Before I have you all jumping in on me and hurling abuse at my apparent lack of faith and support in the team, I am perfectly aware that we have just over a third of the campaign remaining, a fairly significant chunk of football by all accounts, in which to save our season. The North London derby highlighted a lot of the grit, resilience, and solidarity in adversity that had been lacking in the early stages of the season, a performance to be proud of in the circumstances, despite yet another stalemate.

And that is precisely why we will be punished heavily come May. Not because we have drawn our last three league fixtures against opposition who are either to be feared or have been on good runs of form, but due to our shambolic, almost criminal performances before Christmas.

Ask yourself this - can you really see us overhauling both, Chelsea and Aston Villa, five and seven points respectively ahead of us? If I was a betting man I would not be so confident at this stage, with many difficult matches, including encounters against the three who were once-upon-a-time called our “title rivals” coming up between now and the end of 2008-2009.

The match against Tottenham was pretty much a no-goer right from the start, with a referee clearly with a vested interest in keeping the home supporters happy, and Wenger’s persistence in starting with one of the worst players to ever wear an Arsenal shirt causing a severe handicap in the midfield, having amazingly clocked over 100 appearances. As it happens, Eboué’s sending off before half-time was probably what we needed in terms of battling qualities and compactness, but also to rid the fans, our fans, who apparently cheered Eboué’s exit for the showers just as vociferously as the Spurs faithful, of his truly crippling and eye-cringing displays.

Wenger might be right in complaining at the seemingly ridiculous decision of chalking off Eboué’s goal on fifteen minutes (oh, the irony); nevertheless, where was his voice of dissent at the utter abjectness of the many previous debacles we have witnessed this season, including that inexplicable collapse against Spurs at the Emirates in October? I fear that this run which has seen us tighten up at the back and given us more substance has come a little too late.

Wenger’s relaxed attitude towards the whole affair has been remarkably baffling. Having dismissed Aston Villa’s threat by claiming that he is “not worried”, we now see ourselves in a position where our long run of undefeated matches might simply not be good enough, praying that Villa somehow arrest their own irritatingly long unbeaten run.

Now whilst I do not for one second claim that it is Arsenal’s divine right to be in the Champions League every season, this is a team that was apparently ready to take the world by storm and claim glory on all fronts this season, according to the manager and some of the notable big mouths in his side anyway (Gallas and Adebayor spring to mind)!

This time last season we were five points ahead of the pack, with one league defeat to our name, only to end up an agonising four points from being Champions, and so the summer optimism aired by Wenger and co, and indeed us, the supporters, could not have been dismissed as a fantasy. Yet we now find ourselves in a very embarrassing situation, having to look at Everton and Wigan Athletic beneath us with more concern than Chelsea and Aston Villa above us, and that is indeed no disrespect to the former two, as much as it is with much disdain and dissatisfaction at our very own derisory decline!

So, as we prepare ourselves for the “run-in”, we should ask ourselves, what exactly is our run-in about to entail? A few more blanks perhaps and the odd win here and there, sprinkled with one or two thrashings by unfancied sides fresh from the unlikeliest of victories at Old Trafford and Anfield, only to carry us through from title hopefuls to the shining lights of the UEFA Cup, sorry, the UEFA Europa League (a very unsubtle attempt by UEFA to glorify the competition)? Or are we finally about to stand up and be counted, showing the world that, as far as laughing stocks of big clubs go, we are not one to be messed around with?

The recent vibes leave me in limbo with regards to which direction we will end up swaying, with some solid performances, yet a sudden dearth of creativity and penetration leading me to think that all is still not good at the camp.

Andrey Arshavin’s timely arrival at the club and his announcement to all that “ Now I am Gooner”, as well as Eduardo’s welcome return to the bench at White Hart Lane might just be what we desperately need to kick-start our fight for retaining our status as a “big four” Club. A “star” signing at last, we can now hope that Arshavin’s wizadry combined with the return of the main components of Arsenal’s artillery (pardon the pun) may just be enough in usurping Villa’s gatecrashing of the Champions League party.

As I sat and watched Arshavin’s first interview on English soil, excited by news of his signing, as well as relieved that the most boring and protracted transfer saga in football history had come to a positive conclusion, the Russian magician pleaded for our “trust in him, and trust in Arsenal”.

To which there is only one reply…that trust needs to be earned first.