Is it too early in the season to get excited? Well no it isn't, it is never too early in a season to get excited. The fans can feed off the team and the team in turn can feed off the fans and I think they will. Back in 1970 I recall we drew at Everton in a difficult opening game, lost Charlie George with a broken ankle and had a tough opening home game against United. John Radford ran riot against the Mancs that day with a hat trick and we thrashed them 4-0. It was clear to me then, and quite a few other fellow Gooners, that the season was going to be very different to the previous years of dross. The team were alive, they were a real team in every sense of the word and they were going places because they wanted to go places and because they clearly believed they could go places and because they believed in one another. By the end of that game both myself and many other Gooners also believed. We were walking tall and had that soppy grin on our chops that lasts because you we just knew that something has clicked into place big time.

In 2003-04 we began our league campaign with a game against Everton and won 2-1. If you want a reminder here’s my match report for Arsenal World. I described that game as ‘a big result’ principally because they were reduced to ten men with the game scoreless when Sol Campbell was sent off after 25 minutes.

Our opening away game that season saw us beat Middlesbrough 4-0. I wrote then, ‘On this evidence Arsene Wenger's side could well mount a championship challenge’, and we all know what happened next.

Some early season excitement and keen anticipation on my part in two previous seasons that turned out to be very much justified. So excuse me now if I get just a bit excited now because there are some common factors to be seen. It's not just the fact that we once again have some quality players, or two very decent opening results. For me it is the very obvious collective spirit, the will to win and a team that in it's two far from easy opening games has shown that they are indeed a team. The have added a touch of steel and have very much enhanced their work ethic. We now have a style of play that suits our players. Top that with their desire to play for the full 90 without easing off and there won't be a team in England, or indeed Europe, who will relish playing us. This season it seems clear that we won't be rolling over, we won't be out battled and we won't be easing off.

You will I hope note that I've made no outlandish claims for the coming season because I shall, as the great football sages always suggest, just be taking one game at a time. But think about it: we had no Eduardo, Nasri, Walcott, Djourou or Rosicky at Celtic Park and it didn't matter because we had a team on the pitch - a real team. And yes our bench still looked a tad fragile and we may well still be one or two players short. And yes we all know there are a million miles to go. But the buzz will be back in the stadium when we play Pompey and if we hit form the place could be rocking. Because those in the know can already see and feel what's happening, teams don't instantaneously combust into life, real teams grow, mature and then explode onto the scene. I feel that a very big bang is coming very soon to a stadium not a million miles from N5.

Victoria Concordia Crescit - Victory Through Harmony