The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Farewell Pat Rice

By Shane Thomas

As the dust settled on the 3-3 draw against Norwich, and the Arsenal players walked around the edge of the pitch for the traditional end-of-season lap of honour, the feeling that swept throughout the stands was one of disappointment and fear - at least, it was for the fans that stayed, my thoughts about those that left The Emirates immediately after the full-time whistle will have to wait for another day.

Win The Title? Then Copy The Arsenal Team... No, Not That One!

By Shane Thomas


There's a degree of irony in the Emirates Stadium possibly being the deciding factor in Manchester City's faltering title challenge, as the fortunes of Arsenal and City have been somewhat intertwined since 2008. Not only has there been a periodic stream of players leaving North London for Manchester, but ever since Sheikh Mansour bought the club, City has been on the receiving end of supercilious sentiments from other clubs, unhappy with the new found riches at their disposal. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been one to brand the opulent spending teams like City and Chelsea as "financial doping". Whether you believe this is true or not (which may depend on who you support), what is clear is that Arsenal's status as a regular challenger for the English league title has diminished as City and Chelsea's have increased.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The Return Of The King

By Shane Thomas


ARSENAL 1-0 LEEDS UNITED

12 minutes away from yet another frustrating FA Cup draw with Leeds United, Thierry Henry scored a timely winning goal to send the Emirates Stadium into raptures. The Arsenal legend's storybook return was the headline of an otherwise sterile encounter in which Simon Grayson's side almost earned themselves a creditable replay.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Superman Saves The Day From The Giant-Killers

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 1-1 LEEDS UNITED

On a freezing Saturday afternoon, Arsenal staggered into the hat for the 4th Round of the FA Cup after scraping a draw with Leeds United in a nerve shredding affair at The Emirates. The Gunners failed to heed the lessons learnt by Manchester United at this stage of the competition last season, and were rescued from an embarrassing defeat by a combination of Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott being summoned from the bench in the second-half.