DRAWING THE CHALK LINE AROUND THE FRESH CORPSE OF A SEASON

And that’s that.

A draw at Craven Cottage brings this most frustrating of seasons to a conclusion.

Played 38, Won19, Drew 11, Lost 8, Goals For 72, Goals against 43.

Those are the stats of the season that matter. The drawn games column makes for grim reading when you consider some of those games and the position we were in against Newcastle, Sp*rs and Liverpool. The games lost column includes some shocking defeats by so called lesser sides; West Brom, Newcastle, Stoke City, Wigan, Bolton and Sp*rs in a game we lead 2-0. So we end the season having to go through a potential banana skin pre-qualifying round of the ECL.

As for the Carling Cup, we lost to a team that have gone on to be relegated. In the FA cup we were undone by virtue of putting in a lack lustre performance. As for the Champions League; after a storming first leg against EUFA’s chosen ones we lacked that bit of quality to take us through.

Even there is also frustration in knowing that we are the only side to have beaten the two teams contending the Champions League final, being top of the nominal ‘Top four’ league and having the best away record in the league.

The autopsy will have to wait for a later time. The season is over and Arsenal have finished fourth with no trophies in the cabinet. What happens next? Who knows? I suspect a long summer of conjecture and wishful thinking awaits.