I’m Back! And It’s As If I Never Went Away

It’s been 16 months since my last post. Don’t worry, I have a note from my mum.

As many of you will be aware, I’ve been travelling the globe with Mrs. AcresOfSpace and since we’ve been back, I haven’t had the chance to get my website back up and running. But at long last, it is done and I can resume the ranting.

My previous post was back in August 2009 and was full of (well, there were signs of) optimism for the new season. We’d made an excellent start and were beginning to look the part.

Inevitably, it all fizzled out in the end – a particularly galling late loss at Wigan while we were in Buenos Aires nailing the coffin firmly shut after Tottenham and Barcelona had done their bit. The Wigan game was entirely my fault – I didn’t realise that the game was live on TV on an obscure channel in Argentina and only turned on with 20 minutes to go. You know the period of the game that I saw. When I turned on, it was 0-2. I’m sorry.

Still, it wasn’t a disastrous season and I think most Gooners will have been quite surprised to see us even put in a challenge given our goalkeeping calamities and defensive frailty so to finish 3rd was, in my opinion, an excellent result.

A touch of early season promise was needed and was forthcoming with an early draw at Anfield (which looks poor now, doesn’t it!) followed by an unbeaten run of 6 games, scoring 23 goals in the process. Then we lost to West Brom and the wheels began to come off.

Since then, it’s been hot and cold for us Arsenal fans, much like the rest of the top division.

On the negative side we limped into the knockout stages of the European Cup, despite the group looking like it would be a walk in the park. In the league a home defeat against Newcastle was followed by a second half performance against Tottenham which frankly beggared belief. But mixed in with all this were some superb results away at Wolves and Villa and of course there is the superb Carling Cup run.

Just when things looked to be falling apart in the League though, Chelsea rocked up and rolled over and somehow we’re still right in it.

I’ll say now that I don’t think we’ll win the League – I don’t even think we’ll come 2nd – but a top 3 finish will be another success in my book with the money that Chelsea, United and City can draw on. I’m sure that, for many supporters, that won’t be enough so maybe a nice lump of silver is needed to dismiss those that are more pessimistic even than me? Hmm.

Anyway, this was meant to be a short relaunch of the site. Whoops.

I’d like to announce that I have found a way to record my commentaries again so hopefully you can live the remainder of the season with me.

And my rants of course.