Arsenal - V3.0

“Arsenal will never admit it, but they’ll be happy to be second again,” said Bob Holmes, writing on the EPL in the Sun today. And this Gooner agrees.

It was obvious from last season that the club had not got the deep pockets to be able to strengthen the squad with established star players and would have to increasingly depend on its youngsters.

In a way Arsene prepared us, Gunners’ supporters, for this by parading what he called “my under 21 side” for several of the games at the tail end of the 2004/05 season. Robin van Persie, Jose Reyes, Philippie Senderos, Cesc Fabregas, Gail Clicy and Mathieu Flamini were all given their breaks last season and they did not disappoint.

Add to this, his statement, at the start of this season’s transfer window, that he would look at buying only one or two players in their late twenties because he did not want to stunt the development of his youngsters and the relative willingness (as compared to last season) to let Edu and Viera go, suggest the Professor is preparing a “new” team which will mature in a few years.

It mirrors what happened after the 1998 double. 3 years as runners up in the subsequent years, they came back with a bang in the new century winning two championships (2002,2004) and achieved three FA triumphs (2002,2003 & 2005). After the stars of 1998 – Anelka, Overmars, Petit and one of the famed back four, Winterburn - left one by one, in came Lauren, Pires, Wiltord and the Brazilian Edu. Together with the emergence from the youth ranks of Asley Cole and the players acquired earlier (Silvinho, Vieira, and Henry) a new team emerged to chase for honours.

So, as a long time Gunners supporter who have seen the highs and lows of the club’s fortune, the coming season is a launch of Arsenal V3.0 and expectations are moderate. Top four position will suffice. Of course the quest to regain the Championship will always be there. Bookmaker William Hill gave us a respectable 10/3 odds to do so.

All that said, today’s game against Newcastle is the season opener for us and a victory would be nice. Up the Gunners!