Season review

What do you think are the positives, shortcomings of this season? Where can we improve? What went wrong this season?

At the start of the season, if someone told me Arsenal would make two semi-finals and finish 4th, I wouldn't have accepted. However, I would have accepted it back in November and admire Arsenal for there courage since.

Arsene Wenger will take the blame for not replacing Hleb and Flamini, but like Arsene, I believed in those players, and it's the players who have let Arsene, the club, and themselves down.

Whilst Man Utd were dominant in the semi-finals of the Champions League second leg, it was a freak first ten minutes. We started well and our players looked positive, but I do wonder, if Gibbs didn't slip… what would have happened? 0-0 at half time and you think… we could do this.

I agree with Arsene though. I don’t think we are too far away from challenging with the best. We just need a little more experience and leadership. A fine example of this was in the 4-1 defeat at home to Chelsea. We started the game with a great tempo, the typical Arsenal architect pass and movement. Then… one free-kick that shouldn't have been, a headed goal from the set-piece, and all of a sudden we're chasing the game. At that moment we needed someone like Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira. Not just to win the header and command movement in the box, but to show the other players that they just need to get on with it and win the next ball.

However, thinking tactically I feel we should adopt Barca's 4-3-3 formation. I know it's a huge gamble but I feel it could work with the type of players we have - Cesc and Samir as the Iniesta and Xavi.

I feel we also need to assess the pace that we counter attack at. I acknowledge Highbury was a smaller pitch and therefore getting from one end to the other with the ball would be quicker than it is at E******s but I'm sure between 1998 and 2005 we broke with so much pace on big pitches away from home. Now every attack feels to be slow and that makes it easy for our opposition to get back behind the ball.

Firstly, as much as Wenger will disagree, we need to shift players that are quite simply not good enough for this football club. Diaby is the most one-footed footballer I have ever seen and he has now been found out. I hate the way fans compare him to Vieira. Vieira was a different class.

As much as I love Denilson's character and fight, he has to go. I feel sorry for him because he has been thrown in the deep end but sometimes his passing is awful and he lacks the strength to fight with midfields like Chelsea’s. Sometimes Denilson is just chasing shadows.

There is no point in bringing Senderos back to the club. Even Milan got fed up with him. I think he will leave as well as I can't see Wenger ever forgiving him for the mistakes he made at Anfield last season. Aka… Nelson Vivas.

I don't know how Fabianski ever made it as a keeper. A top club like Arsenal deserves a better 2nd choice keeper than Fabianski, even our 3rd choice keeper should be better. I've never seen a keeper rush off his line so quickly in needless situations, and this was evident in both Chelsea games.
William Gallas has let himself and the club down this season. He is no captain or leader and is only in it for himself. Fair play to Arsene for making him 'just get on with it', but now is the time to get rid of him. He shall never be forgiven for what he said about our club to the media.

The only thing Adebayor will win at Arsenal is the laziest player and most offsides award. He is shockingly lazy and at times I just want to run onto the pitch and poke him in the eye with the corner of a £20 note. Whilst Adebayor has the ability to get a goal out of nothing, he is highly inconsistent and over-rated. With the money Milan are offering, he needs to go, even if that’s only £10m.

Arsenal do have cash available. Danny Fizman made that clear last summer. It's just Wenger didn't see the urge of spending money at the time, though I think he will see it differently now, and I will be very disappointed if he doesn’t spend the money available. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean spend £30m on just the one player, and/or pay a player £100K+ per week. We must still maintain our wage structure and not pay over the odds for anyone. Even if that effects the potential signing of a top player, Arsenal must keep to there principles.

Therefore, in view of the above, where can we find these players? Well, that is up to Arsene and I’m sure deep down he already has been thinking about it. There was an article in the Sunday Mirror a few days ago, advertising players to apply for Arsenal. Whilst it was comical I totally agreed with it. Preferences were labelled, such as; experienced Premier League players, at least six foot tall, over the age of 25, etc. If I was manager (easier said than done) I would bring in a second goalkeeper, however at this point I'm unsure exactly who.

I would like to see Brede Hangerland of Fulham come in and play with Kolo Toure. Hangerland has great experience in the Premier League, is tall, and is a fighter.

I would gamble also on someone like Mikel Arteta, who in my opinion is one of the best midfielders in English football.

But of course the big problem is, who can we get to boss the midfield? Alex Song has a great future at Arsenal but we need someone now to deliver, and I think we should gamble on Marcos Senna. We saw in the quarter final first-leg how much space he restricted us by and how many tackles he won. Why not sign him on a 2-3 year contract and let other players like Song learn from this true winner? This is the biggest signing that needs to be made - an experienced holding midfielder to protect the back four.

The only other thing worth mentioning is that Kroenke is in line to purchase more shares within the club. This is good news as it secures the club's stability even more and it prevents Usmanov from buying shares, launching a takeover bid, and ruining our club. I really do hate that guy!

I can't emphasise this point enough; If Usmanov takes over our club, we will no longer be a football club, just another worldwide franchise like Man Utd and Chelsea where cash is thrown from every direction, causing debt to rise, and the loss of history. I promise if that day comes, I will find it difficult to support this club, as my support and passion would have died along with Arsenal Football Club.

By Daniel Jones & Enigma