For the first time in about 25 years I am going into a new season not expecting Arsenal to win anything. And you know what? It is a great feeling!
Usually I foolishly think we will win the Premier League, the FA Cup and possibly the Champions League as well, and every year when our season unfolds, usually around February and March, I have this overwhelming feeling of disappointment. That is not good for my overall well being so I am not going to put myself through it anymore.
No, this season will be different. With Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City looking even stronger this year my only concern is that we can hold off the challenge of Liverpool and Spurs to seal 4th place again. And I fully expect that we will...
Yes, with a favourable draw we could go far in the domestic cups - possibly reach the Carling final again should we select a strong side in the earlier rounds - and as long as we avoid Barcelona we could reach the last four of the Champions League, but that is about the limit of my expectations for the coming season.
This has nothing to do with the lack of any major signings so far or the potential losses of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. No. I fully expect Wenger to make signings and I fully expect us to have a more balanced squad this time around. However I just do not feel we will have significantly closed the gap on the top three to really challenge.
Don't get me wrong I am not complaining. In a sense it is a relief. I am now able to look forward to the season without the usual weight of expectation baring down on me, and I fully expect to enjoy all the more for that.
Of course the plus side is that any success will may have will just come as a bonus, like winning the Littlewoods Cup in 1987 was after all those years of frustration.
So my plea to all you Arsenal fans out there is come and join me. Forget about winning the league or any of the cups, forget about spending £80million in the transfer market, forget about who may or may not leave us. Just look forward to nine months of football where we will probably win a few matches, lose a few others, score quiet a lot of goals and probably win the race for 4th place.
You may believe that is not good enough, as the success you have witnessed between 1987-2005 has made you greedy, but unless you want to go through all that heartache again next March just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride with me. Come on what other choice do we have???
