The death of a dream

There’s not much of the career of John Cleese that I want to retain, but I guess the last bit to go will be the classic moment in Clockwise when he says “It’s not the despair…it’s the hope.” So true. It’s been a rough twenty years to be an Arsenal fan, but for this season, for once, it all seemed worth it. Lovely Michel Arteta had gathered his young team together, put his arms around them, and encouraged them to play. So there they were, at the top of the table, six points ahead of Man City, with the route to winning he league clearly in sight, within their own control. Four games later, they’ve drawn three (two of those after being 2-0 up) and been slaughtered in the final showdown with the champion club. It wasn’t even close.

Not surprising, really., We’ve had hopes raised and dashed before, and all the conventional wisdom - past experience, money, depth of squad - suggested that we might not manage to stay ahead. And a key injury to Saliba, arguably the team’s strongest defender, made a massive difference; the stats about results with him and without him were indisputable. But it was great while it lasted, and there were moment we’ll treasure for ever - the last minute win against Bournemouth, for instance, when it briefly seemed as though the inevitable could be defied.