There is no need to repeat the details but it seems safe to say most, if not all, Arsenal fans were seething with disappointment, anger, or worse after the way events transpired last summer. Of the millions of words written on the transfer business and the subsequent season, few have covered the fact that Arsene Wenger had a massive tactical challenge in front of him after the departure of his talisman and captain, the player who could have taken his place in midfield, and that of a very hardworking and reliable defender who even though popular opinion was to the contrary remains one of the best at his job in the League.

Hello all. I am back from the wilderness and from a very pleasant and memorable trip. Yellowstone is just a breathtaking place in so many ways and we were very lucky with the weather as well. Mendocino too was great fun as we went there with a close friend and his family. Don't know how but I managed to pick up a flu bug soon after returning and that's kept me down for the last couple of days.

Pat Rice wanted to call it a day at the end of last season. Arsene, perhaps with a premonition of the tumultuous summer, persuaded him to stay one more year. With all the changes in the squad, another vital one in the backroom staff might have been too difficult to manage. This summer will hopefully be a more stable one as far as departures are concerned and that should give the new man some breathing space as he learns the ropes and establishes his own identity.

Last Saturday, in the game against Norwich, Vermaelen won possession around the halfway line in the 26th minute and proceeded on a run towards the opposition box. Arsenal did manage to get enough bodies forward but Sagna's cross was easily cleared leading to a counter-attack that resulted in the visitors' second goal.

On Monday, Arsenal announced the deal to sign Lukas Podolski from FC Cologne on a long term contract to bring a long running saga to its official conclusion. Some see this as an early signing and a sign of intent, going so far as to infer that lessons have been learnt. Others might say it's a late signing and should have been wrapped up in January itself.

When it comes to Arsene Wenger, Arsenal supporters should realize the camp is definitely divided into two solid factions. There are those who simply love this guy and feel he can do no wrong whatever he does and those who are feel exactly the opposite. Whatever side of the fence you're on, the recent comments made by Peter Hill-Wood are either going to sound like music to your ears or a broken record.

It happens all too often in football. A player will have a good tournament or season and suddenly teams with more money than sense are lining up to sign him. And more often than not it turns out he was just a one-hit wonder and becomes an expensive bust. We all know dozens of players who fit this bill, but when it comes to American Clint Dempsey, he just may be the real deal.

I was walking down the Euston Road the other day and asked someone for his autograph. Turns out he was foreign and didn't seem to understand what I wanted.
"Your autograph," I said, thrusting out a pen and piece of paper.
He looked confused. So, in typical English fashion, I explained further.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made history back in February of 2005 when he became the first English Premier League manager to field a starting 11 that didn't include one English player. The reason for this appears to be necessitated by injuries to some of his top players at the time such as Sol Campbell, Justin Hoyte, and Ashley Cole.

Take a look at the table above and try to guess the two teams and the context. If you read my tweet with these numbers then you know the sides involved and the context. Even otherwise, the title of the post and the colours used should be a giveaway. Yes, those are numbers for Arsenal and Spurs.

To say the Gunners were woeful in defence against Milan will be an understatement. It was a shocking performance. The 8-2 debacle at United earlier in the season didn't occur completely by accident either and we can be fairly certain this isn't the last time Wenger's side have crumbled defensively.

The Champions League is back and it's returned with a special fixture. Milan V Arsenal is arguably the cream of the second round ties. Aging giants in the process of transforming themselves to prove they aren't just heroes from the past meet a resurgent, fairly youthful side that is still looking to make its mark at the highest level.

Arsenal have two visits to Sunderland on consecutive Saturdays in different competitions and both have the potential to improve the season but could also make it far worse. The focus for now, obviously, has to be on the more immediate fixture that is the upcoming League meeting.

It would be an understatement to suggest that Martin O'Neill has turned the fortunes of the Black Cats around.

The big win over Blackburn was immensely enjoyable and has lifted the mood in the Gooner camp to a great extent after an eminently forgettable January. A lot has already been said about the match and I don't want to revisit it in detail but there were two goals in that game that caught my eye.

Both the goals started from the back but were scored in a markedly different manner, each a delight in its own way.

Clearly, every game is a very tough one for Arsenal on current form. Will the team get its first League win of 2012? Doesn't seem like it if we look at the manner in which Arsenal have dropped points in recent games, or the way Blackburn came from behind to win at home earlier this season, or the fact that Steve Kean is yet to lose against Wenger or Ferguson in the Premiership (2W, 2D)!

The President of Rwanda wants his buddy Arsene to step down? Robin van Persie is furious with Arsene...Or is he? And, does Real Madrid really want Arsene?

It's been quite an interesting week for the Arsenal so far. If you haven't been following the news as much as I have, allow me to illuminate you.

So then, this is what heartache feels like. This is what it means to have the figurative broken heart. I have decided I don't like this feeling, at all. And I want it to go away.

Needlessto say, many hard-core Arsenal fans like myself are in agony at this moment in time. The team that we love so desperately appears to be dead.

On the back of two games where Arsenal have lost after taking the lead, and with hardly any positive news on the injury front, a game against Manchester United is the last thing many would want. But that's the game on the fixture list and the Gunners will just have to do as best as they can with diminished resources and wavering confidence.

It's a question that can make some people uncomfortable but I think it deserves some consideration.

Many seem to agree that last season crashing out of all three Cups in a short span of time flung the squad into a confidence depriving free fall that the manager could not curtail. It had a massive impact on the players' psyche, Arsenal's league position at the end of the season, and quite possibly played a part in some of the summer's transfers.

I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or Delhi.

I want to start by wishing everyone a very happy new year full of peace and contentment. My trip has been a real delight and by visiting town like Amherst and Northampton in Massachusetts I've been reacquainted with the meaning of the words Quaint and Idyllic. Back in India, I used to enjoy living and working in town like Udaipur a lot more than I did in places like Mumbai, Bangalore, or Delhi.

The result against Wolves has made this game bigger and tougher than it should have been as there will now be an added pressure on the Gunners. Liverpool's win over Newcastle has also put them above Arsenal in fifth and only a win will see Arsenal climb over the Reds. Arsenal's margin of error was miniscule after the poor start to the season but it's almost vanished now.

The result against Wolves has made this game bigger and tougher than it should have been as there will now be an added pressure on the Gunners. Liverpool's win over Newcastle has also put them above Arsenal in fifth and only a win will see Arsenal climb over the Reds. Arsenal's margin of error was miniscule after the poor start to the season but it's almost vanished now.

I think everyone, including Wenger, is aware that Arsenal need to bolster the squad in the upcoming transfer window. Few agree on the exact details but defence and striker appear to be two positions where most would want reinforcements. I was thinking about the possibilities while looking at the current squad and it seems like a very complicated situation for the Gunners.

I think everyone, including Wenger, is aware that Arsenal need to bolster the squad in the upcoming transfer window. Few agree on the exact details but defence and striker appear to be two positions where most would want reinforcements. I was thinking about the possibilities while looking at the current squad and it seems like a very complicated situation for the Gunners.

We should have higher expectations every week... I don't think it's clever to be excited by fourth, fifth, sixth or whatever. This is not now, we still have to play many games... Lots of stuff will happen that is surprising so we have to make sure that we are on the good side and actually surprise people with our results.

We should have higher expectations every week... I don't think it's clever to be excited by fourth, fifth, sixth or whatever. This is not now, we still have to play many games... Lots of stuff will happen that is surprising so we have to make sure that we are on the good side and actually surprise people with our results.

The recent strong run by the Gunners has created this impression that they are a hard lot to beat. I am among the many Gooners who have noted and commented on the doggedness of this Arsenal squad. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see if some numbers back the new found resolve that is being widely perceived and how other top teams stacked up when compared to Arsenal.

The recent strong run by the Gunners has created this impression that they are a hard lot to beat. I am among the many Gooners who have noted and commented on the doggedness of this Arsenal squad. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to see if some numbers back the new found resolve that is being widely perceived and how other top teams stacked up when compared to Arsenal.

Sometime during the last week there was this article on the Arsenal website with a few comments from Benayoun. The Israeli skipper said that he can understand the reasons for not getting regular starts and was happy to contribute whenever he got a chance.

They say you don't change a winning team and we are on a good run so it is very difficult to get into the team.

Sometime during the last week there was this article on the Arsenal website with a few comments from Benayoun. The Israeli skipper said that he can understand the reasons for not getting regular starts and was happy to contribute whenever he got a chance.

They say you don't change a winning team and we are on a good run so it is very difficult to get into the team.

After a long time, Europe's premier competition has thrown up a few surprises and plenty of excitement. At the time of the draw few, if any, would have expected United to bow out. Fewer still would have expected the Gunners to qualify from a tough group before the other three English clubs and with a game to spare.

After a long time, Europe's premier competition has thrown up a few surprises and plenty of excitement. At the time of the draw few, if any, would have expected United to bow out. Fewer still would have expected the Gunners to qualify from a tough group before the other three English clubs and with a game to spare.

There are Arsenal legends. And then again there are proper Arsenal legends. For most of us Patrick Vieira sits comfortably in the second catergory. From Shite Hart Lane to (Very) Old Trafford he was a steam engine of a player. Strength, passion, craft, guile, he had the lot and regularly delievered these qualities as a red and white colossus.

We'll hopefully get a chance to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain again tonight in the Arsenal's Carling Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester City at the Emirates. No doubt AW will shuffle the pack to give players such as the Oxo Kid, Park Chu-Young and Yossi Benayoun a run, while at the same time resting key first team personnel.

So I have this spare ticket for yesterday and I am loitering, feeling a little bit dirty because I am basically hanging with the touts at the botom of the stairs near the North Bank bridge. There is no way to offer a ticket for sale without sounding like a tout so you do get meancing glances but, hey.

So I have this spare ticket for yesterday and I am loitering, feeling a little bit dirty because I am basically hanging with the touts at the botom of the stairs near the North Bank bridge. There is no way to offer a ticket for sale without sounding like a tout so you do get meancing glances but, hey.

On Saturday, Arsenal conceded another ridiculous goal. Thankfully, It didn't affect the outcome but brought back painful memories of other howlers in the recent past. Now the easy option is to blame Mertesacker and move on. There is no denying the fact that the German should have shown greater strength and could have passed the ball towards Santos or headed it back to Szczesny if he so intended.

I don't think anyone who has seen Jack Wilshere play doubts his talent. Even anti-Arsenal hacks and pundits, and purveyors of ignorant, spiteful opinions in the Arsenalsphere rave about the youngster. From football legends like Wenger and Capello to common fans like this blogger, everyone has lavished undiluted praise on the next great English hope ever since he was a schoolboy.

Carl Jenkinson: the more I ponder his position as a player for the Arsenal, the more I grow to admire him. Not position as in right-back, you understand. No, his position as a 19-year-old footballer who only last season was propping up a part-time, non-league outfit on freezing nights in front of a handful of fans.