THE BRONZE AGE

Cutting ones cloth accordingly or realigning perceptions, it’s a question of semantics but both phrases could arguably be appropriate for the remainder of the Arsenal’s 2012/13 season. Suffice it to say that the title is inextricably being pulled towards Manchester with a great deal of debt owed to the United number 20. So where does that leave us? The gap at the top between United and City is large and the gap between City and the rest seems to point towards the light Blues clinching second spot, therefore the reality is that Chelsea, Sp*rs and Arsenal are all viable candidates to finish third. Two of these three clubs mentioned have Europa league hopes and the Arsenal appear to be up faeces creek with no means of propulsion in regard to the return Champions League leg in Munich, so in that respect we are (most likely) going to be the club with sole focus on our league position.

To finish above the Oligarch invested Chelsea would be a notable achievement and I guess there is no great disgrace in finishing below Ferguson’s United and mega rich City. If that comes across as weak acceptance then so be it; it’s a cold and hard logic that uses no emotional lack of reality in its judgement. 

In the words of Beverley Knight “Shoulda, coulda, woulda are the last words of a fool” and certainly I’ve had enough of banging on about he who shall remain nameless and what might have been, so with this in mind I’m going ‘all-in’ with the last 12 games. Let’s win the remaining games. I’ll be happy if we win ugly: I don’t care, just win first and beauty may follow, but win first.

To quote Kyle Reese “The future is not set” so I will hit the pause button on the hopes for 2013/14 and beyond and see what the players, the guys in red and white (and bilious purple and black) can give us for what’s left. These last few games have to be about the players. Having played Chelsea twice our next fixture is our last against a direct competitor for third and we go into it looking to stop a four-point gap developing into a seven-point gap. Best-case scenario is we reduce the deficit to one point. After Sunday all we can do is look to win, win, win and hope others drop points.

Yes I know that a Bronze medal is not where we want to be or should be but, short of match fixing revelations in Manchester followed by points deductions, third is our apex for season 2012/13. Aiming for third may be unpalatable but it is the highest aspiration I think we can have between now and 19^th May.