Disjointed. We never seemed to quite get our shit together with this one, and Aston Villa are not a side that’s going to let you slide easily. The players just seemed to be out of step with one another. The OG then just set the tone for the match. We picked up the pace in the second half, but it was only enough to rescue a point.

At 70′, as I’ve done so many times before, I looked at the dog and said… “Let’s just hang in there… it’s never too late for this team… right?” and once again, my beloved Arsenal dug deep and had me screaming at the TV. Of course, the dog couldn’t give less of a shit, since he was only worried about Blackburn handling the Magpies that night, the prick. But, talk about waiting until the very last second… I rewound and watched it several times. Nicklas Bendtner puts that goal away, according to the Barclay’s clock on screen, at 92:57. It just doesn’t get much closer than that. It’s only too bad that it wasn’t a game winner instead of an equalizer. And, poor Phillipe Senderos… I’m irritated with him and feel bad for him at the same time. A lot of defenders make that very same mistake. It’s too bad it’s him though, as he already gets a fair amount of stick from the Arsenal faithful. They’re probably calling for his head. Not I.

Arséne believes we were still experiencing a bit of hangover from the Birmingham game. I suppose that has to be considered as a factor. Whatever it is, I really hope it’s been shaken for tomorrow night. We’re liable to see a completely different AC Milan side than we saw at Ashburton Grove, when we get to the San Siro. The travel will be wont to take its toll on the players as well. On the upside, there’s talk of Robin van Persie returning to the lineup, but not as a starter. I hope he stays fit. We’re going to need him in the stretch.