Middle Ground

By Shane Thomas

There's no doubt that football is an ever-changing, amorphous construct, open to the altering of trends and demands of the game. In the Premier League, the place of the central midfielder is not immune to this.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal See Red & Lose Their Heads

By Shane Thomas

The Emirates Stadium was an enraged and irate place on Sunday evening. Referee Mike Dean will likely take the majority of the headlines after dishing out two red cards, with Manchester City winning their first league game away at Arsenal since 1975.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arteta Gets The Clock Ticking Again

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 2-0 WEST BROM

You could feel it from Arsenal station all the way up to the Emirates Stadium. As the throngs of fans took their seats, the primary emotion was one of anxiety. Last weekend's miserable display against Swansea was a harsh slap to the face for the club. Had we turned up to see a painful repeat?

The Diary Of A Pessmistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal Extinguished By Villa's Fire Blanket

By Shane Thomas

ASTON VILLA 0-0 ARSENAL

Arsenal gave a performance that mirrored the miserable weather in Birmingham yesterday, as the match against Aston Villa ended in a drab goalless draw that by no means flattered the home side.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal's Listlessness Continues

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 0-2 SCHALKE

Arsenal moved from a state of slight concern into discernible worry after their second moribund display in five days, which resulted in a deserved loss to the Germans, Schalke. To paraphrase the sporting aphorism, Arsenal lost 2-0, and were lucky to get nil.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Lethargic Arsenal Narrowly Avoid Greek Tragedy

By Shane Thomas

ARSENAL 3-1 OLYMPIACOS

Arsenal secured their second successive win in this season's group stage of the Champions League, and once again, it was a hard fought victory, with many nervous moments for the home support.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal Profligate But Show New Found Maturity

By Shane Thomas

STOKE 0-0 ARSENAL

Expect many people to state that the spectre of the departed Robin Van Persie will continue to loom over Arsenal, as they failed to score for the second successive game. The 0-0 draw against Stoke may frustrate Gooners, but there was enough from the game to suggest that this latest squad possesses a quality not seen at the club for a good few seasons.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The New Signings

By Shane Thomas

So, 2011/12 ended as a season in which Arsenal got away with it, and scraped into the Champions League for the 13th successive campaign. Their star man, Robin Van Persie has departed, and Alex Song is likely to join him. However, the club approach the 2012/13 season with a degree of understated optimism.

Meet The Progenitors

By Shane Thomas


For almost  a generation, it was said that a team needed one crucial element to able to function effectively. I only need to use one name to illustrate this point; Claude Makelele.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - A Saturday Afternoon Stroll

By Shane Thomas


ARSENAL 3-0 ASTON VILLA


A comfortable Arsenal win. Remember those? Arsenal's impressive recent run reached a touchstone on Saturday afternoon, as they brushed aside Aston Villa to tighten their grip on 3rd place in the Premier League.