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 - Do Trophies Matter?

By Shane Thomas

“Wilshere is a top player. He is an excellent player, not just Arsenal, but
also for the national team. But I guess he is lucky because [Barca] have many players in the second
team like him, but he plays every game because there is no pressure at his club to win titles.” - Pep Guardiola

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The Sins Of The Father

By Shane Thomas

It's a week like the most recent one that go a way towards explaining why I'm such a pessimistic Arsenal fan. 7 days ago, Arsenal had won three straight games, scoring eight goals, conceding none. They were up to 2nd in the Premier League and into the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup. What could go wrong?