Now What???

Okay, it's Monday. And this is what I think.

I can understand if we aren't going to win the League this season. I'll take it on the chin.

I'm not going to be too hung up if we don't win the Champions League either.

In fact, it's not going to kill me if we go another season trophy-less. (And the Carling Cup doesn't count really, as a trophy. Just like the Emirates Cup. Not that we're going to win it. I see us getting slapped at Newcastle).

I can get by if we get beat at home by Chelski or Man U.

God forbid, I've seen us get beat by the likes of Blackburn and Wigan away from home, and I've gotten over it.

But what is totally unacceptable, absolutely unforgiveable, and a disgraceful sop to fans, is getting humiliated at home by West Brom.

Yes, it was 3-2 in the end, but the damage had been done. The pride as an Arsenal fan, the joy at watching a game at the Emirates, shattered. The only thing that has emerged less damaged is our goal difference.

West Brom, who had lost their first two away games. Scored zero, let in seven - six from the Champions - but at the Emirates, and despite our possession, played us off the pitch offensively.

There's enough said about Almunia and the second goal, and I would add even the third where he showed us what a man lacking in confidence can do when faced with the choice of staying on his line, or committing to the challenge. He did neither.

I'm not going to say more about our goalkeepers. Except to note that on Tuesday, we saw one, and on Saturday, yet another. Only Arsene Wenger will be able to explain (away) the situation.

(I did a funny thing. I can't imagine why, but arsenal.com still has their "Choose Your Man of the Match" deal going on, and just for fun, I clicked on Manuel Almunia. Guess what. He was 2nd in the poll. Yessiree. Wonder if everyone was just having some cruel fun).

Wenger's said that he did not recognise the team on the pitch. Well. Screw me. I recognised every single one of them. I'd have rather appreciated an apology actually. with 60,000 at the Emirates, and many millions more watching, this didn't quite cut it:

"It is the first real bad performance and it is unexplainable how bad the whole thing looked for the whole game."

The first? Surely there cannot be more that will come even remotely as close. And we've only played six. Unexplainable? Surely not.

What made it even more unacceptable (and not unexplainable) was that we'd have seen Chelski get beat in the lunch-time kick off. We'd have known that this was the time, that West Brom at home was as good as it would get.

But maybe that was the problem. Them 11 Arses that took the pitch probably did so having already felt the tie won. And that, Mr Wenger, was the problem. And for that, I would have to say, would have you culpable.

So will we bounce back? Nothing better than to have the opportunity to do so quickly, and at a difficult place all the way in Belgrade. But really, you never know, do you?

Till then.

I'm still depressed, but a little bit less so. Thank god for Spurs and Lemon Gallas to at least make me smirk.

UPDATE: Since I'm feeling just a tad better today, I thought I should add my two-cents worth to the "What do we do with our goalkeeping situation" question.

You know what?



Take a look at this. "Someone" should take a page from this dude's book. Make a dumb-ass mistake, take off your shirt, run off the pitch, and never return. Now, this wasn't his first dumb-ass mistake, but his second, so you could understand his honourable way out. If only, if only...

For now, anyways, we'll have to make do with an "elbow injury", and for that we now have the rather reassuring news that Fabianski back in goal for Partizan. Just the sort of fillip we all need to get our moods up! Hooray! Maybe Fabianski should check out Youtube...