Fun times Arsefans. Yesterday's win over Chelsea was a huge, huge result. Instead of being 13 points off the pace we're just 7 and everything looks a little rosier.

We do like to make life difficult for ourselves though, don't we? Chelsea started brightly but I thought we'd weathered the little storm and gotten into the game quite well when we gifted them a goal. It was a poor throw from Almunia, he should have held on to the ball and calmed things down, but Samir Nasri will think he could have done more to track Boswinga. The Chelsea player's cross was poked into our net by Johann Djourou to give them a 1-0 lead.

Given Chelsea's record at home and the fact they'd only conceded four league goals all season one goal would have been impressive, to score two and win the game was just fantastic. The first came when Adebayor won a header, it came to Denilson and he poked it through to a clearly offside van Persie. But there was no flag and he lashed it past Cech with his right foot to equalise. Scolari was less than happy, can't say I blame him, but sometimes decisions like that go against you. We can all remember van Persie scoring a good goal against Chelsea at Highbury but being flagged offside, so this made up for that somewhat.

It's the kind of decision that you need to go for you when you're down on your luck too. I have to be honest, despite the fact Chelsea weren't playing that well I wasn't confident we'd get anything from the game. On moments like that seasons can change, however, and God knows we've needed a little bit of luck and not gotten it.

Chelsea barely had time to regroup when we scored the second. Cesc floated in a free kick, Adebayor won the header well, it fell to van Persie and he turned on a sixpence to fire a low shot through Lampard's legs into the corner of the goal. Cech got a touch but it wasn't enough. 2-1.

At this point you expected the Chelsea onslaught to begin but it just didn't happen. John Terry should have been sent off for a horrendous two-footed tackle on Bacary Sagna but then the England captain doesn't get sent off for things like that. There was a Malouda free kick which went flying over the bar but after we scored our second Almunia didn't have a save to make. We defended very well, both full backs in particular were excellent as they broke up play and won tackles high up in our half of the pitch. Chelsea were toothless and even 4 minutes of injury time was no bother.

In terms of our performance it would be easy to sit here and pick holes in it. We didn't have a great first half and certainly there were players who never really got into the game as well as they should have but sometimes we over-analyse things and strip any enjoyment out of them. We all know beating Chelsea doesn't mean all our problems are solved but you've got to make the most of results like this. What is the point of winning a game like that, coming from behind at Stamford Bridge, and then saying 'So and so was shit' or 'This player did fuck all'?

Well done to the lads, I say. In particular I liked Djourou at centre-half. He didn't let the own goal faze him one bit and he's got to keep his place now. In no time at all nobody will remember the performance, simply the result and the result is what we should celebrate. Without getting too carried away, of course! We've been here before. The great win against United was followed by two defeats so what's vital is that we keep focussed, take the belief and confidence this gives us but make sure we don't fall into the same trap again.

Afterwards Arsene Wenger was keen to make that point as well, saying:

I am very, very happy to now, after beating Manchester United, we beat Chelsea and I believe that brings us back. It is still far but not impossible. I have an intelligent team, a talented one, but we want to come back with humility and work hard. We have learned that we need that kind of focus in every game no matter who you play.

And that's the thing. We can't think that because we've beaten United and now Chelsea that we just have to turn up to win the game against Wigan. Perhaps things have been a little fraught in the camp recently and under the new captaincy things are looking a bit better. A new focus on the team. When asked by Sky if the two goals meant it was a big day for him, Robin van Persie replied:

It is not my day, it's our day. I was the one who scored the two goals but that doesn't really matter. It was our day - the whole squad really gave extra of everything. If you win the game like that it gives you a lot of confidence and this is what we need at the moment.

It's good to hear him speak like that and it was good to see him finally deliver in a big game. We spoke about the win against Kiev being a baby step back to where we want to be. Yesterday was another one. Slowly we'll get our confidence back but that confidence has be kept in check. It has to be allied with hard work and commitment and that'll get us results. There's still a way to go for this team but let's hope yesterday was the start of something and not another false dawn.

So today's a day for enjoying things. One of the most enjoyable things was watching the Sky pundits squirm. 'How did that just happen?', said Monkey-hands Richard Keys, as if they'd just witnessed Brazil being beaten by an Arseblog over 35s XI, hungover from too much Havana Club the night before. Stick it up your holes, you cunts.

And Jamie Redknapp provided the comedy moment of the day. When asked about Arsenal he said:

That's the thing with Arsenal. They're either brilliant or completely inconsistent.

Haha, spa. The way they glossed over the John Terry challenge was disgraceful as well. Not at all unexpected of course, but disgraceful nonetheless. The way they replayed Eboue's innocuous tackle in last season's game again and again and again and they fail to show the England captain jumping in on a player with two feet. Ruud Gullit, mad fucker that he is, tried to say that was the kind of tackle that could break someone's leg but the subject was changed very quickly. Terry got a yellow card so no further action can be taken and we won't hear another thing about it.

No mention either of Chelsea fans belting out that song about Arsene Wenger. That just made victory all the sweeter and people who sing that in a football stadium with kids of all ages are just the scum of the earth. If the FA can investigate racist chants against players, why can't they do something about this?

Still, there's nothing like a bit of outrage to mix in with your morning enjoyment, is there? We're back in the title race, folks. It's up to us now to make sure we stay there. At this stage of the season 7 points is nothing. There's a lot of hard work ahead but how much better does it feel this morning?

Much. That is the answer. Much. Have a great Monday.

Bleurgh, still sick. Colds are rubbish.

Chelsea today, as we all know, and we go into the game knowing we need a result. Not to get us back into the title race, not to keep in touch, so much as to instill some belief in this squad. But belief only goes so far. I'm sure they had belief after beating Man United and look where that ended up.

Manuel Almunia has described the last couple of weeks as a 'nightmare' and it's hard to disagree with that. Despite the win againt Kiev in midweek the keeper reckons today is the test, today is when we see if anything has changed within the squad. He says:

Dynamo Kiev is not Chelsea. We will see against Chelsea whether this team knows how to react or not. We are in the same place as before this game. The victory is giving us confidence but not changing the situation. We know our situation in the League and we have to react. A win at Chelsea would be a first step.

He's bang on. It would be just the first step. It would be a good sign but no real evidence that we've changed our attitude or ability to perform like heroes one day and utter chumps the next.

Today's papers are annoying. You have Joe Cole having a little dig at us saying that it's all well and good playing pretty football but at the end of the day it's trophies that matter. It's annoying because he's right. He might be a dribbling, window-licking cunt but he's got a point. The kind of point you'd like to smash right down his throat with a piece of silverware.

Then there's an incredible piece of David Dein propaganda in the News of the World which tries to suggest that all our woes in recent times are due to his departure. Of course that's utter nonsense but when times are trying people are more inclined to believe stuff like this. It's easier to blame the sacking of a board member who behaved atrociously than point the finger at Arsene who, whether Dein is there or not, makes ALL the decisions about football at the club. 

The manager himself talks about how the club is in a good position to face the ongoing financial woes that face the world, something that football has been seemingly immune from for years. Clubs have operated as if there's a golden cash cow that will always bail them out, they can operate at huge losses, spending far more than they earn, but use the TV money and prize money to keep them afloat and service their debts. Wenger says:

People don’t yet realise what will hit society in the next 12 months. Arsenal made £30m profit last year. I am quite proud of that because no matter what happens, this club cannot die. It is in a strong financial position.

Which is fantastic and I think everyone is happy to read things like that. He goes on to say:

To win, some people are ready to make the club explode and say, ‘Okay, you buy, spend £50m, £60m’. Nobody cares. But if you are in a financially unstable position, you are in a weak position. We have two important strengths: a very young and promising team, and a football club in the 21st century with a new stadium and training ground that also has a strong financial situation.

And again it all makes good sense but the problem is that it's very difficult for football fans to see the long term picture because, for the most part, we're more interested in the 'now'. By our very nature we see things in the short term. Who we're playing next, where we are in the league, do we have a chance of winning a trophy this season?

Now, nobody wants Arsene to bankrupt the club. Nobody wants him to spend more than we have. I think all any of us want is that he spends what is available to him and despite our young team with potential we still have the second highest wage bill in the league. One of the things the board always said was that there was no point having a great new stadium unless we had a team that was good enough to win things, that the stadium would not affect the quality of the team. 

I think we can see that it has and that's down to Arsene. He made a decision to build a squad, a young squad, and hoped he would be able to keep them together to win things. But when he nearly did it last season he lost experience and quality and didn't replace it. All this talk comes in a week when the club have made it clear, as they have consistently done, that there is money for the manager to spend. There's just over a month until he can spend it and while spending it may weaken our financial position it will strengthen our football position. The balance has to be right. The aim of a football club should not be to first make a profit, it should be to win trophies.

Anyway, that's all stuff we've been through before. Back to today and as I said in previous blogs it's going to be very, very tough. Chelsea are formidable at home, even if they're not quite purring like they were a few weeks ago. They hate us, we hate them, it's going to be a battle.

Here's hoping the new captain can create the kind of mentality we need for a game like this. You know, what's really annoying at the moment is that there are so many people taking pleasure in our situation at the moment. I can see where we have problems and I'll talk about them here with other Arsenal fans, but when I read and see some of the pundits and columnists and fans of other clubs viewing our woes with such glee it really fucking gets on my tits. We have the right to talk about Arsenal, they don't.

Not just because many of them are identifying the same issues with the team that we are but because they're loving it. It's why so many of us reacted so badly to what Gallas said. It's why I take with disdain stuff planted in the press by bitter ex-directors looking to stick the knife in during hard times because they're bitter about how they got kicked out of the club they purport to love so much.

It's backs against the wall stuff, isn't it? I don't quite know where I'm going with this, to be honest, all I know is that I want Arsenal to win today. I want a performance, I don't want bragging rights, I don't want to gloat, I just want this Arsenal team to show they're an Arsenal team. That when we're in the shit they'll fight right until the last whistle to get a result that will go some way to making things better.

I may have gotten out of the wrong side of bed this morning, you know, and I think I might be hallucinating slightly. I need morphine, that will cure my cold you know. Instead the dirty cartel of Beechams and Lemsip prevent me from getting my hands on over the counter morphine, the cunts.

But while they might be cunts they're not quite as cunty as Chelsea. Come on Arsenal, do us proud today. 

Morning all from a bitterly cold Dublin. I just looked out the window and saw a brass monkey frantically searching for something in my back garden. That's how cold it is.

Good news ahead of the Chelsea game is that Nasri, Adebayor and Sagna are all back from injury and you have to think all three of them will start. It certainly does increase our chances and the more threat we are from an attacking point of view the more likely we are to get something from the game, in my opinion.

Arsene Wenger is feeling reasonably confident, saying we play better against the big teams:

This season we have played better against the top four. We cannot deny that because we lost against the teams who are not maybe favourites to play in the top four. Why? Maybe because they play a different type of football.

It seems an odd thing to say given that we've only played Manchester United. You can't really draw any conclusions from one game and, let's be honest, Man City and Villa may not be traditional 'big' teams but they are being tipped as contenders for top 4 places. Look how we did against them. But there's no doubt we raised our game against United after a poor spell and we face Chelsea under much the same circumstances. Another win would be great but again it comes down to how we do after that. If we beat Chelsea then lose to Wigan then we're no better off, really.

Maybe under the new leadership of Cesc that won't happen and the manager says he sees him as 26 year old player, not the 21 year old he is. When you step back and consider that Cesc has played over 200 times for the club at his age it's remarkable, so in experience terms he's way ahead of the other players of a similar age. He provided the pass for Bendtner the other night, he provided the pass for Nasri's second against United, so while his form hasn't been as good as usual this season there are signs he's getting his mojo back and we need him to have a big game against Chelsea.

Not just him of course, the whole team has got to do their stuff, but when Cesc ticks so do we. William Gallas will return to Stamford Bridge with the manager claiming he's come out of the events of the last 10 days with a lot of credit. I think that might be a bit of ego massaging to be honest but Gallas might be more inclined to put his beef with Arsenal to one side when he faces Chelsea, a club he obviously has real issues with. Will it inspire him to a good performance? We'll see.

Overall though if we are to have any chance of staying in this title race (and I've got my very large optimist hat on right at this moment) we've got to take three points tomorrow. Arsene says:

You cannot say when you are 10 points behind that we are favourites to win the title but you can say as well the only way we will get back into it is to believe we can. We know that direct confrontations with top teams become vital when you are in our position. But first of all we have to go there with extreme desire, express our strong points and not hide.

Even with a full strength squad this would be an incredibly difficult task. Chelsea have lost two league games at home in about 5 years. There was one to us when we won 2-1, then they went on an incredible run and it was only this season when Liverpool beat them that it was broken. So let's be under no illusions that winning tomorrow is going to be anything but an incredible achievement. I don't buy in to this theory that this is a good time to play Chelsea. They might have drawn two games recently but how is that a crisis of any kind? Especially when you compare it to our recent form.

To be honest I'd be happy enough with a point tomorrow. I think it's more important to not lose the game than win it, if that makes sense. Of course I'll take all three points gleefully but I think we need to keep our expectations at a reasonable level.

Right, I'm off out into the cold, with my cold, enjoy your Saturday folks. More tomorrow.

Morning all, it's Friday. Hurrah! I have a poxy cold. Booo!

Early team news ahead of the Chelsea game on Sunday is that Adebayor, Nasri and Sagna might be back from injury. Let's hope they are because we need them back and we need a big performance, similar to the one against Man United.

Chelsea are formidable opponents, people might talk about how their form is not great at the moment, but they've only conceded four goals in the league all season and they've scored thirty-two. It's not exactly as if they're there for the taking, or anything. In fact, they'll be looking at us and thinking it's a great time to play us. The only thing is they have been more prolific in front of goal away from Stamford Bridge and have conceded more goals at home than away so perhaps that's something we can exploit.

Cesc says we won't be going there to defend, which is good because we're really not very good at it. He says:

Our target is to go there and win. We need to get some points back. Arsenal never go for a draw and a club like Chelsea will be the same as us. Every time I have played against them they have gone forward and tried to gain victory. We will expect it will be the same on Sunday.

There's no Drogba, of course, he's suspended after his coin chucking antics but they do have Nicolas Anelka who is probably in the best form he's ever been in since he left Arsenal. We know they have quality in all areas though so it's going to need a big, big performance from our boys. More on that game in the next couple of days.

The pre-match stuff will be full of the return of Gallas to Stamford Bridge, particularly after what has come to light in his autobiography. He has well and truly poked the hornet's nest by bringing up his acrimonious departure in his book and that's making plenty of headlines this morning. All I'll say is that I think footballer's biographies are a stupid idea when they're still playing. When you're retired you can say what you want but given everything that went on last week the last thing we need is another Gallas inspired media shitstorm. What good does it do anyone?

Chariman PHW says Arsene has reiterated that the manager has money to spend, if he chooses to spend it. He says:

There have been suggestions that we keep stopping him from buying - that is not the case. He certainly has got money if he wants to spend it.

He goes on to talk about how Arsene will only buy if he can find players who will improve the squad. Which is just common sense - but when it gets to a point where every single fan can name players who would be an improvement over some of the squad members then you have to accept that the squad needs work. Anyway, this is old ground which has been covered time and again and we still have January to cope with.

Aaron Ramsey talks about living with a Sp*rs player and his ambitions to become an established first team player at Arsenal.

Not much else going on so let's crack on with the Arsecast. On this week's show I chat to GilbertoSilver from Gunnerblog about the events of the last week both on and off the field, as well as that I get some insight on our new CEO from Glenn Davis who is a football writer for the Houston Chronicle as well as a radio presenter for 790AM Houston where he has a show/podcast called 'The soccer hour'.

Amaury Bischoff PI is there and the penis of the William Gallas shows up too. Plus I announce the winner of the Savile Rogue scarf and give you another chance to win the sought after scarf in all of scarfdom (and do check out the site if you're looking for Christmas presents, they are quality).

You can subscribe to the Arsecast iTunes by clicking here. Or if you want to subscribe directly to the feed URL you can do so too. To download this week's arsecast directly - click here (16mb MP3) or you can listen directly below without leaving this very page.

As well as that there's a dedicated Arsecast hotline available all season long should you desire to make a comment, get something off your chest, share a song a chant or hilarious anecdote. Feel free to call it any time during the week, it'll go to voicemail and you can leave your message. The number from inside the UK is 020 3286 6360 or from outside the UK it's +44 20 3286 6360.

Ok, that's your lot. Have a good Friday. I can currently only breathe through one nostril and my eyes hurt. Stupid eyes. Till tomorrow.

It's a busy morning so let's get straight into it.

Arsenal appointed a new CEO yesterday. Ivan Gazidis will take up his new role in January after spending 14 years with the MLS. I'm not sure too many of us know a great deal about him. Chairman PHW gave the standard welcome while Gazidis himself said:

I relish the prospect of working with the key stakeholders to further propel the Club forward. It is nearly 16 years since I left the UK but I’m very much looking forward to returning in January.

I like that. 'Propel' is a good word. We could use some propulsion at the moment, no doubt about it, and it's about time we filled this role at the club. On tomorrow's Arsecast I'll be speaking to somebody who knows a bit more about Gazidis so tune in for that one.

Cesc Fabregas has been talking about his new role at the club and he'll be checking with Arsenal captains of the past to help him do the job as well as he can. He says:

I still speak on the phone to Thierry and I will ask him about it. I’d love to talk with Patrick about the job as well because he has so much experience.

He also talks about being inspired by Tony Adams, which is no bad thing when it comes to captaining a football team. On a more general level though he has set out the objectives for the season, saying:

I want to lift a trophy. It’s true that we are 10 points behind, so our immediate target is to win at Chelsea. Sunday is a good opportunity to get some points back and a couple of weeks after we have Liverpool at home. It is not over yet and it is up to us to finish where we will finish. We will see, at the moment nothing is done and we will fight until the end.

And that's the kind of spirit you want from your captain, that's exactly the attitude we need. Sunday is huge, no question, but there's plenty of time to talk about that. In the meantime something Cesc is going to have to deal with as captain is William Gallas and the continued fallout from his rant last week. The usually mild mannered Gael Clichy has accused the former captain of 'shattering' morale within the team. Gael says:

It has shattered something within the squad. It is something that should have remained between him and the boss even though there may be some truth in what William said. It is now down to the players and staff to glue the fragments back together and move on.

What William said was difficult, not only because he was the captain but because he is an experienced player.

It really is hard to see how Gallas has a long term future at the club, to be honest. At the moment the manager is being very pragmatic. He needs Gallas as a player because of injuries but if someone like Gael Clichy, who is usually a very positive person, has that to say about him then you can't help thinking there are others in the squad for whom the resentment burns much brighter. Whatever way you look at it that's not good and it's a problem you have to solve as a manager.

Maybe it's something that will repair itself with time but I suspect we'll move him on in January if we can identify a decent replacement. There's talk of Milan being interested, talk which Milan deny, but we know Italian clubs can tell a lie out of both sides of their mouth at the same time, especially when it comes to transfers. We'll see what happens though.

Nicklas Bendtner, who rather tongue in cheek (I hope) claimed to have always dreamt of wearing pink boots, is being linked with a £5m move to Spartak Moscow. There's a Danish connection there with Michael Laudrup the Spartak boss, but I'd be very surprised if it happened. Unless, of course, they give him that pair of diamond encrusted boots he so desires. Maybe we should get him a pair of ruby slippers and call him Dorothy.

Chairman PHW has given his backing to Arsene Wenger but this is not the usual dreaded 'vote of confidence'. He says:

Of course he has my backing. What he has done for the club over the last 12 years has been fantastic. You do not lose faith in a man like him after three or four bad results. It is a ridiculous suggestion really.

That seems very reasonable when it's put like that but there are still questions for the manager to answer. They may not be coming from board room level but the fans are asking them. I know there's an increasing amount of frustration with some fans about the way things are going but I can only speak for myself when I say I'd love nothing more than to see AW turn it around and start winning trophies again for Arsenal.

Right, that's about that. We should get some early team news today ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday so more on that tomorrow and in the Arsecast. In the meantime, have a good day.

Sometimes it's nice to see an old friend after a long absence and last night's 1-0 was just that. It's our first 1-0 since the opening day of the Premier League season and it will provide welcome relief to everyone this morning.

As a game it wasn't a feast of football by any means. We were pretty poor overall but with so many players out injured, confidence and form in the shitter, pressure on from all quarters and playing against a well organised defence who don't concede too often I'll take a 1-0 every single time. The goal came when Cesc fired a beautiful ball over the top for Nicklas Bendtner who controlled it well, looked for a moment to have taken it too wide but he slammed it home with his left foot to score the winner.

His pink boots might be ridiculous but it was an excellent finish and I was glad for him that he scored. He's been subject to quite a bit of stick in the recent poor run so hopefully the goal will do him some good. And hopefully it will do the team some good too. The objective last night was to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and we did that. We kept a clean sheet too and credit has to go to Manuel Almunia for keeping us in the game with an excellent save late in the second half, before we had scored.

There was a little bit of history made too with Jack Wilshere becoming our youngest ever player in European competition at 16 years and 329 days. He turns 17 on New Year's day. Well done to him.

Amy Lawrence quotes Arsene Wenger on the Arsecast every now and again where he says confidence is the easiest thing to lose in football and the hardest thing to get back. Yesterday was a baby step in getting some of our mojo back. The manager said afterwards:

Winning is a first step for us because the team needs a bit of reassurance and at least the win will give us that. I felt that it was a more steady than spectacular performance and for us it was important to come back to win the game.

New captain Cesc said:

The most important thing was the result. It was a difficult game because every team who comes here comes to defend and try to play on the counter attack. But we were patient and continued to play our football and in the end we scored the goal that we deserved.

And he also had praise for teammates Gallas:

It was difficult but you could that every time he [Gallas] touched the ball it was cheering him up and he was fantastic. He is a big professional and nobody doubts his commitment and he has shown that tonight again.

And Almunia:

Almunia has kept us in games four or five times now. He is growing in every game and is vital for us. Everyone respects him in the dressing room and he is gaining confidence so he is fantastic for us.

So a good start as captain for Cesc and his work at uniting the squad and getting everyone pulling together in the same direction has begun. And let's not forget how important his football is to us. There's nobody else in this team who could have played that pass to Bendtner for the goal last night, so to kick off his career as captain by talking the talk and walking the walk, so to speak, is good stuff.

Now, we're not necessarily shouting from the rooftops yet but it's good to get a win under our belts. It had been exactly two weeks since our last win (Wigan in the Carling Cup) and it now gives us a bit of a platform to work from ahead of Sunday's game against Chelsea. More on that in the days to come. Who will finally top our Champions League group comes down to the game against Porto on December 10th.

Elsewhere, while William Gallas's agent was saying the player had no plans to leave Arsenal, Kolo Toure was being somewhat cagey about his Arsenal future. Responding to speculation about a possible move to Manchester City in January, he said:

I am injured and need to get back to fitness. I have nothing to say about the transfer link, time will tell.

It could be just a throw-away comment but I would have preferred to hear him say something like 'I have nothing to say about the transfer link. I am just focussing on working hard to get back into the Arsenal team'.

Maybe we expect too much from players but you'd never have Kolo down as a quitter. I'm sure he's not enjoying things at the moment but he's not been the same player since he came back from the ACN last season. Still, the last thing we need to do is sell any of our players, especially the more experienced ones.

With January and the transfer window looming ever closer I think most of us are expecting, if not praying solidly for hours at a time, that the manager spends some money to improve the squad. When you hear him talking about how some clubs are 'living in dreamland' and making his second reference of recent times to the current world economic climate you do start to worry. I'm choosing to look at this in a positive way this morning though, no doom and gloom at all, it's obviously all part of his bargaining strategy. He's making other clubs think there's no money around so when he comes along and offers three bob and sixpence for a player they'll feel like they have to take it. Yes, that's what it is. That's what it is.

Right so, not much else happening so let us spend the day basking in the warm glow of a win, at last. Till tomorrow.

Right, well plenty to get through this morning ahead of tonight's game against Kiev and obviously the main story is the fact that Cesc Fabregas is the new Arsenal captain.

Arsene Wenger made the announcement at his pre-match press conference yesterday, confirming that it was a permanent thing but at the same time refusing to give any details about previous captain Gallas, beyond the fact that he would play tonight. Despite some intense badgering from various journalists he refused to be drawn on the reasons behind his decision, saying only:

I have given you information but I do not have to explain to you why I make these decisions. This subject is now closed. You have to respect a little bit of the team’s privacy.

Gotta love that last line, aimed as it was at both the journalists and probably Gallas too. It's a big decision to have made and the boss is being pragmatic in including Gallas in the team tonight. He needs him as a player. I think if Toure and Sagna had been fit he'd be much more inclined to have let Gallas sit on the bench, or even at home, but needs must at the moment and I still think, despite some comforting words from the manager, his long term future at the club is very much in doubt.

But away from Gallas and on to the new captain of Arsenal Football Club. To me he was the only choice and I'm glad Wenger has made it. It's a great lift for the fans in difficult times and I'm sure it'll be a lift to the players too. Cesc said:

It is a great honour for me to captain one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a proud moment. I know it's a big responsibility but together with my team-mates, I know we have the spirit and commitment to get back to winning ways and fulfil our potential.

He has received the backing of Gael Clichy (who also has words for Gallas) and I think most fans will be right behind the choice of Cesc as captain. But while we all hope this will provide the kind of spark that will get our season going, and even perhaps get his own season going, let's be under no illusions that he faces a difficult time - at least for the first few weeks of his captaincy. This is a step in the right direction, not an instant cure for what ails us.

The team is struggling for form and beset with injuries (Nasri and Diaby are both added to the sick list for tonight's game) and until the manager can get the chequebook out and add to the quality of the squad in January then things are going to be tough. We need to show proper Arsenal spirit, we need every single player on the team to give 100% for 90+ minutes, egos need to be left at the door on the way in, we need to start playing as a team and less like a group of individuals who are having a kick around for the first time.

This is part of Cesc's job now. To unite the players for the Arsenal cause. And it is a lot to ask anybody, let alone a 21 year old, but I'm confident he can do it. He's never been afraid to speak his mind, to stick up for himself or his teammates, to get involved and he is a winner. He has that drive that we've been missing a bit this season. We've given him the ultimate responsibility as a player at Arsenal, we've asked a lot of him, but at the same time the club has to do likewise. Cesc is a once in a lifetime talent, the kind of player any manager would like to build his team around, now Arsene has to ensure that we bring in the kind of players who will not just help Cesc flourish as captain and player, but the rest of the team too.

I think he can be an excellent captain and we know what a brilliant player he is but it's too much to ask him to be brilliant without help. He needs a quality experienced partner alongside him, someone who will help get the best out of him, and we all know where else we need players. As much as Cesc now has a responsibility to Arsenal, Arsenal has a responsibility to him.

His appointment will be also be popular with the players and that's important. It's clear that more than a couple have personal problems with Gallas and while it's certainly right to point some fingers at them if there's a lack of professionalism on their part you have to address the root of the problem and Wenger has done that. I still think this is a decision that should have been made during the summer but it's definitely a case of better late than never.

So captain Cesc will lead his team out for the first time tonight knowing that a win will see us through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. We know Kiev generally don't travel well but Arsenal are down to the bare bones, some suggesting that Fran Merida could start on the left hand side of midfield tonight. With Eduardo and Rosicky obviously still out we won't have Adebayor, Toure, Eboue, Walcott or Sagna as well as the aforementioned Nasri and Diaby for tonight's game.

With Gallas in the team I think he'll play in the middle with Sylvester with Djourou at right back. In the midfield we could see Merida on the left and Ramsey on the right hand side with Denilson and Cesc in the middle. I wouldn't be surprised if Vela got a start tonight either with Bendtner and his ridiculous pink boots missing out.

A win tonight would help restore some confidence ahead of what is going to be a massive game this weekend against Chelsea. It'd get Cesc's reign as Arsenal captain off to a good start and help mend the growing rift between the fans and the team. Nobody likes to be negative, nobody likes to see the team in the doldrums, and hopefully with Cesc leading the boys out tonight it'll help improve the atmosphere all round.

The OleOle graphics guys have done up a Captain Cesc wallpaper for you to download in various sizes, so smarten up your desktop this morning.

More reaction from Paul Davis, Gunnerblog, RedAction

So, here's to Captain Fabtastic, may he develop a terrible withered elbow from lifting too many trophies. Come on Arsenal.

The thing about this time of the year is that there is little time between matches, meaning we could all feel a bit better come Wednesday morning. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about really.

Ahead of the game against Kiev Arsene has hinted that Gallas could return to to the squad and perhaps the team. There are those who would say that despite his enormous big mouth Gallas is the best defender we have and for the sake of results should play. I would suggest that even if he is the best defender we have he has played his part in some of the poorest games of the season so to bring him back is no assurance of a good result.

I suppose a lot depends on the fitness of Kolo Toure. If he's available then it's easier to leave Gallas out. If Sagna was fit then it's easier to leave Gallas out. Personally I wouldn't have him near the team again, I'd sell him in January and go spending for a new centre-half, or two. But Wenger is very forgiving to his favourites sometimes and to me it looks like Gallas is one of those.

I can understand the manager's predicament. He'll see Champions League qualification as more important than principle. He'll consider next weekend's game against Chelsea as more important than principle. In the very short term there's nothing more important than the next game but longer term you've got to show that actions have consequences and giving Gallas what boils down to a day off for what he's said is hardly an example to anyone else whose behaviour is poor.

We'll see what happens and there is a mandatory UEFA press conference which takes place the day before every Champions League game. What he's asked and what he chooses to answer at that today could be very interesting.

What's also interesting is who will captain the side tomorrow. I'm with Amy Lawrence on this one, the next captain of Arsenal has to be Cesc Fabregas. Yes, it's a lot to ask of the young man - to take over as captain when the team is going through one of the worst periods on the pitch for a long time. But Cesc is not somebody who feels that kind of pressure. You don't come into a team like Arsenal at just 17 and play that way if you let pressure get to you. Wenger can talk all he wants about how he wants 11 leaders on the pitch but every team needs a figurehead. Every group of players needs somebody that will lead them, that they respect, that they will go that extra mile for.

Cesc is that player. He might be just 21 but he is vastly experienced, extremely popular within the squad (whereas Gallas has always been a bit of an outsider and loner) and for me, most importantly, he has a real and deep connection with Arsenal football club, something I think is really important. Gallas never had that, he would never have it. That's hardly his fault, it's just a fact. Cesc understands what's special about the Arsenal. He has grown up at our football club, he learned from players like Vieira, Henry, Pires and Keown about what it means to be an Arsenal player.

He has the spirit and the ability to lead and solidify this group of players. Yes, he is struggling with his form this season but every player struggles with form from time to time. He is a world class player with great standing within the game already. Giving him the captaincy is not simply a way of fending off the inevitable advances from Spain either. It's a way of rejuvenating this Arsenal team until we can bring in reinforcements in January. It's like turning over on to a fresh blank page in a book, ready to write the next chapter.

The team needs a lift, the fans need a lift, some kind of spark to get things going again and making Cesc captain would do just that. It's a decisive moment for Arsene Wenger. Giving the captaincy to Almunia makes no sense whatsoever. Age is no reason to dictate the captaincy. He can't give it to Kolo Toure if Kolo Toure can't get into the team, and if it were to have been Kolo then it would have happened before now. If he gets this one wrong, and I think giving it to anyone but Cesc would be wrong, then it's a decision he may well regret.

So, another week begins and it's a big one. Victory tomorrow night against Kiev assures us of qualification for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and that would be a boost for all concerned. Then next Sunday we travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. So it's a massive 6 days for the club. 

Fingers crossed we find ourselves in better form next Monday than this. 

Those of you who have read Arseblog down the years will know that I am a pious, abstemious person who cares not for the effects of alcohol. Yesterday, you will be shocked and dismayed to hear, drove me to drink. Can you imagine?

A truly miserable afternoon's football. We gifted City their first goal when Clichy and Sylvester played 'Who can fluke it into the path of Stephen Ireland best'. Then Denilson van Persie lost possession, City cut us open like we were a schoolboy side and Robinho's sublime chipped finish put us two behind. Late on a dubious penalty made it 3-0.

Sometimes you can look at a game and think the scoreline is one that you didn't deserve but yesterday was not one of those days. City had a goal disallowed for offiside, which was a very generous decision from linesman, Robinho had another cleared off the line by Djourou and created any number of chances. It could easily have been 5-0. At the other end our efforts were weak, Bendtner missing a very good chance and van Persie having a goal disallowed for taking the ball from the keeper as he was kicking it out but beyond that we rarely troubled the home side.

Arsene's talk afterwards about how the score flattered City was pure bluster. He's desperately trying to keep his squad's spirits up because he does not believe that. Pictures of him sitting on the bench, stoney-faced, looking at the game make a lie of his comments. He knew we were outplayed, outclassed and outfought by a City side that had taken just one point from their last four league games.

Is this a crisis? It's a word that's bandied about all too often but this time it's well and truly appropriate. This Arsenal side is in the midst of a real crisis. They are rudderless, struggling and lacking in quality. I felt sorry for Gavin Hoyte, thrust in to make his debut at right back due to the Gallas situation. It was a mistake to play him although it's hard to suggest that the alternative would have made that much difference. But if you're going to play a footballer as average as Alex Song does it matter where you play him? We might have been better with Song at the back, Djourou at right back and Ramsey, who has obvious craft and quality despite his age, in midfield.

Ahh, midfield. What a disaster. I'm sorry but this is the worst Arsenal midfield for a very long time. Denilson had a shocker. He might well turn into a decent player but he's not ready now. Alex Song will never be ready for Arsenal. Just not good enough. And Diaby, what talent he has, but talent counts for nothing if you coast through games as if you've been there and done it all. He's done nothing in his career to justify the kind of lazy, disinterested performance he put in yesterday. Oh for Gilberto.

Ultimately though you can't blame a poor player for being a poor player. You have to blame the manager for picking him. You have to blame the manager for allowing his squad to become so poor. You have to blame the manager for letting Flamini and Diarra go without replacing them. You have to blame him for allowing Gilberto to leave, having already let the other two go. I know Gilberto wasn't everyone's favourite but can any of you honestly tell me now you wouldn't have him back in a heartbeat?

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how this Arsenal side makes me sad and I stand by that today. I texted someone yesterday to say watching this Arsenal team was like looking on helplessly as someone beats up your dad. It's upsetting. I look at this team, this group of players, and I can do nothing but shake my head. It is the poorest team of Wenger's reign, no doubt about it. It's incredible how we've gone from being a team that just needed a couple of decent additions to make it a serious title contender, to one that is going to struggle to make 4th place this season. Yesterday was a day when we could have made up ground on the leaders. Chelsea, United and Liverpool all drew. We had the chance to close the gap and we blew it, spectacularly.

Of course some of the problem is confidence and the lack of it. It's hugely important and average players full of confidence can do wonders. Average players with none give you days like yesterday. But if and when it is restored the manager needs to address the problem of quality. The team badly needs new players. At least one central defender, at least two central midfield players and possibly a wide player. He has to accept that some of the young players he has put so much faith in are either not ready or simply not good enough. He also needs to think about whether or not he's serving them well by expecting so much from them. He must start thinking about what is best for Arsenal Football Club and not what is best for these young players. They might be Arsenal players but they are not Arsenal.

It was a brave experiment (to use Arsene's own word) to go down the road of youth and one which most us supported given the manager's track record. Now though it is clear the experiment has failed and he must correct it for the club to move on. His transfer policy must change and new players must be bought in January. If he doesn't buy in January then very serious questions must be asked about his future at the club.

I said it last week that his constant assertions about how buying players might impede the progress of youngsters is a fallacy. The cream will always rise to the top. A young player as good as Fabregas will always make the breakthrough but a young player like Fabregas is a rarity. They're not ten a penny like Wenger seems to think they are. We have some very talented and special young players but you do them a disservice by expecting too much from them too soon. A blend of youth and experience is a good thing, when all you have is youth you get found out and that's blindingly obvious now.

At every level of football that's true. I remember when I was playing football in Spain. Our team was 'experienced', shall we say. A lot of players over 30, particularly at the back. None of us blessed with much pace, we weren't the most mobile but we had experience and a couple of good young guys who could run all day long. A new team joined the league and I'd say their oldest player was 22. They were young, fit, fast, and eager. But we beat them every time because we knew a bit more about the game. We knew how to commit those niggly fouls, we could read the game a bit better, and while they charged around at 100mph we coped and won the games quite easily. It's a strange comparison, I know, but it fits. The blend in this Arsenal team is wrong.

Unquestionably this is the most difficult period of Arsene's Arsenal career. We're in very real danger of imploding, if we haven't already, and every team in the league will be licking their lips at the thought of playing us. The idea of Chelsea next weekend is absolutely terrifying at this moment in time. How he turns it around between now and then is anybody's guess. The team needs a lift from somewhere. Perhaps the appointment of a new captain will do that (again that's something I'll come back to in another blog, tomorrow maybe).

But yesterday was a day when even the most staunch supporter of Wenger's youth policy had to hold their hands up and admit it has failed. There are young players in the Arsenal squad who will come good, there are those that won't. But those that will need to be brought through properly. The manager is failing them and the club at the moment. He has January to make things right, or at least get things going in the right direction again. There are those who say that buying in January is more difficult. They're right, but if you choose not to buy in the summer then that's the cross you have to bear.

I sincerely hope that Arsene will do something about it. I want him to win trophies again with Arsenal. I want him to succeed. I hope that he can swallow his pride a little bit and make things better. The alternative, in which he 'keeps faith' with this group and does nothing to address the problems we have is unthinkable.

The manager refused to speak about William Gallas yesterday but said he does have a future at the club. It's hard to see it. I maintain Arsene has done the right thing despite the fact we are short of players at the moment. If you have to take a hit in the short term to make things better then that's what you have to do. The big picture is important.

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood says that Gallas has a 'problem' and the board will back the manager in whatever he decides to do. To me that sounds ominous. Meanwhile Lee Dixon said that Arsene considered taking the captaincy away from Gallas in the summer but decided against it because he felt the player would be badly affected by it. I think that's what they call molly-coddling and speaks volumes for the character of Gallas. Again it comes down to the manager thinking more about what's best for these players than what's best for the club. That he had those thoughts about Gallas in the summer and did nothing means he must take responsibility for what's gone wrong since.

That we don't have an obvious leader in the team to take over is no reason not to make the change. Again that's down to him. This squad of players is 100% his. If you don't have a leader then go out and buy one.

Overall it's a difficult time for Arsenal fans. All credit to those who travelled to Manchester yesterday. We heard you loud and proud on the radio and on the TV. Nobody is enjoying this. Not those who had faith in Wenger, not those who had their doubts for longer.

But this is football. You have peaks and troughs. Good times and bad times. It's just the way it happens. You don't stop loving the Arsenal just because times are hard. To man/woman we all want the best for the club. We might differ on how we think we can achieve that but ultimately we all have the same goal. You can criticise without dooming, you can point out problems and it doesn't mean you don't support the club.

At the moment the club needs our support and I'm sure they'll get it. But at the same time the club needs to address the issues that are troubling it. You can't expect blind faith forever. There has to be a time when someone says enough is enough.

Yesterday was enough.

Morning all, hope we find you well this Saturday.

While there's been no official confirmation from the club the fact remains that William Gallas is no longer the captain of the club. He is not in the squad to face Manchester City today which should tell you just how Gallas is viewed at the moment. The squad is down to bare bones but there's still no place for him.

I think Arsene made the right decision yesterday. Gallas simply had made his career as captain untenable. He might well have done the same with his playing career at the club too. His outburst was extraordinary, plunged the club into the kind of media frenzy it does its utmost to avoid at all times, and the consequences had to be brutal and swift.

What was unclear yesterday was why he gave this interview. What emerged during the morning that the interview took place as part of the publicity to launch Gallas's autobiography in France. The more cynical amongst you might speculate that some controversial comments would generate some publicity for Gallas and the book. Maybe he didn't think what he said was that bad (remember, there are points he made that were valid, even in my opinion!) but when a passage from the book revealed a furious bust-up with a player called 'S' while on international duty, and that player was revealed to be Samir Nasri, then you really have to question his intelligence.

Why do footballers feel the need to write autobiographies when they're still playing? Surely the best thing to do is wait until your career is over then you can write about who you want, when you want, and the only problem you might have is at your 25 year Euro2008 reunion dinner. When you start creating problems within the team you're captain of then it's grossly stupid. If I were a football manager I would put a clause in players contracts forbidding them from writing biographies while still playing for the club. Otherwise we will continue to swerve off the road at their idiocy.

But the book is secondary. Gallas has never been a convincing captain and the comments made about his teammates were the straw that broke the camel's back. Again you could be cynical and suggest he made them to put an end to his Arsenal career. It's not like he doesn't have previous, his exit from Chelsea was unseemly and undignified and it looks like his Arsenal career is going to end the same way.

There are no hard facts this morning. The Sun says Gallas has been told he is 'free to leave' the club. They quote one of those old reliable 'close family friends' who said:

“Arsene told him ‘If you don’t want to be in my team then just go. You are free to leave’. William was shocked at the outburst and went straight home. He simply doesn’t know what will happen to him. He’s very down."

It's hard to see how he can continue at the club in any way, to be honest. He has betrayed the rest of the players by making public things which happen in the dressing room and that won't easily be forgotten. But he's also a French international who is worth some money. It will be interesting to see if the club hold on and try and sell him in January or if some agreement is made which sees his contract cancelled and he leaves as a free agent. Given the circumstances you feel it might be worth taking the financial hit and getting him out of the club as quickly as possible.

What will be most interesting is seeing what kind of comment the club and the manager has to make on the situation. We've had a brief snippet (in that Sun article) from the chairman who talks about not making things public but that could have come from any time in the recent past.

I'm sure Arsene will feel betrayed by Gallas. He made him captain, he put more faith in him and backed him more than he probably should have, perhaps feeling that giving Gallas responsibility might change the man, but Gallas was always too old to change. Or not intelligent enough to cope with the pressures of the job. So while I'm glad Arsene has done this now it's a case of better late than never because this is a decision he could easily have made in the summer. It's a decision he should have made in the summer.

Now, it feels like a big thing. It feels important, really important. Almost like a weight has been lifted from our shoulders and we can move on. Goodplaya's point is good, the removal of Gallas does not solve all our problems, not by a long way, but this certainly does feel like a step in the right direction. I felt the position of Gallas as captain made it difficult for Wenger to drop him as a player when he should have been dropped. There is no such problem now.

So it's up to the rest of the players to show what they're made of today. I know that some of them did not take to Gallas as captain, and like the rest of us footballers can be petty, spiteful individuals at times. Imagine you have a team leader at work who you actively dislike, you don't do your best work for them, do you? The same thing goes for footballers which is why the choice of the next captain is absolutely crucial. You know who I think should get it but I'll write something on that in another blog in the days ahead.

Today it'll probably be Almunia with the armband as we take on Manchester City. The squad, as I said above, is threadbare and how we line up is going to be interesting. I suspect we're going to see Sylvester and Song as the centre-halves, Djourou at right back and I think Aaraon Ramsey will come into the midfield. There are doubts about Adebayor apparently so we'll have to see how we line up but a five man midfield with Ramsey, Denilson, Diaby, Nasri and perhaps van Persie playing off the main striker wouldn't be a surprise.

It's almost like a new era for the team now. Soon it will have a new leader, in January I am quite sure it's going to have new players, but there's plenty of football to be played between now and then. The lads out there today have to show they're Arsenal players, they have to show they can perform when backs are against the wall, perhaps they need to prove a point to the former captain, but what's undeniable is that they need a good result today.

Goodbye Gallas, hello the future. Come on Arsenal!

More tomorrow.