Vieira was in the stands at Highbury again last night

Redknapp, expecting defeat anyway, fielded a weakened side so that his players could save their fitness for the games he thought they were capable of winning

Thank you very much Harry.

Whether it was down to Pat's being there or not, almost the whole team seemed to put in a much better performance than any of them had for the last couple of months.

Reyes in particular had an excellent game

Scoring, winning a penalty and getting an assist.

Flamini had a good game, even earning a special mention from Arsene afterwards

"He is very dynamic, he reads the ball well and has a huge desire.

He's only 21 and plays in a difficult position but his game suits a bigger pitch and we will have that when we move to a new stadium next season."

So it seems as though Mathieu is part of Arsene's long term plan whether certain fans agree with it or not.

I personally think he's got massive potential.

Pires, Campbell and even Gilberto managed to put in decent performances too.

It just goes to show how important psychology is when it comes to this team.

They might be capable of many things, but digging in and raising their game when times are tough just doesn't appear to be one of them.

This team urgently needs a leader in the Vieira mould.

Or even better, the Tony Adams mould.

Not to mention, some decent competition for central midfield places.

However, I'm still convinced that Arsene won't be buying a central midfielder for a good while yet. The more quotes I read from him these days, the more convinced I become.

Anyway, it was a really good performance and a reminder of the way things were a couple of seasons ago.

It would be nice though, if we didn't have to wait until the next time Vieira's back at Highbury/Emirate's to see it again.

Next up, Villa.

Arsene: You want answers?

Fan: I think I'm entitled to them.

Arsene: You want answers?

Fan: I want the truth!

Arsene: You can't handle the truth!

Son, we live in a world that has substitute's benches. And the young players on those benches have to be encouraged by managers with strength. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Alan Hansen? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Vieira and you curse the lack of signings.

You have that luxury.

You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Vieira's sale, while tragic, probably saved careers.

And my refusal to add to the squad, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves careers...You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at matches, you want me on that bench. You need me on that bench.

We use words like power, pace, technique...we use these words as the backbone to a career spent defending something.

You use 'em as a punchline.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a fan who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very trophies I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide them!

I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way.

Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a football and come to a trial. Either way, I don't care who you think I should buy!

Fan: Will you buy in the January tranfer window?

Arsene: I'll do the job Dein wants me to do.

Fan: Will you buy in the January tranfer window?

Arsene: NO I WON'T!!

It's a bit difficult to make any comments about todays game.

Early afternoon kick offs are usually mostly dull affairs and this was no exception.

The highlight of the first half was Freddie wasting a one on one against Myhre.

The highlight of the second half was Danny Murphy getting sent off for a pretty stupid second yellow card.

In between those two events, Reyes managed to score his second Premiership goal of the season.

Not much else happened.

Apart from Thierry hitting the woodwork with a free kick.


Gilberto is fast becoming the worlds most worsened (or whatever the opposite of improved is) player.

He mis-controlled and gave the ball away so many times might as well have put a Charlton shirt on.

What is his problem?

At the beginning of the season I said to myself... 'This should be a good season, this being a world cup year, all of the international players will be raising their game and busting a gut to get into their national squads.'

Yeah right... How wrong was that theory!!

As I said though, it's difficult to comment on this game, because I'm sure the players will have been playing with the rest of the upcoming games on their minds.

Next up, Portsmouth

There's a thin line between victory and defeat as far as Arsenal are concerned these days.

A team of individual performances was only just good enough to knock a hard working Doncaster Rovers out of the League Cup.

This game showed so many things...

1. Gilberto looked absolutely ordinary even though achievement-wise he was the best player on the pitch. He really is struggling to play well this season and his goal only just about made up for his almost anonymous performance.

2. Quincy was having a stormer of a second half until he had to come off injured, which seems to suggest that it's only confidence that stops him from doing it when he gets a chance in the first team.

3. Song had such a bad game it was difficult to see how Arsene could ever have expected him to be 4th choice central midfielder. His passing was wayward and he didn't look particularly comfortable defensively either.

4. Almunia really seemed to be enjoying himself, making the most of every save. If he played with such a relaxed attitude in the first team maybe he would be more of a serious prospect to replace Lehmann.

5. 17 year old Bendtner appears to be the only attacking player in the whole squad who can actually head the ball well and play as a target man.

At least the kids made it through to the semi's, which looks like it will mean two more games experience against Premiership opposition for the likes of Lupoli and Eboue.

Post match comments by Arsene seemed to suggest that he was thinking about bringing more senior players into the team.

Which would be a shame in my opinion.

Even though some of them didn't play particularly well, all of those youngsters worked hard to get past Doncaster, so it seems slightly harsh not to reward all that effort with another chance on the big stage.

First of all, the good news is...

The 06-07 Premiership season officially begins now

It starts with the team being prepared for that and all focus on keeping anyone who won't be involved ends now.

That means that the likes of Bergkamp, Pires and anyone else who either plans on retiring, or just isn't good enough anymore needs to be dropped in favour of players who can actually make a worthwhile contribution in the future.

Just TWO years ago Arsenal went the whole season unbeaten.

The team that did that was widely tipped by anyone who knew anything about football to go on to dominate the English game for years to come.

Liverpool had the 80's

The Mancs had (most of) the 90's

The 00's would surely belong to 'Arsene's Invincibles'

Fair enough, along came Abramovic and bought £300m worth of players, but why should that mean that just two years after being tipped as Champions League favourites, this team lies firmly in 8th place in the Premiership having lost their 3rd game in a row without scoring a single goal?

The destruction of Arsenal's 05-06 Premiership campaign began way back in pre-season with the incredibly stupid sale of Patrick Vieira.

The sale itself was not the main catalyst

-he was nowhere near the player he was just 3 seasons before-

the main catalyst was the failure to find a replacement and then on top of that, the failure to recognise what an impact his departure would have.

It's really very sad that in the middle of December, close to FIVE months after he was sold, there is still a need to mention Patrick.

Arsene mentioned that he'd lost big players before.

Anelka

Overmars

Petit

Which is completely true.

The only difference here is that these players were immediately replaced.

Not so with Patrick, so now an enormous black hole exists where he once played and more importantly led.

Which brings us to the next reason for this failure of a campaign.

The lack of many real leaders on the pitch.

Patrick Vieira was a strong captain, he motivated the team and when things didn't go his way he rolled his sleeves up and got stuck in.

But he was only half the captain Tony Adams was.

Thierry Henry might well be one of the best players in the world, but when things don't go his way he does one of two things.

Either he gets angry and raises his game or he sulks and disappears.

A PREMIERSHIP team needs a PREMIERSHIP captain.

Not only that, but it needs other leaders who can push the team forward when the captain needs some motivation himself.

The third reason for the obliteration of this years title challenge is the lack of a plan B.

Teams know how to beat Arsenal now.

It might have taken them all close to 5 seasons to learn how, but the reality is that have learnt.

Teams look at Chelsea and say 'how do we beat them?'

They look at Man U and say the same thing.

Then they look at Arsenal and say 'Ah, Arsenal... Well, we'll just put 5 in midfield and pressurise them. It works for everyone else.'

The fourth and final reason for the brutal butchering of this years title hopes is the only one which is not necessarily self inflicted.

Injuries to both left backs has forced Arsene to try and patch up an already very vulnerable defence (since Patrick’s departure) by playing people out of position.

Take today’s goals for example.

Perhaps Lauren playing in his natural position would not have allowed Robben as much space as Toure did.

Equally, perhaps Ashley Cole or Clichy would have been more comfortable in their regular position and thus not mis-controlled the ball allowing Joe Cole in for their second.


So this season is now a complete write-off.

Not only that, how's this for a thought.

Not only are Chelsea not likely to (Huge understatement) drop 20 points, but Man U are not likely to drop 11 either.

So the fight for third place begins...

So it's Real Madrid in the next round of the Champions League!

An opportunity to show Robinho, Baptista and co a thing or two.

It's also the first return of an English side since England were treated to horrific racist abuse against Spain.

With Aragones refusing to comment.

I wonder if they'll act in the same way now that they'll have the brazilians on their side...

It's also a chance for Reyes to try and prove that the last time he played at the Barnabeu and practically destroyed Madrid was no one off.

This game surely has to be the pick of the round.

Chelsea-Barca is bound to be a real live-wire game, but the best football will surely come from this tie.

And to think that I had waited all those years to see this draw...

Then when it finally does happen, Vieira, the focus of the majority of the recent friction between the clubs, won't be playing for either side.

They've already started the mind games by coming out and saying how much they love Arsene, but Dein immediately hit back with a complete dismissal of their chances of getting him.

What a draw...

What a draw indeed!

Francis Jeffers

Giovanni Van Bronkhorst

Sol Campbell

Richard Wright

Junichi Inamoto


Spot the odd one out...

...Not got it yet?


The odd one out is Sol Campbell

Apart from Sol who arrived for free, the rest of these players were bought by Arsene in 2001 at a combined total of around £22m

It is arguably the biggest waste of £22m that any manager has made other than when Ferguson signed Veron.

Jeffers started about 6 games.

Van Bronkhorst had nowhere to play other than left back, where he looked nowhere near good enough.

Wright seemed to destroy his own confidence in a desperate effort to be the next Seaman.

Inamoto...

...well, he sold a few shirts in Japan.

Prior to 2001 Arsene was free and easy with the cheque book.

£12m for Wiltord...£6m for Edu...£6m for Pires...£10.5m for Thierry...£7m for Lauren...£4m for the unkown kid Vieira...£3.5m for over 30 years old, bit part player Suker...£2m for 15 year old Pennant...etc...etc...

Since then he's only made two big money signings

Reyes and Hleb.

So since that spending spree of 2001 the only player who actually made an impact at the club is Sol Campbell.

And he was free!

So the reason Arsene won't buy is that he doesnt want another big money flop.

Cheap flops are ok.

Stepanovs, Tavlaridis, Warmuz and the like are ok because they were cheap.

Toure, Fabregas and Van Persie were even better bacause they they were cheap but not flops.

So why is the squad in such a thin state in 2005?

Because of summer 2001.

Here we go again.

Two defeats in a row and the haters are jumping up and down with joy.

Shocking...

Here are some tips to shut the Geordies up for a while if they start having a go.


Them: Howay wor kid! What happand an Satahdeey!

You: Well, with the aid of a useless referee, Newcastle were able to cheat their way to victory... Congratulations.

Them: Wa nevah cheated man, Howay!

You: So what do you call Alan 'Ultimate Fighting Championship' Shearer and his off the ball antics?

Them: Howay! Tha toon wa just bettah. Yaz ar a bunch av sore loozaz!

You: I suppose you could argue that, which is obviously not true of Newcastle fans who are used to losing almost every week.

Them: Oaarsnal ar just a bunch av southan and foreign softies like!

You: Possibly, but I suppose it's better than having a bunch of players who fight each other on the pitch, eh?

Them: We'll finish above yaz this year, mind!

You: Maybe. But it still won't make up for the fact that Newcastle have never actually won a major trophy before will it?

By now, he/she will have given up and gone off to sulk in the fact that their team has never won anything and the likes of Middlesbrough have.


I really would rather not have to do another Monday Morning Comebacks for the rest of the season.

Especially not next week.

Next up, Chelsea.

Player of the month Robin Van Persie is about to dot the i's and cross the t's on a new contract which runs until 2011.

This being a world cup year, Arsene will more than likely want every player who could potentially shine during the summer to be tied to a long term contract.

Van Basten loves Robin. He put him in the Holland team when he wasn't even a regular for Arsenal.

So whereas Thierry could be going to the World Cup on the final year of his contract, the likes of Van Persie, Reyes and Cesc (who has a better chance of going now that Barca's Xavi is injured for the rest of the season) at least appear to be much more secure.

I didn't write a match report for Wednesday's game.

There was nothing much to write anyway.

Apart from talking about Reyes' dive and Thierry's miss.

And I didn't think that was worth it.


Thierry was annoyed with Robin for not passing the ball at the end of the game.

Come on Thierry, you were on the pitch for 80 minutes, missing a penalty and not having the best of games...

Then Robin comes on, takes abuse from the travelling fans who just happen to hate him oh so passionately. He runs around 3 players, sets himself up for a great chance to score an amazing goal and you really think he's going to give anyone else the ball?

I doubt Bergkamp would have passed

I'm sure Ian Wright wouldn't have passed.

I certainly wouldn't have passed.

Unless it was a 'must win' game.

Which it wasn't.


Anyway it's Newcastle tomorrow and a must win game for Mr Souness.

Aren't they all?

"I agree we lost the [Bolton] game because our performance was not good enough; especially our resilience was not good enough. But it is not just [down to] the natural structure of the team: it lacks a little bit of physical power."

"People say we lost because we sold Vieira but Vieira played last year at Bolton and we lost then 1-0 as well," he added. "[Baptista] was going to provide that physical power but we didn't get him. We have players in the squad who can give us that."

Arsene has been showing an extreme stubbornness in sticking with what he has since the summer and that doesn't look like it's about to change.

He refuses to give any indication that he feels a need to buy.

He refuses to give any indication that he feels a need to adapt his game plan.

Now he seems to be claiming that although over the summer he saw a need to identify a "main target" in Baptista because of his power, he has players who can give that very same power to the team anyway.

I watched Baptista give a very poor performance for Real Madrid last night against Olympiakos.

The whole Real team were poor.

Especially a frail and tentative looking Robinho.

Surprisingly enough it was powerhouse Yaya Toure who ran the show.

He was strong and quick, setting up the winning goal he brushed aside Sergio Ramos like he wasn't even there.

Meanwhile Baptista was struggling to cope with a Rivaldo who was moving around the pitch like a 70 year old pensioner.

Even though the world and his wife seem to be able to see that the squad needs improving, I'm almost convinced now that Arsene won't buy in the January transfer window.

He'll just come out with the same quotes about believing in his squad and that there is no one else available who is better than the players he already has.

Anyway, it's Ajax tonight and a chance for the team to get back to winning ways.

And a chance for Van Persie to have some fun against his old enemy.

It's about this time that I'd normally come up with some super witty comments and comebacks to take the shine off opposition fans pleasure at seeing Arsenal drop points.

Some points that make it seem like Arsenal deserved to win.

Some statements to shut the grinning Gunners haters up.

But I'll be honest

As much as I could probably come up with a lot of negative things to say about Allardyce and his boys, I just can't be bothered.

Partly because I'm tired, but primarily because only two Arsenal players played well enough to deserve defending yesterday.

Fabregas and Lehmann.

Some of the others did ok

Some were below average

Some were pathetic.

Performances like this don't deserve defending, so my advice to you if you work with or are going to meet/see a Bolton fan on Monday is...

ignore them.

They'll just get bored and go away eventually.


I'm not going to start going on about how this needs changing and that player needs replacing.

The team that started yesterday contained World and European Cup winners and experienced international players who surely understand the importance of getting stuck in and working hard.

I think recent results may have played a part in the lacklustre attitude of certain players.

They may have fallen into a false sense of security.

Thinking that it's ok to keep giving the ball away and pulling out of 50-50 challenges, because Henry and Van Persie will get a couple anyway.

That's not how champions think.

Before Arsene looks at bringing in any players, he needs to work on the blasé attitude of certain players who seem a little too comfortable in their positions.

Or the new player will just come in and adopt a similar attitude.

And what would be the point in that?

Celta Vigo and Arsenal have agreed a 3-year deal to develop younger players between the two teams.

Or in other words...

Arsenal will pay Celta Vigo cash to help them dodge the UK's immigration laws and get South America's best young talent.

It's not the first time Arsenal and Celta Vigo have come to an agreement over a South American.

Silvinho was shipped off to the Spanish side over his 'ahem... alleged... ahem...' dodgy passport.

One minute Silvinho is smacking 25 yard curlers in against Chelsea and keeping Roberto Carlos out of the Brazilian side

The next he's a Celta Vigo player for a measly £4m.

Not only that, but Celta then registered him as a foreign national, after he had been registered as an EU citizen with Arsenal.

Well anyway, at least they're trying to do things the right way around this time.

It looks like this deal is set up to see Vela get experience and a passport for starters, with the possibility of Quincy going out on loan.

This deal is quite a big plus for Arsene's long-term project.

Being able to loan your promising young players out to a club who will be playing the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout the season can potentially keep some of the more impatient youngsters happier than the prospect of having to play reserve football week in, week out.


Meanwhile, Allardyce is up to his old mind tricks again for tomorrow.

Apparently people will be trying to intentionally get Diouf sent off.

Why try?

He does such a good job on his own.