A good, if somewhat fortuitous, start to the season has been brought to a halt by a combination of bad luck and extreme naivety. Personally I wasn’t taken in by the wins over Everton, Celtic or Portsmouth. Today was, as Wenger said, the real test. And his team failed it. Yes they were unlucky, but the team brought about its own downfall. And for all the excellent work of Song, Denilson (most of the time) and Vermaelen, it was brainless goalkeeping and a loss of concentration by Diaby which threw the game to the Mancs.

There is a freeze frame from Sky which clearly shows Rooney going to ground before he is clattered by Almunia. But given what had gone on in the past few days, there should be no surprise that the penalty was given. What goes around comes around and all that. Wenger speaks of football intelligence at times and how he believes his players have that. Well, sorry Arsene, but Almunia for one doesn’t. There was no need to come flying in like that, none at all. Especially when you are faced with one of the great exponents of diving – remember the game which ended the Invincibles run and the dive over Campbell’s leg?

Even so, will there be the same sanctimonious condemnation of Rooney that has been heaped upon Eduardo? Will there f**k! Hell will freeze over before the FA would investigate one of their golden boys. Certainly, I don’t expect Sky or that prat Tyldesley on shITV to criticise Rooney.

And then there is our old friend Emmanuel Eboue. Granted he played well against Celtic (not that that was particularly difficult), but today he was back to his old tricks, diving and getting booked. Given that (I believe) it was Mike Dean who sent him off at Spurs last season, where is the football intelligence in diving in front of this referee in so blatant a manner? Thank goodness Wenger at least had the football intelligence to take him off immediately.

As for Diaby, I feel sorry for him, as I suspect most fans do; deflections and own goals happen, but what was he doing? He is 6ft 4 or something like that; he is unchallenged in the penalty area; it was hardly a rocket of a free kick. Was it really so difficult to head the ball forwards, away from the area?

This was not the first time we have played generally well at the Theatre of Wet Dreams and come away empty handed. And it won’t be the last. But this time, it seemed to me Manure were there for the taking. Of course, we should have had a penalty a few moments before AA23’s thunderbolt. On the one hand it is so much more satisfying scoring from open play, but a penalty would have had to mean a yellow for Fletcher and that would have had undoubtedly restricted his degree of commitment as the match wore on. While we scored a few moments after we should have had a penalty, a yellow for Fletcher – along with a converted penalty – could have been decisive in determining how the game developed.

So we lost due to some dodgy decisions, Rooney’s deception, Almunia’s naivety, Diaby’s inability to head forwards and some bad luck at the other end; ‘twas ever thus. On another day, RVP’s free kick would have gone in. The positive to come out of the game was that we played well, for most of the game; the negative is that we are still capable of stupid mistakes and dire lapses in concentration. After the Everton and Celtic games, I sent my friends a text complaining at the last minute goals conceded. Most people thought I was being churlish. Too often Wenger’s teams have conceded last minute goals in crucial games (Kiev at Wembley for example to go back a few years). Wenger has to stamp out this lack of concentration or all his progress with project youth will be to no avail.

Vermaelen has made a difference, and Gallas has stepped up a level (at last), but for all the bad luck and poor decisions by Mr Dean today, the result – however it came about – should be a reality check for Wenger and the Board.

We will NOT win a major trophy with this squad. There, I have said it. No Premiership or Champions League this year. Moreover, we will not consistently win major matches – ie at Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge (and indeed at WHL or Eastlands) – with a team including Almunia, Eboue and Diaby. It hasn’t happened before now and it won’t happen in the future.

The squad still needs what it has needed for months, indeed years; a proper keeper, at least one more proven centre back and that elusive defensive midfielder (even if he is just cover for Song at the ACN and in games when the lad needs a rest, which he will now and then); and then it needs to learn to concentrate. Moreover, it has to concentrate for 90 minutes, and the injury time, and for every one of those minutes, from beginning to end. Yes, there has been progress since last season, but too many flaws are still glaringly obvious. I simply cannot accept that there is no one out there who could improve the squad and provide better depth; either Wenger’s stubborn-ness is the reason for the lack of transfer activity or the finances are on such a knife-edge that the Toure and Adebayor money was needed to keep the club afloat. We are constantly assured that the finances are fine, so we have to conclude it is Wenger who won’t buy enough players. But why?

On the opening day of the season, we were without seven players, Fabianksi, Vela, Walcott, Djourou, Nasri, Rosicky and Diaby, plus Senderos was presumably not even considered for selection; so taking our first team squad of 29 (as per the team photo this year), we had almost one third of our squad unavailable. Of the absentees on day one, only Diaby has returned and we have lost Fabregas. We can moreover assume some of our internationals will returned injured or knackered and unable to play at Eastlands on the 12th. I wouldn’t be surprised to be without 10 or 12 of the first team squad (four of which are keepers by the way) for that match. How Wenger can pretend we don’t need more experienced bodies is beyond me. Completely and utterly beyond me.

There are a few days left before the transfer window closes. Do I think we will sign what we need? No. Wenger’s belief in project youth and the precarious state of the club’s finances will see to that. But don’t worry Gooners, I am wrong about the finances because the Board has assured us we don’t need any money to be invested in the club or the team. And to show us how right they are, I am sure we will soon see new contracts for Bendtner and Eboue (they may well be announced on transfer deadline day to hide the news of no signings); I am also sure some of the promising teenagers in the youth team will get splendid new deals soon too. I remember how new contracts for Randall and Gibbs were announced around this time last year when we didn’t sign anyone then!

I missed the Celtic and Portsmouth games (the rain in Cornwall is so appealing at this time of year), but I shall be back for Wigan and the Baggies. For me the season always starts in September and from my vantage point directly opposite Wenger in the lower tier I will have basically the same view as the great man. Somehow, however, I think we will continue to see things from a different point of view.