We are shorn of three of the most influential players we have but we should still have more than enough to see off Sunderland this afternoon, and if we are in with the slightest chance of overtaking United winning is the only option. It is time to really show our strength.

Right from the start of the season these set of fixtures have been looked upon as the fixtures where we have to rack up the points so there can be no excuses if we fail, it isn’t the fault of injuries – but just familiar failings. It is time to banish them, and the memories of Sunday, for good.

You get the sense right now that nobody quite believes that Arsenal are potential champions because for so many years we have lacked the ruthless streak that others have possessed, the fans can see that this team has turned the corner but the pundits are still skeptical. Time to prove them wrong.

The win over Leyton Orient has eased the sores of Sunday, or at least provided a few good units of alcohol to numb the pain, the proper healing must be done on the pitch this afternoon.  A win and watching United drop points on Sunday would possibly bring a greater amount of happiness than the cup final would have and maybe, just maybe, we will see the old days of war return between the two clubs.

Sunderland are a good team having a very good season. They lay two points off sixth and have already smashed Chelsea this season playing the kind of football that teams have done against us at home in the past couple of years and come away with something, we must be wary.

There is big pressure on Nicklas Bendtner to deliver and, judging by the reaction on Twitter when I asked if Bendtner or Chamakh should start, there are a lot of people backing him. Coming off a three goal salvo against Orient midweek the only way for him is now down and if he misses a couple of chances tomorrow people will be on his back again. For once, everyone, lets just get behind him yeah? I am fed up of having to defend the guy.

Yes, he has an ego.

Yes, he has said misguided things in the press.

But, the media have painted a picture of a guy who is arrogant and thinks he is the best in the world. Quotes have been spun, translations have been done mischievously.

The thing is, can anybody put across an argument that Chamakh is a better option than him right now?

Thoughts of Barcelona need to be kept until after this game, it is far more important in the grand scale of our season that Tuesday night in my opinion. Barcelona may be more glamorous but overtaking United would be a massive step towards success.

Time to show your true colours lads.

COME ON YOU REDS!!!!!!

I was told by a reliable source last night that Arsenal are keeping their eyes on one transfer target in January and it is 50/50 whether they make a move for him, the only other information is that available to me is the nationality and age of the target – German and 25 – no other information  has been made available to me on that front.

A lot of fans are interested in the future of Denilson, and the boss is reluctant to sell anybody at all in January according to my source, but would find it difficult to ignore offers above the £11-12 million mark for him, the sort of offer you couldn’t just turn your back on.

If an offer comes in for a sale-able and replaceable player over the January transfer window, the chances are it would be accepted.

Any sale of Denilson would also open up funds to be re-invested in the summer, Eden Hazard is believed to be a target for when the season finishes after the manager has had a long-held interest in him. Rumours of a £2 million down-payment made to Lille are false, however we do have first refusal on him.

Looking forward to Wigan later…

After the brilliant win on Monday and Man United’s slip up yesterday this has quickly become a win-at-all-costs game, it is a big chance to put some big pressure on United and with the big game against City closing in we need to start to build up a good run on wins.

The chances of us seeing a fair few changes are high, the intensity of the Chelsea game was much higher than usual with the increased pressing and a similar shift needs to be put in tonight – Diaby, Arshavin and Rosicky will probably all get their chance, Chamakh or Bendtner too.

It is the sort of game where an early goal really, really helps. It cuts frustration out and is a nice confidence booster, not that confidence should be low after beating Chelsea. The main thing to look out for is rustiness and changing the line-up too much, the nucleus of the team that faced Chelsea needs to be retained for this game despite only having one days rest.

Here’s to another win,

Come on you reds!!!

One thing I noticed was the strong support there was for Arsene Wenger with banners all over the ground and the march before the game attracting many, many people before Stoke fans tried bottling our fans outside the ground, the cunts.

Here are a few pictures courtesy of Arsespeak on twitter.

And on the support he got, Wenger had this to say:

“It makes me feel appreciated and even more regretful that we couldn’t give them what they wanted this season. I am very respectful for their faith in me. It’s very warming and it makes me even more determined to pay them back.”

Let that be the end of ANY rumours about our manager leaving for the foreseeable future.

Part of me is very glad this season has come to a close now, a fair bit of damage has been done this season and the last few weeks in particular. The relationship between the players and some fans has been deteriorating, as has the relationship between some fans and the manager. I must emphasise the use of the word SOME.

The summer break gives the manager time to plan for next season and strengthen his squad and it also gives the fans time to cool off and start to build up to another season starting in August.

Suffice to say that from now on The Goon Blog will keep you updated with all the Arsenal news daily over the summer and there will be a fresh blog nearly every morning and if its not posted in the morning it will almost certainly be published in the afternoon.

Right, back tomorrow.

’til then.