THAT WAS THE SEASON THAT WAS

And so another season bites the dust, a season with positives and negatives, questions and answers.
It would be easy to focus on the manner of our Champion's league exit, our poor start to the season, our defeats in games that we were 'supposed' to win, our injury problems or the civil war of words that seems a part of each season but I have decided to post a positive blog to say adios to the 2014/15 season. 

Alexis Sanchez has been an obvious plus point: a sparkling talent with a tremendous work rate and likability. The sort of player that you would like to see follow up his debut season as a talismanic big game player in our pursuit of the Title next season.

Bruce Shad Forsythe seems to have sorted out our appalling injury record to a great extent and it has been something of a novelty seeing a full compliment of players vying for a place in our starting lineup.

Youth. Bellerin and Coquelin stepped up to the plate in the second half of the season and Chambers showed great promise in what was a flawed start to the season.

The FA Cup is that rarest of things: a trophy with real links to the romanticism of the beautiful game and to retain it in such a convincing manner was a fine way to end the season having automatic Champions League Qualification already tied up it was a day and an occasion of joy in triumph.

Big Game Mentality: something that media pundits have delighted in banging on about, has been addressed with impressive wins at the Ethiad and Old Trafford and a rousing demolition of Liverpool showed that we can deliver on the big occasion and this will prove crucial going into next season where aspiration and expectation will, rightfully, be higher.

Premature Elation was once again an ailment that spurs fan's suffered from. The annual 'balance of power' epithets were wheeled out following Harry Kane's late winner at WHL and yet guess what? The Arsenal finished above the Lillywhites for the twentieth consecutive year. Don't get me wrong I'm not looking at this as a major triumph, it's just that if they learnt to keep their powder dry and resisted counting their chickens, the inevitable falling off of their cub wouldn't be so damn funny.

Arsenal 4-1 Liverpool. This game has a special place for me as I got married that day entering Islington Town Hall around kick off time and the  Arsenal slotted home three times as I tied the knot: how's that for symmetry?

The Future of the Arsenal seems one for optimists. A proper tilt at the title following what should prove to be an interesting Community Shield (damned if we win damned if we don't) is what I would be looking at. I still feel that The Champion's League is beyond us and looking at the teams that made the latter stages I think the same applies to the other English clubs entering, but I feel we have a good squad and with the right additions (I'm not going to speculate on this as that's a job for lazy journalists and fantasists) you never know, we could be going into April/May 2016 with things "up for grabs"

Have good summer dear reader.