I didn’t see the match. Partly because I’m busy moving house, and partly because I’m still upset about the last few matches. That we beat Fulham’s Reserves to regain our strangle hold on third place is a good thing. And, keeping Spuds down at least one notch is always a good thing. But, I couldn’t really be bothered to even watch the match. That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me. I’m not sure what to think about it. I know a nice long summer will probably get me sorted and by July I’ll chomping at the bit to see the Arsenal again. But for now… I’m just sort of sick of it all. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. I do and always will love my Arsenal, but this is now several seasons in a row where at the end, I just need some… space.

The football at times this season was brilliant. Simply incredible to watch. Yet as the season wore on, we lost that magic. We gained the ability to eke out points through will, but the magic went away. The flowing, mesmerizing football disappeared, replaced by grinding out results. And then, even that failed. It’s left me feeling more than a bit empty.

So, I think I’m probably going to take a nice long break from the blog. Most likely the entire off-season. Short of something momentous happening with the team, I can’t imagine I’ll be back at it until next season. I look forward to it, but I also look forward to the break, getting into the World Cup, and just unwinding from this grueling season. I hope the players get a decent rest too. They certainly need and deserve it. Thanks for another great season, Arsenal. Even though we fell short of the mark yet again, it was one hell of a ride.

When I put my 6 year old son to bed last night, I still hadn’t seen the match. As I tucked the little bugger in, I said “I’m going to go watch the Arsenal match now, I’ll let you know how it turns out in the morning.” He asked, “Who are we playing?” I told him. He asked, “What place are they in?” I told him. Without hesitation he calmly said, “We’ll crush them.” And I really thought he was going to be right about it. How wrong we both were. I had to give him the disappointing news this morning that Arsenal had delivered yet another in a seemingly endless string of 0-0 draws.

At first the match seemed to be wide open, with good play on both sides of the ball. Definitely not the bus parking that a lot of people expected. Fulham were up for it, and so were the Arsenal. Our boys seemed to be working hard out there, and there were several very unlucky shots and good saves by the Fulham keeper. Honestly… I don’t have it in me to detail the match much more than that. I saw a lot of good play from just about everyone in the squad, I liked Wengers selection and its similarity to last weeks match, and was a bit disappointed how much Gallas and Toure were opened up at the back… but apart from that there’s not much to say.

Aston Villa drew with Stoke so they remain 6 points ahead of us. Still not an insurmountable gap with 11 games to play, but we’re definitely getting down to the wire here. Can we do it? I certainly hope so. But something needs to change. Now.

Hangeland 21 – Divers: Adebyor

Extremely disappointing. What was it I said recently about underestimating an opponent in this league? Yeah, well… there you go.

First and foremost, hats off to Jimmy Bullard and Company. Fulham played a pretty tough match, and they came up with the goods when it was most important. That can’t be denied. We were outplayed. And when Arsenal finally woke from their stupor (somewhat) for the last few minutes of the match, Fulham withstood the assault and sent us packing with not a point to show for our paltry efforts. So, congratulations Fulham. Well played, and I’m pretty sure if they keep on playing like that, they won’t be fighting for survival at the end of this season like they were last.

I don’t have a lot to say about the Arsenal effort. There were some players who played their typical great game, Bacary Sagna comes to mind, and some others who did alright… but that’s certainly not enough. We are suffering in the midfield. Hemorrhaging, if you will. Why this situation hasn’t been addressed this summer is a complete and utter mystery to me. And if you needed further proof that Adebayor’s 30 goals were served to him on a fucking plate by the likes of last years midfield, you got it yesterday. Without Fabregas, Flamini and Hleb to gingerly place the ball on a tee for him, I don’t think we should expect a lot from The Togonator. Sorry, but I’m bitter. Particularly when he threw himself down on the pitch inside the area in the waning minutes of the match looking for a penalty.

I really do think we will pull it together eventually, and I’m not particularly concerned with this result. But dropped points are a bad thing this early in the year. We’re already digging ourselves a hole from which to climb out of. That can be fun to watch in itself, though. So I remain optimistic.

So, that’s a wrap, kids. Fin. Fini… done. Hasta la bye bye. Rather than concentrate on what could have been, I’d rather look to the positive gains this year. We tallied up at 15 points higher than last year. Now, there is something you just can’t sneeze at. Or on… you get my point. A massive improvement by a side that was supposedly only in transition after losing Thierry Henry. Well, if that was only a transition year, I’m pretty damn impressed with the result. To ride as high as we did for so long, and only be brought down by an unusually long turn of bad luck… well, that’s not a side that appeared to be in transition. That’s a side that got up, got out there and said “Fuck it. We can take this whole thing.” And they nearly did. And, for that reason (among many), I am very seriously looking forward to next season. If we can keep our current lineup as near as we can, and add a few strong players in key spots… well, who knows. Is it possible that we could have a second spell of bad luck next year the way we did this year? Could the football gods be so cruel? I should hope not. Our biggest challenge will be be to surpass the solidity of Manchester United next year, I believe.  Apart from the potential departure of El Miraculo, I don’t see them making many changes. We’ll need to see that stability and raise them some to come away ahead on points.

Apart from the Arsenal, I have to say this season was one hell of a season to watch, wasn’t it? So many great matches, gorgeous goals, and a run down to the wire for not only the title, but the relegation battle as well. As a football fan, you can’t ask for much more than that. Speaking of relegation battle, I’m pretty happy that Fulham managed to stay up. And not because ol’ Roy Hodgson appeared so incredibly beat down by seasons’ end that he needed a nice lift, but for another reason entirely… I like Jimmy Bullard. I really do. I can’t exactly put my finger on just why, but I get a kick out of watching that guy play. He always looks like he’s about to puke, running about with his mouth open… and it would seem he’s a pretty funny bastard off the pitch as well. He just seems like the kind of guy everyone on his team enjoys having around. Not to mention, he’s a pretty damn good footballer. We need a character like him on the Arsenal. Come on over, Jimmy. The most off-pitch fun we’re having is the fucking Cesc Fabregas Show. Put on the red and white and show us some fun, would you?

Right. On to sides I hate. Unfortunately, the Pond Life managed to hang onto mid-table status. I was sort of hoping to see them go down, and for a while there it looked like they actually might. And, although I hate to say it, they started playing some pretty decent football toward the end of the season there. They might even find their way back up to the top half of the table if they don’t lose Berbatov.

Manchester United… well, I suppose congratulations to them are in order. I just wish there weren’t so many things to hate about the poxy bastards. Some of them are world-class footballers, no doubt. But there’s no shortage of complete twats, either. Ronaldo, Anderson, Ferdinand… I’m getting sick trying to picture all their smug faces. All self-absorbed pricks, the lot of them. And if Ferguson slurs his speech anymore he’s going to have to mail in his post-match blather next season, the fucking gin-soaked bastard. But, love them or hate them, they did manage to keep their shit together better than anyone else this year, including us. And for that they can’t be denied.  So,  Congratulations, you Red Devils. You deserve both of those cups. And, I’m looking forward to Arsenal stomping both your testicles next year, home and away. Have a nice summer.

The best thing about Manchester United winning this year, is that Chelsea didn’t. I dislike that imp that used to run the show, but the zombie they’ve got in there now is even worse. Turns out we’ll not need suffer his grim visage anymore, as he’s been sacked. I did get a bit of a good feeling seeing Lampard get that goal after his Mom passed away, he deserved it for turning out like that. But other than that, you can keep the whole bus load of them. Drogba – diver. Terry – cheating prick. Cech – The Prems best hat. Are you seeing the pattern here? I’m glad they lost by a hair. And, the only reason I will tune into the Champions League Final is to hopefully see them beaten again. Not that I give a rat’s ass.

So, that’s another season, and I’m looking forward to following the next season along. I’ll be posting some player profiles and some news related posts as we get some new players signed, and I’ve got some ideas for some small improvements to the site for next season. In the meantime, get spending Arséne. Fill out the ranks. We have a full on assault to tend to starting in July. And to the whole Arsenal team and management… thank you for a truly memorable season. One for which to build upon, yes… but memorable just the same. Arsenal still play the best, most beautiful football in the world.