FIX BAYONETS!

There is a fantastic scene in the film 'Love, Honour and Obey' where Ray Winstone and his crew are involved in a shootout with a rival gang. There is a top demonstration of cover and movement on display as they move around parked cars and other obstructions swapping rounds with the enemy. However eventually the inevitable happens and both sides run out of ammunition. As all parties pause shielded behind cover and catching their breath, Ray Winstone bursts out laughing and shouts 'FIX BAYONETS!!'.

How Arsenal have entertained us this season, we looked in wonder as they played Manchester City off the park, the beautiful goals skilfully constructed by our young exciting players, the smiles have returned to the terraces including the pre match singing on the concourses. The future looks bright.

But for now, at this very moment....the goals have dried up. I like Lacazette, this is not a criticism per se of him as a player, but he is struggling. He has never been prolific but provides so much energy to the team, but he has played in every game and it tells. In the current system we just do not have a striker, we cannot keep relying on Saka and Smith-Rowe to provide us with the goals we so desperately need.

After our defeat against Brighton my mood was dark, and for once I could not shake it off. It cast a shadow for way to long and I tried to make sense of it. I can only think that my head was coming to the conclusion that top four has gone. We knew after the cull in January we were dependent on an injury free run in, but with Tomiyasu, KT and now Partay injured, a struggling Lacazette and hence a lack of goals we are up against it, to put it lightly.

I often wonder if it was not Spurs being our closest challengers for 4th spot we might be more relaxed about the situation. Who amongst us seriously believed as the beginning of this season Arteta was going to take us to the top four as soon as this season? None of the so called experts did. So logic demands that we celebrate fifth and a Europa cup spot as a sign on real progress. I fully expect reinforcements to arrive in the Summer to join an already strong unit to really kick on next season. Can you imagine actually winning points in the first three games of next season? What a bonus that would be!!??

Now I know this sounds like I have given up already. I have not. Football is a funny old game and has a habit of throwing up curve balls. And no I am also not suggesting that we literally arm ourselves with sharp objects....but Arteta has to find a system to allow the firepower to return so we can over come the challenges we face and the team needs to dig deep.

In 1989 I was walking away from Highbury after just seeing us draw to Wimbledon days after we had lost at home to Derby. 'The title is over!' my head was telling me ....

REF WATCH

It is no surprise I am bringing up our disallowed goal. And yes it has been discussed by so many this week, I have had many on twitter, mainly Spurs fans funnily enough saying 'but it was offside' . Listen, there is every chance it was offside, and yes I am perfectly aware of the goalkeeper being beyond the last defender rule. However, to take five minutes to determine something is suspect to say the least. Go up to a stranger at a party and say 'Hi'. And then stand there for five minutes in silence. You will soon grasp how long this period of time is. What is someone going to see after five minutes of looking at a screen that they have been looking at for three minutes? There is obviously doubt in that persons mind, doubt that another two minutes of looking is ever going to resolve. There is absolutely no way you can look through a line of players and know for sure what is going on. So for me, it suggests two things. One, the person in question is actively looking for reasons to disallow the goal, and have gone to the nth degree to find something. Two, for reasons given they could not find this solid evidence and therefore guessed that it was probably off side.

We go again on Saturday against a team that lost heavily last weekend, let's keep the faith. A victory will give us all a confidence boost, and how much we need this right now.

Thanks for reading, speak soon.

Rob