With most of the non European Championship players at Arsenal now having returned to pre season training, we should have sorted out any issues by now and looking for a smooth path into the season, well that is what you would have thought anyway, but in good old fashioned Arsenal style we seem to be able to come out of yet another pre season looking like complete amateurs and deservedly so as well with the most pathetic closed season I have ever had the misfortune to endure.

If ever there was a prize for being the laughing stock of the premier league then we are there right now. How can a man called the Professor seemingly perceived to be so organised, methodical, so astute be so caught out yet again by complete chaos.

Was Ray Parlour so right all along when he initially likened Arsene to Inspector Clouseau the bumbling fool that was Peter Sellers, ironically an Englishman portraying a Frenchman. Before we left the previous season we were told of a signing before the start of the European Championships which would suggest a foreign signing but still nothing was done with the exception of Aaron Ramsey, we were told that Arsene was unsure who was going to be captain and still nothing done about that either.

For years you read about the atmosphere at Arsenal matches and how Arsenal are looking to get it better, we have flag waving, shout out the players names, Elvis Presley singing to us and yet they miss one single point which is quite simple, give us something to sing about in the first place.

I work with a lot of Arsenal fans and by now we are really buzzing about the pre season matches etc looking forward to seeing the new players make their debut at Underhill for the trip to Barnet, well this year many of us are not making the trip and the important thing is to ask why? Just why are some of Arsenal’s most loyal fans who usually travel from all parts of the globe are not bothering this season. The reason why is that the fans are just fed up, plain and simple as that If Arsenal cant be bothered then why should we? I bet you for the first time in years the match will not sell out, this fixture is a week Saturday so it has just over a week to go and unless there is a major signing between now and then there are going to be a lot of spaces available.

I have just paid nearly two grand out on season tickets and what have I got for my money, a weaker squad than last season and we have recalled Vela and Fran Merida from their loan spells with Vela the only one getting a squad number. I hate being this negative before a new season however I though time would heal the wounds of disappointment from last season’s total collapse from probable Champions to a disturbing 3rd place in one ill prepared finale to a season. It is about time we that we really decided if we want to be championship material or not, if we do then lets try acting like a club that wants to be and not be pretenders to the throne.

	SAT JULY 19	BARNET	AWAY	FRIENDLY	3:00PM
	TUE JUL 22	SZOMBATHEELYI H	AWAY	FRIENDLY	6:30PM
	MON JUL 28	BURGENLAND XI	AWAY	FRIENDLY	6:30PM
	WED JUL 30	VfB STUTTGART	AWAY	FRIENDLY	8:15PM
	SAT AUG 2	JUVENTUS	HOME	EMIRATES CUP	4:15PM
	SUN AUG 3	REAL MADRID	HOME	EMIRATES CUP	4:15PM
	WED AUG 6	HUDDERSFIELD	AWAY	FRIENDLY	7:00PM
	FRI AUG 8	AJAX	AWAY	AMSTERDAM TOURNAMENT	8:15PM
	SAT AUG 9	SEVILLA	AWAY	AMSTERDAM TOURNAMENT	6:00PM
	WED AUG 13	FIRST LEG	TBA	CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIER	TBA
	SAT AUG 16	WEST BROMICH ALBION	HOME	BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE	3:00PM