An Enthralling and Grand Standing Finish

Top of the morning to y’all

Yesterday witnessed a befitting end to another enthralling EPL season with the destination of the title uncertain even with one minute of the season of the season left to be played and our final position on the table altered a number of times in the course of those final 90minutes. Never before have I seen a league championship decided with the last kick of the ball, or a mid-table team with nothing to play for hold a team playing for champions league qualification to ransom as West Brom did to us yesterday. Such was the enormity of the tension between teams at the top and at the bottom of the league yesterday. The tension was so absorbing that Ben Forster must have started biting the flesh in his fingers after biting off all his nails. Am sure his manicurist will be utterly pissed.

For Arsenal, it was another match where we witnessed the best and worst of the team again just as we did last week but one cannot fault the commitment and spirit of the lads because at 2-1 down, they dragged themselves back into the game with Santos scoring a thumping shot and Koscielny capitalising on Fulop’s second error of the day to put us 2-3 up. From then on, it was a tense finish to the game as West Brom piled on the pressure and could have nicked a point in the closing stages but for Kieran Gibbs’s last gap tackle to deny them a chance for the equaliser. All in all, it was a victory well deserved and 3^rd place well deserved if one looks back at our poor start to the season, our injury woes, the constant bickering from the press, our over reliance on Van Persie, you have to give the team a lot of credit for the way they handled themselves when the chips were down, for believing in themselves and in each other and for never losing faith in the manager because when a team loses faith in the manager, then both the team and the manager are done for.  Just ask Andre Villas-Boas.

There is still a lot of work to be done on this team though because somehow, our defensive record just keeps getting worse by the season. We conceded 49 goals this term which is our worst tally in the premier league for a season. Another area of concern is the ability of the team to play beautiful, delightful football against a big team in one week only to switch off and play sloppy and frustratingly the following week against a supposed weaker side should be addressed. Consistency should be instilled in the squad and complacency drilled out.

Talking about the manager, he has had and thinking about how it all turned out, I think he can pat himself on the back for a job well done. This is not to absolve him of any criticism, far from it.  Am sure he would look back at this season and tell himself ‘I could have done this better’ and transfers is definitely one of those issues. The signing of Podolski makes me feel like someone is learning his lessons but Podolski is not the only player we need and ultimately other signings should be done on time before pre-season gets on the way.

Finally to Pat Rice, who leaves the club after 44 years of service, am sure Arsene would miss clinging to him like he did yesterday when Van Persie ballooned the ball over the West Brom crossbar. Pat was a fighter, he has fought for this club for 44 years and there was always going to be a time when the body says time to take a halt and I guess that time is now. Thank you Pat, you are a true legend and an embodiment of loyalty and service. I wish you a very happy retirement.

I would miss watching the Arsenal play, it’s what I look up to from Fridays to Sundays now I have got 3months free except the Euros and the Olympics to keep me busy. Can’t wait for the beautiful madness to start all over again. Congratulations to the team for their final league position. They deserve it and should enjoy their success.

Till Wednesday when I bring you another edition,

God bless the Arsenal, Iree o