Just when you think...

...it couldn't get any worse, it fucking does.

Oh Dear.

It's not easy being a Gooner at the moment is it?

In just under two weeks, we've gone from being in four competitions, to being in one. Just like that. I know we were never in with a realistic chance of all four, but we reached a final in one and fucked that up, we got what we deserved for finishing second in our Champions League group - a beating by Barcelona, and on Saturday we all but limped out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford against a weakened United team. 

Up against a team playing seven defenders, we enjoyed enough possession, but once again were found wanting in front of goal and creating problems for ourselves at the back. Yes, again.

I'm frustrated and angry, I'm sorry to say. I'm positive before games when I look at the talent that we have available to us, but all to often I feel that I'm being let down. And at the moment, I'm being let down at every turn.

We have got ourselves into a horrible habit of making things difficult for ourselves. From hogging posession, we make basic defensive errors and concede goals. When the going gets tough, we look at each other, shake our heads and plod on. Plodding, I'm afraid, will not win you football matches. We are depending on a young man too much in his first full season. Saucy Jack is playing his heart out in every game, and that his efforts are being rewarded with man of the match performances is no coincidence. Just like with Fabregas four or five years ago, an outstanding talent is being let down by the players alongside him. Players that should know better. Denilson has perfected the art of being average, and Diaby has developed an uncanny knack of slowing the game down when we're attacking and speed is the key. Arshavin, after recovering some of his form, is going backwards again. His body language is at best shoddy, and his efforts are sometimes not much better. Nasri is trying, but not affecting games as we know he can, especially stuck out wide.

We were beaten, again, by a team that simply wanted it more than us. You can slag off drunken old red nose all you like, whether his players are all shit scared of him I don't know, but they play like they are. They don't give up and they generally do just enough to win games when it matters most. I'm not saying we don't care as a team, just that we need to learn how to respond as a team when things get tough. I just think sometimes we need more fire in our bellies, a bit more fight. If Scholes can be so fucking nasty (and get away with it), why can't we?

 More of this please

Tiredness could be a factor. We've played more games than anyone else, but that's what happens when you're in (were in) all four competitions, and unescessary replays add to that tally. Is Gibbs tired? No. Denilson and Diaby? No. If they are, they shouldn't be. All teams are getting tired at this stage of the season, not just us. The injuries are mounting up, Djourou's unfortunate dislocation couldn't come at a worse time, but Cesc and Theo should be back shortly and Ramsey's return is a boost. Yes, we're going to struggle at the back, that's a given, so we're going to have to out-score teams to keep out title hopes alive. And that, mes amis, means we have to find the back of the net.

A mention to the nine thousand that went on Saturday. We could hear you. You were brilliant, and kept going to the end. You are the faithful with unshakable faith, and I salute you. That Eboue was one of the few that came over to applaud you shows that although a crazed lunatic, he appreciates the effort and support of the fans. He may not be the best player we have, but he does have the right attitude. More of that please, everyone.

However, the one trophy that means more to me than any poxy cup competition, The Premier League, is still within our grasp. With our current injury toll, it's going to be a massive ask for these players to win it, but sometimes you've got to roll your sleeves up and get on with it with what you've got. They have to step up.

Patience is wearing thin in some quarters for Arsene. Not with me. However, I do think it's about time that the players he has so much faith in should start repaying that faith, regroup and get their act together, before this season that has promised so much falls completely apart without so much as a whimper. May I suggest a team meeting much like the one after we lost at home to Blackburn in 97-98?

Bottom line. This team don't need a comforting arm around their shoulders, they need a kick up the arse. A fucking big one.