How can a team play so well (and with such energy) in midweek against one of Europe's finest and then be so embarrassingly bad the following weekend against comparative journeymen, especially when there's so much at stake? Answers on a postcard, please, to the 40-000 Anfield regulars, whose Premier League dream is now over for the nineteenth consecutive season.

Every fan(atic) gets caught up in their own little world, so it's worth remembering that we Gooners are not alone in attempting (and failing) to rationalise the huge divergence in performance that we are currently seeing from our team. Sublime one match, supine the next. To expect to discover the answer is probably a step towards insanity. Nobody, including, crucially, Arsene, seems to have a clue. The booing that so astonished "Motty" actually began before the final whistle.

As Mark Vallis wrote, Fulham were, humiliatingly, playing keep-ball at the end. We appeared to have neither the energy nor the inclination to dispossess them, let alone to score. This was, I think, the reason for the chorus of boos and I have some sympathy. How else can people make their feelings known? Indeed, I even joined in, though have now vowed to desist in future, whatever the on-field provocation. Genius and insanity are said to be divided by a thin line (pedants will note that, in mathematics, a line is defined as having no width - a bit like some of our football, when out-of-sorts); and so is love and hate. Supporting almost any team in any sport is a rollercoaster ride.

In four-and-a-half hours' football, I've not seen a Fulham team concede a goal against Arsenal this season. Yes, I was at The Cottage in August and at Motspur Park last Wednesday, where our reserves lost 3-0. It's interesting to note that Arsene's programme notes described the Craven Cottage defeat as our worst performance this season. We'll see how many agree with him come this end-of-season's Gooner Survey. There will surely be some lively debate and soul-searching before answering "Worst Away Performance", "Worst Home Performance" etc.

I actually saw 210 minutes' goalless football this weekend. I confess to going to Wembley on Sunday, behind the lines of not one, but two, enemies. It was as I expected: "United" were marginally the better team but their players "go down" at any and every opportunity (there's got to be a pun in there somewhere but for once I cannot be bothered to work on it) and almost always get the desired free kick. Modric impressed and was fouled throughout; Lennon tortured Evra in the first half.

Any regular football watcher knows a booking when they see it and, yet again, United were shown tremendous leniency by Chris Foy. There were three cynical, late upendings of Modric in either threatening or very dangerous positions where the yellow card should have been brandished. It wasn't; and the defender was released to offend again, as in civilian life. United finished the game with the following outfielders: Evra, Giggs, Scholes, Ronaldo, Tevez, Nani, Anderson, Vidic and Ferdinand, all seasoned pros and / or expensive imports. Only the impressive Evans is a young home-grown. Contrast with our Carling Cup team that included Hoyte (Junior, not Justin), Rodgers, Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey, Randall, Merida, Bendtner, Vela, Lansbury and Simpson.

I left before the meaningless penalties to beat the rush for the tube. We Gooners have no choice but to be patient with Project Arsene. I'll be at "The Lane" on Thursday...