The Beautiful Groan

It is ironic that the famous old chant is still often sung when Arsenal score first at the Emirates. Ironic not just because it was the hallmark of Graham’s dull but efficient side, contrasting completely with Wenger’s vibrant but more fragile outfit, but because if there’s anything you can guarantee, it is that the score will not be 1-0 to the Arsenal by the time the final whistle blows.

Can you remember the last time we won 1-0? Clue - there hasn’t been one in 2008. You have to go all the way back to December 16 and that fantastic victory over Chelsea, 29 games ago. And there is no way that match should’ve ended 1-0, with both sides spurning gilt edged chances.

The lack of resilience and the inability to hold on to a lead in the manner of Graham’s team has been jumped on by the media as the main reason for the club going trophyless again this season, and at first glance it seems a decent argument - the clean sheet against Reading at the weekend was the first in eight games, dating back to the goalless draw with Wigan. In contrast, United have nine clean sheets in their last twelve games, Chelsea eight in their last thirteen.

So is that the reason? Do Arsenal simply not keep clean sheets?

Well, no, it isn’t as simple as that. Almunia and co have actually managed 25 shutouts this season in 55 games, close to one every other game, which is not a bad record. United, with their lauded defence, have only three more, with 28. Chelsea have 31 but score considerably fewer.

But the difference between United and Arsenal has been when they’ve conceded. United have let their guard slip when in cruise control - they’ve won 4-1 three times, 5-1 and 4-2, but when they haven’t been at their best going forward, they’ve managed to keep it tight at the back. They have won 1-0 nine times this season.

And remember the start of the season, when their title challenge was faltering almost before it had begun? Two points from the opening three games put them in early trouble, and their next set of performances were also poor. But instead of dropping more points, they scraped four consecutive 1-0 victories and hauled themselves towards the top. That is why they are going to be champions again.

As for us, we have a terrible habit of conceding crucial goals at exactly the wrong moment. There are the obvious ones - ahead against Chelsea, United and Liverpool and letting them all slip with soft goals, but it has happened a lot this season. Our two big wins also included clean sheets that barely mattered - 5-0 against Derby and 7-0 against Slavia, a match in which Almunia made a couple of stunning saves.

But when clean sheets have been required, they haven’t materialised. It is the nine 1-1 draws that have cost us so badly, especially the five in which we scored first. That adds up to a lot of dropped points, and the advantage conceded in that critical tie with Liverpool. United held on to those leads, winning 1-0 over and over again. We’ve managed only four 1-0 wins all season, and none this year. It is such a slim margin, but that has been the difference.

It all seems so simple on paper, but what causes this? What causes a talented side to let a few 1-0 wins turn into 1-1 draws, only to see that dismantle an entire season’s work? Is it experience, age, mentality?

Or is it just football?

What is important is to note the improvements. We lost eight games 1-0 last season. How many do you think we’ve lost 1-0 this season?

Here’s the answer - a big fat zero. That’s right, not once have we lost by the same score that was the scourge of last season. In fact, we’ve only lost and failed to score once in any competition all season, that 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup.

So last season’s lesson was to stop losing 1-0. That has been heeded - those results have now turned into 1-1 draws.

Halfway there. Next season, cut out the sloppy goals, and we’ll be exactly where United are.

The margins are small. Very very small. Keep the faith.

With so many already looking to carry out the season’s post mortem, I wanted to take a quick look at some of the more common criticisms levelled at Wenger over the past couple of months, and try to see if they are fair in any way. Let’s look at a few in turn.

He should have signed squad players in January

One of the most obvious accusations, it doesn’t actually stack up when you examine it a little closer. First, as many managers have said, decent players simply aren’t available in January, Anelka being the only transfer of note, and if Wenger had wanted him, he could have got him last summer for less. At the time, the season was going spectacularly well, and when Keegan signed Asprilla so famously, in a similar position, he was panned for trying to fix what wasn’t broken. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

The point is - the team were playing superbly, the reserves were impressing in the Carling Cup, and there seemed no need. Wenger doesn’t sign players ahead of kids he thinks are the future - in the long run it sets them back.

He should not have let Diarra go

This one has a little more merit. Diarra was being the proverbial pain in the backside, whinging to anyone who would listen after only a few months at the club that he deserved more playing time, while the incumbent of his position had waited years for his chance, seizing it when Gilberto had missed the start of the season. He can have been nothing but disruptive. That said, his energetic legs would have helped at the business end of the season, especially with Flamini and Cesc looking so exhausted.

Wenger believes in team spirit though, and Diarra was detracting from it. The youngster seems oblivious as to how he is wrecking his career - still intent on joining a top club, he’s already been through Chelsea and Arsenal, Ferguson won’t take him after the attitude he’s shown, and Liverpool are also stacked with central midfielders. And what top foreign club watch Portsmouth regularly?

Wenger should’ve signed a striker

Adding to the first point, some lazy journalists are using hindsight to say that Arsenal rely too much on Adebayor and that another striker should have been signed in January. Let’s put that into perspective - over Christmas Adebayor was rolling into form, Eduardo was scoring goals for fun, Van Persie was weeks away from his eventually aborted comeback, and Bendtner wasn’t even getting on the pitch very often. With Walcott another option, why would another striker be required? Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but some things you just can’t see coming.

Gallas should’ve been stripped of the captaincy

Do you honestly believe that Gallas would be an effective player for Arsenal if this happened? For everyone who suggested it, consider where we would be without him in the team. We’re not exactly flush with centre backs. If Wenger wants to change the captain, he’ll do it in the summer.

So I’ve defended Wenger yet Arsenal have still come up short. Why? To me, it isn’t so much a lack of squad depth, it is a lack of match winning depth. Each of the top four have match winners, and comparing Arsenal to United, who will be crowned champions, Adebayor has won as many matches as Rooney, while Cesc has won at least as many as any United midfielder. The same goes for Chelsea and Liverpool. Only Ronaldo sticks out as incomparable - he is peerless, and the reason United are now clear at the top.

No, the problem is behind that. Our first choice wingers are Rosicky and Hleb, when everyone is fit. How many games have they won from those positions? Hleb has from the centre, sure, but not from wide, while Rosicky, when not on the treatment table, is the master of the ‘icing on the cake’ goal, rather than the crucial one. That is not a criticism of either of them, but when the top three players at any of the big four fail to perform, we have less match winners ready to step up and force that crucial moment. United showed on Sunday that Hargreaves can do it, Giggs can still do it, while even Nani comes on and makes an impact. The other side without depth in match winners is Liverpool, and that is why they are fourth.

For me, all we need is to be a threat from more angles. We have Cesc and Hleb though the middle, Van Persie and Adebayor up front. Clichy has been our best player from wide positions this season, which says something about the lack of wing play ahead of him, excellent though he has been.

If that particular problem can be addressed, another step up is possible. There aren’t that many rungs left to climb.

There’s altogether too much doom and gloom going around at the moment, too much criticism of Wenger’s transfer policy by the very same people that praised him for it when the season was looking rosier. At a time like this, it can be difficult to get past the dissenting voices and retain a bit of optimism. Here are ten reasons to win that particular battle.

1. We are better than Liverpool

That might seem like a strange thing to say after not beating them in four matches this season, but it isn’t sour grapes to say that was purely down to extraordinarily bad luck. We dominated the league game at Anfield before Christmas, hitting the post twice, dominated the Champions League first leg, being denied by a referee and a less than balletic teammate, before two much closer matches. The league doesn’t lie - two years ago Liverpool were better than us (briefly), but not any more.

2. Luck has to change

I was going to write a piece on how since the Birmingham game, we’ve had goals wrongly ruled out, goals against us wrongly allowed, dodgy penalty calls at both ends, and a stream of bad luck, but Goodplaya’s beaten me to it, and put it better than I could, so I suggest you have a read.

They say luck evens out in the end, so next season should be a cracker.

3. Theo Walcott’s a bit good

Witness the terrified Liverpool players the moment he came on the pitch. See the directness of his running, as if he’s cottoned on to his greatest asset. See the determination in his fight for a first team place. And he’s only just 19. Anyone think the criticism of him this season was premature?

4. We’re coming higher in the league and we’ve gone further in the Champions League than last year

Last season we came a distant fourth, 21 points off the pace, and got deservedly knocked out in an appalling display against PSV in the last 16. This season, we’re fifteen points closer to United, got a round further in Europe, and at least put up a decent fight against Liverpool.

5. We’ve proved the media wrong

They said Wenger was wrong to sell Henry, as no-one could step in and score 20 goals, let alone the 25 Adebayor has. They said Cesc couldn’t score. They said we’d drop out of the top four. They were wrong, oh so very very wrong.

6. Cesc Fabregas is still only 20

Hard to believe, isn’t it, that our midfield talisman is younger than Nani, Babel, and so many more of the ‘up and coming’ players at other clubs. Even better than that, he’s a true Gooner, who dislikes United, Ferguson, Hughes, Savage and Chelsea. The man has good taste - how long before he’s captain?

7. Wenger has money to spend

That doesn’t mean he’ll spend it, of course, more that he isn’t restricted by it. He’ll bide his time, go for the targets he wants, but he isn’t financially constrained any more. If he thinks 10-15m is a bargain for a player, he can pay it.

8. We have the happiest hierarchy in the top four

Chelsea have trigger happy Abramovich, a manager who the fans can’t stand, and Peter Kenyon playing the role of the weasel. United have the ever-popular Glazers, who are currently surviving financially thanks to their on field success but are relying on that a little too heavily, while Liverpool’s board room battles are the stuff of playground legend. Meanwhile, Wenger has the time and space to work his long term magic by his English, and Arsenal attached, board, who are resisting the foreign invasion with everything they have. The heritage of this club is secure.

9. Robin Van Persie will play some football next season

Oh yes he will. Don’t forget what a talent the man is. Clichy had to bide his time to prove it. Van Persie will too.

10. Tottenham and the top four

August is a month of brave and stupid predictions, and last summer’s common theme was Spurs finishing ahead of us and reaching the top four. If that isn’t something to chuckle at, I don’t know what is.

Keep smiling, Gooners.

Amidst all the doom and gloom surrounding the Emirates at the moment, it must be remembered that after a first half of the season where it looked like three teams might hit the magic 90 point mark, no-one is now embarking on that all-conquering winning streak that usually ends in the Premiership trophy. In fact, the most on form of the top teams is Liverpool, and they were out of the race long ago.

It’s well documented that Arsenal aren’t playing well at the moment, and while losses are being prevented by sheer determination, that alone hasn’t been enough to turns draws into victories for a off colour team. But why are many so quick to write off our chances when the other two contenders aren’t exactly firing either?

Chelsea are back to the days of grinding out victories, aside from the hammering that everyone gives to Derby, and they were lucky to beat a Sunderland side at the weekend who have hardly been setting the world alight recently. There is still unrest around the side and unlike previous years, where they would be kicking on right now, you don’t get the same inevitability about their victories anymore.

As for United, they struggled past Lyon, lost at home to Portsmouth with a strong team out, and then were frankly awful against Derby, leaving it late to sneak a 1-0. The way they are playing, I’d fancy Liverpool to pull off a result at the weekend.

If United win and we lose this weekend, then we’re in massive trouble of course. But like we didn’t get carried away with the five point lead, let’s not now. 

Much is made of Italian defences, Milan’s in particular as they favour a 1-0 victory with no extra effort expended. Equally, much is rightly made of Arsenal’s attacking prowess.

But there is a common misconception in the press that our defence is shaky and liable to concede at any time. While it may not be the most famed part of our side, the figures simply don’t back that claim up.

Arsenal have conceded just 12 goals in the last 30 Champions League games. Just digest that statistic for a moment - it’s an astonishing record.

As well at setting a new record by going ten games without conceding two years ago, the first six matches of this campaign ended in clean sheets, with goals only being conceded once group stage qualification had been assured.

The weekend mauling of United suggests that there is a weakness there, but when you’re playing against a side who excel on the wing, without your two starring full backs, you’re always going to struggle. Clichy and Sagna return tonight, while Flamini, Adebayor, Denilson and Walcott are also available. Things are looking up.

So, both sides can score in a flash. Both sides have decent defences. It could be a tight one, much like Liverpool’s match last night. I’d take the same result, but I have a hunch we’ll get just the single goal in a 1-0 win.

Enjoy the game.

Arsenal finished last season with 68 points from 38 games
Arsenal are currently on 60 points from 25 games.

Arsenal are on course for 91.2 points
United are on course for 88.2 points
Chelsea are on course for 82.1 points

To put that in some kind of perspective, last season Liverpool came third with 68 points. Currently, Chelsea will exceed that total by a huge distance but finish no higher. In fact, they’ll as good as match their total of 83 points from last season, which meant United needed only 84 points to win the league (they got 89). 84 points wouldn’t see a team come close as it stands.

Both Arsenal and United would’ve won the 2006/7 league by current standards

In 2005/6, the top three had a higher points tally, with Chelsea, United, and Liverpool finishing on 91, 83 and 82 points respectively. Again though, Chelsea realistically only needed 84 points to win it, which both United and Arsenal are on course to reach comfortably.

Before the weekend, Chelsea were on course to have enough points to again win the 2005/6 season. This season, they’re on course to miss out by nine points

This pattern follows all the way back. In 2002/3 and 2001/2, United won the league with 83 and 80 points respectively. That wouldn’t even come close nowadays.

There are sides who have won the league with 90+ points before (Chelsea with 95 three years ago is the record), but the point is, they’ve never actually needed to gain that many to win the league.

Until now.

The key statistic: How many points did the winning club need to win the Premiership each year, i.e. what points tally would’ve beaten the side in second place? To answer that, we need the points total of every second placed team in Premiership history:

1992/3, Aston Villa, 74
1993/4, Blackburn, 84
1994/5, Man Utd, 88
1995/6, Newcastle, 78
1996/7, Newcastle, 68
1997/8, Man Utd, 77
1998/9, Arsenal, 78
1999/0, Arsenal, 73
2000/1, Arsenal, 70
2001/2, Liverpool, 80
2002/3, Arsenal, 78
2003/4, Chelsea, 79
2004/5, Arsenal, 83
2005/6, Man Utd, 83
2006/7, Chelsea, 83

Remember, United are on course to reach 88.2 points, and still finish second. Second placed teams usually get in the high 70s or low 80s, and United themselves hold the record, pushing Blackburn all the way in 1994/5. That year, Blackburn won the league with 89 points.

Before this weekend, United were on course to reach 90. What chances two sides hitting the 90 point mark this season?

So there you have it - if the top teams keep churning out results as impressively as they are doing right now, the champions will have earned their status more than ever before, because they’ll have fought off the strongest losers in Premiership history.

Liverpool’s fans are on the warpath again, and their anger is directed firmly towards the club’s owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, while their support for Rafa Benitez remains firm.

Can I just ask one simple question - why?

Yes, Benitez has won the Champions League, and yes, he clearly understands cup competitions, of the European variety particularly. But he doesn’t understand the Premiership, and he’s in his fifth season in England now. Liverpool are not progressing, in fact they are back to where they began under him - hoping for European success to distract them from a battle with Everton for fourth place.

Financially, he has been well backed - although his sales raised some money in the summer, he splashed out an absolute fortune on new players, notably Torres (costing more than twice as much as anyone in Arsenal’s squad). Following that, he then claims he isn’t being backed in the market. Really?

He made a similar complaint last season, after he’d seen his young side demolished 6-3 in the Carling Cup, by none other than our kids, coming out after the game saying that he couldn’t spend the couple of million it took to sign those young players. There was no irony in his voice, despite the fact that only months earlier he had spent 14m on Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant, while Kuyt took that summer’s spending over 20m on average players.

Liverpool are not going to be Premiership challengers under Benitez - he has revamped the squad and got precisely nowhere. This is not a team in transition - they haven’t won the league in eighteen years and have barely ever come close. There are no peaks and troughs, and it is only his cup record saving him.

But they are out of the Carling Cup, they scraped through the Champions League, and are miles off the pace in the league. If Inter Milan bring their Serie A form to Anfield their European adventure won’t last much longer either.

And then what?

And a note to Steve Gerrard - you can’t blame your team’s poor performances on the board room unrest. You’ve been consistently dropping points all season, winning just four of eleven home games. This isn’t a new occurrence. Arsenal, Chelsea and United have all gone to Anfield and come away with a result.

The longer the fans step back and back Benitez, the longer this will go on. He has spent a fortune, and only brought European success. Admirable though that is, it is all they will get.

It is so easy, as a fan, to complain when your luck is out. And as a cyclic process, there are times when that is undoubtedly true - last season there were numerous matches that we lost 1-0, despite hitting a combination of the woodwork and a keeper having the match of his life. At the same time, we looked enviously at Man Utd, who seemed to have fortune on their side, as they sneaked undeserved victories and suffered only a few injuries.

All of which appears, on the face of it, to be true. United seemed to be rolling inevitably towards the title last season, while whenever we travelled from the Emirates, it seemed nothing was going our way.

It is far trickier for a fan to recognise when the tables have turned, when luck is suddenly looking upon you more favourably, and when others are bemoaning your latest victory which could’ve gone the other way on any other occasion.

Now is one of those moments, where as Arsenal fans we must admit that little things are going our way, and enjoy them while it lasts, as it inevitably won’t.

It started on the opening day. Just as last season, we conceded early, and couldn’t break Fulham down, but this time, we sneaked the valuable goals at the end of the match to begin the season with three points. How different life might look now, had that not happened.

More recently, Spurs came to the Emirates in the league and should’ve left with something, we equalised late against United, benefited from a rare Cech error against Chelsea, and were thankful for some poor Burnley finishing in the cup.

And on Wednesday night, we escaped from the first leg of the Carling Cup semi finals with one of the most fortunate draws I’ve ever seen. Spurs took the lead through Jenas in the first half, and had Malbranque not missed two sitters, the game, if not the tie, may have been over by half time.

But somehow we got away with it, Eduardo feeding Walcott late on, and the defender clearing it onto the youngster’s chest, where it ballooned into the net. Moments later, Defoe (complete with idiotic hair) missed the kind of chance he buries in his sleep.

The match should’ve ended 0-3, but now Spurs must wonder just how they can beat this Arsenal team. Even playing appallingly, with Spurs actually looking sound in central defence, they couldn’t beat the reserves. Incredible.

So why has the luck turned so utterly? It’s an old adage that you make your own luck, and I’m beginning to wonder if it’s true. Last season, when we were heading to so many defeats, there were many matches where you just knew we weren’t going to score. It wasn’t just that we often had the inept partnership of Baptista and Aliadiere up front, you just got the feeling it wasn’t going to happen, and it didn’t.

This time around, the attitude is entirely different. No matter how badly we’re playing, you just sense that something’s coming. Even on Wednesday night, with twenty minutes to go, I had a strange feeling that we were about to sneak a completely undeserved draw. And we did.

Now, I’m no expert in predicting the future, but I bet when you watch matches at the moment, you get the certain same sense of inevitability against sides like Spurs. Last season, we just knew United would get late winners, this time, it’s our turn.

So why? Well, if we think an equaliser’s bound to happen, it’s probably either a sense we get from the players’ belief, or the crowd’s faith, in turn, makes it to players from both sides. Did Spurs begin to freeze towards the end? Would Walcott have made that run if he didn’t feel a goal was coming? Who knows.

But somehow, at the moment, the fans and the players just refuse to lose, and escape however they can. The only two matches we havelost this season, at Boro and Sevilla, have been completely deserved, not last season’s ‘if only’ days. On another day, in another season, we could’ve lost to United, Spurs (twice), Fulham and more. But the point it - we haven’t.

Make the most of it, because these things never last. Is it the old idiom that confidence breeds success, that you make your own luck, that a never say die attitude wins out in the end?

Or are we about to lose this afternoon’s home game to Birmingham, with their keeper playing a blinder to even things up?

Whatever it is, enjoy the ride.

Most clubs sign players for the here and now. When you read of a team’s summer signings, you expect a good number of them to be turning out come the first match in August.

Not Arsenal. Patience is the key for any young Arsenal signing, as this report shows. We’ll have a look at each of the current first XI in turn, to see just how long they’ve had to wait.

For all these players, they are counted as regular first teamers once they are undoubtedly first choice, i.e. if all players were fit they would not be dropped.

Manuel Almunia, 30

Joined: July 2004

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 30

Waited: 3.1 years

Almunia was signed three summers ago now, and since he arrived he has been thought of as nothing more than a backup. Some early mistakes only compounded that feeling, but he has improved immeasurably in the last 18 months, with some excellent cup performances last season helping him stake his claim for Lehmann’s spot. With the German making two high profile mistakes, Almunia got his chance and hasn’t looked back. He had reached 30 before earning his spot.

Bacary Sagna, 24

Joined: July 2007

First teamer since: July 2007, aged 24

Waited: 0 years

Sagna is an exception to the rule that Arsenal players often have to spend some time in England before becoming regulars in the first team. A surprising signing, he has displaced both Eboue and Hoyte immediately and effectively.

Gael Clichy, 22

Joined: August 2003

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 21

Waited: 3 years

Clichy struggled in his early years at Arsenal for two reasons. Firstly, he suffered a series of long term injuries that threatened his long term development, not to mention his lightning speed, and secondly, a certain Ashley Cole was in his way. No disrespect to Clichy, but if Cole was still at Arsenal, he would probably still be the first choice, and perhaps established as the best left back in the world. But greed and arrogance took him to Chelsea, where he has never appeared the same player, a hubris his career will be remembered for over his ability. His chance thrown away was an opportunity to Clichy, who has grasped it with both hands after patiently waiting his turn. It is incredible to think he is still only 22.

William Gallas, 30

Joined: August 2006

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 29

Waited: 0 years

A rare signing under Wenger, in that Gallas had just turned 29 when he arrived as part of the Ashley Cole deal last summer, he was thrust straight into the first team, an unsurprising decision given his experience, but struggled with injury in his first season. Nevertheless, he was first choice when fit, but it is only recently, after over a year at the club, that the real Gallas is shining through.

Kolo Toure, 26

Joined: February 2002

First teamer since: August 2003, aged 22

Waited: 1.5 years

Toure arrived as a utility player, making his early appearances as a manic midfielder, who chased and harried everyone in sight. It took him precisely one appearance against Chelsea to become a crowd favourite, helping Arsenal come from a man and a goal down to earn a draw with an energy filled display. He played a decent number of games in 2002-03, but it wasn’t until the unbeaten season that he became a regular at centre back, having filled in across the back and in midfield. Now, it is almost impossible to imagine him anywhere else.

Cesc Fabregas, 20

Joined: September 2003

First teamer since: August 2005, aged 18

Waited: 2 years

What is there to be said about Cesc that hasn’t already been said a million times? Youngest player, youngest scorer, etc, he stepped into the massive void left behind by Patrick Vieira in the summer of 2005, aged only 18. The media instantly wrote the team off, so Cesc went and became arguably the best young midfielder in the world. Now, you can take the word ‘young’ out of that sentence and it still rings true. Undoubtedly, having joined the club at 16, Fabregas would’ve expected to wait longer than two years to become a regular, but his talent and application saw to that.

Mathieu Flamini, 23

Joined: July 2004

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 23

Waited: 3.1 years

Still only 23, Flamini was on the brink of leaving Arsenal this summer, due to a lack of regular first team football. His most extended run came two seasons ago, but it was at left back with Cole and Clichy regularly unavailable. Wenger convinced him to stay, and he is proof that patience can pay off, because his early season form has seen him firmly established in the team for the first time.

Tomas Rosicky, 27

Joined: May 2006

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 25

Waited: 0 years

Signed prior to the World Cup, Rosicky looked like a bargain when he scored two fantastic goals in the early stages in Germany. But his time at Arsenal has been hit by continual niggling injuries, a shame given that when fit for a few games, he looks sharp and dangerous. A rarity in that he went straight into the first team, Rosicky, at 25, was also quite experienced for a Wenger signing.

Alexander Hleb, 26

Joined: June 2005

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 25

Waited: 1.2 years

Hleb played a decent amount in his first season, but Pires, Reyes and Ljungberg restricted his opportunities and he could never be considered a first choice player. But with the departure of Pires in the summer of 2006, Reyes also leaving on loan, Hleb stepped into the breach to become much more of a regular starter. Much of his second season was disappointing, with his clever passes rarely finding their target, although, given that his targets were often Baptista and Aliadiere, that may not have been his fault. This season, he has been a revelation.

Robin Van Persie, 24

Joined: May 2004

First teamer since: August 2006, aged 23

Waited: 1.3 years

Van Persie arrived with a big reputation, and an apparent desire to learn from his countryman Dennis Bergkamp, in his final season. After the Dutch master’s retirement, Van Persie became first choice alongside Thierry Henry, only for his season to be curtailed by injury.

Emmanuel Adebayor, 23

Joined: January 2006

First teamer since: August 2007, aged 23

Waited: 1.6 years

Adebayor is now a first team player for the first time, because although he played much of last season, Henry and Van Persie were always the premier pairing when fit.

Average age to become a first teamer: 23.9

Average waiting time to become a first teamer: 1.5 years

Average waiting time to become a first teamer, of those not signed to step straight in: 2.4 years

So there you have it. If a young player is signed by Arsenal, aged anywhere from their teens to about 22, they should not expect to be automatic first choice for around two and a half years. And that’s only for the best ones – some don’t make the grade at all.

There are those who want instant results, those who write Walcott and Eduardo off after a few months. These figures should be taken into account before doing so – a signing, especially of a young player, is a long term investment. It took Clichy three years to break through, Hleb was poor in his second season but everyone is now glad he’s still around, and as for Flamini? Who would’ve been upset to see him go in the summer? Yet now he is an inspiration in the middle of the park, three years after arriving at the club.

This is a lesson to players such as David Bentley, who could’ve made it at Arsenal, but didn’t have the patience. It takes a certain young maturity to fit into the system, a quality that Wenger also values.

Another surprise is the lack of players Wenger signs with the intention of putting them straight into the first team. Gallas and Rosicky were instant first team players, but both struggled with injury in their first season. In fact, only Sagna, of the current first XI, spent the first three months of his Arsenal career in the team, without a hitch.

That is something to consider when baying for players to join. Wenger rarely makes signings to fill a perceived gap. Sagna was an exception this season – it is unusual for the manager to spend money on a player and place them straight into the side on a regular basis. In other words, he doesn’t satisfy the instant gratification crowd that over the past two seasons have claimed he is past his best.

Compare this with Chelsea, who have seven players in their first XI who were there the day they were signed (Cech, Cole, Carvalho, Belletti, Essien, Lampard, Drogba), Man Utd, who have six (Van der Sar, Ferdinand, Vidic, Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez), and Liverpool, with at least four (Reina, Hyypia, Riise, Torres).

It is pretty clear from these numbers that the rest of the top four buy players with the express plan of improving their team instantly. Arsenal play the game an entirely different way, signing players so that they make an impact a few years later. In that way, Wenger is always two to three years ahead of us. We see a gap in the team forming, only to realise that he plugged that gap two years ago, and the selected player is now ready to step up. It is this forethought that is now bearing fruit.

I would suggest that Wenger’s plan stretches ahead for the next few years. He probably knows what his squad will look like in three years time, and already knows which positions need reinforcements at that point.

No other manager could have achieved what Wenger has achieved. Be grateful he is manager of our football club.

The shortest managerial reign in England’s history came to it’s inevitable end this morning as Steve McLaren was unanimously fired by the FA.

Watching last night was a surreal mix between an extremely painful yet hilarious experience. All the time, while being gutted that we’d miss out next summer, I had that comforting feeling that at least McLaren hadn’t got away with it. This had been such a disaster from the start that we surely could not delude ourselves any longer.

Oh yes we could.

Steven Gerrard thinks we played well last night. David Beckham thinks we were unlucky, and most bizarrely, Frank Lampard was awarded man of the match when for the first half, I wasn’t sure whether he was even on the field.

It was the manner of the defeat that made the team a laughing stock, and provided a stark contrast with Croatia, who, although a decent side, are no world beaters. They passed effectively, kept possession, whereas half of the English side were struggling just to get the ball under control.

Bilic was animated, encouraging and instructing his players, while McLaren sat passively under an umbrella, watching cluelessly as his players imploded in front of him, playing a predictable and repeated game of ‘play a few simple passes on the halfway line, then lump it forward’.

England’s only hope now is that this will be looked back upon as a turning point, the moment at which the players realised they aren’t the world beaters they are made out to be, and the FA figured out that the game in this country is in turmoil. The Premiership is thriving, but at the lower levels, and the youth levels in particular, the wrong kind of teaching is taking place. In Spain, fifteen year olds have learnt to love the ball, wanting it and using it effectively. In England, those same players are taught to run around manically and get rid of the ball as soon as possible.

No doubt there will be an analysis of where it all went wrong, and after a couple of days of blaming McLaren and the players, the media will, as ever, convince themselves that the players are still awesomely talented and it is the fault of someone else. Probably the foreigners.

Until then, let’s hope that those Chelsea ’superstars’ play as badly for their club as they did for their country last night. They weren’t alone, in fact only the much maligned Peter Crouch played respectably, but it is incredible to see them look so good most weeks and then so inept last night.

I’m just so glad none of those players are playing for Arsenal week in, week out. They simply aren’t good enough.