A proper Cup tie as the squad gets smaller

It looks right in Arsenal's ribbons

Anyone in any doubt as to the sort of side Arsenal will put out tomorrow should take a brief look at the available players. The fact is that Arsenal have only 19 players at their disposal from what might be termed the first team squad (i.e. the original list at the start of this season, before the League Cup). I can see the likes of Nico Yennaris and Ignasi Miquel being drafted in to the 18 tomorrow at Brighton simply because there is just about nobody else.
I do not rate Emmanuel Frimpong as a player. I can never fault the effort of the boy, but he is simply not Arsenal quality. However, he has been on the bench in the last two fixtures. I was utterly amazed therefore when he Tweeted this afternoon that he was "on the move". Lo and behold he has tonight joined Fulham for the rest of the season on loan. I fail to see how he can be required to possibly play (and he was certainly doing some stretching during the second half against West Ham and Chelsea) earlier in the week, and yet is now so surplus to requirements that he has been allowed to leave the Club.
Arsenal went in to January with a weak squad. I don't think anybody would argue that a number of the players might as well not be at Arsenal as Arsene Wenger had no real intention of playing them if he could help it. We've since seen Djourou, Chamakh and now Frimpong depart on loan. They could easily have been (and might still be) joined by Fabianski, Mannone, Squillaci and Arshavin. However, the fact that these guys didn't get a game doesn't mean that we can afford to not replace them. We have been over reliant on the players that have been in the side all season because the Manager refused to use those in reserve. The fact that many of the players actually getting a game should not be regulars in a side aspiring to be successful speaks volumes for the lack of quality in this squad of players.
The inertia of the Manager in the transfer market is really quite baffling. We know he's stubborn, but is he really that stupid to believe that he can definitely achieve his coveted top four position with the players currently at his disposal? Olivier Giroud may be no Robin Van Persie on the goalscoring front, but take him out of this team with a lengthy injury lay-off and we have no centre-forward in the entire squad. Take Jack Wilshere out (knowing that Abou Diaby will do well to be involved in more than half of the remaining fixtures) and we have no midfield either. We already have no defence. If you're an Arsenal fan and that does not scare you then I want to get myself some of what you're having, because it must be one hell of a happy pill. Wenger has six days to bring in at least three quality players or you can just about forget the rest of the season in the Premier League.

As for the game tomorrow it sees Arsenal travelling to Brighton for what might be considered a "traditional" FA Cup tie. For a start it's a Saturday game kicking off at 3 o'clock. It's the age-old lower division side welcoming the top tier giant for a blood and thunder match in front of a capacity crowd. Living where I do Brighton falls in to this area for our local BBC news and they have been full of it ever since we beat Swansea. There is a massive buzz it seems being created around Brighton for the visit of The Arsenal.
With traditional cup-ties of course come fears of giant-killings. Brighton are a club that evoke the very romance that makes the FA Cup so special. Not so long ago Brighton And Hove Albion Football Club was nearly extinct. That they have turned themselves around to play in a lovely looking stadium is a wonderful football story. It's the sort of story that deserves to be book-ended by a win against a major Premier League side in the FA Cup. Hopefully they'll have to wait until next season for that to happen but with this Arsenal team anything is possible.
Thomas Vermaelen is injured tomorrow, as is Mikel Arteta (those three weeks may yet become Diaby-esque). There is plenty of call for Jack Wilshere to be rested but I can't see how Wenger can afford to do that. The fact is that Jack should have come off after an hour on Wednesday night when we were 5-1 up. Arsene has spoken of the need to rest Wilshere at some point, but then wasted the chance to do so with a win sewn up early on. As it is I think Jack has to play tomorrow. If he does then he will surely lead the side as Captain. If that happens he will, I believe, become the youngest player to formally skipper an Arsenal team (Cesc Fabregas took the armband aged just 19 in the 2007 Carling Cup Final after Kolo Toure was sent off late on, thus being the youngest to actually wear it).
I don't honestly have a clue what Wenger will do tomorrow. There is a case for resting a number of players with a game against Liverpool in midweek. However, there is a greater need to win the FA Cup in my view. If Arsene left out four or five players tomorrow, and Arsenal lost, he would be utterly crucified for "sacrificing" the FA Cup. I just don't think he can afford to rest too many players. That being the case I wouldn't be surprised to see this kind of line-up:

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Santos, Ramsey, Wilshere, Cazorla, Chamberlain, Walcott, Podolski.

I want to see Arsenal going all out to win The FA Cup. When I was a kid it was what you dreamt of winning. The TV companies show the competition less respect than even the Clubs or The FA these days (5 o'clock kick-off for the Final? Disgrace) but it still has a place in the hearts of people above a certain age. I remember the media claiming it was an anti-climax for Arsenal fans when we won "only" The FA Cup in 2003. I can tell you it didn't feel like it for those of us in Cardiff that day. If we are celebrating a trophy for the first time in 8 years come May by parading that beautiful piece of silverware around Wembley it certainly won't feel like an anti-climax. First we have to negotiate a tough away tie at Brighton and, frankly, I'd take a replay now given the chance.

Arsenal bring back the memories

Like watching this lot

For ten minutes last night Arsenal played with searing pace, firing accurate passes through midfield and beyond the West Ham defence. There was simply no answer to such speed and precision football. The way Arsenal broke down the left and created goals for those in the middle was reminiscent of Wenger's greatest sides. You could have been forgiven for thinking that we were actually seeing Vieira, Pires, Henry, Bergkamp and Ljungberg (I couldn't find a photo of just the five of them) back in harness as the attacking five. There have been occasions, sadly all too rare, where this group has played quickly. Every time it's happened they have hammered the opposition. The obvious question would have to be why they don't play like this all the time. Far too often we sit through ninety minutes of Arsenal going sideways across a packed back line, lacking the movement or the imagination to create space and opportunities. We're not talking rocket science here, but simply playing to the various strengths of the players we have. No defence likes facing players running at speed with the ball. And once you get a player with the range of passing that Jack Wilshere possesses (and Santi Cazorla when the mood takes him) you can thrash your opponent. Some of Wilshere's passes beyond the full-back last night were astounding. I imagine the watching Roy Hodgson will have been smiling ahead of England's next game.
It strikes me that when Cazorla and Podolski play well (when they want to play well) Arsenal invariably are too good for the their opponents. I have stopped short of criticising Podolski when perhaps he actually merited it. His goalscoring has regularly masked a tendency to not get involved enough. However, last night the German put in the complete performance. He is obviously an amazing player as his record for Germany, at such a young age, would tell you. With his power and strength he should be perfectly suited to English football and, when he puts his mind to it, he covers the ground very quickly indeed. If last night was an indication that he has fully come to grips with the Premier League then he has an exciting Arsenal future to look forward to. I hope it was not a false dawn.
I have to single out Aaron Ramsey for some praise last night. Ramsey has had a bad time of it for a while now, with the poor displays far outnumbering anything good. Last night he played deep in midfield and used the ball very well indeed. His clearance off the line showed a hunger and determination that has too often been lacking from him. Given the opportunity to stake a claim in the absence of Arteta and Coquelin, and playing in a role to which he is eminently more suited, he showed he still has some ability. Maybe he has been lacking confidence, and such a performance might help Rambo back to the level we all hoped he would get to before his leg was shattered.
It looks like Thomas Vermaelen might well miss the game at Brighton on Saturday. Ironically he was injured by Ramsey as the boyo got back to make his goal line clearance. When Vermaelen went off in the second half it was notable that the armband passed to the people's champ Jack Wilshere. In a team that contained Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs and Walcott I thought it spoke volumes for Wilshere's qualities and standing in this group of players that he was the chosen one. In his post-match interviews this season he has displayed a high level of maturity and has said all the things you want to hear from your skipper. With Mikel Arteta out, and Vermaelen doubtful, it looks as though we will get Captain Jack at the Amex this weekend. You just know it won't be the last time we see it.
All in all it was great to get a win, any win, last night. To do so playing such a sublime brand of football was gratifying in the extreme. To thrash a team run by Allardyce adds a certain cherry to the top of the already well iced cake. There is something rather nice about seeing the fat walrus faced cretin chewing harder and harder on his gum as Arsenal banged in the goals last night. My fear would be that such results and performances will see Wenger feeling vindicated and failing to spend money before next week. Signings of necessary quality already look remote. I just hope Wenger isn't stupid enough to think he has a squad of adequate strength and quality to finish the season well, and possibly end the trophy drought.

It's been far too long - let's return with some Jack

Wilshere - THE star of this Arsenal team

I haven't written a blog post since 2nd January. There are a couple of reasons as to why that's the case but, whatever they are, that is far too long. I will admit that I have struggled for the inspiration to write anything. I suppose that's fairly obvious otherwise I would have been posting.
One of the things I was entirely conscious of was that I don't want to keep repeating myself. Regular readers (if you're still there) will know I am very much of the opinion that Arsene Wenger should go. However, if you keep on banging that drum after every defeat or poor performance people very quickly become fed up (incidentally I couldn't believe people were going mad after last Sunday's defeat - if you hammer the Manager for what happened in that game then you lose credibility). Basically there are only so many times I can say or write the same thing before even I get bored with it.
The very basis of this site is that it is the opinion of one man - me. I have always made a lot of the fact that I go to games. I have a season ticket and I believe (rightly or wrongly - it's my opinion) that my views have more credence than those of someone who doesn't attend. Well the fact is that I haven't been to see Arsenal play since before Christmas. Due to family, health and work reasons I have not been able to get to a game. Given what I said above about being an attendee, I would feel like an utter charlatan if I sat here spouting off when I haven't been doing the one thing that I say gives me a better angle than a number of other bloggers (I do find it interesting that a number of the more prominent Arsenal blogs are written by people who see 99% of their Arsenal action on a TV screen). The fact is that, having not been at games for a month it would not be right for me to come on here and pretend to speak with any authority on what I've seen on Sky. I still Tweet about it all the time (@ARSENALDvbrisG) but that's a lot different to writing an "essay" piece on here.
The final reason I've not been writing is that, apart from the matches, nothing has been happening at Arsenal. I have a policy of ignoring transfer gossip on here. Arsenal's inaction in that department would have meant that gossip would have been all there was to talk about. In fairness the press has even given up making up stories where Arsenal are concerned. We all know that signings are needed, and where on the pitch we are weaker. I was annoyed to hear Wenger say that the Club needed to concentrate on signing up Theo Walcott before looking outside. Why? Are they incapable of working on more than one player at a time? Now that Theo has done the deal you would expect, logically, that a couple of players will be arriving. But this is Arsenal so I will not be holding my breath.

I've posted a picture of Jack Wilshere at the top of this piece. Over the last few weeks Jack has shown the sort of form we were getting before his injury. There were times before Christmas where he was not playing very well, though he would always be trying. The game at Bradford was a case in point and it also illustrated my point about being there. Talking to people who watched that game on television they all told me how Wilshere had been the only player worth any credit as he was outstanding. Indeed, one of those prominent internet fans I referred to earlier, told me on Twitter I was talking "complete b******s" for criticising Jack's work on the ball that evening. The fact was that I was on the coach outside Valley Parade having watched the game, while this individual was in his living room listening to Sky's commentary team.
Over this past few weeks Jack has really found his feet. His all-action displays have seen him get back to his very best with the ball too. I can't believe there is a more fouled player in the Premier League than Wilshere, yet so few players are punished for the way they kick him. Somehow Gareth Barry stayed on the field (again) last Sunday despite his continued assaults against Wilshere. Jack just gets up and gets on with trying to destroy the opposition. Of course, the minute he makes a challenge himself you find the muppet referee can't wait to book him. It is a mark of Wilshere that he is strong enough, and tough enough, to take the physical side of the game, especially following his long injury lay-off.
Wilshere has become, without a doubt, the best player in this side. He is the fans favourite, marrying supreme effort with sublime skill. I saw a lot of Wilshere when he was coming through the ranks, thanks to the now defunct Arsenal TV channel. A feature of his game then was his goalscoring from midfield. He wasn't afraid to shoot from any angle. There are times now when he is reluctant to do so, no doubt under instruction from Arsene Wenger to pass the ball first and foremost. His goal on Wednesday showed that he still has that eye for goal. It also showed that he can shoot as well as anybody. I honestly believe that Jack Wilshere is Arsenal's version of Steven Gerrard. He has the talent to be even better than Gerrard. He should be the Arsenal Captain right now as he is the true "leader" in this group. I just hope he spends his career at Arsenal, as Gerrard has at Liverpool, but that he gets a few Premier League Titles (unlike Gerrard).

Predictable in every way

TR7 - Not as good as Gervinho or Ramsey

I gave up believing in this Arsenal team a long time ago. Too many times I've thought that we had won a couple of games and they'd finally got it. Then they'd go out and produce a display with such a lack of commitment and desire as to make you realise they're just not that good. Last night was yet another example. Following on from three good displays against Reading, Wigan and Newcastle we were back in the gutter at Southampton. The Saints might escape relegation, such is the lack of quality in the Premier League, but they will certainly come close. That being the case, the way they held Arsenal so comfortably merely serves to underline that this Arsenal team is just crap. Obviously they have talented footballers who can play some blinding stuff, like they did on Saturday. But having the ability is only half the story. If you don't have the mental capabilities to understand the need to out-work your opponent game in, game out then you might as well not bother. Barcelona don't play their great football just because they can. They play it because their players have the right mentality. They earn the right to have the ball. They never let up in winning it back on the rare occasions that their opponent gains possession. Once they've worked harder than their opponent they show what they're capable of when they have the football. They do it whoever they're playing against, not just when they feel like it. It's not rocket science, it's just a good old fashioned work ethic coupled to fine ability. Now obviously Arsenal don't have players of the same quality as Barcelona (nobody really does) but we do have players (at least in the first choice team) to rival Manchester United. They work hard in a similar way to Barcelona. Okay, their football isn't anything like as breathtaking, but Ferguson would not allow the regular insipid displays that we get at Arsenal.
This is Arsene Wenger's quote from the official website after the game:


"Maybe we were a bit off and lost a bit of concentration and thought 'OK, we scored seven against Newcastle, we'll score again today', but it doesn't work like that. You have to focus completely.”

It strikes me that the Manager is spot on. This group of players seems to think that football becomes easy after they've put in a fine performance. Obviously it's the Manager who picks the players and is responsible for motivating them, but there has to be more than a little blame and responsibility laid at the door of those on the pitch. These are not kids. These players are experienced enough (only Arteta yesterday was not an international) to know what is required to win a game against any Premier League side. I said earlier that the Premier League lacks quality, but it doesn't lack fight. One thing you know is that whomever your opposition (unless it's Arsenal, it seems) you're not going to get an easy ride in a game in England.
In terms of the game yesterday we became sloppy after a bright start. Something that sums up our players is the fact that Artur Boruc dropped the first two balls played in to the area. On neither occasion was there an Arsenal player there to knock in the loose ball. When a third ball came over Boruc finally caught one, yet there was still no Arsenal player anywhere near him to put him under pressure. Are they really that stupid? Do they not think for themselves?
The defending was awful again yesterday, as it usually is when Koscielny and Vermaelen play together. However, the main offender yesterday was Bacary Sagna. He was awful against Newcastle where he made Obertan look a decent player, while yesterday he really might as well have gone and sat in the crowd. His intervention that lead to Southampton's goal was absolutely awful. I wouldn't expect to see a Sunday morning player putting a ball across his own penalty area like that. I hear that Carl Jenkinson is carrying a knock, but I certainly hope the Corporal is fit to play at Swansea on Sunday. Sagna had a whinge about his contract when out injured earlier in the season. Maybe I'm doing him a disservice having come back from two leg breaks, but right now Sagna is performing like a man who wants to be playing for somebody else.
As ever we had no idea about how to do anything different when it became obvious it wasn't working. I called the substitutions at half-time and it was obvious what was going to happen when he sent out his three subs to warm up. The game was crying out for Giroud, but it was also crying out for us to get someone else up front with him. I feel like a scratched record constantly saying that we should play two up front against inferior opponents. I had no problem with Podolski and Cazorla being taken off, but surely Wenger must see that bringing on Ramsey and Gervinho was like an admission that he would take a draw. Ramsey is just so painfully slow that everything stops for Arsenal when he gets the ball. As for Gervinho I just give up. I remember people used to give stick to Glen Helder but he was ten times the player Gervinho is. It summed him up when he pirouetted himself all the way in to the turf shortly after coming on - at no point had he been in control of the ball. If Gervinho is a Premier League footballer then Perry Groves was capable of earning a place in the Brazil 1970 squad.
Does Arsene Wenger genuinely believe that Ramsey and Gervinho were a better bet than Tomas Rosicky yesterday (or any day for that matter)? Surely the extra pace and direct running and passing ability of Rosicky might have created us some much needed space yesterday. If nothing else Rosicky would have been different to what we'd seen all day. Since returning to the squad Rosicky has only really had two proper appearances. The first was at Olympiacos where he ran the game until being replaced at half-time. The second was at Bradford where he came off the bench to provide the spark that got us back in to a game where we'd been comprehensively outplayed. It strikes me that Rosicky is becoming the new Arshavin, such is the way Wenger is using (or failing to use) him. I just don't get it.

Entertainment, Let the madness be ignored

Becoming a potent pairing

At 3-3 (and regardless of whether Arsenal won the game) I was all set to complain about how our awful defending will cost us dear come the end of the season. However, when you go on to score seven and produce such an incredible display of attacking football it would be churlish to bang on about the way we failed to protect our goal. All I will say about that is that Jack Wilshere turning his back on the free-kick was awful (had he been listening to Ferguson?) and Sagna had a terrible game from start to finish. Also Kieran Gibbs was badly at fault for the third equaliser (though not for the second as ESPN and their commentators would have you believe - why are these people incapable of actually analysing the play?) Szczesny had another very decent game and could do nothing about the goals Arsenal conceded.
What about that second-half going forward? I felt the first-half was a return to the slow and sideways rubbish that has dominated the season. However, I'm informed by people who were actually there, and not watching on TV like myself, that the feeling in the stadium was quite different. As much as I felt we didn't play so well in the first-half I certainly didn't go along with Chris Waddle claiming that Newcastle had "dominated" the game. This man is being paid to give an "expert" view on the game yet he fails to see that almost all the chances had been Arsenal's (more on the commentary team below). The football Arsenal played after half-time was devastating. Right from the kick-off there appeared more urgency, especially when closing down the opposition. The pace of Walcott and Chamberlain was too much for Newcastle's defence. I speculated in the preview piece that their exertions at Old Trafford might have an effect and so it proved in the last twenty minutes. Having said that you still have to take advantage and Arsenal were ruthless for a change. I don't know why Ramsey was brought on to play on the left-wing, and I thought Coquelin should have been introduced earlier, but those are small gripes on such a day.
Theo Walcott has predictably grabbed the headlines for his super performance. With better decisions from Theo we might have had double figures but a hat-trick and two assists is more than enough I would say. Obviously the usual talk about his future and his contract etc came to the fore. My view has been recorded a few times on this site so I won't go over it again. What I will say is that I am becoming increasingly impressed with Walcott's combination with Olivier Giroud. Robin Van Persie was always quick last season to recognise the contribution Theo was making to his golden year. Giroud is the main benficiary of Walcott's supply this time around. The cross for Giroud's first goal was the best I've seen from an Arsenal player in many a year, perhaps since Anders Limpar was picking out Alan Smith. Giroud was incredibly unlucky not to have got his own hat-trick as he saw what would have been Arsenal's eigth goal come back off the bar. As it happened Walcott did get a hat-trick of course. His first goal was reminiscent of the trademark Thierry Henry finish across the goalkeeper, the second showing a newly found calmness under pressure (a confident Theo is a dangerous Theo) while his third showed skill and determination. I have often considered Walcott to be easy to defend against when faced up one on one as he usually runs in straight lines. For the third goal, however, he shimmied and side-stepped and moved the ball around the defenders. What should have been a certain penalty (though I'm really not sure Foy was giving it) turned in to the best finish we'll see from an Arsenal player this season. Simply a stunning individual goal to cap a great game.
Watching on TV is never a nice experience, especially for home games, and even more especially on ESPN. This week we were subjected to John Champion and Chris Waddle. Arsenal supporters have been subjected to many a biased commentary over the years, but these two were pushing for the top prize on Saturday evening. Leaving aside the fact that Waddle can't actually speak English his anti-Arsenal views are tiresome in the extreme. You got the impression on Saturday that every piece of good play by Theo Walcott was like a knife twisting in Waddle's stomach. I swear he was actually crying when Theo got his hat-trick. After all, no public figure (not even Alan Hansen) has been quite so vitriolic in their criticism of Walcott. The thing that Waddle needs to remember is that his own career saw him win nothing without bribes from his Chairman. His hatred of Arsenal no doubt stems not just from his association with Spurs but also to the fact that we ended his dreams of a trophy in England in two Final's in 1993. What we also heard on ESPN the other day was the habitual love for the Newcastle supporters. Apparently they are "great" fans. John Champion kept wanting to tell us. He also kept telling us how quiet it was at the ground. When the Gooners got behind the team after half-time he ridiculed them. The fact is that all the big Club's play to quiet stadia unless their winning. Believe it or not the "great" fans do not create an atmosphere at St James' Park unless they're on top (a lot of them have gone back to not turning up, such is the poor form of the side this season). Incidentally, I would like to point out that the "great" fans actually only bought up half their allocation of tickets for Saturday and Arsenal sold the remainder to home supporters. In short, Champion and Waddle are a couple of cretins.

Today is New Years Eve. That means the transfer window opens tomorrow. I really hope Arsenal are busy, with both ins and outs from the Club. We know where we need more players and better players, and we know who we need to get rid of (that idiot Collymore claimed that Tomas Rosicky "must" be sold by Arsenal in one of the papers yesterday - another cretin is Collymore). There will now be the usual "speculation" about who will be signing for whom etc. The press call it speculation, I call it utter b******s. I will be adopting the usual policy of ignoring the nonsense and only commenting if a transfer looks like being a sure thing, or if it actually happens. If you want to go in for all that rubbish then be my guest, but you won't get your fix of it on this site. I hope that, come January 31st (preferably sooner) we have brought in an experienced goalkeeper, a physically strong midfield player and a couple of strikers. I hope we've got rid of a number of players on a permanent basis. Most of it won't happen, so I'll try not to lose sleep over it, though that won't be as easy as ignoring the b******s.

I don't go in for the whole New Year celebration thing. It's not my idea of something to celebrate but each to their own. That being the case I'll wish you a Happy New Year and I look forward to Arsenal getting some tangible success in 2013. Here's to a trophy come May.

Arsenal v Newcastle United match preview

Another winner today please Skipper

I'm not going to the match today. As I told you yesterday my children have both been ill all week and I'd decided I was going to stay at home even before this mornings latest vomiting episode. As such my nephew will be getting a day out on my ticket and I hope the boys can give him a win to celebrate as they bring down the curtain on 2012. I will have to make do with ESPN but if Waddle or Burley are on I'll probably watch it with the sound down.
I have to say that the fixture computer has got things seriously wrong this season with its Christmas fixtures. First of all it's ridiculous that Newcastle are having to travel to London for a late kick-off during the Holidays. It's also ridiculous that teams have been given two home or two away games to play during this week. It's not fair on the players and it certainly isn't fair on the paying punters. Its time the FA sorted out this kind of nonsense.
The team news sees Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky returning to the squad following illness last week. Arsenal's players should certainly be fresh having had the whole week to recover since winning at Wigan. Newcastle, meanwhile, had a tough game at Manchester United and were maybe unfortunate not to get anything out of the match. I hope it was gruelling enough to have left their players heavy legged for their trip to North London. It will be interesting to see if Theo Walcott continues up front or whether a refreshed Giroud will be preferred. Personally, as ever, I would like to see us playing two men up front at home. You could see in the second half on Wednesday how Man Utd gave Newcastle trouble with two men through the centre. I really don't see Walcott being physical enough against two big centre-backs, but put the aerially dominant Giroud up there with him and it's a different prospect.
I don't really see too many changes being made to Arsenal's winning team. Apart from my wish for the two up front I don't much see the need to change. As I said, the players should be fit and raring to go this afternoon. There is absolutely no reason why Arsenal should not be dominating a struggling Newcastle. Obviously Demba Ba can cause us problems, as can Papiss Cisse and the two Ameobi's, but Arsenal should be able to dominate possession to such an extent that they become a sideshow. Obviously we know that Arsenal will not dominate quite so much as that.
Last season saw a tough game when we met Newcastle at home. Tim Krul started his time wasting in the first minute and carried on unpunished until injury-time. Robin Van Persie ended up in a running verbal battle with his fellow Dutchman until Thomas Vermaelen rammed home a close-range winner in injury-time and the feud turned physical. I hope we have a stronger referee this afternoon as Pardew is sure to send out his side with the same tactics to spoil and annoy. As long as we end up with another win I don't much care - there's something rather special about a last minute winner from Thomas Vermaelen.

Mid-season review

Highlight of 2012-13 so far

I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with family and friends etc. My own Christmas was somewhat spoiled by both of my children being sick with a vomitting bug. As such the celebrations were not exactly as intended this year. Christmas is my favourite time of the whole year so it's been a bit of a tough week in our house. Thankfully Arsenal's game was called off on Boxing Day so the chance for West Ham to spoil the mood even further was taken away.
When I wrote this piece just before Christmas last season I referred to how bad things had been going in to the season with the Fabregas and Nasri sales, followed by the panic buying that had come too late to avoid humiliation at Old Trafford. This year Arsenal made their signings fairly early, but we still went through the annual charade of saying our best player was not for sale, before then selling him to a rival. This year we at least made excellent money on a player who had one year left on his contract. When you consider how much we let Fabregas go for I would say the fee received for Robin Van Persie was astronomical. I'm sure I'm not the only Gooner that was hoping Van Persie would be a "one season wonder" or that he would return to his natural environment in the treatment room. As it turns out he is the main reason for United being seven points clear as I write.
The season didn't start too badly for Arsenal. We should have beaten Sunderland on day one, but a solid draw at Stoke was followed by a great win at Liverpool and a draw at Man City in a game we pretty much dominated. The lack of goals from our new centre-forward, and his regular missing of chances, gave us worries for the season ahead but it had been a very encouraging start.
We had also made a winning start in Europe, and Giroud got off the mark in a Walcott-inspired six-goal win over Coventry in the League Cup. All in all I think most Gooners were pleasantly surprised at our opening to the season. Then Chelsea came to play at our place. What followed was the start of the incresingly frustrating inconsistency and the end of what had seemingly been an improved defence. Thomas Vermaelen's form has dipped alarmingly this season and only the class of Per Mertesacker has saved us on a number of occasions. Personally I would far rather see the Captain left out in favour of Laurent Koscielny.
The Chelsea game was a really poor performance, but probably only after Abou Diaby had limped off after banjaxing himself kicking a ball. Indeed, most of our problems have stemmed from not having Diaby in the side. Without him there was no player in our midfield with the ability to drive at the opposition. A Diaby fit enough to play a game makes Arsenal a far better team. Sadly that is too rare a sight. I see that he is due back in training again next week. That line has filled me with dread. If Diaby is returning to training then I fear Wenger will once again use it as an excuse not to make the necessary signings in January, just as he did in the Summer.
The performances at Norwich, Bradford, Manchester United and Aston Villa were simply unacceptable. As were those at home to Fulham, Schalke and Swansea. When you think about those games it is easy to see why Arsene Wenger's popularity is on the wane with many Gooners.
There has been some quality, of course. The Spurs game, after Adebayor got himself sent off, has provided the high point of the season so far. The Reading game early last week, and the contrasting style of the win at Wigan last Saturday, give encouragement. But you just feel with this Arsenal team that the next "can't be bothered" display is just around the corner.
Despite the home defeat to Schalke the boys still managed to qualify in Europe with a game to spare. The inconsistency of the side, all in one game at Olympiacos, cost us first place in the group. The second-half in Athens was as awful as the first-half had been superb. Without Rosicky after half-time there was nothing there for Arsenal. As a result we are now facing Bayern Munich rather than Galatassaray. Who would you rather be facing - a team with Bastian Schweinsteiger in midfield, or a team with Emmanuel Eboue?
The League Cup defeat at Bradford, just as Arsene Wenger had seemingly realised the importance of real silverware has probably cost us our best chance of a trophy this season - only Chelsea should have provided a threat to us, to be honest. The players have only themselves to blame for the fact they were outplayed that night. Arsene Wenger completely misread things when he chose to defend the players after the game. There are times when a public dressing down is what the fans want to hear. This was certainly one of them. Now we start with a tough FA Cup tie at Swansea next week, though I fully expect the players to produce in South Wales after the way they were humiliated at home by The Swans a few weeks back. Silverware is still available and we have to hope Arsenal's players can rise to the occasion and get us some.
The Premier League Title is way beyond us already. As such we will be looking to the false economy of "the top four" for some measure of "success". In the absence of a trophy I suppose you have to hope for Champions League qualification, even if you have hardly any chance of actually winning the damn thing. The details released by Emirates last week over the need for Champions League football are stark, and are yet another indictment on Ivan Gazidis and his staff. It would appear that without that qualification the so called £150m sponsorship deal is nowhere near that figure. What kind of idiots are running Arsenal's business side?
The transfer window once again looms and Wenger is already preparing the ground for not getting business done early. Apparently we "don't set the pace" of the transfer window. Well Arsene, I have some news for you - if you offer the requisite money for the player you want, you can sign them at any time you so desire. If he wants David Villa then he should pay Barcelona what they're asking, then Villa could be in the side at Swansea next week. By the same token we are now prevaricating over re-signing Thierry Henry. If you want him then get it done, if you don't then just bloody well say so. The supporters deserve so much more than we are given with this sort of crap being spoken by the Manager.
As well as ins there must also be some outs. If Theo Walcott isn't signing then he must be sold, even if it's just for a couple of million. Andrey Arshavin must be sold, even for next to nothing. Marouane Chamakh and Sebastien Squillaci must be bombed out, even if it's on a free transfer. Three of those four players do not get a game at Arsenal, yet are earning over £200,000 per week between them. Get rid of them. If you have to do it on the cheap in order that a buying club can cover their wages then so be it. Andre Santos is another player who must surely be moved on - his shirt-swapping at Old Trafford really was the final nail in a coffin built around some terrible defending from the Brazillian.
We currently sit in seventh place, and that is way too low. Had we played Boxing Day we well have been fourth, but that too is below acceptable when it is 13 points behind the side in first. Spending money is no guarantee of success, of course. But it sure as hell makes it more likely that you'll have a chance. Jack Wilshere's return to the side has been a bonus as he has pretty much hit the ground running. However, he is more than likely to hit the wall again before we reach May. The need for reinforcements is huge. We need experienced, and capable, cover for Szczesny. We need a decent left-back to cover for Kieran Gibbs, though I would accept the promotion of Jernade Meade in the interim. Cover is required for Mikel Arteta, a replacement for Diaby and also for Walcott is a priority. We also need a centre-forward and I fully expect to see one come in before January ends. To be honest, I'd rather it wasn't Demba Ba - we have enough players with dodgy knees at Arsenal.
It's been a tough first-half to this season, as it was last year. If we are to achieve our minimum aims then Arsenal must be far better after Christmas is over. What we've seen in Autumn has not been good enough. The remainder of Winter and Spring must be ten times better.

More tomorrow morning, I hope, with a preview of the Newcastle game.