the shape of Cardiff City. We can only hope the Reds will get complacent against us. I'm not holding out much hope, but then again I couldn't see us coming back from 2-0 down at home to Spurs. Liverpool have squandered a lot of points at Anfield this season despite their unbeaten record there, so let's hope they drop three more!

'Incidentally, Wenger's gong puts our recent disappointment into perspective. Three wins out of four is not bad form in the Premier League and we should recognise that despite two cup defeats our boss has not completely lost the plot. He's even secured the services of a 16-year-old winger from Luton Town called Tarum Dawkins, who was much-coveted by all the big clubs apparently. Another high coup for Le Boss! Some will say that could spell the end of Theo Walcott, but that's assuming Dawkins is ready for first-team action in the Premier League. And it's also assuming Theo won't sign a new deal in the summer and won't be played as a striker next season. Unfortunately, I can't see Wenger playing Theo down the middle so I think he'll move to another club that will be more willing to play to his strengths: pace and finishing. Ultimately, it will be our loss and Theo's gain. Fingers crossed it doesn't happen for I think Theo is still a potential great. Now I'd better put my helmet on and wait for some flak from the Theo-haters!' Luckily, Theo put in a good shift too, and forced Reina into two good saves. Still, nothing stops Theo-haters from hating so the hate will probably go on unabated!

Of course, I was waxing lyrical (or shouldn't that be 'lyrically') after Theo's performance against Spurs: 'Well now I've seen the (extended?) highlights on Sky and I can state, categorically, that Theo is a natural-born finisher. Yes, his first touch is iffy, but his pace allows him to get away with the occasional moments when he can't seem to bring the ball under control. He was coolness personified when dinking the ball over Friedel for his first. The second showed the precision I've learned to expect from Theo.
His critics will no doubt go on about the chances that he missed. Surely those detractors will admit all good strikers miss chances. I've seen RVP miss bucket-loads but no one ever complains about that. Playing as a proper striker means the next chance will come along a lot sooner than it will for a striker playing out of position on the wing, as Theo does.
Playing out of position is great for eroding a young player's confidence particularly on a big stage like the Emirates. No wonder it's been over a year since Theo's last home goal in the Premier League as you need a reservoir of confidence resources to draw upon when goals dry up. Ask Arshavin!

'Anyway, credit where credit's due, Theo stepped up to the plate and momentarily vindicated Wenger's decision to keep the faith with him rather than going with the Ox. Wenger does deserve praise for sticking to his principles on this occasion and not panicking. Well done, Arsene!'

Before that, I felled compelled to write: 'I can't believe Arsenal have turned Spurs over 5-2.

'I was so sure the Gunners would lose this, especially after Tottenham scored early on and doubled their lead with a penalty.

'I was hard at work and just getting scoreline updates off Sky. At 2-0 down, I was so glad I was working! No way back from this, I thought, and what a good job I can't get 'live streaming' to watch this humiliation. I clicked on 'streaming' and got a toolbar...which makes me a tool for believing that 'live football streaming' means what it says on the tin. Oh, I also got told it was available on Espn in some countries. Not mine though! Great!

'Anyway, who wants to watch an Arsenal team with Rosicky and Benayoun starting? Well, I do, but I didn't expect 3 points. With our two most recent supersubs, Arshavin and Henry elsewhere how could we turn this around?

'I don't know as I've not seen the game yet, but now I can't wait to see the goals. Well done Theo for scoring twice! Your detractors will still say you can't finish though, which is laughable...a bit like our wage bill if you believe the Internet rumours. Not sure I do though.'

Arsenal's high point this season?

Watching Thierry Henry scoring the winner against Sunderland sparked such wild celebrations that I was forced into thinking it might be this season's high point.

When it comes to low points, there have already been a lot to choose from: the mauling at Old Trafford and other away-day defeats at Swansea and Blackburn also come to mind for me.

Yet it's some of the off-the-field activities that are angering other fans. They believe the directors are trousering the profits and/or watching their shares increase in value while the team grows more and more ragged around the edges.

Before the Sunderland game, this was the kind of thing the fans were talking about. How the high point was the Champions League final defeat against Barcelona and how it's all been downhill ever since. They put this down to a lack of investment in the playing staff.

It was hard to argue with that assessment, despite Arsenal dominating possession against a dogged and determined side like Sunderland. And when the Black Cats took the lead, thanks to Per Mertesacke tripping over his own legs, it looked like the faithful would have to swallow yet another inglorious defeat.

Somehow from the depths of despair came hope in the shape of supersubs. Subbing has never been Wenger's strong point, in my opinion. He sticks rigidly to the format of taking players off in the 67th to 70th minutes of matches. No doubt he decided that was the optimum time to remove players from the fray after years of meticulous research! Well, it's not a good idea to question that policy as Andrey Arshavin has found to his cost. After airing his disappointment that Wenger is inflexible in this area, the poor little Russian has seen his minutes on the pitch dwindle to nearly nothing. He is so far down the pecking order now that he seems more 'pecked at' than 'pecking', as Wenger's thinly-veiled criticism of his defending at Swansea would seem to indicate.

Yet the little Russian sparrow showed that he can still fly on the wing! Although he only had a few minutes on the pitch, he made his time on it count by supplying our strutting peacock of the past, Thierry Henry, with a goal on a plate. Henry wasn't in the mood to miss.

Before that another supersub, Aaron Ramsey, had pulled Arsenal level with a superb long-range strike that went in off both posts. He's been so out-of-form of late, he also seemed an unlikely saviour.

Most unlikely of all was seeing Wenger's subs work out so well. Normally it feels likes he's forced into subbing, as he was when Mertesacke went off or it's completely formulaic. If you do the same things habitually you're bound to get it right sometimes: like the broken clock that's right twice a day!

Time seemed to stop when Henry scored the winner. Let's hope that was not the high point of the season, as Arsenal have still got the FA Cup to play for starting again at The Stadium Of Light.

One thing is clear though: it will be tougher without Henry, who will be sorely missed now he's returning to the MLS. Like Berry Gordy's tongue-less peacocks of the past, this proud exponent of the beautiful game has never been too loud for his master. Hence, Henry has always been revered by Wenger and treated like the legend he still is.

Meanwhile, our little Russian sparrow will have to learn from the legend and be a bit quieter if he wants to earn more game time at Arsenal. He is our classiest player and somehow Wenger needs to get the best out of him, if Arsenal are to remain fourth and challenging for silverware in the cups.

Wenger's running out of time

No danger of Arsenal running out of money with Wenger is charge, but there's a chance he'll push the fans' patience to the maximum. That's if he hasn't already.

As much as I rate Andrey 'The Meerkat' Arshavin (who doesn't produce his best for Arsenal because he's played out of position), there was no point in bringing him on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Manchester United. The timing defied belief. The Ox had just been involved in the equaliser. Why take off a player running on adrenalin? I'll leave Arsene to explain that one.

Soon he'll need to explain our lack of action on the transfer front. Why not strengthen an ailing squad when fourth was still up for grabs. Well, it won't be much longer, so does that make financial sense? Not to me!

Meanwhile, the media's witch-hunt of Arshavin seems to be paying off. Even our fans booed his arrival, not surprising given the removal of the Ox! Even skipper Robin van Persie mouthed the word 'no'! The TV cameras picked it up. It doesn't inspire confidence in the manager at all and 'confidence' is the operative word here.

Arsenal lacked the confidence to beat Manchester United. Yennaris put in a good shift at right back after replacing the largely disappointing Djourou (like Arshavin, playing out of position). I think it's really harsh to put players in roles they're not suited to. Djourou's a decent player, but we won't see that if he continues at right back.

Talking of players in the wrong position, why not bring Lansbury back from West Ham and use him as a sub keeper? He's got to be better than Almunia and Fabianski!

I'm almost at the end of my tether with Wenger now. He doesn't seem to realise we're 1-2 players short of a top 4 finish. He needs an assistant that will tell him some home truths, but he seems too stubborn to listen to anyone nowadays.

Please Arsene, have a re-think! We're a couple of tweaks away from that lucrative fourth spot. Do your maths! You're an economist, right?

Arsenal put on a 5-star show at home & away simultaneously!

Before today's mauling of Wigan, I wrote the following:

'Why won't we underestimate Wigan? 1) we're poor away, generally 2) especially in the North West, Blackburn & Old Trafford come to mind, 3) we need to get back on track after dropping points v Fulham, and 4) no worrying team news: no surprise to hear Diaby is out, Sagna and CJ being out is also no problem as JD and Kos are doing good jobs filling in there. The 'sick' in the middle of Rosicky's name says it all. Not needed.
We should be too strong for Wigan especially as the team will be keen to bounce back after the Man City cup exit. It will be tight though. A win by a single-goal margin.

'Andrey Arshavin will be languishing on the bench again. His punishment will go on. He questioned the policy of Our Glorious Leader and now must pay with splinters in his meerkat arse.'

So there I was expecting to be on the edge of my seat while could comfortably keep both cheeks on the bench all game. How wrong could I be?

Yes, there was some nerve-wracking moments early on, but once Arteta's speculative effort and Vermaelen's header found the net it was curtains for Wigan. The customary van Persie and a rare Gervinho goal (what a confidence booster!) were the icing on the cake...and it gets icy up there!

That's why I watched the 'live' beam back at the Emirates. What a great atmosphere it was, seeing all the action on the big screen at the best stadium in the world. I even got to meet Gunnersaurus! Mate, it doesn't get much better than that!

Sagna did a Q and A with the fans and it went down a treat. Yeah, he arrived late, but he made up for it by treating the fans with the respect they deserve. Well done Bacari.

A great deal all round. I just wish the club could do this more often and I heard a lot of fans saying the same thing. For once there was nothing to complain about...except I thought Arshavin deserved more than 10 minutes. However, you mustn't grumble when you're winning, must you?